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Shih Tzu - depressed & won't eat?

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  • 04-08-2009 10:32pm
    #1
    lululil
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭


    Hi,

    I have a three year old female shih tzu. She has always been a fussy eater, and we find ourselves changing her food all the time. But lately she won't eat at all (my husband feeds her sausages, which she will eat though). She seems a bit depressed too. She's getting out on walks and is drinking lots.

    I saw a suggestion of worming a dog with loss of appetite, so will try that.

    Any other Shih tzu owners who can relate?


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    #2
    star-pants
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,429 ✭✭✭✭star-pants


    Has anything happened at all recently? Or changed in her world/routine?
    Do you think she might be under the weather?


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    #3
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    Ok, firstly changing the food all the time isnt going to help, its not fair on her and she isnt getting time to adjust to the new food, that can take a few weeks to get into a routine.

    Dogs wont go hungry and can learn to play us and if they think they will get fed sausages then of course they arent going to eat their regular food.

    What you need to do is set a routine, set meal times and stuck to it. Cut out all treats, and only feed her main meal, ie dry food, which ever that is. Put it down at set times, morn and eve, put the food down, leave it down for 15 mins and take it back up again, whether it has been eaten or not.

    Dont encourage the dog to eat, just put it down and walk away, then lift it again in 15 mind. If the food hasnt been eaten, do not offer any food until next mealtime, not even a treat and repeat again.

    It can take a dog up to 3 or 4 days to start eating, so dont worry if she doesnt eat, i had to do it with my dog and it was 3 days before he ate a bite of food, so just hang in there and be strong.

    Remember its us that make dogs fussy with food.


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    #4
    Sigma Force
    Registered Users Posts: 5,132 ✭✭✭Sigma Force


    Some dogs can be fussy and work out pretty quickly how much they can get away with, as in if I don't eat that I'll get something nicer.

    The dog is probably drinking a lot because sausages are very high in salt, they are also high in fat and some contain onion (which is not good for dogs).

    If you rekon she's just being fussy then stick to your guns with one food only. If you think there's an underlying problem then a visit to the vet would be best.

    I'm blue in the face trying to tell family members that if you give in the dog will never eat the food that's better for them. They give in too easily and feed them steak and salmon and chicken etc. that's all well and good but on the weeks there's none of that available then they wonder why the animals won't eat their regular food.

    Sometimes you have to be mean to be kind, been lucky with mine so far I don't give in to them and they all eat their dry food like savages.


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