# My Adopted Dog Isn't eating much!! NEED HELP!



## bigaizsosexy (Feb 24, 2010)

Hello yall,

My name is Andrew, and 5 days ago I adopted a beautiful Rottweiler and Shepard mix. He is everything I could possible ask for, polite, gentle, loving and caring, except for the fact is he barley eats. I adopted him from a kennel where he was being fed what ever dry and wet foods the had donated to them mixed in a bowl. So half dry half wet. He barley eats that if at all he does a few mouth fulls. He drinks plenty of fresh water so I am not worried there. He worries me that he doesn't eat. The food he is currently on is half Pedigree adult kibble and half Pedigree choice cuts wet food, but again he doesn't eat much if any at all. What I've been able to feed him was organic hot dogs and vienna sausages. I don't just give them to him,they go in his bowl with his food, but most of the time he just picks them out and eats them and not the food. Not a diet I want him on, I am just assuming he isn't comfortable with his atmosphere yet since he was in a kennel for almost 3 years as he file states. I need advice from everyone, any tips and ideas are greatly appreciated!!! 
Thanks,
Andrew


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## ChevellesMommy (Feb 24, 2010)

Well we found our dog and we started her on a mix of wet and dry food she ate it for about 2 days and stopped she refused to eat she would eat a few bites and that would be it just try straight wet food and straight dry food Chevelle likes straight dry food she eats it all and try veggies and fruits like greenbeans, celery, carrots, broccoli, tomatos, apples, bananas, blueberrys, mangos, pears, peaches, and strawberrys NO grapes, raisins, mushrooms, nuts, onions, pickles, garlic, or chocolate, and no fruit pits or seeds from apples. They will help fill the void from him not eating like he should but his hole diet shouldnt be fruits and veggies. Chevelle like hotdogs and stuff like that too you can also make his meals home maid like rice with shredded chicken, rice with hamburger meat, rice with shredded turkey, rice with shredded stake (not well done but not to pink) if he doesnt like bagged or canned dog food. The home maid diets are always better but more expensive and time consuming. I hope this helps you out some with your buddies eating problem.


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## bigaizsosexy (Feb 24, 2010)

I am going to try both of those option, well see what happens...... thanks for your input, please keep the input coming


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## McSweeney (Feb 1, 2010)

Try some of the grain-free formulas that are higher in protein and fat: Orijen, Evo, Blue Wilderness, Taste of the Wild, Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural, etc. I've seen even the pickiest eaters inhale these kibbles.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

we got a rescue who was tied to his crate and had plywood for a bed....the owner even shaved and bleached his anus....plus the floor of the garage so he got to walk in that for a while.

we didn't want to upset his system so we gave him the pedigree that he'd been fed..and he would not eat...

we believe it's an environmental thing...like better the devil you know than being scared of what you don't know...and we think it affected his appetite...

anyone who has pugs knows how food driven they usually are, so it seemed odd that he would not eat....

not even when i sprinkled some olive oil on the food.

took him about a week to figure out i wasn't going to bleach his anus or make him sleep on a plywood bed..and now he eats like crazy...

i do admit to hand feeding for a bit which got him used to me....


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Stop putting stuff in the dog bowl, it will only cause the dog to pick out the "good" food and leave the rest, as you have already seen.

I would firstly choose a new, higher quality food. Then I would put whatever amount I wanted the dog to eat into the bowl and set the bowl down for fifteen minutes. At the end of fifteen minutes, pick up the food, eaten or not. Give no other food until the next regularly scheduled meal time, at which point you can repeat the process. He might skip a couple meals, but he will eventually come to understand that it's in his best interest to eat what's given to him when it's given.

I'm guessing your dog is feeling a little stressed by his new home, but a healthy dog won't starve itself, so he will eat when he's ready.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

FilleBelle said:


> Stop putting stuff in the dog bowl, it will only cause the dog to pick out the "good" food and leave the rest, as you have already seen.
> 
> I would firstly choose a new, higher quality food. Then I would put whatever amount I wanted the dog to eat into the bowl and set the bowl down for fifteen minutes. At the end of fifteen minutes, pick up the food, eaten or not. Give no other food until the next regularly scheduled meal time, at which point you can repeat the process. He might skip a couple meals, but he will eventually come to understand that it's in his best interest to eat what's given to him when it's given.
> 
> I'm guessing your dog is feeling a little stressed by his new home, but a healthy dog won't starve itself, so he will eat when he's ready.


wouldn't you transition the food? we hated the pedigree but that's what he was on for two years...so we started slowly but surely mixing in a better quality food with the pedigree...it took about a month but we switched him over without him getting the trots.


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## ilovemahdachsie09 (Feb 23, 2010)

i agree, try a higher quality food than pedigree, i reccomend avoderm or diamond


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

If the dog's digestive system needs a slow transition, then obviously a slow transition would be a good idea.


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## bigaizsosexy (Feb 24, 2010)

Ok sounds good, I am going to give that a try, i ll pick up some quality dog food on my way home from work.
Thank you,
Andrew


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## bigaizsosexy (Feb 24, 2010)

I am interested in purchasing high quality dog foods, but I ve heard a ton about Nutro Max.......how is that for quality?


