Dylan is off his food, I need advice please.

I only feed once day -- I'm a morning feeder, after their first walk. I feed them about 2/3rds off what they will get for the whole day, as the rest will be made up for in some dog biscuits or treats now and then; and a biscuit at bedtime so no one is going hours on an empty stomach. Breakfast vanishes in a nanosecond. I've never ever had problems with dogs not eating; if anything the reverse, but honestly you needn't worry if a dog doesn't eat a meal or a few meals. They have systems naturally designed to eat a huge amount and then nothing for days. And as Caraline notes, some dogs just seem to prefer a single meal and lose interest in two. Changing food around in response to non-eating is a slippery slope towards very picky eating as it teaches the dog holding out means 1) lots of cajoling eg attention from humans; and 2) maybe something interesting and new in terms of food, a fine form of entertainment as well. :neutral:

On the other hand, rotating foods every couple of months, or feeding a varied diet, can be good way to get dogs to NOT be picky eaters but happy eaters of just about anything (eg the Garbage Guts Threesome that live in my house and say, send over anything yours aren't eating because we eat EVERYTHING...even if it is truly disgusting! adds Lily).

Unless he really seems to be having problems in other areas (in which case I would call the vet) I agree with everyone else. Tibby and Sasha are both kind of sporadic in eating - doesn't seem to bother them to miss a meal, but they are anxious for the next one. Wallis, especially since I've cut back on her portions, is first in line to get her food. She hates to miss a meal!

I've never been one to try to make them eat. As the others say, leave it down for a time and if it isn't eaten take it away. I have to be especially careful of that because Wallis will clean any dish that has any scent of food left in it.

Personally, I wouldn't leave the rawhides out. They can cause a problem if you aren't careful. My dogs don't even know what they are. The only thing in the treat category that they get is 1/2 of a dog biscuit in the a.m. and 1/2 at bedtime.

Well he just got up from a 4 hour sleep which he never does. I assume lack of energy from not eating but of course I am wondering if he isn't well. I am going to take him on a walk soon and see if that picks him up (despite the lack of energy). He is looking deflated round the tummy. I keep him nice and slim anyway so there isn't much room for a drop in weight here. Just looked to see if he went back to sleep and he is waiting by the front door for a walk!

My breeder told me the pups go through a lag phase, then a growth spurt then they often go off their food for a while, she said she doesn't know how many times she has the same phone call saying they won't eat. So I wouldn't worry Pauline unless he shows signs of illness, then get him to the vet for peace of mind

George19 said:

My breeder told me the pups go through a lag phase, then a growth spurt then they often go off their food for a while, she said she doesn't know how many times she has the same phone call saying they won't eat. So I wouldn't worry Pauline unless he shows signs of illness, then get him to the vet for peace of mind

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Hi Pauline....I think what Lisa said is right on. When Lily started this a few weeks ago, I was very worried, but she showed no signs of being ill. Usually when she wouldn't eat before, it was because she had an upset tummy, and would spit up a little and then be fine and eat. I was so perplexed, because it literally happened over night. One day she was jumping for joy for both her meals and eating it all in mins. Next day she turned up her nose and walked away. Again this morning, she turned up her nose and walked away. A couple of times since this happened, I have feed her only once a day about 4:00 P.M. and she ate all her food. I am thinking that Lily and Dylan being just 2 weeks apart are going through this growth spurt Lisa is talking about. I feel much better now knowing it is normal. Thanks for posting this topic!

Alfie and Harvey have been off their food this week, I put it down to the warm weather. They are still running about and happy. I used to feed then about 5 but now I wait until about 7 as they seem hungrier then. Neither have woke me up in the night just pooed as normal in the morning.

Well, I took Dylan for a walk to my daughters work then to the park where we met the fattest Cavalier in the world then we walked my daughter home. Dylan barked for his dinner, ate half then went out to play. The food seemed to give him so much energy he dashed about for ages with his ball on a rope. He came in and ate the other half of his supper. I feel a lot less worried.

Thank you all for keeping tabs on us while I get used to this behaviour.

:thnx:

Pauline, you couldn't have met the fattest Cavalier in the world because Wallis has been here in FL with me!!

(Her weight is going down slowly, but she's far from petite!)

To update on this issue...Dylan is still off his food/being fussy. He has lost weight and looks skinny but not too bad. I did resort to mixing in a few tiny tiny bits of dry sausage (I'm talking less than half a teaspoon) and hid them under his food. This worked only once or twice so now I have gone back to a teaspoon of Nature Diet (very good soft food) with kibble as it coats it and he eats it all.

When I first had Dylan I did this then weaned him to kibble only. I do agree with all of you to not add stuff to his food but he was getting thin and I knew he wasn't ill. I'll get back to just kibble soon as.

Thank you so much for your comments and encouragement. :luv:

Hiya Pauline,
I can understand why you would give in with the wet food when he looks thin. We went through phases where Daisy Boo looked like a runt for want of eating. However, I think you answered your own problem in your last post. Nobody wants to eat just kibble every day. He's bound to get bored of it.I use the kibble as part of the meal. Normally I mix in poached chicken fillet or hamburger and veggies. Sometimes I make a casserole with mince and veggies or cook up some fish to mix in with the kibble. Variety is the spice of life! Sounds like Dylan is bored of his kibble. By the way, we haven't had a problem feeding Daisy Boo since Brandy came to live with us. She eats every single meal in record time now. A little competition seems to help too.

Good Luck!

Every meal time I add chicken breast to Marlons food, he always knows when its not in there...
So dont think adding food would do any harm at all, and I always think its no hassle to make him happier !

Does the sudden change from cold weather to hot weather (which we have had here in southern England) have an effect on dog eating habbits ?
Just a thought.

Marly certainly hasnt eaten as much in the last few weeks, but has taken a lot water drink breaks.

Pauline, I hope he's doing better now. I just wanted to know that Lucky went through a similar phase just as Lisa and Shay described with their dogs.

Lucky was fed twice a day and very often at night showed no interest in Dinner. Even breakfast some times he'd turn up his nose. But when he'd skip a meal he'd finish the next one. This was at about 7.5 months and he'd just finished a growth spurt. Now at 10 months, he's eating normally again and maintaining a steady weight at about 17.5 lbs. He's thin, but he'll eat every thing I give him nowadays, and I'd rather have a thin, active cavalier (who eats what I give him) rather than an overweight one.

Good Luck. :xfngr:

Thank you Joanna.