not interested in food

[Bonnie C]

Hi all
I have an unusual issue for our house. charlie has, in the last couple of days, not been terribly interested in his food. Usually he wolfs it down. Now, we are about halfway through his bag of food so I'm doubting it's the bag gone bad. He seems normal otherwise and went and ate his dinner later on and this morning seems again not interested. This is pretty odd for him. Could it be he just got bored of his food? He's more then willing to eat my toast this morning (although he wont' get any!) so he's not off eating totally anyway.
Even when he was quite ill he still ate with gusto so this is a new one..not quite sure when I should worry?

[Nancy Campbell]

Hi Bonnie - how interesting, we just had the same problem with our Buddy. He didn't eat for 2 days, when we approached him with his bowl of food he would back away like he was scared of it. I moved his food bowl, tried different bowls, a plate, etc and he wouldn't go near it. We tried feeding him a litte at a time - he would take it from our hand, but when we scattered some on the floor he wouldn't go near it. We tried a big handful, same reaction. But like yours - he did eat toast and peanut butter! Finally decided to try a new brand of food - bingo! He couldn't get it into him fast enough. We had just bought a brand new bag and we wondered if it had gone bad..so try a new brand - a small bag to start and see if that works. Good luck!
Nancy and Buddy (who's now eating fast and furious!)

[Sharon Long]

our dog was also leaving over food and we didn't realize he had trouble with his neck. I knew something was wrong when he wouldn't pick up a tennis ball. I put his food on a stair for a couple of days until he got over it
Sharon

[Bonnie C]

Hi Nancy
I actually considered that it might be a bag of bad food. I had just bought a larger bag (the one he started refusing was a smaller one as the store was sold out of the larger bags) so I opened it up and tried that..no luck.
It is really hard with Charlies allergies and sensitive tummy to change his food but I might have to try just that. Meanwhile I will prop up his food dish and see if that helps. Might be worth a shot! thanks for the suggestions

[Bonnie W.]

Bonnie what is the food you decided to use for Charlie? I know you told me but I forgot! I had a bag I returend to Global of the Valifornai NAtural last time....there was a smell to the food that I noticed and the dog also refused to eat it too...I could not igure it out so I tried adding stuf to it and she still refused it. So...I returneed it got a new bag no problem and signed a paper with the reason I was returning the defective bag....the smell when it was moistened was not its normal smell NOW she eats no problem and I have no issues once again...It is possible that perhaps they pick up a scent from their kibble scent?

[Bonnie W.]

ooopss...sorry I type very fast and didn't edit. I meant California Natural.

[Bonnie C]

Hi Bonnie
Good to hear Britney is back on her California and doing ok. Charlie is eating Firstmate, Fish and Potato. It looks and smells fine as far as I can telland he ate half the bag before he decided no thanks. If I leave it out and ignore him, he waits a while then will go and eat. This morning he took a few bits and wandered off, then came back when I put a tiny dusting of parmesean cheese. He finished it. I only used the cheese because he goes to daycare all day today and I'd hate to send him hungry.
I tried lifting the dishes..no difference so I guess I'll perhaps mix in a bit of new food and start a transfer but first the long look for a new one he can eat!

Does anyone know if there is a differnce between 'hulled barley' and just 'barley'. I want to try him on wellness but he had a reaction to barley in his allergy test. I know soy and soymeal etc can be totally different. ach..who knew I'd have to hire a nutritionist for my dog. (ps, I tried to ask my vet and he just wants to put him back on Hills despite how badly Charlies health went down..grr)

[Bonnie W.]

Forget Hills.....all the vets like it but I wouldn't put my dog on that again!!! Tons of fillers...tons and they hate it most of the time anyway...unless they are totally forced if nothing else works I wouldn't put my dog on Hills again....they lose interest in that stuff too. Which wellness are you looking at? Simple Solutions? Or Core? or something else? If the dog is alleric to any kind of barley Bonnie, I would not go that route at all even if it were hulled barley. Isn't hulled like peeling off the vegetable? AS in corn on the cob, you hull the corn, take the green off ....isn't that the same for barley? Me.....I would not go this direction given Charlie's background and especially on allergy test showing a reaction to barley! Forget it....keep me posted.....

