ok maybe that’s dramatic but that’s genuinely how it’s been feeling lately. so, for the last month or so my 5yo plott mix has been showing signs of joint stiffness/soreness. I took her to the vet after the new year and had some sort of pictures taken of her hips and joints and sent to a radiologist for examination, but everything came back fine. My vet suggested putting her on a bit of a diet to lose around 10lb (she was 85lb) and see if that helps as well as giving me some other medications to ease the joint pain. This sounds like an easy task, only thing is that I’ve been making my dogs food for the last year and a half (since i got her) by following one of the Just Food For Dogs diy recipes. My vet recommended Purina Pro Plan Weight Management, so we took about a week and a half of mixing the foods and slowly incorporating it and now she’s been eating solely kibble for about a week and a half.
Now on to the problem… my dog was never a beggar, would be on top of her meal times to the minute, and would finish every meal without any problems. Since switching foods it takes a good deal of convincing to get her to start eating her food and finish it and any time we have food out she stared at us and looks so sad and deprived when before she would just ignore it completely. When we first got her we gave her a treat whenever she asked to go outside to potty but that stopped after a few weeks and since switching food she’s constantly asking to go outside just to turn around and come back in to ask for a treat. I feel so cruel and I wish I could explain to her what’s happening and why but I just don’t know what to do
We have a follow up with her vet next week where i’ll bring up some of these issues but i’m just not sure what I can do about many of them. Will she get used to it eventually? Do you think she feels like she’s being punished?
TLDR: had to switch my dog from human food diet to kibble and now she acts like hates her life.
@ericuda Couple ideas - ask the vet to check for Lyme disease. That can cause sore joints.
For the food, find a way to help her eat a bit slower (so she feels fuller). You can use a puzzle feeder or feed her piece by piece as part of a training session. Both accomplish a few goals - she eats slower and gets some mental enrichment.
If she just legit hungry, you can bulk up her food with low calorie items - check out pumpkin purée, chopped carrots, and other dog safe veggies (check the AKC’s website or with your vet).
@pittsburgh14 Will definitely bring that up in our visit.
My issue isn’t that she eats too fast but i almost have to convince her to eat. We’ve always played a “sit and stay” game before eating and then i release and she usually runs to the food to eat but lately she’s just been running to me and i have to redirect her to the food and say “get it!” a few times before she slowly starts eating it and then she won’t finish it often. today I even tried to scatter it on the ground to make it more fun since that’s what we did with her old kibble that i used as a training tool when on walks but she just sniffed the kibble and looked back up at me.
I think I’m gonna try mixing in some low calorie veggies though, that’s a really good idea. she had carrots, celery, and spinach in her food prior so I think incorporating one of those will hopefully encourage her to eat it.
@ericuda She’s on a diet, and is probably going to be sad when others eat delicious food. That’s how I would feel too. Eventually she’ll get used to it, and will appreciate less pressure & weight on her joints.
If it makes you feel any better—I’ve quite literally never given my dog table food because I didn’t want her to beg—she still stares at me as if she’s starving. She’s certainly not.
As another user recommended pumpkin purée—you can put that on a lick mat or in a kong & freeze it and give her a little something to snack on while you eat. Might make everyone feel a little better.
@hobblehonker Me, i never give my dogs scraps, i may cook a hamburger patty or something else, nothing large, for I cannot feed a dog to be dependent on human food.
@ericuda Try hydrating the kibble with bone broth, that is pretty low cal, good for joint support, and most dogs love it. You can make your own or buy it from the raw food freezer at the pet food store. You could add some toppers too, low cal fruits and veg. Like blueberries and steamed broccoli
@ericuda Dogs are highly adaptable. Of course she wants human food, all dogs do. But human food doesn't give them all the nutrients they need and kibble is hard to help with their teeth. My grandma had a dog whose food bowl was filled with milk bones. She wouldn't eat dog food and her favorite human food was Mac n cheese. She was very fat. Anyways, after a week of living with us she converted over to dog food.
Once every 6-9 months my current dog quits eating his dog food. We get all worried thinking he ate something outside and start monitoring his potty habits to keep apprised of the situation. He also works very hard for treats every day... I've never seen a dog be as food motivated as this one is. Anyways that usually lasts through breakfast, and occasionally dinner. But he is drooling for dinner/breakfast the next time it rolls around. He thinks if he quits eating dog food I will give him more human food.
Anyways, moral of the story is your dog isn't hungry enough to eat dog food yet. And he's begging because you've never had to teach him not to. And it seems like your dog is looking to work for food, so you should setup more training time. It's fun for you both and builds your bond. Use the dog food as a treat.
I know it sucks but having weight managed in dogs can extend their life by up to 3 years. Please stay the course!
@ericuda Could you try a different kibble? We've been playing around with my dogs food to try to figure out his allergies and he definitely likes some more than others. Oddly, I think his favourite is the vegan kibble he's on right now. We used to free feed (up to his daily limit) and he would usually not finish everything, but his newest food is fully eaten right away still after a month. Might be worth a shot? I think the most often recommended on the sub are Purina pro, hills science diet and royal canin. Of course, check with your vet first!
@believingingod i’ve thought about that!! i’ll bring it up with the vet at our appointment, we’re on purina pro plan right now and of course i jumped the gun and bought the biggest bag but that might definitely be a factor
@ericuda Many vets don’t get much nutrition training. It’s possible to have a well balanced, low calorie meal and a happy dog. I got a book on research into dogs.
she said it’d be easier to keep a well balanced meal and keep it low calorie by switching to kibble
but that might definitely be a factor