Desperate my boy just won't eat !!

laney · #1 25-10-11, 12:10 PM

Hi all as the title states ! What the hell else can I try ? He's always been a picky eater but since I lost Bair it's much worse , pls someone have a miracle answer ! He's losing weight daily it seems ! I can fit in his feed bowl what he's eaten in the last 10 days ! Before I lost Bair he was eating 6 tins of Butchers Tripe a day , now he has a mouthful and walks away , I've tried raw , every tin and dry food u can name ! , feeding by hand , every dry food u can name with everything u can add added to it ! The ONLY thing he will eat is cooked chicken and that's only if I borrow my friends Labrador to encourage him ! I'm so worried , he's had a full health check from the vet and is fit and well except he has no energy ( not surprisingly ) 2 weeks ago he weighed 49kg and not am ounce of fat on him now he is 39 kg help ?? Laney and Mowgli xx

sami · #2 25-10-11, 12:19 PM

Aw Laney so sorry to hear this. Not sure I can suggest anything really, it sounds like he is missing Bair.

Have you tried something really strong smelling like tuna or pilchards?

The only thing I can suggest is to try the hand feeding with lots of different things, chicken, fish, cheese, sausages.

Does he like milk, I know they cant digest it but some dogs love it. If he wioll take it what about warm milk and sugar.

LOVEGSD · #3 25-10-11, 12:38 PM

Oh they can be a worry, is he ok in himself other than not eating?

Have you tried raw tripe? Anything really smelly as Tracy says?

I really hope you can find something....xx

laney · #4 25-10-11, 12:39 PM

Hi Tracy thanks , he will eat cheese and lacto free milk , he was having an egg mixed in with the milk but now won't touch it ! He will pretty much have a mouthful of that sort of thing for 2 days in a row max ! Then he won't touch it for days ! Last night for eg he had a 500g pack of beef mince raw , just tried the same again , he sniffed it and walked away ! Silly little man ! X

sezpet · #5 25-10-11, 12:42 PM

Its a long shot but you could try the tinned royal canin that that you can get from the vets,i think it is called royal canin sensitivity and they give it to dogs after surgery, it is designed to be mild on the stomach and even if they only eat a little at a time, it has the needed minerals and vitamins in to keep them strong. I hand fed this to leah when she had a frightening phase of not eating,it looks a little like chappie(which i hate) but she did take it from my hand and after a little while she ate more and more and her appetite picked up. Im so sorry you are going through this, it is so worrying and you do get desperate. I hope the problem sorts itself out soon.

Sarah x

sami · #6 25-10-11, 12:44 PM

I think you will just have to stick at it for a while, he may be missing Bair but he may be just manipulating you. If you are not careful you will end up with a picky dog running rings round you. It is difficult.

How are you now Laney?

kita · #7 25-10-11, 12:52 PM

Does he eat 'treats' that he works for?

Sometimes you can kick start them eating again by using their food as rewards - a few 'downs' and 'sits' and they have eaten quite a bit!

Fried liver, hearts and kidneys are often much more tempting than anything else - I used to scatter some on the top of normal food, it seemed to get them eating and sometimes they progressed to the normal food without noticing.

Hot buttered toast was a favorite with my last boy - especially if he had not eaten for a couple of days. He really loved Hovis bread!

Sue

LindaM · #8 25-10-11, 12:54 PM

Just a thought so ignore me if I am on the wrong track. What a worry, I would be really upset too.

It seems he is grieving and missing Bair and I wonder if you need to be a little bit more assertive. Lukey adored the tinned Royal Canin when he was ill after castration. What about putting down half a tin and leaving it down for 15 mins and picking it up if he won't eat it. You could try again in 2 - 3 hours again (not with the same half tin) with a fresh half tin, only leaving down for 15 mins and yet again throughout the day. It would mean being very firm but I wonder if it would trick him into eating.

My thought is that he might need you to be a little firmer and authoritive - it is only a thought. Please just ignore me if I am on the wrong tack (if Lukey wouldn't eat I would be beside myself).

Hope this situation gets better quickly.

Stuart · #9 25-10-11, 02:52 PM

The problem with any living thing including dogs and humans, is that once you have gone a long time with little to eat, the stomach starts to shrink,..so now you are in a position where he takes a mouthfull and doesnt feel hungry,.. you need to get the stomach enlarged a little.

I know that from what you say that doesnt sound very easy, try with the lab again, and try a few of the treats that have been suggested, it doesnt really matter if the food is right or wrong at the moment, you want to get Mowgli eating anything,..so if its buttered toast or fish,.. if the lab can encourage him to start, I am sure things will improve

sams mum · #10 25-10-11, 02:55 PM

try hiding treats all over.. sausages or bits of cooked liver or cheese under the chair or in places he cant quite get to but can smell. if he keeps trying to get it make it so he can paw or mouth it out.. dogs a bit like children. always want something they think they cant have..