Need Advice My Dog Stopped Eating

[Achilles.Doberman]

I have a 2 year old dobie. Up until last week (sunday) she was doing fine eating her food, then suddenly she decided she didnt want it anymore. I tried everything. Chicken, ground beef, different brands/flavors of wet food, beef liver treats, freeze dried chicken & nothing. (i began to hand feed her. Only way she will eat, i soak her kibble & literally spoon feeding her)

I took her to the vet because my dog was not acting like herself & was “depressed” found out she was faking it. Dr. Told me to continue to hand feeding her because shes being a brat. (She had BW done & everything is 100% ok. We took chest rads & everything is fine, she was regurgitating & dr. Wanted to see her esophagus in case it was enlarge & thought that was the issue. Im 100% sure she did NOT eat something she wasnt supposed too.) if i give her treats she WILL eat them no issue.

When she was a puppy she was quite picky. I was told to just let her starve until shes ready to eat. But if i do that she will start vomiting bile & i don’t want that. Her appetite usually goes out of wack when its hot (summer)  & last week it was really hot for 3 days & thats when all this started.

Shes not interested in playing with her toys, shes very playful, she also sleeps a lot (thats why i think shes depressed, i took her to work with me for 3 weeks, she usually stays home, idk if that affected her in some type of way. If i take her on walks or with her dog friends she plays & is happy)

Any suggestions on what i can give her to stimulate her appetite again? Any toppers etc. . .

*** please don’t suggest to switch her to raw food or give her any of that. Raw food is NOT an option for us*

She eats TOTW ancient grains (venison/bison or salmon)

 

[Ravenbird]

Photo of her from the side, standing so we can see her body condition would be helpful.

I took her to the vet because my dog was not acting like herself & was “depressed” found out she was faking it. Dr. Told me to continue to hand feeding her because shes being a brat. (She had BW done & everything is 100% ok. We took chest rads & everything is fine, she was regurgitating & dr. Wanted to see her esophagus in case it was enlarge & thought that was the issue. Im 100% sure she did NOT eat something she wasnt supposed too.) if i give her treats she WILL eat them no issue.

I don't believe dogs fake things. So if she's not acting normal, you know when something is wrong. Is she spayed? My intact bitch does have a month or so of wanting to sleep way more than her normal. She just turned 4, and her first couple of years I didn't associate it with her heat periods because it's in the couple of months after heat. If you girl is spayed, never mind.

If she isn't drastically losing weight I wouldn't worry too much. But to say she won't eat anything for over a week now would cause sever weight loss. If you are hand feeding her entire meals then she isn't missing food. Not sure what to suggest here. Normally I would say they won't starve themselves, but you said she would in the past? Hand-feeding two meals a day is not normal.

 

[Achilles.Doberman]

Photo of her from the side, standing so we can see her body condition would be helpful.


I don't believe dogs fake things. So if she's not acting normal, you know when something is wrong. Is she spayed? My intact bitch does have a month or so of wanting to sleep way more than her normal. She just turned 4, and her first couple of years I didn't associate it with her heat periods because it's in the couple of months after heat. If you girl is spayed, never mind.

If she isn't drastically losing weight I wouldn't worry too much. But to say she won't eat anything for over a week now would cause sever weight loss. If you are hand feeding her entire meals then she isn't missing food. Not sure what to suggest here. Normally I would say they won't starve themselves, but you said she would in the past? Hand-feeding two meals a day is not normal.

Yes she is spayed

 

[Ddski5]

Vet do a Thyroid panel?

 

[Achilles.Doberman]

Vet do a Thyroid panel?

Yup she got a full BW panel done & everything came out normal

 

[Ddski5]

Hmmm…

My past male was an eater…fricking ate everything. I was always searching for that perfect kibble for him so I changed to and from prob 6-7 brands.

Never really had a problem with transitioning, he just ate it. I remember there were two brands that he ate very well for about 4weeks and then snubbed his nose and would not eat or barely eat any at all Victor and 4Health. I switched off these brands and didn’t have that issue again.

Maybe time for a change of kibble brand?

