Hi All..

So I've had Roscoe for about 3 1/2 weeks and things have gone rather smooth so far. Well starting about 10 days ago, he would be a little weird about breakfast. He used to inhale it, but then he started showing less interest. He'd eat 3/4 of it, stop, and come over to me. I'd have to tell him to finish his breakfast, and he would.

Well it began escalating to where he stopped more often during his meal, and I would have to tell him 2, 3 maybe 4 times to finish it, which he did.

Yesterday morning he ate maybe half of it and no prompting from me was going to get him to finish it. I left it out for a little while, then dumped it down the drain.

This morning got worse. I gave him breakfast and he ate MAYBE a quarter of it (if that). He would come over to me and just look at me. I told him "Go finish your breakfast!". He walked over to it.. looked at it, and then went and laid down. wash, rinse, repeat. Again, I left it out for a bit, and then dumped it down the drain. We went for a walk shortly after and all was normal. Normal pees and poops (though his poop was a bit softer than usual, but i think it's because i ran out of pumpkin) and he even tried to go after a squirrel.

I'm a bit confused about this because I feed him the exact same thing for dinner and he loves it. He's anxious for it, eats it all without any encouragement from me, and even bugs me for more. (no, he doesn't get more). So any input would be greatly appreciated. If he's doing this because he'd rather have his peanutbutter Kong, he has another thing coming!!

Thanks!

I see you feed him before his walk in the morning. Why don't you try feeding him after? He may need a while to work up an appetite. My friend's (non greyhound) dog won't touch his breakfast until after he's had his morning outing. If he eats dinner fine I'd bet it's just a timing issue, not anything medical or something to worry a lot about.

Clark and sometimes Gypsy both do this. Once in a while Dreamy will as well. Clark rarely finishes his breakfast. I do not ad water so I just leave their food down and Clark will nibble on his later in the day, sometimes there is still kibble in his dish at supper-time. All of my pups leave each others dishes alone. They were very easily taught to only eat out of their own dish. If you can't leave his down for him to finish later and you are worried about how much he is eating can you give him a small lunch, or maybe a bedtime snack? If his weight is good maybe he just doesn't need to eat as much?
Where in VB are you, my brother and I have a house on the lake in Pembroke close to Independence Blvd., my Step-Mom lives in it. I lived there for several years.

Good point. My boys both eat better if they have pooped and "made room" for breakfast.

I have to add some water to his kibble or he chokes on it.

I guess I started feeding him before his walk because it was the easiest for me in the mornings when i work. This is his regular morning routine: My BF wakes Roscoe up at 6:30 and they go right out to pee. Then Roscoe hangs out while I'm showering and dressing. I feed him while I'm finishing up and eating my own breakfast.. then he gets his walk right before I leave for work. He gets his peanutbutter kong when i leave.

That was working great for a while.. but the eating thing has gotten less and less each day. Everything else is normal.

gryhnds4us: I live off of Holland Rd. Hopefully moving in the next few months to a bigger place with a fenced in yard.

Yes, I feed before my dog's walk too following a similar pattern, but if that wasn't working for me I'd try a change. At least it will give you further information about whether it makes a difference.

Honestly, I'd probably just feed him a smaller breakfast and a bigger dinner if it were me.

We adopted Jodie in December, and for the first few weeks she would eat breakfast. Now...she is not interested. I don't push it. I feed her dinner at 5 p.m. and she takes her time with that. She is our only dog, so that may have something to do with it. No competition. When my daughter's IG is over, she eats a little quicker!

Sounds like he's just settling in and not needing to eat so much. Some greys are always and forever chow hounds and some will self-regulate their meals. Some need two meals a day and some need only one. If he's relatively happy and holding his weight I wouldn't worry about it. Feed him less in the morning and maybe a bit more at night. There's also the heretical philosophy of "Free Feeding." If he's the only dog in the house you might try leaving it down and see if he eats it later. If you're worried about it, try this on a weekend or a day when you're there to monitor it. He might also not need the water on his food if he's not gulping it so fast.

One of mine never wanted to eat in the morning - she did just fine on one meal a day. If you move to a place with a yard and he's getting more exercise he may need/want to eat more again.

greysmom

It seems like Roscoe has a very relaxed attitude toward eating, which is kind of refreshing if you think about it. There's really no need to finish a meal in just a few minutes.

