Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog food forum

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 31st, 2010, 01:39 AM
cy88 cy88 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12
Eating habit problem

Hi all,

Snowie is a 1.5 years old Westie. We've gone through a few type of food to finally find one that his stomach likes and wouldn't throw up. We tried Blue Buffalo (a lot of gas and feels like not digested properly), Royal Canin (would throw up the food from time to time) and now we are down to Nutro. He no longer throw up the food with Nutro, and actually finish the whole bowl.

There's two things I would like your input:
1) I used to feed him twice a day (10-12hrs apart), and sometimes in between he would throw up some white bile. I read around and suspected that it's because the two meals are too far apart and he has too much acid in stomach. Since then, I've started feeding three times a day (1/4 cup in the morning, 1/4 in afternoon and 1/2 at night - He eats 1 cup/day) and the problem seems to be gone. If by any chance we left it longer than it should, he would throw up. My question is - Does it sound normal? Would this be a symptom of a more serious underlying problem?

2) Due to the situation above, we are very careful with the eating time of Snowie and tried our best to follow a set schedule. However, there are times that he just wouldn't eat - usually it's closer to the bottom of the bag of food. There were a few times which we had to leave home for work, we had no choice but to mix 1/4 can of cesar wet treat with the dry food to get him to eat and that does the trick. Recently, since the old food is almost done, we've decided to change food (Few days ago). We switched to Nutro Ultra - which is supposed to be a better food. There are times he would eat all of them, and there are times he would pick out all the old one and eat all the new ones. Of course, there are times that he just ignores the whole bowl. What could be causing this inconsistent behavior? Did we spoiled him with the mixing of wet food? (The reason we did that was because he started to ignore his food) Would it be a bad idea to leave the food out and have him just eat whenever he feels like? This second issue is stressing us out because sometimes we'll need to spend hours just to get him to eat his food. At the same time he can't be starve for too long.

Other than that, he is acting totally normal, bring very happy and playful. Here's Snowie :

Thanks for any input in advance!

Cheers,
Chris
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old March 31st, 2010, 02:41 AM
growler~GateKeeper's Avatar
growler~GateKeeper growler~GateKeeper is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 17,568
Hi cy88

For the 1st question - it is not unreasonable for a small dog to be hungry between longer spaced meal times just due to their stomach being smaller. Throwing up stomach acid can happen as a result of nausea from being too hungry. Though if it continues you may want to have a full blood panel run to make sure there are no medical reasons.

For the 2nd question - what size bag do you buy and how long does it take to finish the bag? How do you store the food ie kept in the bag w/top folded, put into separate container - is it airtight etc?

If it's only the end of the bag Snowie refuses to eat I would suspect the last of the bag may have gone stale especially if not kept in an airtight container. I think if the bag size you're currently buying is lasting longer than 1 month and going stale, you should look into buying a smaller sized bag or getting an airtight container for it.

Re: set meal feeding vs free feeding that depends:

Would you be putting a set amount in the dish everyday or just filling the bowl?

-If you just fill the bowl (I know some people do this with small dogs) there is no way to ensure the amount your dog eats each day - hard to tell if they aren't eating one day with this method.

-If you put a set amount each day is your dog going to feel the need to finish his daily portion each day? Or is he going to pig out & finish the day's portion by lunch and have nothing left for dinner, which you would need to add more leading to overfeeding

It also depends on your lifestyle if you travel or visit friends/family with your dog, meal fed is much easier to ensure they have eaten enough each day rather than have a dog that can't eat when he wants because you're in a car/plane etc

It is possible Snowie is "holding out" for the wet food, some members use a bit of canned as a regular "topping" on their dogs food, just be sure to reduce the dry slightly so as not to overfeed.

If you don't wish to continue with the wet food, you can try a pinch of parmesan cheese on a little of the dry food, just enough for a slight flavouring but not enough that he would be looking for it.

You could also try to make meal time interesting by putting his meal portion in a Kong w/peanut butter/cheez whiz to block the hole, he will have to work at getting his food.

Other members will likely have more suggestions for you
__________________
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do

The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old March 31st, 2010, 05:42 AM
Pink-ET's Avatar
Pink-ET Pink-ET is offline
Britadian
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Belle River
Posts: 61
Snowy is very cute!!

With regard to the having to mix the wet with dry, Lola was very much the same, I went through 4 different types of dry and she just would not eat!!

So I bought the RAW medallions, and now she has a little less than 1/4 cup of the Acana and I mix it well with half a medallion of the RAW. That way she LOVES it, and I know that its really good for her too!

As for the vomiting, I am no dog expert. I am however a people expert (colorectal nurse specialist). Babies 'spit up' because they have small tummies and guzzle their milk taking in air, so with the long time between feeding for snowie he will have lots of air in his stomach, possibly contributing to his throwing some back up.

