[nagdu] Not eating

[Mark J. Cadigan]

Meghan,

I don't believe he is sick. I have also found that he will throw up bile on 
an empty stomach. For a similar reason I have found excuses to make him do 
things for a handful of training treats.



When he does eat, he eats everything, and licks the bole clean at the end. 
The trainer said we had bonded exceptionally well for such a short amount of 
time, and I would concur with this assessment. He certainly seems to like me 
and even though he is off leash, he stays within a few feet of me at all 
times. He will also rub his face on me when he thinks I am paying to much 
attention to my homework and not him.



What I am mostly concerned with is his caloric intake is to low for the 
amount of running around I do as a college student.



BTW I have emailed the trainer, and will be seeing her on Tuesday.



Thanks,

Mark



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Meghan Whalen" <mewhalen at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2012 3:42 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Not eating


>I know you haven't had him long, but has he done this before?  It took four 
>months with my second shepherd to get her on a reliable eating schedule. 
>It was really hard for me, but I decided she would eat when she was hungry, 
>so I gave her about 20 minutes to eat, and if she didn't, tough cookies 
>until the next meal.  If she had a completely empty stomach, she would 
>throw up bile, so if she missed breakfast, I would just give her a treat 
>around lunchtime so her stomach was not completely empty.  I gave it later 
>in the day so that she would not learn that not eating earned her a treat. 
>When we were somewhere where would have a very full/busy schedule, like a 
>convention or something, I would maybe crumble a treat and mix it into her 
>food if she did not seem interested, but that was only when I was worried 
>she would be working too hard and burning too much to be held over by one 
>treat.  This is a shepherd thing, and if you have only had him for a short 
>while, he could have reached a phase where he realizes this is not 
>short-term, and the stress of the new adjustment has caught up with him. 
>You could also try feeding him half as much as he usually eats for a few 
>meals to get him in the habit of emptying his bowl.
>
> Just a few tricks/ideas that have worked for me in the past.  Of course, 
> if you think he is sick, disregard all of this and take him to the vet. 
> Good luck!
>
> Meghan
>
>
> On 2/12/2012 2:35 PM, Mark J. Cadigan wrote:
>> Not eating
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>>
>>
>> My dog is being extremely picky about eating over the past 10 days or so. 
>> He has gone a few days without eating anything. He is still drinking 
>> water, and will eat treats with no hesitation.
>>
>>
>>
>> As you may know, I am feeding him Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food, Hi 
>> Prairie Canine Formula with Roasted Bison & Venison.
>>
>>
>>
>> Out of desperation I tried filling his bole with some of the remaining 
>> natural balance salmon and sweet potato, Fidelco provided with the dog, 
>> with the same result.
>>
>>
>>
>> I will fill his bole with food, put it out, leave it there for 45 minutes 
>> or so, then put it back in the food container untouched. This will go on 
>> for 4 meals, and then I decided to make him eat. I sat there, and fed him 
>> out of my hand for the entire 2 cups of food. This has happened twice, in 
>> the past 10 days. One would suspect that after the 2nd day, he would be 
>> quite hungry. I am concerned there is something more going on hear 
>> besides him just being picky. Instead of eating, he chews on his bone and 
>> stares at the food.
>>
>>
>>
>> Suggestions, comments, ideas?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Mark
>>
>>
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>
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