I have three dogs, and they all free-feed (yes, I'm a heretic). It's not at all unusual for one or all of them to leave some of their breakfast behind for later. The rule in our house is that no dog is allowed to eat from another's bowl, so if not-so-hungry-at-breakfast hound wants to finish up later, it's available.

I find that they all eat much more quickly when there are people in the kitchen with them. I think they just don't want to miss out on the potential that something fun could be happening while they're busy eating. Fun = anything with people, playing in the yard, and naps in puddles of sunshine.

Ditto
Some dogs just aren't "morning people" when it comes to food. None of mine ever eat in the morning and frankly they prefer late evening. Maybe now that he is settled in and knows the food will be there he's not eating unless he's hungry. Is there a reason he needs to eat breakfast?

Mine are picky with breakfast also. Sometimes they eat it all, sometimes just a nibble or two. Dinner is always scoffed down. I have tried telling them to get back and eat it, but I have never had luck with getting them to do what they absolutely don't want to do. Funny how cookie treats are never refused, though.

He sounds like a one-meal-per-day dog to me. There's no problem if he's happy and healthy. Just go with the flow.

Minerva is not always excited about breakfast. I can't leave her food down though cause the other 3 can't wait for her to walk away from it so they can scarf it down. She goes through fazes, sometimes she eats with no problem other times she'll eat just a little bit, sometimes she won't even touch it. She inhales her dinner always. I usually give her an extra cup of food at dinner if she didn't eat her breakfast.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. I feel better about adjusting his feeding as needed.

This morning I fed him just one cup, and I did not add water.. he ate the whole thing, but 'choked' and snarfed up on the carpet a couple times. He promptly ate the coughed-up kibble, but left the snarf for me to clean up. I think I need to continue adding water to soften the kibble, as he does not choke when i do this..

I guess I'll just try a few different things and see what he likes.

**Question though.. he didn't poop after dinner last night, or after breakfast this morning. He's always been a regular pooper.. usually 3 times per day. The last time he did poop.. it was way softer than usual. hm..

You're changing his feeding around so don't be surprised when "other" schedules change too. You might add a couple tablespoons of canned pumpkin to breakfast - it'll moisten the food a teeny and might make him more eager to eat in the morning.

greysmom

Maybe Rosco just isn't into breakfast... so long as he eats fine at dinner time, sounds like things are all right. I always feed Lego after his morning walk so maybe the others are right, try feeding him after his walk.... and I feed Lego pumpkin with every meal and he poohs like a champ.

Just a thought, and it could be way off base, but Roscoe will know you are stressed out with your BF situation, and this is making him watch you closely for reassurance. Greyhounds are very sensitive to their owner's moods and they know when something is wrong. It can cause tummy issues and behavior issues.

If Roscoe eats well at night, I wouldn't worry about making him eat a big meal in the morning. In the racing kennel, they only get fed once a day.

It doesn't sound like anything to be too concerned about like everyone has said. We are also in Virginia Beach and adopted our second recently, Jack. He does a similar thing with his food, he sometimes picks at it and leaves 1/4 to 1/2. We just ask him once if he wants more and then pick it up and feed him the rest later in the morning. Luckily for us, DW is at home all day and work this into her schedule. For you it's a little harder so I would just do what you are doing, feed him a little less, he'll be hungrier when you get home. Oh and I wake up 30 minutes earlier to take both boys our for a walk and they almost always do everything and that way they are hungrier for their breaky.

With a dog like this, free-feeding might work. Mine often get hungry at odd times throughout the day. I doubt if you will have to worry about this pup overeating.

I add low sodium/low fat chicken broth, about a 1/2 cup. The sodium content is under 75mg per cup. Garth really seems to like that.

For a while I tried plain canned pumpkin but Garth isn't crazy about it so now I just stick to the chicken broth.

When I first got Garth he literally wolfed his food down. About a month later, he would barely eat. I think he was working through the fact that he had found his home and he could let his guard down.

As long as he is eating once a day, as others have said it sounds just like some adjustment issues.

