Dog not interested in food

[puppup11]

Hi,
My dog (just turned 1 yr old) is not very interested in food anymore. I'm trying to determine whether it might just be pickyness or what. I've never had a dog that showed any kind of picky behavior so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm just going to go back to the beginning with this because now I don't know what to think anymore. (by the way I am planning on bringing her to the vet but can't today because of a major snowstorm)

1. My father in law, unbeknownst to me, had been feeding her scraps of ham and turkey. This was besides her regular two cups per day of Wellness dog food. Then they went away for a week so she wasn't getting those scraps anymore. She was fine during that week.
2. Then (two weeks ago) she had diahrrea (for a day) and became uninterested in food. This had happened before when she ate something she shouldn't have eaten so I just figured we should give her time and she'll get better. She had been out in the yard eating sticks and stuff which is what happened before when this problem occurred.
3. The next day she again was out in the yard and got a hold of a piece of cedar and ate it, and then threw up a bunch of various sticks and the cedar. Not hungry that day, understandably.
4. Her bowel movements became normal again but she still didn't seem to want food, so my mother in law gave her dog food mixed with real lamb and she would eat. (big mistake I think)
5. Then after a day or two she stopped eating the dog food and just picked out the pieces of lamb. She had great energy and was acting totally normal by this time.
6. By this time a week had gone by. We tried totally fasting her for a day and a half and she wouldn't touch regular dog food. We gave her meat again and she gobbled it up. So I figured, problem solved, she's picky now and being stubborn. Bowel movements still fine, no throwing up or anything and definitely not acting like a sick dog.
7. I started mixing her dog food with some ketchup, and she ate it for a day and a half. Then she wouldn't eat the ketchup, but I tried salad dressing and she would eat that instead. Starting yesterday, she is refusing dog food altogether no matter what you put on it, and won't even eat peanut butter now which she used to love.
8. Last night she threw up clearish fluid but nothing else. This morning she had a normal bowel movement. She's still refusing dog food, I'm half tempted to try the meat again to see if this is sickness or pickyness. But if it's pickyness I'm just making the situation worse by giving her meat. She still has normal energy and is acting normal in every other way. I took her temperature and it is normal.

Again like I said I am going to bring her to the vet as soon as I can but maybe someone with some experience in picky dogs can give me some insight as to whether this could be that or not. Sorry about the length of this post but I thought I should include everything that might have a bearing on how this situation developed.

[mastifflover]

Hi and welcome. No you did not post too much info the more the better. But I don't think your dog is sick but is opting for human food rather than the top quality stuff you are feeding. Wellness is excellent food and does not as you know need any supplements of human food. I know your parents are doing this for your dog because they love it but tell them no more. First lamb is very fattening so unless you have a very active dog you did not mention breed, I would stay with chicken. By them feeding her the dog knows it will not starve but what you need to do is just leave the dog food and even if your dog does not eat do not worry when the dog is hungry and realizes this is it they will eat. You can always sprinkle a bit of garlic on top but no enticements with gravy or human food. You need to get the dog back to its healthy food. Human food is something my dog gets as special treats and not often, okay Friday he got steak his birthday. But make it a special treat so it is not expected by the dog. By the way he sounds like he has your mom trained well.

[Trinitie]

Only a vet can properly diagnose an eating disorder - BUT - it appears your dog has learned that not eating means she gets the food she really wants.

It's possible that she's grown to dislike the dog food you're giving her. If a vet says she's healthy you're going to have to put your foot down when it comes to feeding time. NO scraps whatsoever.

Put her dog food down at regular feeding times. If she eats at 8 am - put her food down at 8 am for 20 minutes. If she doesn't eat her food at the end of the 20 minutes pick it up. Put it away for her next feeding. Again - put it down for 20 minutes. Again - if she doesn eat it, pick it up. Do all this without giving her any treats. If she's hungry - she'll eat. A dog will not starve itself. Normally, a dog can go for 2-3 days without food. It cannot go without water though.

Depending on the size of the dog - cookies and treats may be enough to sustain it. If your parents are giving her treats, behind your back, it may be justifying her reasoning for shunning her food.