 

[Rits]

Yup she got a full BW panel done & everything came out normal

You would need to do/ask for a full thyroid panel. That is separate from the usual CBC/full bloodwork panel.q

 

[Kaiser2016]

Completely different opinion here. Barring any thyroid issues, I think she sounds spoiled. No offence, mine is pretty spoiled too

Will eat if hand fed - so she’s not starving, likes to have a good time - she’s not depressed, clearly loved going to work with you - probably just sad to be left home again.

As for Sleeping a lot - well, being at home is boring for them so they sleep during that time. When I work from home, Kaiser sleeps quite a bit more than on a weekend when I am walking around vs sitting at a desk. When he is totally home alone, he will be sleeping.

Adding the toppers or giving variety can create some pickiness. My male is raw fed but even he will look for variety. He wants to try most of what we eat. I think for kibble fed dogs, it’s a more slippery slope. If you want to make the kibble interesting again, you could soak with some homemade broth. Store bought tends to have a lot of salt and they usually add onions, hence homemade.

And then you have to decide whether you’re going to continue with the variety or just offer up plain kibble going forward.

 

[WANTED]

I have a 2 year old dobie. Up until last week (sunday) she was doing fine eating her food, then suddenly she decided she didnt want it anymore. I tried everything. Chicken, ground beef, different brands/flavors of wet food, beef liver treats, freeze dried chicken & nothing. (i began to hand feed her. Only way she will eat, i soak her kibble & literally spoon feeding her)

I took her to the vet because my dog was not acting like herself & was “depressed” found out she was faking it. Dr. Told me to continue to hand feeding her because shes being a brat. (She had BW done & everything is 100% ok. We took chest rads & everything is fine, she was regurgitating & dr. Wanted to see her esophagus in case it was enlarge & thought that was the issue. Im 100% sure she did NOT eat something she wasnt supposed too.) if i give her treats she WILL eat them no issue.

When she was a puppy she was quite picky. I was told to just let her starve until shes ready to eat. But if i do that she will start vomiting bile & i don’t want that. Her appetite usually goes out of wack when its hot (summer)  & last week it was really hot for 3 days & thats when all this started.

Shes not interested in playing with her toys, shes very playful, she also sleeps a lot (thats why i think shes depressed, i took her to work with me for 3 weeks, she usually stays home, idk if that affected her in some type of way. If i take her on walks or with her dog friends she plays & is happy)

Any suggestions on what i can give her to stimulate her appetite again? Any toppers etc. . .

*** please don’t suggest to switch her to raw food or give her any of that. Raw food is NOT an option for us*

She eats TOTW ancient grains (venison/bison or salmon)

Try adding a scrambled egg, a little boiled chicken, peas, even a T of rice.

 

[UnitySpirit64]

I have a 2 year old dobie. Up until last week (sunday) she was doing fine eating her food, then suddenly she decided she didnt want it anymore. I tried everything. Chicken, ground beef, different brands/flavors of wet food, beef liver treats, freeze dried chicken & nothing. (i began to hand feed her. Only way she will eat, i soak her kibble & literally spoon feeding her)

I took her to the vet because my dog was not acting like herself & was “depressed” found out she was faking it. Dr. Told me to continue to hand feeding her because shes being a brat. (She had BW done & everything is 100% ok. We took chest rads & everything is fine, she was regurgitating & dr. Wanted to see her esophagus in case it was enlarge & thought that was the issue. Im 100% sure she did NOT eat something she wasnt supposed too.) if i give her treats she WILL eat them no issue.

When she was a puppy she was quite picky. I was told to just let her starve until shes ready to eat. But if i do that she will start vomiting bile & i don’t want that. Her appetite usually goes out of wack when its hot (summer)  & last week it was really hot for 3 days & thats when all this started.

Shes not interested in playing with her toys, shes very playful, she also sleeps a lot (thats why i think shes depressed, i took her to work with me for 3 weeks, she usually stays home, idk if that affected her in some type of way. If i take her on walks or with her dog friends she plays & is happy)

Any suggestions on what i can give her to stimulate her appetite again? Any toppers etc. . .

