Help ! My Dogs don't want to eat !

[The Deerhunter]

On 7/26/2018 at 5:57 PM, marty147 said:

I can only suggest the food solution.

 

My two (both 35kg) recently went through a fussy few days of refusing expensive food that they'd always eaten previously.

 

I changed things around by mixing in some dry food (Pedigree brand) with steamed rice and chicken blood.

 

We bought the blood at the local market in solidified form - not sure how readily available it is elsewhere.

 

That did the trick. ??

 

As long as they are not lethargic or showing any obvious signs of distress then it may simply be boredom from eating the same food.

We have 6 dogs.  Three fat, two a bit lean like yours and one young and growing.  They don't look too thin to me.  We feed them boiled chicken frames (two for about 18 baht at Lotus).  On cheap steamed rice with the water the chicken was boiled in.  The frames break up with a spoon after a bit of boiling.  Rishi dog pellets at night.  All 6 love the chicken.  Four love the Rishi.  Two sometimes don't bother so I pick it up for tomorrow. 

 

 

[snowgard]

5 hours ago, Antonymous said:

I see that one well meaning poster suggested feeding milk. Please don’t feed your dog milk!

 

Dogs the age of yours are usually lactose intolerant and so GI upsets (diarrhea and flatulence) will almost inevitably occur, usually within 12 hours. More seriously they may also develop pancreatitis if they eat high fat dairy products.

 

Will dogs eat milk if you give it to them? Yes most likely. But trust me, it is not good for them.

 

This is BS!!! It's same with humans. Some can drink milk, some not!!! Who tell you this nonsens.

 

Just google for it before you tell more nonsens!!!

"Some dogs have no problems digesting milk and dairy products. Yet others experience acute intestinal distress — like gas, diarrhea or vomiting — whenever they consume these kinds of foods. It all comes down to how your dog handles a specific nutrient found in milk — a nutrient known as lactose."

 

Nothing more to say!!! And if a dog can't take it you will see it fast!!!

[smotherb]

On 7/26/2018 at 6:08 PM, Arjen said:

Well, on the first place, NEVER, NEVER EVER give your dog cooked bones. Bones you should feed raw, or after keeping 6 weeks in freezer to kill parasites. NEVER COOKED. I REPEAT. NEVER GIVE YOUR DOGS COOKED BONES.

 

After having said this, your dogs look OK, not skinny, but OK. Not to fat. When they are happy, and play, then you should not need to worry much.

 

The first signs you should look for sick dogs is change in behavior. When they are used to eat, or used to play, and suddenly are not interested, it is a sign for a sick dog. When the dog never has been a big eater, well, then he/she is not a big eater. We had a very skinny, but further healthy dog. The dog was so skinny that some of our visitors returned with a bag of dog food, or/and gave money to buy food for that particulair dog. She just did not like to eat.

 

When you are in a doubt, have them checked for parasites, but be not surprised nothing is wrong.

 

Good luck!

 

Arjen.

 

 

Fish, chicken, and pork bones are common fare for dogs in the PI and in Vietnam.

[Eaglekott]

2 hours ago, luudee said:

One thing I am confused about: Why should I not cook bones?  They tend not to touch raw bones. 

I think he refer to that a cooked bone, even some fish bones, might break into sharp shards that might harm your dog.

[BestB]

A few things to note

 

Has Vets run the blood works? anything showing?

 

Xray or/and Ultrasound? Some years ago, my Samoyed stopped eating and became somewhat funny in a way she acted.

 

After xray it showed she ate some bones which got stuck and slowly blocked the entire stomach, so she could not eat and could not go toilet, She as totally blocked up.

 

It may not be as severe as that, but something could be stuck and causing problems.

 

As someone said, do not feed cooked bones. bad bad bad

 

Something to try is chicken mince cooked for 20 mins or so on small flame, Chicken and soup fills them up nicely.

 

But i would do all the blood works and xray to make sure there is no damage internally.

[goegoe]

7 hours ago, Antonymous said:

All good, but in case anyone else reading this has an idea to feed potatoes...

 

Potatoes that are peeled (no skin) and boiled are OK for dogs, but there are a couple of important caveats. First is that uncooked potato, potato skin and leaves are poisonous (contain solanine) and should never be fed to dogs. Second is that you shouldn’t feed very much potato as they can raise blood glucose levels significantly and lead to diabetes in dogs.

