@nehemiah126 Our dog is very pick so we just add a table spoon of wet food to her kibble when we soak it. She eats it right up and it's much less expensive than a full wet food diet
@nehemiah126 What breed of dog? Some dogs get “pouty” and resist switching back to kibble after being spoiled.
It’s notorious with Newfoundlands, for example. My aunts Newfie, Bear Grumbles, would refuse to eat his kibble for a couple days after coming home from my grandmothers. She spoiled him rotten while taking care of him while auntie was on vacation.
@kenandy92 My GSD and rottie where “emotional eaters” (or under eaters) and would play this game when life had changes. My lab..if he skipped a meal (let alone a crumb) was concerning…the other 2…would hold out. We went away for a week and my neighbors watched our rottie..after 2 days of no food(this was pre cell phones in the 90’s) my Nieghbor went and bought cheap on sale steaks and grilled it up…my boy was living large…my GSD was my family dog, when I went to college (I’d come home every weekend) she wouldn’t eat mon-wed..eat Thursday I’d be home Friday afternoon shed eat normal all weekend, than cycle again…
@nehemiah126 Yeah. I’d try to get a vet appointment. It might just be a behavioral thing, but it could be some sort of digestive issue if he was eating a bunch of human food while you were away.
@shinesobright She really did. I gave her a detailed note with all of my dog’s info before I left and VERY CLEARLY wrote “no human food unless previously discussed”. Apparently she just didn’t see that part lol
@nehemiah126 My gf and I just dealt with this!!! We took our 2yo rescue to the beach for weekend with my parents, just about 3 months after rescuing him. Everything was going ok but when he got home he wasn’t eating. We booked a vet appointment and they found NOTHING besides a possible ear infection. Ear infection was unrelated, no one told us they’re common for his breed and that we need to clean his ears like once a week.
Normally, I would never EVER be the guy saying “don’t go to the vet” because I don’t know shit. But I think your dog just fell out of routine and is sad or anxious about it. I recommend sitting with your pup and hand feeding. We put his favorite treat in a handful of his normal food, and he ate like that for a day or 2 before going back to normal. Obviously please go to the vet if you think it’s best, cause I guess we never really know. Good luck!!
@hope4family When I first adopted him I had to hand feed him at first, I don’t know why I forgot about doing that, so I will definitely try that in a few minutes!
@nehemiah126 Cook whatever protein you’re feeding him in water and try hydrating his kibble with the smelly tasty water, let it soak up and cool off and see if that helps?
@ace2015 I tried with egg because he’s sensitive to dairy, and the little jerk ate all the egg and left the kibble. That’s why I think he’s starving himself in hopes I’ll cook him up a 5 course meal.
@nehemiah126 To me it sounds like switching too fast with too many variables (meds etc). I would give him boiled white meat chicken (no skin, no bones) and cooked white rice. Once his tummy settles start adding kibble in slowly. If he is lethargic plus not eating or is dehydrated then the vet is warranted.
@nehemiah126 My dog will do this as well. Trust me, he will eventually eat but it may take a week or two to get back into his routine. His owner(s) leaving and suddenly coming back can be stressful/excited/confusing, etc. and he is really just working through it. Also, him having human food while you were gone may now have set him up with the expectation that you will also feed him that so he may be doing a little bit of a food strike to get what he wants. But he will go back to eating his own food, even when it feels like it will never happen. I have done this dance plenty with my super picky dog and vacations always trigger the sporadic to non-existent eating habits (except if it's human food duh!). Dogs like routine and when they are knocked off of it, it can be an adjustment getting back into it. Just keep up with his routine and he will follow suit again!
@nehemiah126 You could try to slowly mix in his old food with the new food. I’ve done this when I had to switch up food for my dog because she’s a picky eater. Her previous owners fed her whatever and it was challenging to switch her over to kibble.
@nehemiah126 Human food could easily be the culprit. Do they have dogs? Our dog stopped eating her food when she realized it wasn’t the same food my mom’s dogs get. She ate that food no problem.
@nehemiah126 He thinks he will get human food or something more tasty, so he won’t eat kibble but would rather wait. My dog does this sometimes. He will eat when he gets hungry enough!
@nehemiah126 are they going potty normally? sometimes dogs will stop eating if they have a pain or obstruction or other digestive issue. but also that would show other related behavioral changes.
if your dog is pottying and playing mostly normally and just not interested in food, it's probably not an immediate issue.
