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My dog seems afraid to eat his food
Comments
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I don't often come on here but thought I would reply, our dog scoffed food and then went off it. I tried changing the food etc and she would eat by the evening especially if it was something really nice. Went to vets three times and nothing. I wish I had insisted on a x-ray as she suddenly went down hill and the vets then found she had a tumour and we had no choice but to put her to sleep. The non eating had gone on for months by this point though.
I did actually have this with my last dog. He stopped eating, vet could find no cause. He was referred and they found he was riddled with cancer. He was 13 and we had to have him PTS.
So I do get upset when Jack won't eat and O/H says the dog can pick up on that even though I try not to show it.
He will eat in the end - it's just such a battle.
He ate his food at 9pm last night after it had sat in his bowl the whole day, and so far today, he hasn't touched it. I won't be able to do that in the summer as flies will come in the house and on the food the minute a door or window is opened.
I've cut out all treats so that he gets to know it's his dog food or go hungry. Tough love time.
Taking his food out on a walk does make him eat it but it's hardly ideal where wet food is concerned!0 -
Try freezing it.
It works with dogs that don't like raw, see if it applies to wet food too0 -
Try freezing it.
It works with dogs that don't like raw, see if it applies to wet food too
Well that's one I haven't tried.
I will give that a go, see if he will eat it.
He's circling his bowl now with this morning's food still in it, untouched. He must be starving.:(
Probably he'll eat it before bed but even if he does he's only getting half his usual food ration. Stupid dog!:(0 -
So I do get upset when Jack won't eat and O/H says the dog can pick up on that even though I try not to show it.
Could you get someone else to feed him and stay out of the way while he eats?
Perhaps give him half as much as usual and in a different bowl and a different place - I think he's picking up on your anxiety.0 -
Weel, if he not ill tough love means tough love.
Put the food down and go away out of the room and leave him alone.
Come back in ten minutes and if he hasn't eaten it lift the bowl up and put it in a cupboard out of sight.
Don't say anything at all to him about it, just carry on normally.
After an hour put the bowl of food down again. Don't make any fuss just a casual 'do you want your dinner? ' and put the bowl down.
Again go away and leave him alone. No fuss, no cajoling just out it down and leave.
Come back after ten minutes and again lift the bowl if he hasn't eaten it.
This time do not put the bowl down again until his normal feed time. If he doesn't eat it lift the bowl and do not give him anything else until next morning.
Again put the food down and leave him alone. After ten minutes lift the bowl and put it out of sight. It doesn't matter if he sees where it goes, just don't leave it in view.
This time do not put it down again until next mealtime. No treats or biscuits etc until then.
A dog circling a dish of food in bound to be experiencing stress so putting the food away he is not stressing about it all day.
You are not helping by fussing about it.
It is hard. I had a pup who would not eat so I know how distressed it makes you feel.
It is tough love for you as well as him.
But you can do it for the sake of your dog.0 -
A friends dog went through a similar phase and in the end he only way he would eat was without a bowl, she put his food straight onto his feeding mat instead and he started eating again. It is a bit messy with wet food but not too difficult to clean up so worth a try.
She never found out why he stopped eating from his bowl and like you tried all sorts of bowls and pots, he just didn't seem to like putting his head into the bowl anymore.
Nuclear sclerosis (cloudy eyes from layers in the lens compacting together, completely normal and nothing to worry about) usually starts to kick in at around 7 years and can affect sight, especially close up so could be his line of sight is affected by the bowl when he dips his head in.0 -
Thanks fosterdog, mojisola and sheramber.
I tried having O/H feed him with the same result, mojisola.
Fosterdog, there's definitely nothing wrong with his eyes. Outdoors he can spot a twitch of a rabbit's whisker from miles away!
Sheramber, I will try your suggestion, thanks. I do think I'm somehow making him anxious and he now associates feeding with anxiety.
He ate nothing at all all day yesterday despite his bowl of food sitting there. I threw it out when we were going to bed and he did eat today's food about 1pm.
I try to be relaxed about it but feel quite desperate when he's eaten nothing all day.
Hopefully he might start to enjoy his food again and mealtimes will be less stressful for all of us.0 -
I tried having O/H feed him with the same result, mojisola.
Sheramber, I will try your suggestion, thanks. I do think I'm somehow making him anxious and he now associates feeding with anxiety.
I try to be relaxed about it but feel quite desperate when he's eaten nothing all day.
Get your OH to follow Sheramber's routine and remove yourself completely while he's doing it.
The dog will be picking up on your anxiety.0 -
Fosterdog, there's definitely nothing wrong with his eyes. Outdoors he can spot a twitch of a rabbit's whisker from miles away!
That's exactly how NS works, it's only close up the sight is affected and long distance sight is still great. That could be why a bowl would affect him but he would still see in the distance with no problems.
It just like humans who often need reading glasses as they get older but the long distance sight is still fine.
My boy is around 8 now and has NS and it's got worse recently and he can't see a treat put right in front of him he has to sniff it out but he can still see other dogs, cats, rabbits or anything else off in the distance without a problem.
It's something that all ageing dogs get just to varying degrees and Jack is the right age for it to start.0 -
That's exactly how NS works, it's only close up the sight is affected and long distance sight is still great. That could be why a bowl would affect him but he would still see in the distance with no problems.
It just like humans who often need reading glasses as they get older but the long distance sight is still fine.
My boy is around 8 now and has NS and it's got worse recently and he can't see a treat put right in front of him he has to sniff it out but he can still see other dogs, cats, rabbits or anything else off in the distance without a problem.
It's something that all ageing dogs get just to varying degrees and Jack is the right age for it to start.
I haven't heard of this, Fosterdog. But will make an appointment with the vet to get Jack checked out...just in case. Thanks.0
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