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## ChevellesMommy (Feb 24, 2010)

I dont think its all about the price of the dog food or the quality of dog food Chevelle its one of the most lower priced brands because not everyone can afford the higher named brands its all about the dog she didnt like Purina one or pedigree but she like Ol' Roy so thats the one she stayed with. Your dog might go through 5-6 diff. brands before you find one if your dog will eat any brand dog food. well up date us and tell us how everything works out.


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## MagicRe (Jan 8, 2010)

bigaizsosexy said:


> I am interested in purchasing high quality dog foods, but I ve heard a ton about Nutro Max.......how is that for quality?


Among other things...and this is just from what i've read and researched, so take what i say with a grain of salt...

nutro products use synthetic vitamin k. there is much controversy surrounding it and i would rather err on the side of caution until the controversy is solved.

they also use soy which also has controversy surrounding it, both for human and canine consumption...and, again, i would rather err on the side of caution....

so i don't recommend it....anecdotally, i had four shih tzus who ate natural choice lamb and rice for years...we couldn't understand why their liver enzymes were always high.......i won't say the synthetic vitamin k was responsible for their deaths...as they did live to 14, all of them....but, i really do believe that the synthetic vitamin k affected their livers...and maybe they would have lived longer....had i been more attentive to the ingredients.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Many dogs find Pedigree quite tempting. There is nothing to suggest dogs are healthier eating other foods. I would stick to the Pedigree and cut out the other stuff. If it isn't eating enough to keep its robs hidden before long, better let the vet see why. I fully agree with taking the food up after 15 minutes.


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## DobManiac (Aug 12, 2007)

How long have you had the dog?

My guess would be he is just getting used to his new circumstances. Sometimes it takes new dogs a few days beofre they ate comfortable enough to eat. And your feeding scheduale could be different than the scheduale he had at the kennel. 

I would stop trying to make the food more palatable. If the dog used to eat it then the taste isn't an issue. Just give him time to become more comfortable. I also wouldn't suggest trying to switch foods right now. He isn't eating a scheduale. And since he is already stressed there is a greater likelyhood that a food switch could cause some GI upset. Wait a few weeks then upgrade the food.

This site is written be a nutrionalist and will give you a great foundation for choosing a dog food.

http://www.dogfoodproject.com/


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

bigaizsosexy said:


> Hello yall,
> 
> My name is Andrew, and 5 days ago I adopted a beautiful Rottweiler and Shepard mix. He is everything I could possible ask for, polite, gentle, loving and caring, except for the fact is he barley eats. I adopted him from a kennel where he was being fed what ever dry and wet foods the had donated to them mixed in a bowl. So half dry half wet. He barley eats that if at all he does a few mouth fulls. He drinks plenty of fresh water so I am not worried there. He worries me that he doesn't eat. The food he is currently on is half Pedigree adult kibble and half Pedigree choice cuts wet food, but again he doesn't eat much if any at all. What I've been able to feed him was organic hot dogs and vienna sausages. I don't just give them to him,they go in his bowl with his food, but most of the time he just picks them out and eats them and not the food. Not a diet I want him on, I am just assuming he isn't comfortable with his atmosphere yet since he was in a kennel for almost 3 years as he file states. I need advice from everyone, any tips and ideas are greatly appreciated!!!
> Thanks,
> Andrew


Thanks for rescuing this guy 
When you put his food down, what do YOU do? Do you hang around and watch him? If he's used to having been fed in a kennel and left alone, he might adjust better if you feed him in a small room and leave him alone. We've boarded some dogs who are so sensitive, they won't touch their food if you're there (it's like a strangers presence is almost willing them to stay AWAY from their food, like it belongs to the person). Once we leave, 5 minutes later, the bowl is empty. (Then there's the flip side...some dogs ignore their food and then happily chow down the second you go into their room!) Also, you've only had him for a few days. It's really not that uncommon for their appetite to decrease as they're adjusting to their new home. Did a vet examine him and check him over before/after you brought him home?


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## Enhasa (Feb 6, 2010)

i would recommend u feed him twice/thrice a day (depending on age). leave food there for 20mins, and take it away if he doesn't finish it by then.

mixing canned food w/ kibble is always a good way for them to start. the flavor of the canned food attracts them to eat.

this is a common situation in puppies you just brought home. they're really stressed out and need time to adapt.

in between meals, if they are really eating way too little, try giving some treats in between.

if this situation continues for a few more days, even with addition of canned food, try changing food brands. 

ultimately, if this doesn't help even after quite a while (say 4-7 days), see a vet and/or nutritionist immediately....if it goes w/o food for 2-3 days i would say that is due to stress. if its been starving for too long, seek professional help immediately to prevent it from falling sick/dying.


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## Juniper's mom (Jun 13, 2009)

Along with everyone else's suggestions, here are some things you could try to make kibble more compelling. 

Make the kibble more interesting-smelling. Add a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce and warm water to make gravy. Or, mash up some sardines and add that. Or bananas/yogurt/peanut butter/tahini. 

Serve the kibble in a treat ball. Or hand-feed the kibble as a treat for doing some simple tasks like "sit." This would have the added bonus of helping you to bond and adding some positive reinforcement to your new dog's life.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

Don't go down the road bribing him to eat with rich food. You can create a fussy dog that you will struggle straightening out. Just give he a few days. The suggestion of not hovering over him was good too.


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