Eating Less Than Before

[Guest greysmitten]

Azi usually eats about three cups of kibble per day. I divide it into two meals (morning and evening).

She also gets two salmon oil complex capsules and warm water in her bowl (she prefers her kibble warm and soggy).

 

Over the last week or two, she'll let her breakfast sit all day. She might nibble at it throughout the day, but I often find leftovers when it's time for dinner. The other day, I had to throw a whole dinner away because she left it overnight without even touching it. She also isn't excited for mealtimes like she used to be (no twirly dances for me anymore)- I usually have to call her over to the bowl. There are days when she'll eat everything, though not with the gusto I've previously seen.

 

She has been pooping normally (though her stools have always been on the soft side) and she goes for daily walks and runs with other dogs multiple times per week. Due to popular opinion, I tend feed her after exercise. Her energy level and general demeanor are both normal. I've checked her mouth and everything looks fine, though she could use a cleaning.

 

I haven't gotten her weighed since she arrived, so I have no idea what her starting weight was. However, it appears that her ID collar is looser than it used to be.

 

Could I attribute this to a change in weather? Or should I be more concerned?

The more I read my own post, I feel like I should get her checked out. Thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance,

mikey

Edited September 13, 2011 by greysmitten

[Brindles]

My male did that a lot when I was feeding twice a day. I switched to once a day and they both eat much better that way.

 

What is your girl's racing name? It's likely that her racing weight is listed on greyhound-data.

[Guest snakes]

weird, both of mine, who are fantastic eaters (usually demanding to be fed early morning), in the past week or so don't want to eat their breakfast! I thought maybe they didn't like the kibble i got (bought bison instead of chicken), but even with the old kibble they still don't want to eat.

I have always added water to thier kibble, yet found recently if i didn't they would eat a little (not enough).

I added some wet food to their kibble and that seems to help.

Nothing else has changed and I cannot figure it out!

[PrairieProf]

Well I'd certainly start by getting her weighed to see what you're dealing with. The vet won't charge you for this. (My vet has a step-on scale right in the waiting area, and we go in every couple of weeks just to check if we haven't been in for another reason.)

 

Your adoption group might well have a record of her weight then (I remember Beth's was on my adoption paperwork), or you could find her racing weight on Greyhound-data.com.

 

I would be at least slightly concerned ... the only times Beth went off her food was, I believe, indicative of a brewing pancreatic issue. But then, I get EVERYTHING checked out that concerns me. Have you had bloodwork done on her? Even if it's perfectly fine, it provides a baseline record which will be useful in the future.

Edited September 13, 2011 by PrairieProf

[TheFullHouse]

Mine will go off their food when they're starting to have tummy issues. I've found adding a probiotic has helped tremendously with my gang. The only ones that still have bouts of not eating well are my 12 1/2 and my 11 1/2 girls and I think that's age related.

[Guest greysmitten]

Greyhound-Data.com lists her weight as 60lbs (she is a slight girl - often confused for a whippet).

But she spent the winter in a foster home before I adopted her, so I'm not sure what weight she was when she came to me (just this past April). Maybe she had simply gained a little pudge over the winter and has since lost it. So I'll definitely get her weighed before I do anything else. And a blood workup is probably a good idea. I think, like a lot of people, I've been putting it off for financial reasons (not an excuse, I know).

 

And she might just be forcing me to feed her only once daily - and that way she can graze on her on accord.

An interesting update though. She seems to prefer eating when I'm around. Though this doesn't appear to be an anxiety issue (ie. she isn't concerned that I am leaving) or food protection (ie. doesn't think I'm going to take it).

 

Arg, I had a cat who did this - would cry and cry and only eat if you came and stood beside her ... any experience with this type of behaviour?

[PatricksMom]

An interesting update though. She seems to prefer eating when I'm around. Though this doesn't appear to be an anxiety issue (ie. she isn't concerned that I am leaving) or food protection (ie. doesn't think I'm going to take it).

 

Yep, one of us needs to be on the same floor of the house for him to eat most days, he doesn't have any anxiety. Fortunately, this extends to counter surfing, only when I'm home.

[GeorgeofNE]

Did you by any chance recently get a new bag of kibble? I see no one has suggested perhaps you got a bad batch of kibbles.

 

I would not leave her food for her to pick at. Give her 15 minutes, and if she doesn't eat it, take it away.

 

If she's losing weight, I would definitely take her in if there have been no changes to her routine or her food.

