Older Greys & Food

[Guest lauri]

Miles will be 9 next month. He has always been a runner - everyday in the back yard. AND he runs HARD!!! And he plays with his toys alone, or with us. He's always excited when we get home. Very happy, content, and energetic.

 

He gets about 1&1/2 cup of kibble, (California Natural chicken and rice), and a few Tbs. of canned and sometimes some mix-ins twice daily. Always has a big cookie after his dinners. This has always been enough for him to retain a good weight. I like him to be on the slimmer side as he's a thick dog anyway and I don't want the extra weight upsetting his joints.

 

Lately, Miles isn't as interesed in eating every meal. He's always had a sensitive tum, but hardly ever skips a meal. He's active and happy go lucky as usual, but MAYBE not running as often. Not noticed anything that has me alarmed. He's skipped a few morning meals, (not today!), but will always be ready to eat at night, and have the cookie. If I offer a cookie on the mornings he doesn't eat his dinner, he will bury it in the back yard.

 

Can this be typical of an older Greyhound? Like I said, he's still energetic etc. Maybe age is kicking in...A BIT?

 

He's soon due for a check-up and bloodwork, so then I'll know if there's anything going on.

 

Also California Natural has changed their packaging, but the supply store manager SWEARS the formula has not. Any thoughts on this?

[Guest Ola]

When I read the topic title, I thought "well, I can't offer any advice for an older grey, Mayhem's only 9". Really, to me that doesn't seem old, at least for a grey. Although I suppose it depends on how the dog acts rather than their age and any health problems take their toll also.

 

Despite what the supply store person said, I'd be tempted to call up the manufacturer's 1-800 number and find out if they changed any ingredients. Have you been feeding it for long? Also, is Miles the kind of dog to get bored with his food and need a change? Mine aren't, but I've heard some folks switch up regularly. My two eat once a day (raw), so I'm not much help with skipping breakfast, although for hounds who skip meals it seems like they tend to miss breakfast and still eat dinner, not sure why...

[Guest lauri]

Thanks for the # idea - I'll have to try it.

 

I don't think of Miles as old either, but being 9 is a bit up there. He still acts like a teen, but I wonder if they still 'slow down' in other ways.

 

 

I just called. They've added rosemary and salt. Rosemary is a good herb for it's cancer preventative proerties and also a natural preservative. Salt is in a very low amount but enough to add trace minerals. The chick I talked to says there's not enough for him to notice.

 

He's a flippin' HOUND!!! How can he NOT notice!?!

 

Funny thing is here in our part of Cali., we are good with drought resistant, plants. We have rosemary in our backyard. Miles rubs in it all the time.

Edited April 1, 2008 by lauri

[SAVED2]

Have all his teeth checked.

[Guest lauri]

Why would his teeth make him eat less? I know if there's soreness...but wouldn't that make him not eat more than what i've noticed? He still eats really hard cookies and it doesn't bother him.

 

He always has his teeth looked at during a check-up anyway.

[Guest trevdog]

Upset tummy maybe? Does he eat grass in the morning? Sometimes Dallas will skip breakfast, not often but once in awhile. I usually notice she's been eating grass the same morning or if it's particularly warm outside.

[Guest Spiff]

I would lean towards him not liking the new ingredients or that he has gotten bored with the food. Do you add anything to it to make it more appetizing? We usually mix in a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, rice, soup, broth, etc. to make it a little more exciting.

 

We have to change Spiff's food from time to time because he gets tired of it. We usually mix two different foods or flavors so it's easy to switch out one for another without having to go through the whole gradual change process, and it give him a choice of which one he'd like to eat at a given time. We free feed, so he snacks throughout the day and night on it. Also, we've found, for example, that he really likes ProPlan Sensitive, but that makes his poop too soft, so we mixed it with Science Diet Dental for a while to improve the poop consistency.

[robinw]

lpca sometimes misses meals or stops eating for a day or so for what appears to be no good reason. it never lasts. btw, after several years of feeling california natural i switched to Evo because they didn't seem to like the california natural as much as they had in the past.

[Burpdog]

Something is off. 9 year olds are young I don't see an eating problem until around 13 or 14, unless something is wrong.

 

I'd do the vet visit and also spice up the food. Try adding different things and see if he eats. If he has been on it a long time, he may be bored. Will he do ok on another food? Even CA Natural but the other protein source?

 

Many people think dogs are picky when in fact it's all in the nose. Where you and I smell dog food, they smell every ingredient! So, if one ingredient is off, they won't eat.

 

Call the company and ask. Could be they have a different supplier for one ingredient.

[Guest EmilyAnne]

I'd switch the food.

[PatricksMom]

I'd try adding something yummy, like a little yogurt. If he goes back to eating, he probably doesn't like the new formula or is bored with the food.