Liz

Hmmm, that's interesting. We've had Lego for a month and a half and all of a sudden out of nowhere this past week, he doesn't seem at all interested in his breakfast. I might try not adding water to it like someone else mentioned and then feed him at dinner time. I wonder if he's also settled into his new home and knows realizes that he'll get more food later if he doesn't eat now. I also notice that he gets lazier and lazier by the day

Update:

So I did a little experimenting and over the weekend (when I don't have to run off to work), I dicovered that he finishes his meal. And why? Because he has more time. He'll eat a little, then chill out for a bit. Then eat a little more. End result? An empty bowl.

I did discover, though, that he won't eat a full cup and 3/4. So I've adjusted it so he gets just one cup and I feed him a bit earlier so he has more time to graze. Then in the evening for dinner, he gets a little more food to make up for what he didnt eat at breakfast.

So far, so good.

He sounds like my rather picky girl, Rascal. She has NEVER been an enthusiastic eater, from the day we brought her home as the only dog. Breakfast is especially hard. Some days she simply sniffs it and walks away. Dinner, well, she generally finishes that, but not always.

We do have two others who are willing to finish up what she leaves, though, so not much gets tossed out.

What kind of food are you feeding him? I have fed mine MANY different kinds in the seven years I've had them (six for Ruby), I think they enjoy a little variety.
But it sounds like you're figuring him out.

My boy decided he would rather eat breakfast at around 11am - noon. We call it "lunch" now. So, I know this doesn't work for most working folks... (I am retired, working on art at home). He left his breakfast food after the first couple of days, and I would pick it up like I was "told" to do. And he didn't even finish his dinner. After a week or so I left it down... he would eat it eventually. Still to this day if I put the food down before 11am, it will just sit there. I decided as he is an only dog, and definitely NOT a chow hound (he never eats quickly or overeats/quite the opposite) that he would be allowed to be a grazer. He rarely eats an entire meal at once - maybe if we had other dogs he would feel the competition. So we go for his morning walk around 8-8:30. He gets his first meal at 11am. It is usually finished by 3pm. 2nd meal about 6:30-7pm when we eat. Usually finished by 9pm. Works for us and he is a good weight, held steady.

Sounds like all 5 of my hounds. They all quit eating breakfast, but love their dinner. So now they get fed once a day, and I keep an eye on their weight. Everythings been great.

My boy Teagan is kind of picky too, and won't always eat his breakfast. Because he is in an ex-pen I leave his food in there and he eats when he wants to throughout the day.

He always eats dinner though.

Opie used to refuse breakfast quite often. I did the reducing food thing, and it seemed to help. He gets 1 cup in the AM, and 2 cups for dinner. He does get add ins (Mommy's meatloaf, some canned food) for dinner, and gets Salmon or sardines in the AM. I always moisten the food with warm water. Oh, he also gets a turkey neck piece after we get home from work and he has had his walk and pooped. Then his regular dinner is around 8:00. As you can see by all the posters, there is a wide variety of feeding schedules. Just find what works for your dog.

Roscoe gets Purina One Chicken and Rice. He seems to do pretty well on it, but if I don't add pumkin to his dinner every night, his poop gets too soft. The pumpkin gets it firm enough to where I can pick up *most* of it.

I wouldn't mind changing his food to something a little healthier to see if I can firm up those poops, but the Purina is cheap.. and money's tight right now.

My Riley eats a small breakfast, and a large dinner. He doesn't do anything during the night to work up an appetite, so he's just not that hungry in the AM.

If it weren't for breakfast served first thing, I'm not sure my Beth would get her lazy butt out of the cushy crate until late morning! I feel the same way about breakfast and getting out of bed, so we're very compatible. We both eat and then in a little bit we go out for our walk before I have to leave for work.

If you're looking for a good, inexpensive food, try Diamond Naturals. It's a staple for my gang, although I do get something else occasionally just to keep things interesting. I do believe it is LESS expensive than ONE. I pay around $25 for a 40 lb. bag here. I buy the Adult Chicken and Rice formula. When you are feeding THREE greyhounds, price does matter!

My gang of 4 + one angel hound all did/do well on Diamond Naturals, and the price is pretty good. But most of mine aren't big morning eaters. To make our life simple, I free feed, and it works well for us.

Gabe will eat pretty much anything you put in front of him, at any time of the day, but Diamond is my picky hound. She's also not a "morning person," so it sometimes takes some effort to get her to eat. The easiest solution is usually to use different add-ins with her kibble - everything from canned dog food, chicken broth, cottage cheese, yogurt, pumpkin, shredded cheese. I think even dogs get tired of eating the same thing every day.

