Diesel

He’s over 7 months old now and has always ate his Purina Puppy Nosh enthusiastically. He’s virtually stopped growing now, and now I’m lucky to get him to eat a whole scoop of his nosh (200g) in a day. He should be on more like 3 times that. He’s been like that for well over a week. To make up for it I make sure he gets a pint of full fat milk, and he will eat a bit if I mix in some scraps or sardines or gravy. Even with these tidbits I relented to giving after a few days stand off, its still not enough, and no good long term.



I also tried 2 other brands of dried food with little luck. Don’t think there is anything wrong with him as he stalks you for toast/chicken tikka massala/chips/bananas/crisps etc!.

It’s a nuisance as I don’t want to start bad habits, but I also want him to be big and strong and healthy – and he’s clearly a bit scrawny ‘round the loin currently.

Any ideas, othet than turning his ears inside out so he listens to me saying PLEASE EAT

red_dog104

You could try a natural diet. Raw chicken carcus a couple of times a week and a can of tuna emptied into finely diced raw veg the other days.

I was dubious about it when a dog trainer told me but it is apparently very good for them and there is no danger of the dog choaking on the bones of the carcus (you can get them for next to nothing) as the bones are soft. They only become choak hazards when they have been cooked as they become brittle.

I have gone for a half and half with my dog. Half his dried food and a can of tuna or whatever I think he may like! I've even cooked him poached eggs (when we have been having them obviously). Milk is not supposed to be good for dogs or cats for that matter. Maybe you should consult your vet?

NotoriousREV

Perhaps after 7 months of the same food, he's just bored and doesn't like it anymore?

ragnarock2

I give my dog this diet (called the BARF diet) it absolutely loves it! it basically stands for the Bones and Raw food diet. Crosskeys books have a fantastic book on the subject, and the idea is it mimics what the dog eats in the wild. Basically any raw meat (except turkey as the bones can cause choking) and veg is good, and the more raw meaty bones you give them the better.
There are other advantages to this diet, i.e. can help athritis and loads of other ailments, can calm a dog down, and also, stools are a with solid chalky substance that doesnt smell, and will not stain (literally are rock hard), as I said get the book (code dt443) from crosskeysbooks.com under the health and diet link.
My dog (a wolf hybrid) has been fed on it since it was 4weeks old, and is now 7 months and is absolutely huge, and has had no health problems whatsoever, her teeth are sparkling clean, and her breath does not smell at all!

Denzil_Dog

or maybe he is getting clever......

I mean...... would YOU eat that **** ?

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

My guess is boredom. My Alsation got bored with the same stuff night after night. Remember, dogs are quite intelligent animals. Would you be able to gronf the same meal night after night after night, no matter how much you liked it to begin with?
Alcazar

Diesel

No 'he'll eat when he's hungry Diesel' answers then? More like switch from Asda to Waitrose Diesel and only the finest bones from Marks' - indulge him

He's had nothing but toast & Flora & 1/2 pt milk today - I'll see what happens when I get home & present his dried food with some fish in it.

How often do you feed your dogs guys? (there are so many conflicting ideas by everyone - I was aiming for morning and evening with him by now - if he'd play ball that is).

Davestamf

carcus? Is that some type of cactus, if so do not, repeat DO NOT feed it to your dog.

Mice_Elf

If he's still a puppy, be careful what you feed him. Mashed Weetabix is a favourite.

We feed our dog half a can / pouch in the morning with some biscuits and then some crunchies like Markies in the evening.

PG

Use some tuna or scambled egg to see if you can get him interested.
Do not leave the food down all day. Let him learn that there are only specific times at which he will be able to eat.

PG

an MOT @ the vets wouldnt be a bad idea either.

Spoon

The heat isn't going to help his appetite, my 2 GSD's will not bother with their food till later on in the summer months even though they get fed at 5 pmish.

Giving him the luxuries will not only make a rod for your own back but it won't be all that good for his health either.

If you are sure he is not sick in any way then he will eat when he's hungry, after all as long as he has plenty of fresh water, food isn't that essential.

ragnarock2

There is no danger in feeding a dog a chicken carcus, providing it is RAW, cooked chicken bones are the danger (as they dry up and go brittle, and hence, can splinter). Think about it, dogs are primarily scavengers, what would they eat when they are wild (thats right, dead animals incl birds) do you think they bother to pick out the bones?

Dog food is only around 70yrs old, before the dogs ate leftovers from meals, meat and bones that had gone slightly off, do you think they had problems with cancer and arthritis etc then (well, certainly not as much as there is now!

As I say, my dog is fed on raw meaty bones incl chicken bones (and carcases) as well as around 1 tin of trip mix per day, she has never once choked on the bones, she is full of energy, her eyes sparkle, her coat is soft, and she GROWS!!!!!

Admittedly, people are scared of giving their dogs chicken bones, but as I say (and this is all from vetinary books on the subject) as long as they are RAW there is no problem, effectively it is not a new discovery as dogs have been eating like this for 1000's of years!

Diesel

Oi! Whoever called my only pedigree part of the family 'primarily a scavenger' can take a hike

So I got home much later than I thought last night (bizzarely had to take a security mug shot of Shirley Bassey for a trip to the Middle East - no mutt didnt believe me either...) and when fed on his usual nosh & a little Tuna he wolfed it down - so much so I had to give him seconds... This was the best he ate for almost 2 weeks. The power of Scoobynet?

Raw chicken still does not appeal to me as dont 1 in 10 carry salmonella bugs, and that is why everyone is paranoid about cooking it properly - unlike beef, duck, lamb which should of course be pink...

Mice_Elf

Diesel...it's a DOG...they eat rabbit poo given half a chance!! (God knows why...but our dog (and the one before him) seems to view it as a fecking delicacy! :vomit

Dogs will eat everything and anything without much harm to themselves, unless it's poisonous or indigestible, of course.

Apparition

think the person who mentioned the heat had a point. My dog hasn't been eating as much as usual lately but no worries, I put it down and if its not eaten I remove it til next time. He has Bakers complete for brekkies and Butchers meat for dinner. He's a pedigree so he obviously doesn't need any posh stuff.And I agree, Milk is bad for them.

barrybudden

I didn't think milk was good for dogs?

Mice_Elf

Depends on the dog or cat. A lot of them are lactose intolerant. Some are, some aren't.

My cats and the dog, who gets jealous, all have milk on occasion. As did the last one who lived to over 13 years.

ragnarock2

Thats a bit unfair, putting a dog down 'cos it won't eat

Salmonella is not an issue for dogs, as the diet includes raw eggs (shells as well) probably the same as when humans ate raw food - we had the bacteria to digest/nullify "bad" bacteria, and after 100's of 1000's of years we lost these bacteria as we ate cooked food!

Diesel

£35 to find out he was fine and dandy! Ate bugger all yesterday (except some milk and a slice of wholemeal) so took him in to see'em...

Off to find some chocolate coated organic rabbit poo at Thorntons

Mice_Elf

LOL...yum!


Remember, though that human chocolate is poisonous to dogs and cats, given sufficient quantities...

My cats love Maltesers but only get them as a treat every other week or so and only 1 each.