Dog Spits Out Kibble…still happily eating anything else

[harris098]

Hi! Took my dog to the vet last Wednesday. She’s a 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog that was a voracious eater until about 2.5 weeks ago. She started to spit out her kibble and not be interested in her food. We’d just gotten back from vacation so I assumed she was depressed. When the behavior continued we took her to the vet last Wednesday. Vet said to switch her dog food and see what happened. It worked! For about 4 days and now she’s back to not eating. I’m going to schedule a cleaning so they can do x rays but has anyone run into this before? There are no other symptoms I’m concerned about beyond a dry dog nose.

 

[jamesone5]

@harris098 Our dog does the same thing (sometimes) and our vet didn’t seem concerned. I assume becuase he gained weight still since last visit. Have you tried putting toppers on? We put Stella and chewy bone broth on top, freeze dried chicken and sometimes baby food (just chicken or turkey) if he’s feeling extra picky. He usually eats it all with these toppers.

 

[jamesone5]

However I think the vet should be more concerned in this situation and I think it’s a good idea to do more tests.

 

[harris098]

@jamesone5 Yeah the vet did blood work and stool samples and everything came back totally normal but did say next steps should be x rays so I think that’s the plan. I will try toppers just to keep her eating between now and then! Thanks!!

 

[ayopaul]

@harris098 3 is fairly young for a large dog! almost sounds like a small dog with that picky appetite. mine does the exact same thing. in my experience, you've got a couple of specific options here. ( also, no treats! if you're training, it might be good to pause it for a week or two until he's accepting kibble again. )

1. dog is being picky. a healthy dog wont starve themselves to death. you might catch pup sneaking a kibble here or there .. might even have a secret stash somewhere to munch on between rebellions! put the food down for 15 minutes if you bowl feed, and pick it up after that. food is no longer an option - it's given at certain times of day, on the dot. if pup chooses not to eat - oh well! there's always next meal! ive found success with feeding 3x a day here, splitting their usual amount. give it 72 hours straight of being as firm as possible !! if this doesn't work, vet!
2. Dog is bored! if pup is bored, try scatter feeding in a yard, a living room, or hiding food in different places in the house! it can teach impulse control, and tire them out with mental stimulation - a win-win! you could also try the Kong wobbler, snoop, or something as simple as kibble in a towel!
3. dog has an allergy. seriously. sometimes it just happens out of nowhere for seemingly no reason at all if they've consistently been on one kibble flavour especially. it doesn't make sense... it isn't always GOING to make sense. try switching to purina or hills' sensitive skin/stomach lines, for example - experiment with their flavours and avoid chicken or poultry for a while. see if that helps. if all else fails, vet - and some GI food.
4. dog has acid reflux. ALSO doesn't always make sense! mine will starve out until she's feeling sick, then maybe throw up bile or dry heave, which in turn makes her not hungry, but she IS hungry but she feels too sick so she won't eat, so she doe- you get the idea. ask your vet about pepcid or omeprazole. the human one is the same but always ask the vet for correct dosages. acid reflux can be SILENT and seemingly have no symptoms at all aside from the lack of appetite (and is also the prequisite to IBS/IBD.)

good luck! picky dogs are rough! c: