Dog not eating his kibble

[germanguy]

1 year & 5 mo, not neutered, male, labradoodle. Changed his diet due to a trip at the vet and mentioned that he had dropped 7kg in 3-4 months, making him underweight. His past diet consisted of rice, pumpkin, chicken breast/chicken liver/ground chicken/boiled egg, coconut oil, salmon oil, and a cup of kibble. Now during the 3-4 months where he became underweight, he has been picky over his kibble and has ate around it.

Vet has told me to focus on more kibble as he’s losing weight. And use the toppers as 5-10% of his diet. The past 3 days ive tried feeding him his new kibble and supplemented wet food from the vet but he isnt eating it! Ive tried mixing it with some of his old food, tried taking it out of the microwave, encouraging him with treats, putting toppers but doesnt want to eat it at all. Its been 3 days and hes only been drinking a lot of water and maybe a bite of each meal….

What do i do? How can i combat this? He’s been weaker as he’s not willing to eat and Im starting to feel bad. I dont want to go back to his old diet but i rather have him eat something than nothing. All tips and advice would be appreciated!

 

[shinemoon]

@germanguy One option is the dog is bored and doesn’t see the value of the food. One way to combat this is feeding within a window of time. Put the bowl down for 15 minutes on the time you normally feed the dog. Pick up after 15 minutes. Repeat process each time dog gets to the window to feed. I would just put kibble out for a few days. No toppers or anything. Then maybe adding a little after. I did this for a Pomeranian that was severely overweight. Giving the window of food
Can entice the dog to eat because it asserts food may be present at that time and not another. I wouldn’t be concerned if the dog eats little food for a few days. It will not kill them to go a few days without eating much. You can go to a vet if you’re truly concerned by how little the dog is eating.

Another way to get better food consumption is to treat the food like a game. Toss the kibble, run and let the dog catch the food in your hands. Teach sit, down, stay, whatever you want. Sometimes working with food can excite the dog to eat. You can have low expectations. Sometimes I treat just for eye contact

You can also switch to a higher calorie food which can help the dog maintain weight. One brand I know a lot of people with skinny dogs enjoy is Inukshuk so maybe looking into something like that will be helpful.

Also as always if you feed a homemade diet please consult a veterinary nutritionist to ensure your dog is getting a proper diet if you home make the food.

 

[oliverab]

@shinemoon I misread this at first and thought you meant put the bowl in front of a window to look out of so he wouldn’t be bored. Lololololol.

 

[shinemoon]

@oliverab Haha sorry!! I meant a window of time.

 

[messi]

@germanguy I mean you could easily switch to a raw food diet like before. The key is a proper regimen of supplements to go with it so the dog gets all the nutrients he needs.

I’d get a second vets opinion tbh

Also if there’s a female in or near heat nearby and he’s not neutered, he most likely won’t eat until she’s done or he’s completely removed from the area

 

[januaryrose]

@germanguy My 3 year old Formosan is like this. I tried a bunch of different high end kibbles and toppers/mix ins. She was never interested until I left her with my mom for 2 weeks and she cracked it. The dog will ignore kibble until it's combined half half with a rice/protein/broth mixture. It's frustrating but I've resigned myself to making her special little meals because for the first time since I got her I can't feel her ribs. anymore.

 

[jesuslovesme527]

@januaryrose You should be able to feel a dogs ribs

ETA: my vet uses the ‘knuckle test’. A healthy dog should feel like your knuckles when your hand is open. An underweight dog will feel more like your knuckles when in a fist. An overweight dog will feel like the underside of your hand. If you cannot feel your dogs ribs, they are overweight.

 

[jdubs99]

@germanguy Add water to the bowl when you add the wet food and kibble, then mix it really well. Adding the water will help spread the taste of the topper to all the kibble and it will also soften the kibble, so it'll make the dog not bulk so hard if it's a texture thing.

 

[jdubs99]

Dogs tend to go on hunger strikes when something new in their life happens. Ussually it's stress related. So also think if there's anything new that's happens when you noticed his hunger strike. Other than his change of diet