How can I get my dog to eat?

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Fifteen month old Labradoodle (sorry) has always been a picky eater. However we had settled her into a mix of dry food and raw meat mince which she would generally eat ok. However the last couple of months has been getting worse and the last two weeks ridiculous. She was weighed on Monday and was 0.5 kg lighter than she was three months ago. She weighs under 20kg and is very skinny. She's bright and bouncy though and energy levels seem fine but she can't keep going on the amount she is taking in.

We're trying every trick to get her to eat this week as she is booked in to be spayed on Monday and I thinks she'll be off her food again after and can't afford to loose any more weight. Today she has eaten an egg, some cheese, a chicken breast (cooked) and some peas from the garden. She has turned her nose up at raw chicken wings (first time we've tried these), salmon, kibble soaked in some roast beef juices...

We think she may have had a mild false pregnancy after her first season three months ago. This may possibly be the cause of the current lack of appetite. Any ideas anyone? We will obviously be talking to the vet on Monday and will decide whether to delay the spay at that point too.

The weather? Mine is a fairly picky eater and has eaten less whilst hot.

I raw feed and have stopped messing about with different things and he is better now in general.

I have been led to believe though that raw and commercial diets really shouldn't be mixed. The reason why raw is no risk is because the stomach processes it differently and much quicker (4 hours as opposed to 14 hours) and feeding both prevents that increasing the bacteria risk. It's your choice obviously.

My doodle was also messing about with her food. I was offering all kinds of things because I was worried. But I stopped the alternatives and she soon started eating again. She has the Wainwright trays. Good luck!

Is she getting enough exercise to make her hungry? She's old enough to have a go at agility if you can find a local training club.

We were blaming the weather but it got worse when it got cooler.

Definitely getting enough exercise! Although I am looking at Agility though because I think that would be right up her street (springs in her feet)

I've been looking at raw feeding this week - can anyone point me in the direction of a good web resource? I was getting all sorts from googling, lots of sales of pre-mix raw food and not much firm information.

Normally we don't pander to her but these last few weeks have been worrying and now we just want her to eat!

When I researched raw feeding it seemed that the jury was still out so I didn't go any further. I was going to ask a knowledgeable vet's advice but didn't get round to it. I say knowledgeable because not all vets have experience of everything animal/breed related. It's best to ask for a particular expert when making an appointment.

I totally understand, mine has driven me to distraction and is still underweight but is improving. The heat has been a set back.

Are you on Facebook? If so join Raw Feeding UK. Lots of really helpful folk and experienced raw feeders to answer questions. I only use minimum amount of those packaged frozen dog foods to be honest. Mainly only the rabbit as I haven't been able to source locally yet.

When I researched raw feeding it seemed that the jury was still out so I didn't go any further. I was going to ask a knowledgeable vet's advice but didn't get round to it. I say knowledgeable because not all vets have experience of everything animal/breed related. It's best to ask for a particular expert when making an appointment.

Codliver oil. Apparently.

(Mixed through their food.)

I've put a photo of her on my profile from last weekend. She was chasing bubbles and jumping, photo tiny on here but if you take away the half inch of fluff she wears you may be able to see why we're worried.

She won't eat at all if I put anything 'suspicious' in her food like cod liver oil. Seriously you'd think I was trying to poison her the way she sniffs at every morsel before deciding if it's ok to eat!

Agree leave out the kibble & stick to raw food. Ask at your butchers if you have one, mine uses all the scraps from human grade meat, plus offal & bits of bone to make pet mince. I like it as it has its own variety never the same each week.
I vary it with poultry necks, (pre frozen) and lumps of raw chicken or a stripped carcass which she loves & her teeth are brilliant now.
She also has the odd whole carrot or apple & leftover rice or pasta for a bit of carbs, just like they would have in the wild, scavenging for whatever is around.

Just updating. Spay didn't happen this morning as vet confirmed she is now in a full-on false pregnancy. We're going to give it a couple of weeks to see if we can get her out of then resort to medication if necessary. Apparently loss of appetite is very common in false pregnancies.

If anyone has tips to break the false pregnancy (vet said no cuddles and hard exercise) that would be appreciated. May post separately on that one but will do some searches first.

I've posted photos of my mini labradoodle to make you feel better that it's not just you!

Mine hates dried food but throws up with wet (sigh). I am loath to try raw as the salmonella risk to small children. I had real salmonella once - albeit a serious strain - and I was in hospital for a week on a morphine drip. I am not risking allowing raw meat on be kitchen floor if she pulls it out the bowl, or worrying if she then licks the children.

So I am not sure what to do. Am going to try mixing good quality kibble with wet to see what happens.

But yes, my puppy is sooooo skinny.

IMHO raw is the way to go.
Yoni - you don't need to have raw meat on the kitchen floor, I feed my dogs outside, put a plastic shower curtain on the grass and they're trained not to move off it.
I adopted an 8 month old GSD X last week, rescue had been feeding him large amounts of Aldi kibble because he was underweight, he was producing vast quantities of mushy poos and constantly drinking.
I started him on raw 3 days ago. Same routine as my other dog who's been raw fed for 2 yrs, chicken only for 2 wks then slowly introduce other meats one at a time. He has chicken breast for breakfast, thigh for lunch and leg in the evening, expensive in the short term but will be able to go onto cheaper meats, carcasses etc once the intro period is over.
Its already made a huge difference, just one firm poo in the morning, no longer constantly drinking, and much calmer.

A shower curtain on the lawn does sound rather a faff though thegriffon? What happens in driving rain, gales and snow?
I am not against a raw diet as such, I am really not. My father in law is a butcher and has fed his dogs a raw diet for 60 years! He fell about laughing though when I said that nowadays people carefully planned the food and worked out percentages - he says he has always just fed what he didn't sell that day. They are working gun dogs and sheep dogs and they've done brilliantly on it.
But I am worried. Our dog is very much a family dog. In the house (my DH let alone my FIL is shocked about that one!!!!) and as such I want to be able to feed her breakfast in the kitchen.

Yes it is a bit of a faff, but for me much less hassle than worrying about underweight dog or having to try to scrape up sloppy poos from the pavement (and hoping not to have a repeat of the torn poo bag incident ).

If raining the dogs are fed in utility room and floor gets mopped after.

Yoni - I can't see your profile to look at your pictures. Have you made it public?

At the moment we can't get anything in her whether raw, wet, dry... But at least we now know why. However, when she does start eating again I shall look into the raw feeding as she definitely needs to enjoy her food more.

Thegriffon - can you recommend a good resource for raw feeding? Quite interested in your 'chicken only' for two weeks routine.

I don't raw feed indoors either Yoni. I don't bother with anything down though either...he takes it straight down to the furthest corner. He is a hardy little thing and goes outside whether eating or walking whether sun, hail, wind or snow. He still wants to go out in the garden in torrential rain!

Bertha - try googling the dogs dinner by Ann Ridyard, particularly the quick start guide.

Thanks fan

this is handy, if you scroll down it tells you what to give for the first 4 months.