My dog won't eat :-/

foreversky

He ate his nuts (took half an hr )this morning a few threats but will not eat even tryed to feed him by hand sometimes work.if I'm eating he will want some but he turns he head at his food.he has done this on and of for a few months.its red mills food. buts it's the first time he has refused his dinner at 6.he still himself running.if he hears a sound he legs it to bk door to get out.any ideas.

tk123

foreversky wrote: »

He ate his nuts (took half an hr )this morning a few threats but will not eat even tryed to feed him by hand sometimes work.if I'm eating he will want some but he turns he head at his food.he has done this on and of for a few months.its red mills food. buts it's the first time he has refused his dinner at 6.he still himself running.if he hears a sound he legs it to bk door to get out.any ideas.

Take him to the vets to rule out any medical reason then switch to a better quality food. RedMills is a but crap tbh

StompToWork

tk123 wrote: »

Take him to the vets to rule out any medical reason then switch to a better quality food. RedMills is a but crap tbh

I wouldn't go running to the vets straight away!! Give it 2-3 days. If he hasn't returned to normal in that time, then see the vets. Keep an eye on his poops. Make sure he is regular as normal in that department!! If he isn't, then Deffo head for the vets. He might just have a dicky tummy, like we all get from time to time. Try some boiled chicken breast (small amounts, as often as is practical for you to feed him) for a day or two.

My fella goes through bouts of not eating for a day or two every couple of months. In my experience, it is normal enough.

tk123

StompToWork wrote: »

I wouldn't go running to the vets straight away!! Give it 2-3 days.

"On and off for a few months" is long enough imo?

Madisonmenece

what breed is your dog, our husky went off her food last summer which is common for the breed to do every so often. we were feeding kibble in the morning and raw in the evening, first she gave up her kibble then her raw and was only picking. she did however want our food form the kitchen table, which she did not get.

a healthy dog will not starve itself, and this is assuming there is no health issues present. we were strict and gave her 20 mins to eat her food and would take it back until the next feed time. she started picking each meal and soon realized she was not going to be the one to decide the menu.

she was soon back to herself and is a proper grubber and we have not had a repeat episode, she was however spayed since.

is the dog in good spirts/not lethargic , drinking water, not having any trouble passing stool, you could try with some fried mince to see if he/she is being picky or not eating for other reasons.

if the dog passes up something flavorsome like fried mince I would suggest at least a phone call to your vet, also as brief as it might be we have just had big change in our weather which will effect breeds with heavy dense coats.

in regards to kibble i would also suggest changing to something like Eden which is distributed by titan foods in dublin, I feed raw and I have no affiliation but have used the products in the past with good results.

aonb

OP what age/breed is your dog
+1 for the change from Red Mills - not a great food, check the ingredients - the first ingred is probably grain/maize - with meat derivitives (not meat!) somewhere down the line.
If he turns down something nice like a bit of chicken, or other meat, I would keep a close eye on general health/form then consider the vet.
The food you are feeding him may be causing a tummy/gastric problem which is why it took him so long to eat the kibble and then turn it down ...

muddypaws

tk123 wrote: »

Take him to the vets to rule out any medical reason then switch to a better quality food. RedMills is a but crap tbh

aonb wrote: »

OP what age/breed is your dog
+1 for the change from Red Mills - not a great food, check the ingredients - the first ingred is probably grain/maize - with meat derivitives (not meat!) somewhere down the line.
If he turns down something nice like a bit of chicken, or other meat, I would keep a close eye on general health/form then consider the vet.
The food you are feeding him may be causing a tummy/gastric problem which is why it took him so long to eat the kibble and then turn it down ...

I think its a bit unfair to label Red Mills crap, or not a great food, they do a huge range, from the cheap Star right up to the Leader, Winner and Engage, the OP doesn't say which food they are using.

Even if the first ingredient is grain/maize, it doesn't actually mean that its a bad thing. Some companies measure the meat content after the water has been removed, so the amount of meat in the food may appear to be less than those companies who measure it before the water is removed, however, once they do dehydrate the meat, it could be less than the one with the grain/maize as the first ingredient. It is usually the bigger companies that comply with the EU regulations, as they tend to be checked more than the smaller companies, and have more to lose if they are sanctioned. Also, derivatives is just jargon, it doesn't mean beaks, feet etc.

I do find it interesting that raw feeders have no problem giving offal etc to their dogs, but cry foul (or fowl? ) when it is intimaed that offal and offcuts are in dry dog food.

foreversky

He's a setter collie cross he will 2 in June.im going to try chicken later.he is still drinking water.he is still himself.

minipink

I had a similar problem with my lab collie cross, after vet trips etc with no solution (bar me hand feeding) I changed to raw food and changed when I fed her. She had begun to link her morning feed with me leaving and reckoned I would stay around pandering to her hand feeding desires if she would not eat. I now feed her as I'm pottering around in the morning and bring her for a walk after that. Could it be that your dog is linking feeding with something like that? My cat also stopped eating as he didn't like the smell of his cleaned bowl!

foreversky

There's is always someone here.when he was younger he eat straight away ,u wud think he was never fed.when he is let out he wud eat.then go off to do his business. He just ate his nuts:-)

aonb

muddypaws wrote: »

I think its a bit unfair to label Red Mills crap, or not a great food, they do a huge range, from the cheap Star right up to the Leader, Winner and Engage, the OP doesn't say which food they are using.

Even if the first ingredient is grain/maize, it doesn't actually mean that its a bad thing. Some companies measure the meat content after the water has been removed, so the amount of meat in the food may appear to be less than those companies who measure it before the water is removed, however, once they do dehydrate the meat, it could be less than the one with the grain/maize as the first ingredient. It is usually the bigger companies that comply with the EU regulations, as they tend to be checked more than the smaller companies, and have more to lose if they are sanctioned. Also, derivatives is just jargon, it doesn't mean beaks, feet etc.

I do find it interesting that raw feeders have no problem giving offal etc to their dogs, but cry foul (or fowl? ) when it is intimaed that offal and offcuts are in dry dog food.

valid points muddypaws.
I was considering the lower end Red Mills - as you say they do the higher end dry foods also - and the OP didnt say which food s/he was feeding.

I dont feed raw (bit of a vegetarian) but the poor quality dog foods that are out there, really do make such a difference after a while - skin/allergy/gastric wise, as Ive found with my dogs.

tk123

aonb wrote: »

I was considering the lower end Red Mills .

+1 because 9/10 times here people are feeding the crappiest one there is.