 

FYI, here are the values of 100g of boiled potato vs 100g of boiled brown rice. Brown rice has a better balance than potato for dogs IMO, with more fat, less sodium and about one-third as much sugar.

 

Brown rice

 

 

Boiled potato

 

 

Any carbs as potatoes or rice or pasta or even cereals are bad not only for dog but also for human. Also totally useless as there are enough carbs in any other food.

 

 

[catman20]

dont know if you ban buy it here, my dog in the UK used to love tripe which i think is the inside of a stomach 

[Lacessit]

37 minutes ago, catman20 said:

dont know if you ban buy it here, my dog in the UK used to love tripe which i think is the inside of a stomach 

It's also quite easy to find on TV forums.

[chrisinth]

On 7/26/2018 at 4:52 PM, luudee said:

They look healthy and are playful, nothing apparent wrong with them ...

It's hard to tell from the pictures, they are very skinny and eat VERY little.

When we showed them, it becomes obvious how skinny they are.

 

They are purely outside dogs, have their little house for when it rains.

 

We have tried every dog food available in Thailand. From the various

dry foods to the various mushy canned stuff.

Ah, the wonderful GSD's and their wonderful behaviors! Although judging from their ears I suspect they are mixes as at 2 1/2 years old the ears should be erect. GSD's ears normally stand erect anywhere from 3 - 12 months old, although it is true that some never do.

 

 

And are they siblings? I ask this as their feeding behaviors could be from either being born with, or have developed a particular eating habit. Have you tried changing the area that they eat in? Do you watch them eat and if so, have you tried leaving them alone when they are eating?

 

Do you stick with designated feeding times; removing the food after a given time? This is recommended by trainers to help gain more control over pets although not working with all dogs as training differs.

 

Do they get treats during the day between meals? Sometimes the treats (or other leftovers) are more appealing than their regular meals. If they do get treats, try to stop this and see if there is an improvement in their eating habits.

 

Do the dogs get fed together in the same place, and have you tried separating when feeding?

 

Are they on medication or regular vaccinations? This can cause temporary loss of appetite but is usually a short time symptom and likely not relevant to your situation but worth mentioning. 

 

And of course there is illness but, as you are examining blood every 3 months you should have seen an indication by now.

 

The above is based on my earlier research into a similar situation with my GSD which has just turned two yo earlier this month. As a pup it never had a problem with eating, would eat anything put in front of it. We tried to regulate it's eating times and fed it alongside our older Siberian husky bitch, but as time went by it was seen that the GSD either wasn't interested in his own food or would rather eat, or try to eat the Siberian's (never any drama, just warning growls). We separated them at feeding time and the Siberian would eat it's meal straight away but the GSD would nibble and we ended up leaving the food for him to eat when he wanted, always finished by the next day, eating small but often during the day. Dogs fed inside, GSD on dry food & fresh veg (with the exception of their 'raw' day during the week) and Siberian on cooked/wet food.

 

Exercise is also another big thing; the more you drain away their energy, the more they will eat. If possible, work them out, not just letting them play together but by getting involved if not doing so already.

 

Looking at your dogs (as a novice) they look to be in good shape and I certainly wouldn't call them skinny; hips, collar bones and ribs protruding would give cause for concern. You may imagine a larger dog, but each dog is different physically from the sequence of it's birth in the litter to how it has been raised and the 'job' it has been assigned to through it's life.

 

Hope that broadens the thought process for your great looking dogs......

 

This is our one, Kahlua, not much different in size than your's. He has stabilized at a deceptive 35kg, this has been the same for the last 6 months or so.

Edited July 29, 2018 by chrisinth

[luudee]

32 minutes ago, chrisinth said:

Ah, the wonderful GSD's and their wonderful behaviors! Although judging from their ears I suspect they are mixes as at 2 1/2 years old the ears should be erect. GSD's ears normally stand erect anywhere from 3 - 12 months old, although it is true that some never do.

 

 

And are they siblings? I ask this as their feeding behaviors could be from either being born with, or have developed a particular eating habit. Have you tried changing the area that they eat in? Do you watch them eat and if so, have you tried leaving them alone when they are eating?

 

Do you stick with designated feeding times; removing the food after a given time? This is recommended by trainers to help gain more control over pets although not working with all dogs as training differs.

 

Do they get treats during the day between meals? Sometimes the treats (or other leftovers) are more appealing than their regular meals. If they do get treats, try to stop this and see if there is an improvement in their eating habits.