One thing I would say though is that vomiting etc should be checked out to ensure that there is no underlying problem. What does the Vet say about the vomiting?
__________________
Mum to Autumn 5, Evie 3, both of the human variety
Taiji age 10, of the feline variety
Ziggy age 3, of the reptile variety
and Lola age 3 months, of the fluffy bichon poo variety

Last edited by Pink-ET; March 31st, 2010 at 05:57 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old April 1st, 2010, 07:17 AM
cy88 cy88 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12
Thanks for all the input!

When I brought it up to the vet last time, she said as long as closing up the eating schedule fix the problem, she wouldn't worry about it.

I buy one of the bigger bags (much better value), and it last for around 2 months. It's being stored in a air tight container in the closet. It's possible that it got staled towards the end, but he's acting up even with the new food. The first day or two, he would love it and wanting to even swallow the bowl. However after that he'll be begging for wet food again.

Snowie ate yesterday morning at around 10am, and wouldn't eat another meal after. I know he has no problem with this food. He's in fact just waiting for someone to give him the wet food and I have insisted not to.

Am I doing the right thing by insisting not giving it to him?

Last edited by cy88; April 1st, 2010 at 07:41 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old April 1st, 2010, 07:37 AM
aslan aslan is offline
-
Asteroids Champion, Starship Legend Champion, Rabbit Hunter Champion, Magic Ball Champion, Candy Tetris Champion, Bounce Back Champion, Breakout Champion
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: toronto, on
Posts: 15,600
CY88,,have you tried your little one on one of the higher grade dog foods like Orijen or Wellness. As Growler suggested get an airtight container to store the food in so it doesn't go stale. Yes bigger bags are more economical but not if your losing some with age. My little demon had to have canned or green tripe mixed with his kibble or he wouldn't eat it..Now he just gets straight raw so solved that problem. If you mix wet with the kibble just decrease the amount of kibble abit.

Pink-ET....please don't mix raw with kibble, you're sitting on a ticking timebomb. Kibble takes longer to digest than raw and could cause your pup to become very ill. You can feed raw at one feeding then several hours later feed kibble but not together.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old April 1st, 2010, 01:02 PM
cy88 cy88 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12
Hi aslan,

I haven't tried Orijen or Wellness but I've tried Royal Canin and Blue Buffalo (which seemed to be well reviewed here), I think those are too much for his stomach.

The food is being stored in a airtight container, but I guess it could still go stale if it's opened for 2 months.

If I were to go towards mixing dry + wet, is there a particular type of wet food that you would recommend? I would like to be cost effective as possible, but it wouldn't be the main concern if the cheap stuff are actually "bad".

Thanks!
Chris
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old April 1st, 2010, 02:17 PM
mummummum's Avatar
mummummum mummummum is offline
-
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: The Hammer
Posts: 8,534
Ha!ha! Just went over to Nutro's site to see their ingredient list. Sneaky beggars are listing them by alpha now!!

It's been awhile but I don't recall Nutro being on my top ten list of kibble I would use. With such a small dog CY I would vote for feeding a better brand of holistic kibble. There's nothing wrong with mixing in wet food (I have no idea what's in Caesar's but canned raw green tripe is going to top it for nutritional value and on price points given the size of your little guy.

After 2 mths in a bag, even air sealed, the oil will have begun to go rancid. If you want to get the bigger bags, you could always load it up into a bunch of containers and freeze the kibble in 2 week portions.

But, listen if it's a real problem for you, I'll be happy to take the little guy off your hands!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old April 2nd, 2010, 02:17 AM
cassiek's Avatar
cassiek cassiek is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: High River, AB, Canada
Posts: 622
Sorry to get off topic, but Aslan thank you for replying and clarifying the earlier post of mixing raw and kibble! It is NOT a good idea to mix the two and can lead to some serious stomach upsets... please don't mix them. I feed my crew 1/2 raw and 1/2 kibble, but at different times... raw around 7 AM, kibble around 6 PM.

CY, your pup certainly is adorable! As for canned food... myself I like to give one canned meal a week and I prefer to stick to labels that are grain-free. One I really like is Tripett. It's tripe with lots of other goodies in it... even my super picky dog goes crazy for it! You can get beef, lamb, vension, etc. I like to change it up for variety. Another one I like is EVO, although it can be quite expensive around $4.00 a can in Southern AB here... however it is 95% meat protein.

