Weird Behavior Regarding Eating

[Josie]

Sorry this is long.. I hope I will explain this ok.. English is not my first language

 

ok so..

Tuffy is a born food driven pup... loves to eat and will eat anything...

since 1 month ago...

 

It started 3-4 weeks ago.. He refused one kind of cookies.. hard snap cookies all natural ones... He will just eat soft chew cookies or hard one form a special dog bakery place (special treats) and milk bones. or other that smell strong (like liver or trippe cookies)..

 

since last week He started to stop rushing to his meal too.. but will still eat...

 

Here is a description of Tuffy meal time for you to understand:

 

For supper last night:

I put his bowl in the kitchen, on the raised feeder as usual... Tuffy did not eat..Looks at me not knowing what to do.. later in the evening (around 8h) I put it in the livingroom (on the raised feeder).. He did not touch it...

later I got in the kitchen with Tuffy, I sat and took little kibble in my hand ans he eat them... I put some on the floor and He eats them... I took the bowl in my hand and he eat half the meal...then stop...

I put back the bowl in the living room... wont eat..

after his evening pee out (at 10h) I put 2 little soft cookies in the rest of the kibbles in the bowl on the feeder in the living room and Tuffy eat it all...

 

This morning:

I put the food in the living room... Tuffy looks at me and wont eat...but he does act like he is hungry (when I ask him he barks and get excited)

I got him in the kitchen and sat with the bowl in my hands, He eat a little.. I put a little on the floor he eats... little in my hand and he eats.. after several time like that he finish the meal in the bowl (that I was holding)... 12 minutes later he finish his meal.....

 

and He drinks in the other bowl on the raised feeder WITH NO PROBLEM!!!

 

Tuffy eats EP Lamb, with yogurt and he takes glucosamine pills for his arthritis.. He is 7 years old..

 

Is this a behavior reaction to the bowl? (it's the same old bowl and raised feeder, nothing new!)

I check his teeth and di not see anything wrong.. exept maybe gingevitis.. I have to brush more his teeth..

Does Tuffy starting to be picky for his food?? He will eat "normally" (quickly) if I give him some can food or anchovies in the kibbles!!

 

I really "amazed" and worried about this behavior... thanks for your ideas and toughts...

 

 

[CaliforniaGreys]

My first thought would have been his teeth, and many times there are problems that are not visible to the eye.

But, then I also wonder if it's the bowl. I hope you get to the bottom of it, I know it's frustrating

[Guest Energy11]

MIGHT just be the bowl!

 

Our Cari won't eat out of the same bowls as the others :-( She is VERY spoiled!

 

You migh want to buy a different type of bowl and try that. Good Luck! D

[Josie]

MIGHT just be the bowl!

 

Our Cari won't eat out of the same bowls as the others :-( She is VERY spoiled!

 

You migh want to buy a different type of bowl and try that. Good Luck! D

 

Thanks

The thing is that he drinks ok from the second bowl (it's a 2 bowls raised feeder, stainless, the same one from the day 1 Tuffy came hom, 4 yeard ago)...

and if I add canned food of anchovies or cookies or what ever to his kibble He will eat in the bowl!

everything is pointing out to the kibbles...I think... but EP lamb makes real nice poops!!

Does getting older get Tuffy to become a picky eater?

[Guest Energy11]

MIGHT just be the bowl!

 

Our Cari won't eat out of the same bowls as the others :-( She is VERY spoiled!

 

You migh want to buy a different type of bowl and try that. Good Luck! D

 

Thanks

The thing is that he drinks ok from the second bowl (it's a 2 bowls raised feeder, stainless, the same one from the day 1 Tuffy came hom, 4 yeard ago)...

and if I add canned food of anchovies or cookies or what ever to his kibble He will eat in the bowl!

everything is pointing out to the kibbles...I think... but EP lamb makes real nice poops!!

Does getting older get Tuffy to become a picky eater?

Tuffy sounds like our Cari! She is VERY PICKY and spoiled :-(

[Guest GentleHugs]

How long have you had Tuffy? Some pups go through stages of adjustment for a year or two in their forever home then they settle down into a normal routine. Is he an only dog in the home? Sometimes pups need a sibling around or *company* around when they eat. Some pups don't like to eat alone. Remember - Greyhounds have been raised around other Greyhounds - either their siblings or other Greys most of their life. Most like being around another dog or two.

 

I'm not a vet but this is what I'm thinking from my own experience when my dogs would turn their nose up at food:

 

1. Something could be wrong with the food (moldy, spoiled, old, etc) or he just doesn't care for it anymore.

 

OR

 

2. He could possibly have a bad tooth way back in the back where it's very hard for us to see and it's hurting him. Brush his teeth and check for anything that could be stuck in the gum where the tooth meets the gum. I had a little girl once who suddenly stopped eating. I checked her teeth, brushed them and found a loose hair that worked its way in between a tooth and the gumline. It was poking the inside of her gum like a splinter. It took me a bit to get it out but once it was out - she started eating again like nothing was ever wrong.