But, first and foremost, bring her to a vet to rule out any physical reason for her snubbing food.

Please let us know what the vet says.

[Carina]

Well I am not a big fan of dog pellets so I'm biased!
I'd say she's being a smart doggie.

That said...I agree with the others, she's probably just telling you she dislikes her pellets (though Wellness is a good commercial food, as commercial foods go) and would rather eat actual food, like meat. If that's the case & she checks out healthy at the vet, you'll just have to be prepared for a short battle of wills; she's a smart dog & won't let herself starve,,,she'll eventually capitulate and go back to eating food she doesn't like.

If you want to look a little more into dog diets & nutrition, check this site:
http://www.bowchow.com/dogfeeding.html
There certainly are foods you can add to her pellets that will enhance her diet. Lamb is probably fine...ham & cured meats most likley are not a good staple diet though!

My dogs do not eat pellets; they eat mostly meat (raw) and minimally some other stuff.
Anyhow, check out that site....you don't want your dog to dictate to you what she wants to eat! But there are non-pellet/commercial foods that are very good for dogs. Like meat.

[Karin]

Where do you live and what time is dinner? I love lamb!






I wash dishes also if that helps.

[puppup11]

Thanks for all the great responses so far! And yes, she is not getting any more people food. I wouldn't have even known that she was getting it except for the fact that when she threw up the sticks, there was chunks of ham and turkey there.

She is on Wellness Lamb and Rice, earlier we had some trouble with some kind of allergy but we were never really able to pin down what it is (she would itch and chew the bottoms of her feet totally off). This food is the first that she's had no reaction to so I don't want to risk changing it again. The other foods were chicken based so we're thinking possibly a poultry allergy.

Anyway, from what I saw last night I think everyone here is right. I put her food down for her with just a bit of warm water, nothing else, she sniffed it and walked away. So then I took her kibble and put it into one of her toys. She then eagerly started working to get the food out and ate it as she got it out. After a little while I took her toy away and put her dish back down and then she ate most of it. I put some more in the toy and she ate that. Then I put the dish down again and she finished it off. Hmph. That doesn't sound like a sick dog to me.

By the way she is a pitbull, just turned one year old.

[Karin]

Welcome aboard Puppup! Glad to hear all is better...

Stick around...there is a good group of people here you would love to get to know..

No prejudice against breeds either....we voice opinions, but all breeds are loved and welcome.

I may differ on species however, the more I am around humans, the more I gravitate to animals.

Don't we all? (In my best southernese)

[mastifflover]

I am glad we helped we will be expecting pictures of the culprit.

[hddlstn02]

Something I've noticed my dog doing is picking his food out of the food bowl w/ his mouth, putting it on the floor, then eating it. So, being the curious person that I am, I just put his food on the floor one time & he gobbled it up like nobody's business! I don't know what it is about the bowl, but he'd much rather eat his food off of the floor! Any comments on this?

[raingirl]

what kind of bowl do you have? some are scared of the sound that stainless steal makes??

[hddlstn02]

It's a big plastic dog bowl... Not stainless steel. It doesn't make any noise, so I have no idea.

[raingirl]

plastic can cause zits also and infections around the mouth...also, it traps flavours and oils from the food which can go rancid (at least, that's what I was told). Maybe he doesn't like the taste?

I was told the best dishes to get were ceramic...

[mastifflover]

Plastic dishes are no good you are right about holding bacteria as well a lot of dogs and cats have a bad reaction to the plastic on their noses. I use stainless steel but I have used ceramic and they are the best. Make sure you use soap and water to wash them out so there is no lingering bacteria

[hddlstn02]

Oh! Didn't know that, thanks! I'll change as soon as I can get new ones. Thanks so much!

[Trinitie]

I'm glad your puppers is doing better! Welcome to the boards. Hopefully it'll be a long stay!

[puppup11]

Here's the little manipulator - she's still not eating much out of a dish but if I put it inside her toy or make her do tricks there's no problem. And then she'll eat it off the floor too.

[Karin]

You have a beautiful brindle baby! Thanks for sharing...nice couch she has too.