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Old November 28th, 2007, 04:12 PM
hdme hdme is offline
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Why do dogs randomly not eat their food?

This morning as I was leaving for work, I noticed that our dog hadn't eaten her breakfast. Usually she eats breakfast while my husband is in the shower and I'm still asleep then before I leave, I bring her a treat in her crate (she's not locked in, but it's one of her fav places to hang out) and then I leave another one somewhere in the house for her to find so she's not preoccupied with me leaving.

This morning, when I saw that she hadn't eaten her food, I brought her a handful of kibble...she looked excited as I approached her, (thinking I had a treat) but once she smelled the kibble, she turned her head away. I went back with a treat realizing that if she didn't take the treat, she must have a bad tummy ache. She took the treat and ate it right away. Then I left the 2nd treat in her food dish. She came out to the kitchen, ate the treat and then took a few bits of kibble out of her dish and ate them...then she proceeded to eat the rest of her food.

I know that she's done this in the past, but it's been a really long time since the last time she did this. Does anyone know why dogs sometimes just won't eat their food????

BTW: my husband said that she acted normally during her morning routine and walk and when he got home around 1pm today, she was normal as well.

Thanks for any input!!!
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Old November 28th, 2007, 04:29 PM
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My dog use to do the same could not figure it out until I spoke to a couple of people.. They told me it was because of the big bag I was buying was lossing it's smell.. Not that it was going bad just that it was not as strong smelling as when I opened the bag..
Now I did not belive them and I was out to prove them wrong.... so after 2 big bags of her doing this I bought a smaller bag to see if there was a difference.... and low and behold she would finish the bag to the very bottom.. This is just my opion, and it could be an upset tummy.. But since I have been buying a smaller bag and keeping it in a darke place she he's everything and I have not had a problem since..

And usally my dog eats everything and anything..

I would still rule out medical (upset tummy) first then maybe tring to buy a smaller bag IMO.
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Old November 28th, 2007, 04:46 PM
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she doesnt like the food?? GO RAW!!! Mister has never missed a meal!!! will even bury it and dig it up for snacks later.

-ash
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Old November 29th, 2007, 09:47 AM
hdme hdme is offline
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She did this once before about a year or so ago when the company changed their formula for the food she was eating so we switched her to a different type of food and she's been back to her old self, gobbling it down like crazy.

This is the bottom of a large bag so maybe you're right breeze. She ate dinner like she normally would and hasn't been acting any differently so maybe it is just that the food is getting stale or she just didn't feel like eating at that moment...
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Old November 29th, 2007, 09:51 AM
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what are you feeding her??

Bree would do this every time we would get down to about 1/4 of the big bag.. she was not sick but I did bring her to the vet to make sure...

what you can do is buy a very small bag or a sample and she if she will eat it.. if she does you will know it's the bottom of the bag syndrome.. lol lol

just make sure it's not medical
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Old November 29th, 2007, 12:08 PM
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Ford Girl Ford Girl is offline
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My experience with this has taught me that dogs who eat a good quality kibble or raw food self regualte themselves, if they don't need to eat, they won't. Dazy skips meals according to her energy level, if they dont burn it, they dont need more. A healthy dog will not starve itself. Picky eater or not, they will eventually eat.

I wouldnt start adding things to tempt them, that leads to spoiling them. I'd feed the food as is, put it down for 30 mins max, if they dont eat, pick it up, feed the next meal as usual. I bet if she skips breakfast, she will eat dinner.

What kind of dog? Some breeds don't need as much food as others. How much exercise does your dog get? How many treats per day? Bones? Chews? Also, they reccomend buying a bag of kibbe large enough for one month, no longer, it starts to lose it's freshness and appeal - I think scent has a lot to do with it. My bag last 6 weeks, but she doesn't care.

Of course she will eat the treat, they always will - IF it's not medical, that right there tells me, she's not hungry...I'd give it a couple days IF her poops and pees and energy and behavior all looks normal.

If your dog is fine otherwise I'd take it for a good run or hard play, work up an appitite. Thats only if she's in good shape to begin with and not eating is your only problem.
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Last edited by Ford Girl; November 29th, 2007 at 12:13 PM.
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Old November 29th, 2007, 12:20 PM
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Some days my dogs eat both their breakfast and dinner, sometimes only half of each, sometimes only one meal. All of my past dogs were like that as well. They only eat when they're hungry, very typical for this breed. They're not big eaters.

Cindy
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Old November 29th, 2007, 12:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ford Girl View Post
My experience with this has taught me that dogs who eat a good quality kibble or raw food self regualte themselves, if they don't need to eat, they won't.

you suppose thats because of the addicting nature of carbs/sugars?