 

OR

 

3. He's playing you and thinks its fun making you hand feed him.

 

OR

 

4. The glucosamine might be giving him some tummy problems like it did with my Heisman when he was on it for his Wobbler's. I had to stop giving it to him for a few days and let his tummy settle down.

 

OR

 

5. He might not care a whole lot for the yogurt. Some dogs do and some dogs don't. I have a little girl that can't have yogurt - she's lactose intolerant.

 

OR

 

6. You could be feeding him too much or he's self adjusting the amount he eats. Some dogs do that. I had a little girl that would self adjust for warmer weather versus colder weather.

 

OR

 

7. Sometimes as they age, their sense of smell starts deteriorating. The stronger smelling food is more appealing to those who start aging.

 

OR it could be a combination of stuff. You never know.

 

Has he been checked by a vet lately? Has it been very hot where you live? Is his weight ok? If he's been checked by a vet and doing ok - then I'd leave his food out for a few minutes. If he doesn't touch it in said amount of time like 10 minutes or so - I'd take it back up until it's time for his meal again. He will eat when he's hungry. If he skips more than 2 meals - it's time for a vet check. Good news is he's drinking and he does eat - it's just a matter of finding out why he won't eat unless you are handfeeding him.

 

Hope this helps and I hope Tuffy will start eating normally again soon. I know it's worrisome when they do things like this but try not to panic either. He could pick up on your anxiety and he could get anxious, too, making the problem worse.

 

[Guest KennelMom]

Sudden change in appetite for no apparent reason can be a sign of a medical issue coming on...Maybe the teeth, but pain in general can cause them to lose their appetite...among other medical issues. If he hasn't been to the vet recently, I'd probably want to rule that out and have some blood pulled + a good general exame (including having the vet take a nice, long look at all his chompers).

 

He's only 7, so he's not in the age range that I really freak out when they stop eating out of the blue. If you've had a dramatic weather change, that can affect their appetite. We have a handful that will be picky and even refuse a few meals until they get used to the heat.

[Guest GentleHugs]

Forgot to add - wash the bowl very well, rinse it very well or change the bowl completely. It could be the bowl like others are saying. I use stainless steel bowls so I can put them in the dishwasher and sanitize them well. I've heard using plastic bowls give off a smell after so long and bacteria can set up house in the plastic.

 

AND check his poop, too. Is he pooping ok? If not, he might have ate something that is bothering his tummy or causing a problem in the digestive tract.

 

 

[Josie]

Thanks GentleHugs..here some answers..

 

How long have you had Tuffy?

 

4 years

 

1. Something could be wrong with the food (moldy, spoiled, old, etc) or he just doesn't care for it anymore.

 

it's a new bag

 

OR

 

2. He could possibly have a bad tooth way back in the back where it's very hard for us to see and it's hurting him. Brush his teeth and check for anything that could be stuck in the gum where the tooth meets the gum. I had a little girl once who suddenly stopped eating. I checked her teeth, brushed them and found a loose hair that worked its way in between a tooth and the gumline. It was poking the inside of her gum like a splinter. It took me a bit to get it out but once it was out - she started eating again like nothing was ever wrong.

 

Did not see anything wrong yesterday... He eats things that he wants to eats.. just that refusing to eat specific treat or his kibbles like he used to before...it's just so strange to see the Tuffy I know (food driven grey) not rushing to his kibbles...

 

OR

 

3. He's playing you and thinks its fun making you hand feed him.

 

yeah.. I'm starting to think that!!

 

OR

 

4. The glucosamine might be giving him some tummy problems like it did with my Heisman when he was on it for his Wobbler's. I had to stop giving it to him for a few days and let his tummy settle down.

 

I'm afraid to stop because He is so much better since we give gluco (much less stiffness)

 

OR

 

5. He might not care a whole lot for the yogurt. Some dogs do and some dogs don't. I have a little girl that can't have yogurt - she's lactose intolerant.

 

Tuffy loves yogurt.. will leak every cups we finish..

 

 

7. Sometimes as they age, their sense of smell starts deteriorating. The stronger smelling food is more appealing to those who start aging.

 

mh... maybe... interesting...

 

OR it could be a combination of stuff. You never know.

 

YES!

 

Has he been checked by a vet lately? Has it been very hot where you live? Is his weight ok? If he's been checked by a vet and doing ok - then I'd leave his food out for a few minutes. If he doesn't touch it in said amount of time like 10 minutes or so - I'd take it back up until it's time for his meal again. He will eat when he's hungry. If he skips more than 2 meals - it's time for a vet check. Good news is he's drinking and he does eat - it's just a matter of finding out why he won't eat unless you are handfeeding him.

