Is this normal?????

[Nina]

Just wondering if this is normal. I found that Dilbert, my pyr mix isn't eating like he used to. Before when it was feeding time would run over to me and then follow me to where I would put his food down jumping the whole time. Then as he got a little older the jumping started and he would only eat when I put the food in his crate. No prob this would prevent Harley from trying to get to his food after she gobbles her down. Now at 7 months He barely eats. Yesterday when I got home from work he haden't even touched is food that was in his crate from breakfast!! So I brouhgt him over to me and hand fed him, which I don't like doing because for one he drools all over me and it gets pretty yucky and secondly I don't want him to get into the habit of hand feedings.

When it came to supper time, Harley gobbled her food down and Dilbert looked at his and walked away. My husband took Dilbert and held his bowl just below his head level and he ate, reluctantly but he ate.
Is there something wrong with him??? or is this just normal Pyr behaviour??

Nina

[jabear]

It sounds like he is just bored and wants you to add some variety to his food. Bear does this from time to time so I have to spice it up and give him something interesting to his food. Remember though that it is summer and that may also contribute to his lack of eating right now.

[RedyreRottweilers]

I would do 2 things:

First I would get a vet checkup JUST to  make sure everything is ok. I suspect everything is just fine.

once that is done, suspect 2 other things:

1) at 7 months he may be slowing off a growth spurt, and he may not need as much food.
2) he may have trained himself to not have good canine eating habits by having too much food available for too long a time period.

One must know a little about how life for a wild canid works to understand why free feeding and/or leaving food with a dog too long, and ANY help you give ANY dog to eat which is not ill or injured, can be a bad idea.

Wild canids are both hunters and scavengers. They have evolved like most predators, to eat when food is available, and to eat whatEVER it is. When dogs are allowed too much food, or allowed to have food available at all times, they may "forget" their good canine instincts that tell them to EAT IT ALL and EAT IT FAST whenever food appears. This is also what makes dogs such inveterate beggars.

So it's possible that your puppy has had an appetite reduction, and not a corresponding reduction in his food.

Here is how to handle it:

Take his dinner to him tonight, put it down, and leave it for 3 minutes.

Use a timer. Do not stand over him, give him his privacy to eat.

When the 3 minutes are up, take the food up, measure what is left. He will get half this amount, however you will skip one meal. I assume you are feeding him twice per day. If he leaves ANY food, he skips the next meal, and gets half what he left on the following meal. When the dog starts cleaning up his bowl with gusto, keep an eye on his body condition, and adjust food as necessary.

Remember:

*No hand feeding.
*No begging him to eat.
*No helping him to eat.
*Remove food and bowl after 3 minutes UNLESS he is still ACTIVELY                eating.
*SKIP the next meal if he leaves anything in his bowl
*Cut his food amounts in half until you get to an amount he will clean up briskly

Good luck, it's a hard issue, and terribly hard not to give in to those eyes that want that hand feeding, but it is so much better for him if you train him to eat like a dog again.

[Nina]

thanks for all the great advice.


Is it also possible that he could have worms. Harley was dewormed as a pup, she is now 2 and Dilbert as a pup he is now 7 months. I've been checking their stools Harley is fine, Dilbert has had some soft stool but he seems fine now. I have also been feeling their abdomans to see if it is hard, fine there. Harley was at the vet in April  for her shots and the vet said she was fine. And Dilbert went in at the same time to get fixed and I asked her if we should deworm him again and she said no he should be fine. I know I am probably being paranoid, but when I got my cat I was told that she was dewormed, well, she wasn't given the last pill and trust not a good site to see when she passed all those live critters. I won't go further into detail. But ever since then... you could say I have been paranoid about worms.

Should I deworm again just to be on the safe side?? And does anyone know of a pill that does everything( all types of worms including heart worm).

Thanks
Nina

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Samson has days when he eats everything I put out for him & days when he doesn't finish half of his food...I don't worry about it unless he doesn't eat at all for more than a day...I also encourage him to eat by moistening his food with warm water or sprinkling soem parmasan cheese or such in it.

[ann]

   i would'nt worry to much my dogs all once awhile do that alot of things could cause it .like to hot or achange in the house or just bored with his food.keep a eye on him if it keeps up for a couple days then call your vet..........

ann