caml
Junior Grey Lover
Me & my Buddy
Posts: 140
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Post by caml on Jan 29, 2011 8:48:28 GMT -5
I'm sure this has been covered before somewhere on this forum. We have been feeding Buddy Acana grasslands. 3 days ago he started picking at it, taking 4 or 5 kibbles into the next room and leaving them there, going back and slowly eating the rest of his breakfast. At dinner time he would eat the whole meal as usual. We just finished up his third large bag of Acana. So I was thinking he was bored with that brand so I picked up a bag of Taste of the Wild (roasted lamb) and he ate it last night (not much enthusiasm tho). This morning he totally turned his nose up at it. I was standing beside him and I could hear his insides gurgling, which I've noticed a fair bit recently. Just FYI, we have had Buddy since last June and he has ALWAYS eaten like he was starved. He sucked it up like a vacuum cleaner. He gets a good walk most days (weather depending). It took us a while to find a food that gave him decent BM's. Someone once told me that after the dog settles in and knows he's there to stay, the frantic eating would go away and their metabolism would change. Is this what is happening? Anyone have any thoughts?
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Post by dnestor on Jan 29, 2011 9:47:22 GMT -5
Has his stomach been "gurgling" for a while? He could have a little bug which would explain why he's not eating as much as before...our hounds go through that stuff once in a while and it's never really serious. He may just not like that new food and you're right, after a while, they stop eating so fast because they realize that the food will keep coming and they don't need to rush... Sorry that I can't be much help...I'm sure he's fine...
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xtrawld
Grey Lover
Both thirsty....can't wait for their turn....
Posts: 625
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Post by xtrawld on Jan 29, 2011 9:55:56 GMT -5
Our Ryder is a big time gulper too. Had him since May and he has only slowed a bit regarding eating his food. When we first got him we had to put a chain in his bowl to slow him. He's slowed enough now that we don't have to resort to the chain anymore. We have changed his food rather frequently actually, out of necessity of finding good BM's too and less stinky farts quite frankly ;D I haven't noticed major problems regarding his food (other than recently trying to diagnose mucous in his stool - which I'm now convinced was from accidental overfeeding - stupid measuring scoops). They do get bored with food. How would you feel if you got hamburger every day? We usually add a little something to their food, whether they are being picky or not. Kasey will rarely EVER eat his food plain, from day one and he's not a big eater in general. Ryder, not one complaint on plain so far. We usually add some yogurt, or i put warm water on the food (sometimes boiling and letting it cool - has a different smell, etc). In the evening we usually throw in some scraps of food, rice if that's what's being made that night has an amazing effect on their BM's. There is always a little something that we put on, even a little oil from the pan. I usually also have one can of dog food on hand, and add a tablespoon of that to mix it when I am in a pinch. If you are worried about encouraging him to eat - that's my best bet. Why he would be disinterested...well....I chalk it up to being bored. Good luck!
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Post by krissy on Jan 29, 2011 10:08:22 GMT -5
He could be bored or he could just be a little under the weather. Dogs get colds too just like people, and while he may not be sick enough to really show any other signs like sneezing or coughing, he may be just feeling down enough that he doesn't have much of an appetite.
Shortly after getting Summit he became VERY picky. He would eat about half his dinner and some days didn't even touch his breakfast. I started mixing in some yummy things and that got him eating again and now he is just waiting for that bowl to hit the ground even though he gets nothing added to it anymore. I find that adding things to his kibble is not a great idea for him because then he picks around to try to get the good stuff, and he'll put kibble in his mouth to get the good stuff off of them and then spit them back out. He only eats the kibble once all the goodies are gone.
That said, I was putting a little bit of mashed up sardines into his dinner. And some times instead of putting the actual fish in I would just dribble the sauce onto his food. Get the sardines in water, not oil, especially if you plan on supplementing it often. Fish oil is good for their coats, but I don't think the sardines are in fish oil... I think it's just regular oil, and too much oil/fat can cause pancreatitis in dogs.
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caml
Junior Grey Lover
Me & my Buddy
Posts: 140
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Post by caml on Jan 29, 2011 10:30:05 GMT -5
Thank you, everyone. You set my mind at ease. On thinking back, we do give him table scraps after dinner and maybe he has come to realize there are tastier things in this world than kibble. lol I give him the cooked skin from squash, leftover meat and vegetables, but no potatoes or onions. He also gets a daily taste of peanut butter. I've noticed the gurgling has been going on for a while. When we go for a walk he has to have 3 poops. The first one is solid and plentiful. The second is just a squirt and the third is just a squirt as well but the last two seem mucousy (sp). I've wondered if it's connected to the gurgling- which I hear frequently. I have been writing this new behavior down, just in case I end up at the vet's and he asks me when this started. Krissy: good idea about the sardines - being from the east coast myself I usually have a few cans in stock
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xtrawld
Grey Lover
Both thirsty....can't wait for their turn....
Posts: 625
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Post by xtrawld on Jan 29, 2011 13:04:43 GMT -5
Sounds like a serving of rice might be just what Buddy needs. Or try one or two full bland diet meals to get his tummy back into tip top shape.
Good job on avoiding the onions, they are bad for the 4 leggers.
And I forgot to add, if you find your dog is really not getting over the case of tummy grumbles fast enough, Pepto is safe to give in the appropriate dosage. It helps my boys when they haven't been feeling the best and rice just won't cut it. I know Ryder was thankful one night after we helped him out, when his tummy was waking the dead for 24 hours....
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monique
Hound Nut
That's Leo in the red!
Posts: 1,318
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Post by monique on Jan 29, 2011 18:56:55 GMT -5
I've posted a few times about Leo's stomach gurgling and about him not eating. It turned out he had hookworms and since they were treated, his stomach gurgling stopped completely (at first he only had the gurgling once in a while but at the end it was a couple times a week, maybe more).
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Post by angelollie on Jan 29, 2011 21:38:09 GMT -5
Could the gurgling be from something that's being added to his kibble, maybe something that isn't just sitting quite right in his tummy? I've also read that if there's mucous in the stools it is the body's way of coating the intestines and getting rid of whatever is causing the upset.
I recently added some canned tripe to my hounds' kibble and they love it. I just add a couple of tablespoons per meal twice a day. The tripe is cooked and is the green kind, very nutritious. I get it in Pet Valu. And as Krissy mentioned already, I too give my guys sardines twice a week in their kibble and this has become one of their favorites as well.
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