[Lisa Pizzi]

Hi Bonnie;

You may want to try Wellness Simple Solutions Venesion. It is all that Riley can eat he has issues with lots of things and it took me almost 2 years plus to get it right. Sometimes it is hard to find so I keep a few bags on hand and sometimes have to order from petfooddirect.com if you order 2 big bags at once and click in the upper right hand of the screen for the 5% coupon it is a good deal even delivered. I looked no barely. http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf%5Fid=2012348&dept%5Fid=1 &brand%5Fid=913&mscssid=4QDFN85D52B38L9WE3 084977MRG888UF

[Bonnie C]

Hi Lisa
thanks for the suggestion but (believe it or not) Charlie also reacts to venison. He has a list of about 8 things he's allergic too and between those its hard to find a food without either the meat or grains or peas etc that aren't in it. I am switching him to the natural balance. I gave him a bit last night in his other kibble and the bum picked out one kibble at a time and ate the NB and left the firstmate. Luckily he is not that patient and he ended up eat most of all of it. No reaction this morning so thats good news. Usually any tiny change will get some reaction. Now, he only got about 10kibble or so in 2 cups but still, thats a definite so far so good with Mr. Sensitive.

[marlene thoms]

Hi Bonnie,
Due to Charlie's digestive difficulties, and since he was eating this stuff up till now I wouldn't mess too much with the basic food. When you said he kind of passes on it, but will eat with flavorful additions, I think that's a better compromise as long as you are naturally adding things within his allowed foods. The result of adding flavors of course is that they do come to expect something, so they may do just what you described, pass on it, till you either add something, or they realize you aren't going to put out the extra effort. Duke has done this in the past too. The test I use is will they eat some tasty morsel of what I am eating. If so it's a flavor issue. Duke also often wants permission to eat, especially more so since I have the pup. He's very non-pushy about the food, so he lets her but in. Even before I had her I sometimes had to tell him it was okay to eat, then just leave him alone to it. He would come back later and eat up when he realized I wasn't going to add something special. He also was reluctant to eat immediately if I was "hovering" too much (which of course is the temptation when they aren't apparently eating. Again I think that was his sort of submissiveness around the food bowl. Even with something tasty like a bit of raw meat, if I put it down outside, he waits till I go away to dig in. Not sure if this is Charlie's issue or not, but something to consider.

[Lisa Pizzi]

Hi Bonnie;

One more thing that stuck with me you said that he does eat after you leave. If his days allotment of food is eaten in a day I would not worry to much.

Riley does the same thing he eats at his leisure sometime right away others the food will be there or half there all day. He usually waits until I go away because I am more interesting than food. I have gotten used to this just being him. It is what he does fortunately he regulates his own food and is not one of those eat until they explode dogs. He still never refuses a cookie but he has really never been all that food motivated if the food is just regular old stuff. I could make the food really rich and interesting and he would gobble it right up but then be very very sick so I am happy this way.

If you find a good food stick with it don't drive yourself crazy trying to keep him interested long as he eats especially with his issues.

Lisa

[marlene thoms]

Luckily he is not that patient and he ended up eat most of all of it.

That's funny Bonnie. Sometimes they are just too smart for their own good.But, whatever works.
I hate it when my dog is smarter than me. This time you can chalk up one for the humans.Or did he outsmart you by getting you to change foods?????hmmm...

[Bonnie C]

haha..Marlene..perhaps you are right.

It was just very odd how he just up and started to refuse. He is very food driven and usually gobbles his food. the fact that he left it all day and only ate when he was very hungry bothered me. Even today, he picked out the NB food, ate some of the original and then left a little less then half of his food, all original. He did that last night too which is really odd as after being at daycare all day he's usually starving.

I think I will continue to switch him over slowly and see how it goes. My gut tells me its not just a flavour thing. Partly because he has never gotten anything else in his dish but kibble and even when dusted with cheese he didn't want it. Something is in his head about that food whether real or not he's balking at eating it.

Of course he is a smarty bum so it very well could be he's playing a game with me! lol