Stopped eating

[DarinBongo]

Bongo is 6 months old and thriving... he is 64 pounds and had been doing wonderfully on Canidae ALS. When we first got him from the breeder, he was feeding him Innova, but he had very soft stools so we switched him to Canidae after reading up on it on RDN.

Now all of a sudden the past two weeks, it's like pulling teeth to get him to eat! He used to eat like he was starved - food was gone in two seconds. Now he will go up to the food, sniff, and walk away. Once a week he gets an egg mixed in with his food and then he eats it up, but otherwise nothing. Also, he used to get way more treats than he does now, so it can't be that he's not hungry! I am at a loss.. he had three days of diarrhea, so I thought maybe he just had a bug so I wasn't forcing him to eat til it passed. Now he is back to hard stools and still won't eat! I've tried everything, from adding peanut butter - he will eat only the kibble that touched the peanut butter, to adding a crushed biscuit. And still nothing. I just searched and added a cup of warm water tonight, and he did eat it all finally - but I still feel this warrants some concern. Has anyone had these problems before? Is there some problem I should be worried about??

I called my breeder and he said that a few of his females stopped eating Canidae in the same way a few years back and ever since then that's why he has fed Innova. One of those females was Bongo's Dam. Could this be an inherent problem?

[KatarinasMom]

My last girl was a picky eater, and I know how frustrating it can be First I would have the vet check him out and rule out any medical issues. If there are no medical reasons for his loss of appetite, try adding a tablespoon of canned dog food, or cottage cheese or plain yogurt to his kibble...that always worked for my girl

How long are you leaving his food dish down? Only give him 10-15 minutes to eat his food and then remove the dish until his next feeding. How often and how much are you feeding him? Maybe it's that he's just simply not hungry (Although in my experience with my rotties that would not be possible )

Good luck and hang in there....isn't puppyhood fun?

[DarinBongo]

We are on our way to the vet in a few minutes... I'm bringing a stool sample just to see if he's sick or something... and I'm going to inquire about testing him for a blockage - maybe that is why he has no appetite.

I'm going to try your ideas... i think he's just being a picky teenager. I'm feeding him the lesser of the recommended amount on the back of the bag. I feed him 1 1/2 cups at 8am, 1 cup at 2pm, and 1 1/2 cups at 8pm.

The warm water helps a little, so I'm thinking yogurt or wet food would inspire him, but we'll see what the vet says!

[DarinBongo]

OK so I brought him to the vet - over the wkend the diarrhea started up again... he poops solid and then right after has diarrhea. I tried lessening the amount of food he got, but it didn't help. The vet tested his blood for a few tick borne diseases and tested his stool - everything was negative. They called me with the test results but didn't give me any answers of what ELSE this could be! So i left a message for the doctor and I'll hopefully be hearing back from them tonight. The water has been helping him eat all his food right up and his energy level is still normal... but I'm very concerned about the diarrhea. Any ideas? What are the signs and symptoms of a blockage?

[KatarinasMom]

Hmmmm.....I (thankfully) have never had concern of a blockage,but I would think that "nothing" would come out at all Hopefully someone with more experience in that area will chime in and give you some answers.

The only other thing I can think of that would be causing the diarrhea would be the kind of treats he's getting? Or maybe he's getting into something (like the garbage) that you are not aware of?

Canidae is a great food and a lot of dogs do very well on it, but my last girl had very soft stools when we were feeding her Canidae ALS. We switched to Innova and the problem was solved. She also did well on California Natural (both the chicken and lamb formulas).

[4zenuff]

I don't have any experience with Canidae, but I'm wondering how fresh the food you're giving is. I once read a post on this site about rancid (forgive spelling) food. I buy large bags of food for my 20lb adult nottweiler and when I used to get close to the bottom he would refuse to eat. It wasn't until I read a post that I realize the food may have gone bad. Now I keep his food in a plastic container (still in original bag). Maybe your food has spoiled?

