8 Year Old Greyhound Stopped Eating Very Much

[Guest Christy99500]

So my nearly 8 year old Polly got adopted by me in September. She started on IAMS and she didn't seem to mind it but then suddenly just did not want it. She would eat maybe once a day or every other day.

 

After some bloodwork and other tests we found out she's fine. I asked around the local Grey club, and I switched to Taste of the Wild (the one with salmon). It was okay but she only ate one bag before the same thing happened.

 

Next came Natural Balance. Petsupermarket had a sample of the salmon and potato, and she seemed to love it. The food reeks of sweet potato and we got through a few days and she did not want it anymore.

 

Last week I bought a couple of cans of Wild Calling food. I've been able to get her to eat some of it by adding half a can of Wild Calling Hoppy's (96% Rabbit) with chicken broth and water. The "stew" seems like its okay with her enough to eat. She just licked the canned duck off of it when I tried that one.

 

Is this normal? The rescue she is from did not give me a name of the food she was eating there.They get it from a distributor and he said they get duck and lamb. Any suggestions? She seriously will wait until she is so hungry she has to eat it. She eats her full serving (2cups) every two days or so.

[DocsDoctor]

I think she's too young to call a senior yet awhile - 'pension age' for greyhounds is more like ten, I would say.

 

How is her weight? Is she too skinny? If not, maybe she just doesn't need as much food as you've been giving her. The manufacturers guidelines are often overgenerous. And while some greyhounds will carry on and on eating, others are 'self-regulating' and won't eat more than they need. My old chap was like that. I know now that initially I was trying to feed him more than he needed, but at the time it was worrying to see food left in the bowl so you have my sympathy.

 

Also, how are her teeth? If she has any problems with those, this may well make her reluctant to tackle dry food.

 

The 'stew' sounds a good way forward, if it's not too much bother for you. I must say I've never fed dry food on its own. Here in the UK at any rate, greyhounds in training are used to eating theirs soaked, and with a special stew of meat and veg added in. So I've always wetted my guys' dry food, and then added in something extra - a bit of canned food/ dollop of yoghurt/ a raw egg/ can of sardines/ chopped offal/ leftover human soup or stew.

 

HTH

[Guest AtticusMom]

Definitely a great idea to make sure her mouth/teeth are healthy. My older greys did seem to appreciate some tempting flavors added to their food, too (plain yogurt, cottage cheese, tripe, shredded rotisserie chicken, a yummy canned food, etc). And, this is just anecdotal, but my greys have never really loved the fish-based kibbles. I've fed a commercial raw food diet for several years now, and my dogs are usually excited for meal time (with the exception of one senior grey who did not like it, or do well on it. He ate prescription I/D food, and loved it!).

 

An issue I have experienced is, if a grey isn't eating regularly, it can make them prone to vomiting bile. I always try to keep my guys eating regularly for this reason. I hear your frustration on finding a food that suits Polly. It does feel like a shame when your pet isn't enthusiastic for a meal.

[Guest Jordan33]

I've had Wysong food recommended to me. Wysong.net. They will ship direct and have a free sample option too. I just ordered the free sample the other day. Can't wait to try it on Adrien. In the meantime, I just dashed to the pet food store and picked up some Origin, which looked okay. I don't want to keep switching her, but don't want her going hungry either. I'm also giving her Honest Kitchen, which she loves, but as its a wet food, she needs a good dry food to pair with it. Honest Kitchen will also ship direct to you, which is really nice. Plus, their 10 pound boxes actually make 40 pounds, once rehydrated. I'm hoping a combination of Wysong and Honest Kitchen will work.

[XTRAWLD]

Sounds like she's training you pretty good. It seems to me that she's pushing her boundaries with you a little bit, but of course it's worrisome that she's not eating much. Advice above about checking teeth is good. Have you considered raw? My Kasey was the pickiest eater, and then he developed allergies which made it nearly impossible to find a good kibble food for him. Switched to raw, he very rarely turned up a meal (and when he did it was because he was sick).

[EffieGrey]

My Carmen ate Honest Kitchen only for years, and did great with it. She doesn't need a dry food with it, unless cost is a consideration.

[cleptogrey]

how much exercise is she getting? exercise and eating go hand in hand. has she lost weight? a member of our group adopted a brood mama, she hated to eat, only as much as she could to get by. she lived to 13 on a minimal amount. some of the canned foods are very high in caloric intake, have you considered canned? i supplement one of my dogs who is on low fat food with a can of science diet id, low fat- a whopping 380+calories per can!! no rule out there says that you MUST feed kibble.

 

since you mentioned natural balance i quick looked this up http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog-formulas/canned/limited-ingredient-diets/lamb-and-brown-rice

it has 480 calories per can!!! how about a can per meal and kibble, unless she is like my salukis you are in luck. they used to suck the juice off the kibble and spit it out. i resolved myself to feeding them dry kibble only, that solved that problem.

Edited May 7, 2016 by cleptogrey

[Roo]

My senior terrier will do this. It took me forever to find something she'd eat more often than not (turned out to be canned Nutro, the lamb and turkey varieties), but she'll still skip meals here and there. Some days she'll skip breakfast then pick at dinner. Some days she'll skip breakfast and pretend to have no interest in dinner, but will go back and eat it if I just leave it down. I don't give her anything special in her meals because she learned that if she held off, I'd put something in to entice her. I stopped that and now she'll hold off, realize nothing's coming, then eat. The only addition I give her is a little yogurt. I think either she just doesn't need as much as I'm offering or she just gets bored with the same food every day (but if I switch foods, she gets really weird - she can't have chicken, and I think the non-chicken foods I tried are higher in sodium because she gets ravenously thirsty and will not rest until she drains her bowl).

 

Barring any dental or tummy issues that would make it uncomfortable for her to eat, perhaps she's bored with the food, she doesn't need as much as you think she does, or she's holding out for something better.