Not eating dog food

[Stace]

Ozzie has never been a big eater, of dog food that is, he's always ready for a treat or to try and get in on what the humans of the house are eating. We feed him large breed adult Nutro - we just switched to this about 4 - 6 weeks ago. He gets probably 3 doggie biscuits a day and maybe a peice of cheese or something except when he has "school" and then he gets about 2 hot dogs over the course of training. My concern is the amount of dog food he eats, the bag says 5 - 7 cups a day, he will sometimes go an entire day w/out touching it and this week, we're starting day 3 of him not really touching it. Do they seem to go in spurts, or is it because of the adult formula he doesn't need as much? He was happy to take the piece of cheese I gave him this morning when I kenneled him for work.

Sorry this is so long!

[Emme]

Are you leaving the food out for him all day, or do you put it down for 30 minutes, then pull it up? How is his weight? Is it possible that he is "filling up" on the goodies and then just not hungery for the *boring* food?

[JD102175]

Maybe he just doesn't like the food. Some dogs like some dry food better than others. We also feed Brodie Nutro Natural Large Breed. He get 5 cups of food per day, 2.5 cups in the morning and 2.5 cups in the evening. He also gets some treats between the time I get home from work and his dinner time. We've never had a problem with him skipping a meal, so far.


Jaime

[Skip]

leaving the food down for 10 minutes only. I also "flavor" his evening kibble with a couple spoonfuls of Wellness canned chicken. He scarfs his food down within a couple minutes. Just my 2 cents, but I think leaving food down all day CAN cause some problems. It's happenened rarely, but the couple times rocky didn't eat his food right away, I knew immediately that he wasn't feeling well.

[Stace]

Ozzzie is 15mos old and weighs 90 lbs. We do leave his food out all day. It was never a problem until lately. He did have a cold last week, but seems to be getting over it. I will try only leaving the food down for 30 min at a time and maybe spice it up a bit for him. If still isn't interested I guess I'll have to take him in again. Thanks for the info!!

[Emme]

I agree with Skip here - only leave his food down for a short amount of time - he may not "get it" the first day, but if he's hungery, he'll eat when you feed him the next time. Its also an excellent way to judge just how much food your dog is actually eating and if he isn't feeling well. You also may want to cut down on the treats until he begins eating again. Many of the treats are essentially "empty" calories that the dog could do without. Better to get something more substantial in his tummy.

The reason I asked about the treats is that my Mom-in-law gives her dog about 3 - 4 biscuts a day and they are rather large - I'd say a bit less than a 1/2 cup of treat each. Not to mention that bit of human food here or there - then she wonders why her dog doesn't eat her food all the time, or picks at it and is 25+ lbs overweight.

[Rott-Wiley]

How many calories are in those 3 busciuts? It doesn't seem like that would be enough to satisfy him for the entire day to me. Is his weight good?

[Stace]

They are just the small milk - bone biscuits. His weight is good, I think a bit thin, but the vet says perfect. he's 15 mos and 90 lbs you can see his waist, but he does not have any rib bones sticking out. He maybe in a weird growth stage too, he's looking like a chevy jacked up in the back.

[Rott-Wiley]

I don't think I would be too concerned if I were you. He may just be off his feed due to the change in seasons. He may feel he doesn't need that much weight in the hotter weather.

[Stace]

That's a great point. Thank you!! I'll keep an eye on him.

[Beckysmom]

Anything else you've noticed healthwise? Check thinness by how ribs feel. If you can see them sticking out he is way too thin. They should be so that you can feel them, not so covered with fat that you can't, but not pronounced as if only covered by skin. Did he jus stop growing taller? If so he may not need so much food. Or was he just neutered or down on his exercise?

This seems odd to me. The food may not agree with him so he may be leaving it, and you may need to try other types. Or maybe he needs it wetted a little, or with something more tasty like some cottage cheese or a little canned food or whatever he gets of people food.

Could the "cold" be either something more serious or an indication that he is a dog with allergies, perhaps including to his food? and could it be getting better because he is avoiding the food? And what about the dish? Does he eat the people food out of dish or avoid the dish rather than the food in it.

My experience is that young male dogs eat like teenage human boys--that is lots and lots and lots (and burn it all off because they are on the go all the time)! So that he doesn't would worry me.