Guest yankeedownsouth Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Hi Everyone - I've had Dixon now for almost four years. He's the perfect greyhound. Except in the last two weeks, he's not been wanting to eat. He's always been on the super-model skinny side except when I was feeding raw. For the last two+ years, he's been on kibble, and doing well, although a bit thinner. I recently started adding canned to his kibble, hoping to add some calories and pounds. He LOVED it and ate like crazy. He's about 75 lbs and eating 6 cups of kibble and one can of wet food a day. He even managed to gain a couple pounds. Then, two weeks ago, he started getting weird about eating. He was hungry, and he would tell me every night by barking and acting like a nut. I'd feed him, and he'd eat a couple bites, and then run off and pout. Then he'd come back to me, asking for more food. I took him back to his bowl, and he'd eat a few bites, run off, and pout. Rinse and repeat. We tried changing his kibble, changing his canned food, changing his bowl, changing his feeding location, making the little dog leave the kitchen, etc... He's gone down to about 1/3 his normal intake per day and he's lost 3 lbs in two weeks. He's a skinny greyhound, so this is kind of a lot of weight. I know he's hungry because he's gotten to the point where he's trying to snatch food out of my kids' hands, which he's NEVER done. Very strange behavior for him. I took him to the vet, and his teeth are fine and he seems extremely healthy. They're running blood work and a urinalysis, but I'd be shocked if he has abnormal results because he's acting healthy and HUNGRY. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm tempted to start back on raw, but really don't want to... Thanks for any and all suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 All I can offer up is a recipe that I took from this forum, to make an additive that makes their kibble much more appealing. Wow, your boy has a big appetite! -- Summer is 68 lbs. and gets 2 cups of kibble and a dollop of this recipe for breakfast and a 1/2 can of canned meat for dinner. Here's a recipe from another member, Becky_R. I have made this recipe for Summer and she gobbles up her kibble now, no problem. I only used half the amount of yogurt by stirring it into the full recipe, THEN divided it up and froze most of it in double servings. BTW, I use Blue Buffalo kibble. Puppie gruel recipe Thoroughly mix 1 pound of lean ground beef with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, and add 2/3 cup brown rice. Turn the heat back down to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Add 2/3 cup red lentils and cook another 15 minutes, or until the rice is soft. Check periodically, and add more water if needed. Let this mixture cool, then freeze half of it and use it later. Take the other half and mix with a two pound container of plain, low fat yogurt. Serve a dollop of this mixture tossed with your dog's kibble. Becky_R's notes: If you can't find lean ground beef, brown it first and drain off the fat. I was surprised at how little fiber was in brown rice, so that was why I added the lintels. They are high in fiber and protein. Red lentils cook quickly, which is whay I add them toward the end. If you can't find them, use another type of lentil, but add it to the pot earlier when you add the rice. I was tired of adding hamburger and rice, plus yogurt separately to the food bowls, so this is how the gruel recipe was born. Maybe you can suggest a better name for this recipe. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 How much does he weigh? 6 cups of kibble and 1 can?? That is a whole lotta kibble. When my 85 pound Teddy was on kibble, he was getting 3 3/4 cups a day and 3 oz of raw beef mixed it and he maintained his weight beautifully. Does Dixon have a super fast metabolism? My Elsie the cow doggie can eat like a cow and maintain a good weight. Quote ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties. Waiting at the bridge Angel Polli Bohemian Ocean , Rocky, Blue,Sasha & Zoobie & Bobbi Greyhound Angels Adoption (GAA) The Lexus Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedownsouth Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Thanks y'all! I know, it sounds like a HUGE amount of food, but that's what he eats to maintain his weight - and he's on the thin side for a greyhound. I wish I had his metabolism! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 I just have to ask the question... I assume he doesn't have worms or anything like that? That's just sooooo much kibble. If that's just his metabolism... can you bottle it up and send me some? Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Has he been checked for worms? Tape worms can prevent a dog from gaining weight and actually losing weight. Allergies to his food may be another problem. Gee acted like she was starving but wouldn't eat her kibble because I discovered she was actually nauseous. Something I learned recently is that dogs who are nauseous will drink more water. I switched her to a grain free kibble and she's doing wonderfully on that. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedownsouth Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 Yup, he's been checked for worms and he's fine. He's had this appetite the entire time I've had him; when he was on raw though, he ate a more normal amount. I'm thinking about going back to that... Very interesting about the nausea - it does seem that he's been drinking more water than normal. Hmmm... Another thing we've noticed is that he'll eat a few bites of food, look at his bowl like it's going to jump at him, and back away. If I move the food around in the bowl a bit, he'll come back and eat some more but then does the same thing. We're using the same bowl (stainless), the same raised feeder, the same everything. Maybe he's just getting neurotic in his middle age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 (edited) Summer did that with kibble with grain in it! The exact same weird behavior. When I switched to wheat & corn free kibble, that behavior stopped almost right away. I add water to her kibble right before serving it, did that with both grain and grain-free kibble. With her Blue Buffalo Wilderness kibble, she gobbles it right up, water and all. Sometimes she gets the Puppy Gruel on it, sometimes I chop up a wiener into it, sometimes she gets just boring old water. Every meal is now eaten with great delight! Edited October 3, 2010 by OwnedBySummer Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedownsouth Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Thanks everyone for the comments. I just got a call from the vet's office, and they have diagnosed him with hypothyroidism because his thyroid numbers were low. I am not accepting that - obviously they don't have a clue about greyhounds and their normal levels. Plus, he's LOSING weight, has tons of energy, and isn't losing his fur. I'm pretty much done with that vet... Anyway, I guess there are no health problems making him neurotic about his food, so that's good. I started both of my dogs back on raw last night (I quit a couple years ago when I started working full time), and he ate his chicken with no problems at all. So I guess it will all work out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Thanks everyone for the comments. I just got a call from the vet's office, and they have diagnosed him with hypothyroidism because his thyroid numbers were low. I am not accepting that - obviously they don't have a clue about greyhounds and their normal levels. Plus, he's LOSING weight, has tons of energy, and isn't losing his fur. I'm pretty much done with that vet... Anyway, I guess there are no health problems making him neurotic about his food, so that's good. I started both of my dogs back on raw last night (I quit a couple years ago when I started working full time), and he ate his chicken with no problems at all. So I guess it will all work out! If you want a copy of Dr. Dodds' complete blood panel results for greyhounds (including thyroid levels), PM me with your email address and I'll send the .pdf to you. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yankeedownsouth Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Thanks everyone for the comments. I just got a call from the vet's office, and they have diagnosed him with hypothyroidism because his thyroid numbers were low. I am not accepting that - obviously they don't have a clue about greyhounds and their normal levels. Plus, he's LOSING weight, has tons of energy, and isn't losing his fur. I'm pretty much done with that vet... Anyway, I guess there are no health problems making him neurotic about his food, so that's good. I started both of my dogs back on raw last night (I quit a couple years ago when I started working full time), and he ate his chicken with no problems at all. So I guess it will all work out! If you want a copy of Dr. Dodds' complete blood panel results for greyhounds (including thyroid levels), PM me with your email address and I'll send the .pdf to you. Thank you! Sending you a pm now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batmom Posted October 4, 2010 Share Posted October 4, 2010 The best reference for thyroid info is: http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Sections/Endocrinology/Thyroid_Canine.php Quote Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in IllinoisWe miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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