poor appetite

[evelyn1157]

she does not have any more diarrhea after giving her the antibiotics and diarrhea pills.
day 2 : i give her 2 meals a day. she did not touch the 1st meal. but she ate about 3/4 of her 2nd meal. she must have been hungry. did not finish all of it though. what should i do if she does not eat again tomorrow?

[Angels3]

I spoke to some Tibbie owners & some of the good breeders.
First, the Tibbie owners all said that when they first open a packet of dry dog food, their dogs are more likely to eat it. After a week or so, the dry food seems to smell or taste 'stale' to the dog...& that's when it starts getting picky.
So people do things to keep the dry food as fresh as possible. They buy it in the smallest packets so it gets used up more quickly. As soon as they buy a new packet, they transfer the contents to air-tight jars with screw-top lids. They store the jars in a dry, cool place.
One of the very top breeders said that dogs are more geared than humans to not eat...so she said not to get too anxious about the pickiness. She said to put down the bowl of dry food for the dog. If it is not touched after 10 minutes, take it up. Then later put it down again for 10 minutes & take it up again if not eaten. She said that a valuable import Tibbie she had stuck this out for a week & then he began to eat normally...
Another breeder said that her Tibbies like dry cat food. She's checked this out with her vet & he said dry cat food was OK....but he said that canned cat food was not OK for dogs. The canned food contains a lot of oil & has a too high fat content for dogs. This breeder uses Whiskas dry cat food with her Tibbies. But she said she also uses Purina One & Eagle Pack.... the varieties with the small-sized kibble.
Hope some of this helps with Zoey. (Tibbies look like Shih-Tzus that have had a haircut.)
Marie

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Evelyn1157, I don't know what to tell you but I hope your sweetie is doing better now.
We feed our Schnauzers canned Lamb and rice in the morning and dry lamb and rice in the afternoon and they do well on that. Daisy has those days in the summer when she won't eat, and we kind of let it go for a day or two then she starts eating again. Hope all is well with your pup now.
Jackie

[KYS]

evelyn1157,

Glad the meds are working.
It is not unusual for a dog to skip
a meal or fast for 24 hrs, once in awhile.
Sometimes they just don't feel well
and they will fast on their own.
My sister has a shih tzu who is so picky she will only eat soft can with people
food and will not eat kibble. (she is spoiled) lol
As long as your pup is eating something
and not loosing weight, has a firm stool, eyes clear and acts healthy, no fever etc. I would not be to worried. It's when she doesn't eat for more than 2 days and she is
not acting herself etc. that would
be a red flag.
Never be afraid to call your vet to
ask his opinion and voice your your concerns, the phone call is free.
Maybe the antibiotics is making her a little
neauseas? You might try giving her some cooked ground hamburger and see if she gobbles that down.

I hope your baby is alright,
I will be thinking of her.
Let us know how she is doing tomarrow.

P.S. Giving her dog treats is also giving
her calories and can make her tummy feel
full.
Maybe she is just being a picky eater.

[evelyn1157]

well , i am back in my hometown for a 10-day break. and my mum said that zoey looks a bit thinner think i'll switch to eagle pack after her eukanuba finishes. is it ok if i were to alternate between eukanuba and eagle pack so that she won't get tired of either one?

[evelyn1157]

her stools weren't so nice today. still in shape but a bit soft and sticky

[evelyn1157]

day three : she ate less than half of each meal given

[KYS]

evelyn1157,
Changing foods can give her an upset stomach too. You might consider gradualy mixing the foods, or if you wish to change foods,
than make sure you SLOWLY add the new
food to her old one to give her
system a chance to get use to it.
If she has diarrha it is better that
she not eat for a day to give her stomach a chance to recoup. Soft stool but not diahrea
I would not feed her a full meal but
small meals and add a little rice. Or cook some ground hamburger and mix it
with a little rice and feed her in small meals.
Just to warn you by changing foods every time she grows bored of it,
You will probably turn her into a picky eater.
I would just find a good quality food and stick to it and add a little bit of people food for taste etc. like a teaspoon of cottage cheese or cooked hamburger etc.

Remember if she acts like she is not feeling well, please do not hesitate to call your vet.

Thinking of her and wishing her well.

[evelyn1157]

think i'll juz stick to one brand.which one is better , eukanuba or eagle pack?
day four : did not eat the 1st meal. ate about 3/4 of the 2nd meal

[twirlbird]

I dont know if this might help you but Diana is a really picky eater. She wont eat solid/dry food...maybe a nibble here or there. She really likes the moist food(the canned stuff) and the top choice i think it is...its semi moist food in little bags. Keep us updated on how Zoey is doing.

[evelyn1157]

zoey has been eating on and off.

[carrie]

I think you have done an amazing job of sticking with it.
It's not easy, I know. It's very easy to visualise the situation but a totally different thing when it is your dog!
Try, only after a partially eaten meal, some of the suggestions - a tiny bit of wet food mixed in, a very small amount of warm water - it may make all the difference.

Keep it up, I know you don't feel that much progress is being made but she will never be a Labrador!! You are doing great, she is eating something and you have started to take the issue out of food.
Well done!
Keep going, don't forget how important every step is and how valuable that you now see exactly how much is being eaten.
Keep up the ignoring phases and you will see a continued improvement.

Good work!

[Sudilar]

Is she lethargic? Does she press her head against things, does she circle? If so, have you had her liver checked for a portosystemic shunt?

Hope she starts eating soon.

[jennifert]

How is the puppy doing eating? Any luck? I WOKE up this morning thinking about her and wondering if she was eating better! I think I'm getting hooked on PetTalk!!

[sabies]

My dog is an extremely picky eater. I agree with everything Carrie says BUT I was too weak to do it and have been for like 8 years now so both the dog and I are set in our ways (she says I am well trained).

One sign I have heard that the dog really doesn't like the food is they will carry it away from their bowl and eat it, rather than eat it over their bowl. I thought Sadie did that because she is sooo submissive (not just in eating habits), if I intruded on her when she was eating she would immediately stop, and would not return to the dish for a day.

The brand Sadie seems to favor (and I've tried many): Nutro.

Also, I give her cottage cheese which she LOVES to my surprise and raw egg yolks. These are her "treats" (she won't eat dog biscuits either). They aren't an every day thing (about 1-2 of each per week) but they are supposedly great for her and she gets sooooo happy. I wish I had time to make her food and try that route, but I barely cook for myself!

Hope your puppy is eating!