8 month old fussy eater

shoppaholic_returns

I have an 8 month old Akita !!!!! puppy who is very lively and friendly and is showing no signs of being under the weather. However this last week she has stopped eating her pro plan biscuits which I used to mix with a small amount of tuna/chicken/etc. I have weened her on to royal canin gradually over a few days which she seemed to like, now she is playing the same game with this food.
I am leaving the food down and not replacing it for a few hours but all she does is take a few mouthfuls and the rest goes to waste.she is drinking well.

She is already 32kgs so quite a big girl, but I m worried shes not eating nearly enough of what is her recommended amount.

I had her to the vets last week who said she might be coming into season as she had diahorrea, this has completely gone now, but now its eating problems, anyone know if its to do with coming into season/age/growing pains? please help.

Also any food suggestions tried mixing small amounts of gravy/bovril she seems to dislike this even more!!

TheWaltons_3

I was about to launch into baby weaning tips for you then

I wont bother giving any valuable information about your Akita - because I haven't got any :rotfl:

x

Kimitatsu

I have had akitas for the last 15 years and she is playing you up!

Akitas I have to say are one of the brightest breeds going. As long as she is happy and healthy then let her not eat if she doesnt want to, a healthy happy animal will never starve itself (and certainly not an akita who like their food)

At 8 months old I would be suprised if she is coming into season, they usually have their first season at about 12 months and over, more likely is she is teething - is she particularly chewy at the moment? When they lose their baby teeth they tend to swallow them and that gives them an upset tum for a couple of days.

As an indicator, I free feed all of my dogs (I have 2 akitas and 3 shibas) and I only fill it up when it is gone, although I do feed them dry food. They get all of the scraps off the table and a marrow bone from the butchers once a week. None of them are overweight and even now they go through spells of picking at their food now and then.

Play her at her own game, put her food down and ignore her when she eats, once she cant use it as an attnetion seeking or dominance tool she will just eat normally.

Please ask any questions you need to, akitas really are a breed apart and are unique in many of the things they do. There is an excellent book called Think Dog by John Fisher who had an akita and was one of the worlds leading beahviour specialists - its definitely worth a read to see what goes on in the mind of your fur baby!

shoppaholic_returns

Thanks Kimitatsu for your helpful tips, they ring true with some of the things she has been doing, Do you mind if I pm you? should I have any further queries?

Tonight she has eaten a massive bowl of her old pro plan biscuits , mixed with a fish in sauce!! I don't know whether I am comin or going with her eating, as she is so good with everything else.

2 months ago teeth were dropping out, and she isnt chewing I THINK YOUR PLAYING ME UP IDEA IS ON THE MONEY!!!!

Do you ever cook rice/pasta and meat for your dogs or do you always give biscuits?

Thanks for your help

Shambler

Hi,

I used to feed my dog boiled rice and chicken but only if he had a tummy upset.

Other than that he ate 'Eukanuba Lamb & Rice' throughout his life, I never gave him the luxury of different brands of dogfood just gave him what the breeder recommended.

He was a wonderfully sociable German Shepherd, 7 stone of fat free bone and muscle a real powerhouse! and I look forward to owning another, hopefully soon!

Kimitatsu

Shopaholic please PM away. Akitas are a beautiful and noble breed and personally I wouldnt be without a well bred one, but they are also a lifetime away from your standard gloden retriever who is in the main well behaved and abides by the rules.

My dogs get the same biscuits week in week out to be honest, they just get whatever is left over from everyones plates. That can be cereal if the kids dont eat it, bread, pasta, curry (hotter the better for the biggies) but their favourite is custard or ice cream!! Giving them the leftovers from your plate not only gives them variety but it also re-enforces the idea that you are "top dog" and she eats whatever you dont want, in the wild that is what would happen in a pack situation.

We have a brilliant butcher near us who keeps all the offcuts for the dogs and minces them up so sometimes they get meat but not every day. As long as they have plenty of water down then they should be ok with that, even my oldest who died last year at 15 still ate dried food.