Eating Problem

Callie has had troubles with a sensitive stomach in the past, but now she is refusing to eat. Currently I am visiting my parents, and for some reason every time we visit she seems to be really picky with her food.
We are having an extended stay because it is summer break and not only is she being picky she absolutely refuses to eat her food. (She started doing this at my apartment too) She skipped breakfast this morning and tonight we had to wet some of her food before we could finally coax her to eat some. She will put the food in her mouth then spit it out.
She is otherwise acting normal, and hasn't been eating anything else. I even stopped giving her treats during the day, she won't get treats if she doesn't eat her food.
I just don't know what to do anymore. I don't like having to take time to coax my dog to eat, and then have her end up not eating at all. She has a schedule for food and everything.
I am going to the vet soon to have a checkup anyway and I will ask there. I just want my dog to keep eating, she gets so sick if she doesn't.

0 members like this

Comment

You need to be a member of MyCorgi.com to add comments!

Join MyCorgi.com

Comment by Lusa on June 23, 2009 at 3:53pm: Currently she is eating Science Diet Lamb and Rice meal. After wetting her food down she will eat it no problem. She went to the vet and they said she is looking fine and weight wise she is good (She is now 19 pounds. She is pretty much full grown since she is one year old, she could get a little bigger but not much) The vet said it may be because of heat or like Beth said it may because she isn't as active (which is related to heat too) I'm just going to keep trying putting a little water in her food since it seems to be working.

Comment by Beauty and the Beast on June 22, 2009 at 7:37am: Although Shiro is only a puppy he's very picky about his food. He didn't eat Eukanuba that his breeder fed him, and in fact, was very skinny when we picked him up. Now he refuses to eat Blue Buffalo if I don't put anything in it. He'll usually eat it wet with some cottage cheese or meat leftovers. He'll still be begging for treats and our food though, so I'm switching him to a different food soon

Comment by Beth on June 22, 2009 at 7:15am: Is her weight healthy? My parents' dog free-feeds and she will regularly skip meals if its very warm and/or she has not been getting as much exercise. I would not call that dog a "picky eater," but she seems to know exactly how many calorie she is burning and will not eat if her caloric needs have been met.

Metabolically, dogs are not like humans. In the wild, many carnivores will sometimes go a few days without eating and then (hopefully) have a large meal or two to balance it out. A dog not eating for a day or so is probably not equivalent to a human doing the same.

You also mention a sensitive stomach; our Corgi usually had soft stools (not diarrhea, just soft) and we switched to a lamb-and-rice blend and he's so much better. Every dog is different, but you might try to find a different high-quality kibble and pick up the smallest bag they have, and switch her gradually over a couple weeks. It might be best to wait til she is in her own home to do it, though.

Comment by Krista Meyer on June 22, 2009 at 12:07am: There are these things I saw at Petsmart that might work; it's a meal (dog food with real nutrition and calories of a meal) in the shape of a big chewy treat thing. Since she has a sensitive stomach I don't know if you'll be able to coax her into eating one of those, or if they'll be good for her, but it's an idea.

Also, Domino used to be picky about her food too, and sometimes when we go visit family she doesn't eat much of anything either, but I have found that the Vitagravy and the Iams gravies do tend to give her food more of an appetizing flavor. She usually eats them when I put something like that on her food.

Good luck, I hope you can get her back into her normal habits.