CY, have you tried some tough love?? I know it can be hard to do, but it might just be the solution. Obviously you don't want the little guy to starve but he also has to learn to eat what you put down. My oldest gal can be a bit picky at times, so I follow the 2 minute rule... food goes down for 2 minutes, if she doesn't eat it in that time, it goes away until the next meal. If you have a really stubborn one that will go days w/o eating then obviously it won't work. I feed my little one about 2/3rds of her meal in the AM and then give kibble in the PM... obviously she prefers the RAW and sometimes she is not super excited for the kibble but 90% of the time she will eat it now, simply because if she doesn't, it goes away. Her body weight is good, so its not detrimental for her to miss a meal.

Again, what a cutie you have!! Have you considered trying a food like Orijen or Acana? I would stay away from a really rich ration - like Orijen's Red Meat Formula, to start with, but he probably would love their normal Adult or 6 Fish food. My dogs all go crazy for it! Not sure what your feelings are on RAW, or if its even feasible for you, but its another good option. I haven't met a dog yet that refused raw!
__________________
My babies: Sassy - Maltese X (9), Furby - Shihtzu X (7), Brynn - Boxer (3), Diesel - Boxer (1)

"Many of the Earth's habitats, animals, plants, insects, and even micro-organisms that we know as rare may not be known at all by future generations. We have the capability, and the responsibility. We must act before it is too late." - Dalai Lama
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old April 2nd, 2010, 07:16 AM
Sib.HuskyMom's Avatar
Sib.HuskyMom Sib.HuskyMom is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Ontario
Posts: 311
Oh my goodness! What a cutie!!!

Is is just at the end of the bag that he doesn't like to eat, but then if you start a fresh bag he's fine again? If that's the case, then I would probably tend to agree with the others that it's a freshness problem.

Otherwise, I'm thinking that perhaps he just doesn't like it anymore.
For example, I had my dogs on Orijen 6 fish for several months, which they loved. Then I noticed that my one dog was eating less and less and eventually didn't want to eat his food at all anymore - he'd just stand there for 15 minutes playing with it.
Turns out, the little bugger decided he didn't like fish anymore .
I switched them from Orijen fish to regular Orijen adult (which only has limited amounts of fish in it), and he's been happy ever since.

Good luck!
And seriously, Snowie is sooooo adorable!
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old April 3rd, 2010, 07:08 PM
cy88 cy88 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12
Thanks all for the loveeeeee

Two days ago, he went almost 36 hours without food (but have water). At the end, he went for it, and was alright for the next free meals. The last meal he had was last night at around 11pm. Ever since then, he's been rejecting food like how he did two days ago and haven't been eaten since.

I think he's just a little stubborn boy that wants to keep trying to get the wet food that he wants. I want to teach him that it's a "treat" that he gets the wet food and it's a norm that he gets the dry! At the end of the day, I hope this works out. Otherwise I might really have to switch to a wet/dry diet.

I would mind trying any other type of food as long as he likes it (and doesn't cost me too much more!). Anyone know where I can find Orijen in Toronto area?

I am sure you gentleman/ladies wouldn't mind a few more pics:


Before the haircut:


After the haircut:
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old April 3rd, 2010, 07:18 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
The before the haircut/leaf picture is absolutely stunning, cy88!! Dang he's one cute little dude, that Snowie is!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old April 3rd, 2010, 07:24 PM
mummummum's Avatar
mummummum mummummum is offline
-
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: The Hammer
Posts: 8,534
Global-Ryan's carries Orijen as do most of the better pet food stores. Check the Orijen website they used to have a store locator on it listing all the Toronto stores. Are you downtown?
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old April 3rd, 2010, 07:28 PM
cy88 cy88 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
The before the haircut/leaf picture is absolutely stunning, cy88!! Dang he's one cute little dude, that Snowie is!
Thanks!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mummummum View Post
Global-Ryan's carries Orijen as do most of the better pet food stores. Check the Orijen website they used to have a store locator on it listing all the Toronto stores. Are you downtown?
Thanks, I am in the scarborough area. According to their website, looks like there's a store at the end of my street that carries it! How much do they run for generally?
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old April 3rd, 2010, 07:32 PM
mummummum's Avatar
mummummum mummummum is offline
-
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: The Hammer
Posts: 8,534
I buy the humungous bags and they are 80$ish depending on which store I shop at.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old April 4th, 2010, 02:23 PM
rainbow's Avatar
rainbow rainbow is offline
-
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Beautiful BC's Kootenay Country
Posts: 34,757
First of all I have to day that Snowie is one adorable little boy.

I agree with switching to Orijen ....it is an excellent choice.

I would also discontinue feeding Cesar canned food and feed one of the better ingredient brands like Wellness, Innova EVO or Go Natural. Here is some info on Cesar's ...

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-fo...esar-dog-food/

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_f...cat=16&ppuser=
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:09 PM.