My new dog won't eat

[nydoglover]

My husband and I rescued a dog from a shelter in Kentucky. We bought her the same food that the shelter was giving her, Dog Chow, and she hasn't eaten a bite. We got her on Saturday and it is now Tuesday morning. We have been offering her a cup a day and if she doesn't eat it we take it away. Any advice?

[BigDog]

Dog may feel very stressed because of changing environment, and scared of you because she is not used to you yet. I would not take cup with food away, she may go eat when you are not near the food and there is less fear for her (if it's a fear problem).

[mastifflover]

Just leave the food out it will take awhile for your dog to start to feel comfortable and safe. You might want to boil some rice and chicken and put that in a bowl then leave the dog, she might still feel unsure of you. I would also not feed her dog chow or for that matter any food you can buy in a grocery store. All these foods are made with corn and soya and are basically all filler. Try something like Nutro or Natural Balance, Natures Recipe, Canidae, Innova, Wellness, Fromm, Nutro. In the long run they are more expensive but you will save money on vet bills which are going to be more expensive than buying good quality food. Good luck with your new baby and thanks for adopting and giving her a new home. It does take time for her to trust you and feel safe, be patient, you will be rewarded with tons of love.

[Spoiled]

Try putting her on a different food. I'm not sure what you're feeding her now, but most shelters do not feed their dogs and cats high quality food because of the price, so I'm assuming that she is on a low quality food. Most of the Eagle Pack is high quality, and Solid Gold is an excelent high quality food. Check to see that no ingredients that are corn is in the first three ingredients. If possible, no chicken is better than foods with lots of chicken meal. Chicken meal includes feet, heads, beaks, brains, feathers, that kind of stuff.

Buy some dog treats (or make them) and crush them. Sprinkle the crushed dog treats over the food, give the food to the dog, and leave her with it.

[Goldenmom]

Originally Posted by nydoglover

My husband and I rescued a dog from a shelter in Kentucky. We bought her the same food that the shelter was giving her, Dog Chow, and she hasn't eaten a bite. We got her on Saturday and it is now Tuesday morning. We have been offering her a cup a day and if she doesn't eat it we take it away. Any advice?

Your dog is stressed and doesn't want to eat. He may starve to death if you don't do something soon. Feed the dog some human food i.e. boiled chicken, rice, plain oatmeal etc.... The dogs needs to eat and until he is comfortable at your home, he may not eat much. Is he drinking??

Heather and her 3 Golden Girls

[sammiec]

It could be the bowl. When Briggs was small she was afraid of the stainless steel bowls because her tags kept hitting it and making loud noises... try putting a cup of food on the ground and see what happens.

[Goldenmom]

Originally Posted by sammiec

It could be the bowl. When Briggs was small she was afraid of the stainless steel bowls because her tags kept hitting it and making loud noises... try putting a cup of food on the ground and see what happens.

I am SO dense! I should have thought about that too! One of my Foster dogs wouldn't eat out the metal bowl either and when I put it on the mat, he ate it all! Thanks for thinking of this.

Heather and her 3 Golden Girls

[sammiec]

LOL, I was actually thinking about you when I wrote that. I was thinking about the story you had when people came to visit your foster and he was eating off the floor, the people wondered if you were cruel for making him eat off the ground..!

[Goldenmom]

Originally Posted by sammiec

LOL, I was actually thinking about you when I wrote that. I was thinking about the story you had when people came to visit your foster and he was eating off the floor, the people wondered if you were cruel for making him eat off the ground..!

Thats it! That did happen and we still laugh about it! He ate every last morsel off the mat! Little stinker! He is now in a forever home and they do the same for him!

Heather