 

Do the dogs get fed together in the same place, and have you tried separating when feeding?

 

Are they on medication or regular vaccinations? This can cause temporary loss of appetite but is usually a short time symptom and likely not relevant to your situation but worth mentioning. 

 

And of course there is illness but, as you are examining blood every 3 months you should have seen an indication by now.

 

The above is based on my earlier research into a similar situation with my GSD which has just turned two yo earlier this month. As a pup it never had a problem with eating, would eat anything put in front of it. We tried to regulate it's eating times and fed it alongside our older Siberian husky bitch, but as time went by it was seen that the GSD either wasn't interested in his own food or would rather eat, or try to eat the Siberian's (never any drama, just warning growls). We separated them at feeding time and the Siberian would eat it's meal straight away but the GSD would nibble and we ended up leaving the food for him to eat when he wanted, always finished by the next day, eating small but often during the day. Dogs fed inside, GSD on dry food & fresh veg (with the exception of their 'raw' day during the week) and Siberian on cooked/wet food.

 

Exercise is also another big thing; the more you drain away their energy, the more they will eat. If possible, work them out, not just letting them play together but by getting involved if not doing so already.

 

Looking at your dogs (as a novice) they look to be in good shape and I certainly wouldn't call them skinny; hips, collar bones and ribs protruding would give cause for concern. You may imagine a larger dog, but each dog is different physically from the sequence of it's birth in the litter to how it has been raised and the 'job' it has been assigned to through it's life.

 

Hope that broadens the thought process for your great looking dogs......

 

This is our one, Kahlua, not much different in size than your's. He has stabilized at a deceptive 35kg, this has been the same for the last 6 months or so.

3

 

 

1) Yeah, they are not a pure bread, even though the Thais that sold them claimed they where.

Even offered "papers" for 5K baht extra ...

 

2) IMHO they are way to small to be real GSD ... They are quite skinny, the long hair hides it.

When we shower them, it becomes obvious.

 

3) They are sisters. They both walk over to the food bowl, sniff it and walk away again.

Clearly, don't like the food.

 

4) Treats almost never. We used to but stopped - don't want to spoil the appetite. 

 

5) We move them around the yard fencing off the area where they supposed to be.

They tend to sleep daytime, I think it's too hot for them, and are more active evening

and nights (I'm a night person so I see them playing at 2 am, but never daytime)

There is always plenty of food (one small bowl twice a day), never saw them fight over

it. Perhaps an occasional growl, but that's it. Usually, they just ignore the food.

 

6) Yes they get their regular shoots, and yeah typically 3-5 days after a shoot they

eat even less.

 

Lots of great information. Many thanks !!!

 

luudee

[catman20]

6 hours ago, Lacessit said:

It's also quite easy to find on TV forums.

you said it .

[ICECOOL]

If your certain someone else is not also feeding them then I wouldn't worry.  If they have energy and are happy then they are getting enough ?

[wildewillie89]

The recommendation is feeding raw bones about the size of the dogs head. Really, supervision should always occur but that is sometimes not always possible. So at least for the first few weeks watch how the dog manages bones to see if any high risk for choking. If we followed every recommendation in the world so strictly we wouldn't feed our dogs anything. 

Cooked bones splinter into sharp bits that cause choking and cut the insides of your dogs. Many Thai will tell you their dogs eat cooked bones everyday, however, those same dogs are living in all sorts of pain constantly. Vets see enough damage to recommend cook bones should be ALWAYS off limits. 

Don't leave any constant food supply in the bowl. That is, feed in the morning and evening. Give them a set time to eat, if they don't eat take it away. Exercise them, take away food from them and they should build up an appetite if all the bloods are clear. 

Yes, some dogs just don't eat that much. Especially guardian breeds. Wonder what the cross is. Also the dogs are maturing so will eat less also. 

Am a fan of the above raw food posts over dry and canned food. Just a waste of money, don't offer as much nutrients and rot your dogs teeth. 

Milk, some dogs can and some dogs cannot. I personally wouldn't bother trying it.  The risk of the dog getting ill is higher than the benefit in my opinion. 

*Edit:  I know many people who sometimes skip feeding days. So every now and then wont give any food for their dogs. They do it as they believe it is closer to how the dog would have got food back in the day. Never tried it or looked into it, but you never know. 

Edited July 31, 2018 by wildewillie89