 

Vet visit last month, everything is A ok... weigths is stable.

yes he does eats.. wen he wants too.. the things he wants to eat.. lol..

maybe I could change food?

 

 

Forgot to add - wash the bowl very well, rinse it very well or change the bowl completely. It could be the bowl like others are saying. I use stainless steel bowls so I can put them in the dishwasher and sanitize them well. I've heard using plastic bowls give off a smell after so long and bacteria can set up house in the plastic.

 

AND check his poop, too. Is he pooping ok? If not, he might have ate something that is bothering his tummy or causing a problem in the digestive tract.

 

 

bowls are wash every week in the dishwasher.

The poop is superb, firm and easy to pick up...

[Guest GentleHugs]

Even though it's a new bag of food - there still could be something wrong with it. You never know. Years ago, when I got my first Greyhound, I opened a brand new bag of food for her. She would sniff it then walk away. She wouldn't eat. Ok - she's new - give her time to settle in. She still wouldn't eat the kibble but would eat everything else I offered her. After 3 days, I got really concerned. I poured out the bag of food (advice my vet) and behold - there was a clump of dog food (about handful sized) that was molded in the middle! I returned the bag of food. Went to another store - bought a totally new bag from a different lot of food and she started eating!

 

With all the dog food scare that happened about a year or so ago - I'm very cautious about dog food now - any brand of dog food.

 

But, since you mentioned he will eat it when it's mixed with something else - makes me think it's the kibble. It might be time to change foods or at least a different meat base in the kibble unless he's on a special diet and is allergic to something.

 

Their noses are sensitive and they can smell things we can't. I can't remember the percentage of stuff they can smell over what we can smell but it's a lot higher than what our noses can detect. They can smell each ingredient individually whereas we smell all the ingredients mixed together.

 

Give that boy a and tell him that if he's playing you to cut it out. He's scaring mom!

 

 

[Guest monasmom]

Okay--you could be describing Mona. It's like she forgets that she likes to eat until I put some in her mouth. Sometimes I have to squish a chunk of wet food against her teeth so that she has no choice but to taste it. Then it's like she is thinking, Oh yeah! This stuff is good! And then she'll eat until the bowl is licked clean.

 

Once in a while she'll flat out refuse to eat. Then I just put the bowl into the refrigerator and try again later. If she refuses a second time, she has to wait until the next mealtime.

 

I have simply made this a part of our feeding routine. It's not a big deal anymore. Just one more weird, spoiled, quirky Mona behavior!

[Josie]

thanks for your replies!

I think it's a combination of spoiled and getting older...

 

Just remember that I did not mention something... Tuffy went to my frined house this past week-end, and He refuse to eat is supper there too.. my friends grey eats the same food (EP Lamb)... so it's the kibbles...

our rescue group lady tells me to start adding canned EP in the kibbles OR start doing a stew (macaroni, meat, caroots, patato) to mix with the kibbles...

that older greys switch to softer food...

guess Tuffy is getting old..

 

[Guest greytkidsmom]

Someone mentioned it already but my first thought is teeth.

My Kebo would not eat well at all no matter what we tried.

We ended up moving and saw a new vet who did a routine dental.

She found that most of the little front teeth (top and bottom) were loose so she pulled them.

The teeth had always looked okay - we brush him every day. There wasn't even a lot of bleeding.

Once those teeth were out, he started cleaning his bowl within 5 minutes.

 

Good luck as you work on finding a solution.

[TheFullHouse]

Do you moisten his food? If not you can add water to it about an hour before he eats. It gives off a strong smell and is soft.

 

Forgot to add, I use hot water with mine so it absorbs quickly into the kibble.

Edited June 9, 2009 by JillysFullHouse

[Josie]

Do you moisten his food? If not you can add water to it about an hour before he eats. It gives off a strong smell and is soft.

 

Forgot to add, I use hot water with mine so it absorbs quickly into the kibble.

 

Thanks guessing you have lots of different eaters in your pack!

yes I add water... warm water not too hot..

 

[Guest kydie]

since he is a food driven hound, and has stopped this, I would go with the person that said, get his teeth checked, that is where I would start

[Josie]

I made a big pot of macaroni and ground beef...

gived 1 cup of EP and 1 cup and mac and beef in the feeding bowl on the raised feeder in the living room..

Tuffy rush to it and eat it in 2 minutes..

and even try to get more..

so that's it.. he got tired of eating EP.. or loves softer food.. I'll get his teeth check just to make sure they are ok...

so I go with that.. and switch to adding some canned food also every few days.. just to make changes..

mysteries solve...

 

[Guest zoolaine]

Good Boy Tuffy!!!!