-ash
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Old November 29th, 2007, 01:19 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by want4rain View Post
you suppose thats because of the addicting nature of carbs/sugars?

-ash
No idea to be honest , is it??? I am not someone who looks at diet that way, I am all about moderation and portion control. I don't count or discount carbs or sugars in my life or my dogs. So, I'm really not sure? I haven't researched it really, but the last time Dazy went 5 days without breakfast I asked around and was told that dogs on a raw or raw based kibble diet self regulate as needed. Is that why, cuz of carbs and sugars?

If you get good quality food on an ongoing basis, you need less to fuel your body, and if you dont burn it, you need even less.

Carbs or no carbs, I think if it's not medical related then it's intake - output ratio related.
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Old November 29th, 2007, 01:29 PM
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All I know if the dog does not eat morning and night and is lossing weight from it there has to be a reason..

not all dogs regulate themselves
some are piggies and some are picky eaters, and some do very well on only eating one meal a day, it really depends on the dog..
what is the norm for the dog?? that is what you have to keep an eye on..

my huskey was a picky eater and she would go days without food, that would be mostly in the summer which I found out is normal for that type of breed.

Bree on the other hand went without food for 4 days and this was NOT normal for her so we had to find out why.. It took a couple of weeks and asking around to find out.. Now she does not go with out food for one day..

all I am saying is weither your dog is on raw or good quality of food it depends on the dog and breed..
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Old November 29th, 2007, 02:15 PM
hdme hdme is offline
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Misty (an 8 yr old Australian Shepard) used to eat Purina One lamb & rice until last year when they changed the formula. Then we put her on Purina One Natural Blends chicken & oatmeal. She's loved it and always eaten it without hestitation, until yesterday morning. She gets 1 cup in the am and 1 cup around dinner time. Her weight is consistently between 40 and 42 lbs. She only gets 3-4 small treats per day. Of the few times she hasn't eaten her food, there have been a couple of times when she has also refused a treat and that was our signal to get her into the vet.

The only thing we can think of that's been different lately is that we did a lot of traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday...two 6-7 hour trips with quite a few stops along the way for her to walk around and go potty. I'm wondering if she wasn't just feeling yucky from the trip?

My husband was home all day today and again, she's back to acting like her old self but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on her to be sure she's ok.

Thanks for all of your input!
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Old November 29th, 2007, 02:16 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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I agree with Breeze. Dogs are individuals and some are not interested in food, no matter how good the quality. And, actually, poor quality foods often have added very desirable scents and ingredients that, while not as good for pooch, are very enticing. Some breeds are notoriously unmotivated by food and BC are one. If my Lab passed up one meal it would be a huge alarm going off for me. With her BC cousin it is a struggle to keep weight on him, he is never interested in eating. So you have to know your dog. Intermittent ignoring of food, as in your case, is harder to figure out. Is she ill? Did she eat something else you don't know about? All you can do is closely monitor to see if other problem signs also materialize, like lethargy, panting, glazed eyes. I think the idea that the bag of food is too big is a very good one to check out. It may be so big you are just not using it up quickly enough and it is going "off".
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Old November 29th, 2007, 02:27 PM
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breeze breeze is offline
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hdme


if you are very concered about it then please call your vet.. maybe she can shed some light on it..

if you notice anything out of the ordinary for your dog call the vet..

she could have an upset tummy from the car ride and if nothing else is wrong I would wait a couple more days and see if her eating habits go back to normal, if not call your vet and have her checked just so you will have peace of mind.. just don't let it go on to long...
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Old November 29th, 2007, 02:38 PM
sways_bodyguard sways_bodyguard is offline
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dogs are just like humans...
sometimes they just might not be hungry and dont want to eat right that minute.
my dog is picky and depending how she feels she dictates when she wants to eat.
case in point, last night when i fed sway she wasnt interested at all.
i put the bowl in the fridge, 2 hours later she followed me into the kitchen so i re-offered the bowl.
she ate the entire thing.
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Old November 29th, 2007, 08:20 PM
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I think also that sometimes they might just get bored with their food! I free feed Buster on Eukanuba Fish and Potatoe mixed with some Wellness Fish and Potatoe (ok...i know it's not the best but I can't get Orijen anywhere near where I live and that would be my first choice).

He always has a small bowl of food in his crate and then his big bowl of food in the kitchen. some days he eats and brings me the bowl for a refill, other days, he nibbles.

Just like humans....some days we are more hungry than others, some days we need junk food, some days we will eat ANYTHING!

As long as there are no medical/health issues.....
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