[DarinBongo]

Hmm - I stopped giving him treats after the first round of diarrhea started. So other than his food, he's not getting anything. And it's the same 50 lb bag of Canidae he's had for awhile now - so I don't think it's a bad batch. I thought maybe he got into something a few weeks ago, but after scouring my house and the outside and cleaning up any possibilities, I can't imagine he is STILL getting into the same thing! Plus, I've been watching him like a hawk when he goes outside. I'm at a loss... someone please with experience of a blockage tell me could this be that?

The vet called me back and said that sometimes they pick up a bug somewhere so she is prescribing a round of antibiotics for him. I am unsure if I should give them to him. Any advice? If they aren't sure what it is - should I be giving him this medicine?

[KatarinasMom]

Originally Posted by DarinBongo

The vet called me back and said that sometimes they pick up a bug somewhere so she is prescribing a round of antibiotics for him. I am unsure if I should give them to him. Any advice? If they aren't sure what it is - should I be giving him this medicine?

I wouldn't think that a round of antibiotics would be harmful to him, especially if your vet is prescribing them. Did you ask your vet about the symptoms of a blockage?

A 50-pound bag of dog food is huge Do you store it in a air-tight container? Maybe it did go bad, since you said you've had it for awhile? Even when I had my full-grown rotties I only bought a 18-20 pound bag of food at a time and stored it in one of those containers made for dog food. It was kind of a pain having to purchase dog food every week or so, but the store that I buy it from is fairly close to where I work so it wasn't that much of an inconvenience. Maybe try buying a fresh bag of food and see what happens?

It's so frustrating when there's something wrong with your baby and you can't figure out how to make them better

[brodiemann]

We had Brodie on Canidae at first he ate it like mad but seemed to lose interest in it. We also noticed excessive eye matter while on the Canidae. We did a lot of research and decided to try Orijen. He loves this food and has even stopped eating his soft food we used to give him.

[DarinBongo]

I store the food in the bag rolled up... could kibble really go bad that quick? I'll try picking up a fresh bag tomorrow and the antibiotics and hope for the best.

*sigh* yes it sucks... i wish he could just TELL me... i feel so bad for him :(

[DarinBongo]

maybe at this point this thread should be moved to the Vets Corner section?

Another question for RDN... should I walk in tomorrow and request an xray for Bongo before starting the antibiotics? Or try the antibiotics first? I could really use someone to chime in and tell me if these are signs of a blockage or not... please?!!?!?!

[hokisteph5]

I thought possible blockages were marked by vomiting.

[bliss7373]

I do not think this is a blockage. First, his bowels are working - they obviously aren't blocked. Second, this has been going on for awhile. If he had a blockage, I would think he'd be in dire shape at this point, unless it were a very minor obstruction. I also agree that frequent vomiting, unsuccessful attempts to go potty, general nausea and distress are the signs of an obstruction.

Thought No. 1: Could he have developed an allergy to something in the Canidae? Maybe he's simply not eating it because he knows it's going to make him sick.

Thought No. 2: I wouldn't think a round of antibiotics will hurt him - this could also be a bacterial overgrowth in his gut, the antibiotics are likely designed to clear that up. Give the antibiotics with some yogurt, so they don't kill off the good bacteria too.

After the vet visit, I would fast him for a day to let his gut heal a bit, then feed him a bland diet for a few days. Don't give him the antibiotic on the day you fast him- wait till he's eating again. Once he's past this, if nothing conclusive is found, I'd consider switching to a different food.

[DarinBongo]

THANK YOU!!! thank you for your advice... I feel confident now that this is not an obstruction. I am supposed to start the antibiotics tonight, and then feed chicken and rice. I may even try your fasting recommendation - but I have to see what the instructions are for the antibiotics first.

I will update tomorrow... thanks RDN!

[observer]

I buy large bags of food for my one perpetually dieting dog due to economics, but have bought a lovely airtight container to keep it in. Because I have learned that it can go bad.

Hope Bongo is good as new soon!