A few times a week, she decides that she'll eat from a bowl on the floor (laying down!) but not from her raised feeder.

DH says her morning mission is to see what "hoops" she can get her mommy to jump through for her, but as long as she eats . . . she's happy, I'm happy. What's the harm?

Anyway, it sounds like your figuring out what works for you and your hound.

Not that this thread is about new foods, but...Here's another vote for Diamond Naturals. While I mix Evie's food, her sensitive belly has tolerated the Diamond extremely well. And at about $25/bag, you can't beat the price.

Another Update.

Well since I was considering changing Roscoes food anyway, I did a little research on the Diamond Naturals.

I made my comparisons. An 18 lb bag of Purina One at my local Food Lion is $23. A 20 lb bag of Diamond Naturals is $13.50 at my local pet supply. And the 40 lb bag is $25. I also liked the ingredients in the Diamond Lamb and rice better. The Purina has a good amount of corn, where the Diamond didn't at all, nor did it have any bi-products. Well you didn't have to twist my arm more than that!

I went to the pet supply after work and bought a small bag to start mixing in with the Purina. Well Roscoe gobbled it up at dinner, and again at breakfast this morning.

And how was his poop this morning you ask? Well instead of orangey and softish, it was brown and firm. Woohoo! Man does that stuff work fast!

Great news!

Good news for Roscoe AND you!

Good news!

My Beau started doing that in the morning. THen he started eating one kibble at a time. For real. He would take a kibble bring it to the den, drop it, pick it up and then eat it. One kibble at a time. Me & DH have to get out of the house and I am always late for work as it is, but DH usually has to be in court in the morning and we have no time for these games.

What I did was I will mix in about a thumbs worth of chicken breast shredded up ( a real tiny amount as I am not a fan of giving my hounds people food if they are otherwise OK) and that solved that problem.

I have the chicken already made for Polli.

Really? His pic doesnt portray that at ALL!



Chase always gobbles her food. If she doesnt, we start wondering what is wrong.... but George was a VERY time consuming eater. I told Dh the other day that we should have just given him like 10 kibbles at 5am when DH fed them and I would feed him the rest later... HE looked at me like I had 3 heads and asked why I didnt suggest that when it mattered! NEXT TIME! lol

Ugh.... ok. I spoke too soon. Roscoe has the farts and pudding poo on the new food.

Is there anything else that could be stressing him? He is still fairly new to you, if I remember correctly. That could cause soft stool as well.

I would deworm him, see if that helps. Panacur takes care of almost everything.

Good suggestion. Ruby had hookworms when we got her, and it took a couple of rounds of meds before they were gone and she was having solid stools...

Would hookworms cause his poop to be soft all the time? Or at random?

He was consistently semi-firm from the day I got him. I could pick it up off the grass but some might get left behind. It's not until the past few days (since I started the Diamond Naturals) that he has the pudding poo. (The first batch is still usually semi-soft, the second batch, pudding). Oh, and the rotten egg smell that radiates from his behind..

There shouldn't be anything else stressing him. Home life is pretty routine and relaxed.

It's been awhile (six years) but I think her poo was never exceptionally "firm" until the hookworms were cleared up.

If you just started the transition to a new food it will cause some tummy upset. Give it a week or 2 for his stomach to get used to the new food.

It could also be the Lamb. You were on Chicken and Rice and switched to Lamb correct?

Lamb and one of my boys are NOT a good mix.

I would try a Chicken and Rice formula for about 2 weeks to see if his tummy goes back to 'normal' or better.

I went with the lamb because the pet supply didn't carry the chicken. I will give him some more time with it and see if things settle down.. if not I'll figure out something else.

We also had problems with pudding poops, alternating with more formed ones some weeks, and lack of appetite in the morning. We went through every food there is -- well, almost. After 10 months, it turned out to be hookworm. I really think you should try a round of Panacur. It won't hurt him and, if it is worms, you'll see a vast improvement. And don't be persuaded by a negative fecal! That doesn't mean the dog doesn't have worms. Your vet should be able to explain this, and there's information here in the archives.

Good luck!
Mary and the boys