[Riverhound]

She seems to prefer eating when I'm around. Though this doesn't appear to be an anxiety issue (ie. she isn't concerned that I am leaving) or food protection (ie. doesn't think I'm going to take it).

 

Arg, I had a cat who did this - would cry and cry and only eat if you came and stood beside her ... any experience with this type of behaviour?

 

Joe doesn't like to eat until evening when DH and I are both home. He may nibble a little when I get home for lunch, and he'll eat his duck jerky any time, but his real meal has to wait until the whole family is in one place. The bowl is KNOT, however, "allowed" to be empty at any time. If the kibble gets below a certain level, he stands in front of it and STARES until Mommy fills it back up. Then he walks away for another nap! Doofus.

[Feisty49]

I have no advice about eating or not eating, though I would be concerned, but I know the track weight as listed on Greyhound Data of my Annie girl was 61 pounds. She must have been skin and bones because when I adopted her, she weighed 68 pounds. I could still see a slight outline of her ribs and the vet said 68 was a good weight. I assume they keep racers' weight down so they can run faster so maybe the track weight might not be ideal.

[PrairieProf]

I have no advice about eating or not eating, though I would be concerned, but I know the track weight as listed on Greyhound Data of my Annie girl was 61 pounds. She must have been skin and bones because when I adopted her, she weighed 68 pounds. I could still see a slight outline of her ribs and the vet said 68 was a good weight. I assume they keep racers' weight down so they can run faster so maybe the track weight might not be ideal.

 

A lot of us think you can't generalize about this. Racing weight is a good baseline for a lot of dogs, though certainly not all. Beth raced at 56-57 and I think she looks best at 57-58, definitely under 60 -- at 7 pounds over racing weight she'd be a total porker. They lose muscle after they stop racing, so any gain in weight is fat.

Edited September 14, 2011 by PrairieProf

[JJNg]

For the OP, I would definitely recommend getting Azi checked out by your vet and have some bloodwork done to make sure everything is ok. Sometimes a change in appetite can be the first sign of a health problem. With a younger dog, it may just be seasonal variation or change in preference but always better to be the safe side and have her checked.

 

I had an older IG who had always finished every meal eagerly most of his life. At 12 years old, he started not finishing his meals right away, but would slowly eat it through the course of the day (still finishing). When I did bloodwork, it showed chronic kidney disease.

 

A lot of us think you can't generalize about this. Racing weight is a good baseline for a lot of dogs, though certainly not all.

Racing weight tends to be a good ballpark figure but how that relates to ideal 'pet' weight depends on a lot of factors. Willow is fairly active, runs a good bit in the yard, and looks great at within a pound or two of her racing weight of 56 lbs.

 

Wiki, on the other hand, is a rather stocky boy and was very muscular when he first came off the track at a racing weight of 71 lbs. Now he's a couch potato who doesn't do a whole lot of running on his own, and has lost a lot of muscle mass. He now looks good (just a couple ribs visible and a hint of his hips) at about 5-6 lbs under his racing weight. The same is true for my friend's boy (who didn't even look all that muscular when he retired). But he's the ultimate couch potato who sometimes spends the whole day on the couch and doesn't even shift position when my friend is away at work.

 

There are some kennels/tracks that seem to race them lighter, and the ones I've seen from those tracks do end up needing to be around 5-7 lbs over their racing weight to look good. Rather than look at a particular number, I look more at body condition - how much of the ribs, vertebrae and hip bones can you see? There is some individual variation, but at an ideal weight you can typically see a couple ribs at the back of ribcage, a few vertebrae, and at least a hint of the hip bones.

Edited September 14, 2011 by jjng

[GeorgeofNE]

I assume they keep racers' weight down so they can run faster so maybe the track weight might not be ideal.

 

That's not true.

 

Watch some races on line if you haven't. The dogs are in peak physical condition. They are not underweight.

[Guest greysmitten]

Ok, I need to bite the bullet and make a vet appointment.

She is laying beside me on the couch and the noises coming from her gut are LOUD. She doesn't seem bothered by this, but that can't be right. Breakfast sits untouched yet again ...

[Guest BrindleBoy]

hey greysmitten,

 

Just checking back in to see if there's an update. Our grey Indy has started this same behaviour in the last several days. He'll eat PEOPLE food anytime, but the kibble... especially breakfast, he seems barely interested.

 

Just trying to narrow down if it's the little bits of people food I give him (not every meal, but probably every day) causing him to go off his kibble, or if it's something else.