Busderpuddle Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 For the last few weeks Ruby will decide on occasion not to touch her meal or maybe just take a nibble or 2 and then walk away. This morning she didn't even sniff her food. She is fed kibble and when she chooses to eat, seems to wolf it down with gusto. She isn't losing weight and it happens about 3-4 times a week. She is fed twice a day and I haven't switched her food or anything. On the days she doesn't eat I don't give her any treats because I don't want her filling up on those. Does this sound normal or should I be worried ? Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolarik1 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Sounds like mine when I don't have a foster...mine will become grazers and always seem to eat plenty to maintain their weight...I'm curious what others will say. I offer mine how much they're supposed to get in a day, but when they get into this mood, especially Pop, he eats when he likes...I've tried picking up food after 20 min and nothing til dinner, but he'll still do it. Quote Marble, Noah, Eden, Raya (red heeler), Cooper & Trooper (naughty kittens) Missing my bridge angels: Pop, Zelda, Mousey & Carmel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest madredhare Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Yep, I have one like that too. My Tom. From day one, he has been a peculiar eater. You never know when he is going to eat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busderpuddle Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 I will pick up the food after 20 minutes too and then just serve it at the next meal. She usually will gobble it up the next time it is served so I know she likes it. I just worry that she will lose too much weight but she doesn't seem to. Guess she's just smarter than I am. She knows how to keep her trim figure. Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) The only time Beth ever went partially off her food was, I'm pretty sure, the start of a pancreatic problem that manifested itself a couple of months later. Or maybe it was something else digestive, but it was medical, not behavioral, as the problem never occurred before or after, though it was hard to tell that at the time. If Ruby was always a good eater and then recently has become picky in the way you describe, I wouldn't rule out medical causes. Edited October 31, 2011 by PrairieProf Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greyers Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I would definitely watch to assure there are no other symptoms and that it doesn't increase in frequency. That said, Prudence has ALWAYS been the pickiest eater. Usually skipping every 4th meal or so (we feed twice a day). So this for HER is normal. But a dog who has never been a picky eater there might be something else going on so just follow her closely. If she continues to skip or only eat partial meals and her weight holds and she otherwise is doing fine, then I wouldn't worry too much. I would absolutely pick up the food after 20 minutes (this did help Prudence). The other thing we started withPrudence after JJ died and she wouldn't eat or 4 days, is to give her "dessert" if she finishes her whole meal. The dessert treat is a special treat she ONLY gets during dessert times if she eats her food. In our case it's chicken jerky. I break it into maybe 2 inch chunks and I place a bunch of it in a sealed plastic bowl. If she eats everything, I make a BIG deal of it and tell her what a good girl she was and how she gets "dessert". Then I shake the bowl, open the lid (as she drools), and let her pick out her own. She just LOVES picking out her own and hubby and I call it "trick or treating", because she always does analysis for a moment first and looks for the biggest one! It's a crack up! Anyway, I toss out the dessert thing we do in case Ruby ends up being a picky girl and a challenge to keep her excited to eat. For now I'd say just watch closely and assure that otherwise she seems well and if it gets worse, or she loses weight quickly, maybe take her to the vet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwiggysMom Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I would definitely watch to assure there are no other symptoms and that it doesn't increase in frequency. That said, Prudence has ALWAYS been the pickiest eater. Usually skipping every 4th meal or so (we feed twice a day). So this for HER is normal. But a dog who has never been a picky eater there might be something else going on so just follow her closely. If she continues to skip or only eat partial meals and her weight holds and she otherwise is doing fine, then I wouldn't worry too much. I would absolutely pick up the food after 20 minutes (this did help Prudence). The other thing we started withPrudence after JJ died and she wouldn't eat or 4 days, is to give her "dessert" if she finishes her whole meal. The dessert treat is a special treat she ONLY gets during dessert times if she eats her food. In our case it's chicken jerky. I break it into maybe 2 inch chunks and I place a bunch of it in a sealed plastic bowl. If she eats everything, I make a BIG deal of it and tell her what a good girl she was and how she gets "dessert". Then I shake the bowl, open the lid (as she drools), and let her pick out her own. She just LOVES picking out her own and hubby and I call it "trick or treating", because she always does analysis for a moment first and looks for the biggest one! It's a crack up! Anyway, I toss out the dessert thing we do in case Ruby ends up being a picky girl and a challenge to keep her excited to eat. For now I'd say just watch closely and assure that otherwise she seems well and if it gets worse, or she loses weight quickly, maybe take her to the vet I completely agree with the above, and love the "dessert" idea! If Ruby has always been a food monster (like my Twiggy), and this is new and unusual behavior, I would look for reasons for the change. Otherwise, if she's always been a bit picky or nonchalant about food, is maintaining her weight well and has no other symptoms, it could just be her metabolism slowing down a bit and her getting to a new, also healthy, normal. Quote Wendy with Twiggy, fosterless while Twiggy's fighting the good fight, and Donnie & Aiden the kitties Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest karma98104 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I hate to be an alarmist, but this is the same thing that happened to my dog. A trip to the vet discovered the beginnings of kidney failure and tooth decay. I'm not saying this is the case with your dog, but if this is new behavior, it might be worth a trip to the vet for blood work. Skipping meals when she'd previously been a great eater was the only sign I had, other than that she just seemed "off" in a way I just couldn't describe to the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Timo Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Timo usually eats with gusto, so the one time he started not finishing his meals and licking the bowl clean (over a one week period), it turned into gastroenteritis. Like others have stated, if this is normal behavior and she's otherwise normal, then it's probably no big deal. However, if she normally eats every morsel, I would have her checked out by the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Sounds like she's getting more kibble than she needs and self regulating, given that she is skipping meals fairly regularly and not losing weight. If she's acting normal otherwise I would lower her portions by 10-15% per meal and see if that helps. It could be a medical issue and you might want to run bloodwork and a UA if portion changes don't resolve the issue. The low quality proteins in kibbles can make it very uncomfortable for a kidney dog to eat, but kidney issues aren't all that common. Where there are GI issues, they are more often than not the result of constant over feeding by the human or the added "goodies" and garbage treats folks are tempted to offer at the first signs of self regulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busderpuddle Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 I will definitely keep an eye on her. This morning she ate a few bites and then tonight polished off the bowl. I don't give her many treats at all and in fact, most days she gets none. The ones she does get are pure dehydrated meat. I used to give her a turkey neck every now and then instead of her meal but haven't been able to find them lately. She is due to go for a vet check soon so will also discuss the food issue when we go. Thanks for all the comments ! Quote Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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