*** please don’t suggest to switch her to raw food or give her any of that. Raw food is NOT an option for us*

She eats TOTW ancient grains (venison/bison or salmon)

Totw is made by same company who makes Diamond dog food . I lost two of my dobermans from bloat and that was what I was feeding not saying that was it just do not trust either now.
Diamond naturals dog food issues

An extensive recall happened in 2012 involving Diamond Naturals and other brands produced by Diamond Pet Foods, including Taste of the Wild, due to salmonella contamination at the South Carolina plant. Humans and pets alike fell ill during this outbreak, leading the company to settle a giant class-action suit.

 

[JanS]

An extensive recall happened in 2012 involving Diamond Naturals and other brands produced by Diamond Pet Foods, including Taste of the Wild, due to salmonella contamination at the South Carolina plant. Humans and pets alike fell ill during this outbreak, leading the company to settle a giant class-action suit.

That was 12 years ago and not from all of the plants where the product was made; just one. We have been feeding TOTW for more years than that with no problems.

 

[UnitySpirit64]

That was 12 years ago and not from all of the plants where the product was made; just one. We have been feeding TOTW for more years than that with no problems.

As I stated I just had 2 bad experiences No evidence of it being diamond I just know they bloated after eating it. This makes me not trust it not saying its bad food. I also know It was 12 years ago but they had other recalls as well

 

[Kswoodssue]

Our Sasha is a picky eater. We have to switch dogfoods and flavors every few weeks. She often does not eat breakfast until noon, unless she has a new flavor she likes. Sardines are a fav of hers. A lot of folks here pull food after X amount of time if they don’t eat. I leave it out for when she wants it. She also likes eating when we do. Try feeding her when you sit down to eat. I imagine her stools are normal?

 

[UnitySpirit64]

Our Sasha is a picky eater. We have to switch dogfoods and flavors every few weeks. She often does not eat breakfast until noon, unless she has a new flavor she likes. Sardines are a fav of hers. A lot of folks here pull food after X amount of time if they don’t eat. I leave it out for when she wants it. She also likes eating when we do. Try feeding her when you sit down to eat. I imagine her stools are normal?

Read up on doberman stomachs. I feed measured amounts and don't do the free of grain dog food anymore. They need a better balanced food and also use a slow mo feeding bowl. Maybe im paranoid because in no way can you stop all bloating. I had one female bloat after eating so fast she went outside then tanked up on water and bloated died in like 5 minutes not even time to take her to vet. Just playing on past experience of over 20 dobermans. Most pure bred many registered. Right now Im using Wholesomes food . solid stool and my dog is eating like 4 cups a day almost at 70lbs doing well according to vet and its highly reviewed . But any high quality in your area can work. Mine seems to like chicken and rice the best . Nothing raw. Not a raw feeder. To much concern for salmonella. We all do the best we can and let go of results. If your switching every week I am not getting that because Kira loves her food and always same hence the slo feeder not that she eats fast she just loves it.

 

[Kswoodssue]

Read up on doberman stomachs. I feed measured amounts and don't do the free of grain dog food anymore. They need a better balanced food and also use a slow mo feeding bowl. Maybe im paranoid because in no way can you stop all bloating. I had one female bloat after eating so fast she went outside then tanked up on water and bloated died in like 5 minutes not even time to take her to vet. Just playing on past experience of over 20 dobermans. Most pure bred many registered. Right now Im using Wholesomes food . solid stool and my dog is eating like 4 cups a day almost at 70lbs doing well according to vet and its highly reviewed . But any high quality in your area can work. Mine seems to like chicken and rice the best . Nothing raw. Not a raw feeder. To much concern for salmonella. We all do the best we can and let go of results. If your switching every week I am not getting that because Kira loves her food and always same hence the slo feeder not that she eats fast she just loves it.

I’m sorry, I thought you said she stopped eating.

 

[MyBuddy]

I’m sorry, I thought you said she stopped eating.

He was not the original poster. This Thread goes back to September 2023 and was bumped up again just recently. The original poster hasn't been back since he made the thread.

But there is some good information put in here recently. So I'm not saying we can't continue. In fact I'll add my two cents.

With our very first Doberman we fed him free. Meaning food was down all the time and he ate when he felt like it. And that dog was very skinny and seemed very picky. But on the other hand I didn't know anything about 'topping' his food like I do now. A bowl full of kibble can get pretty boring. Even my horses look forward to their grain because hay and grass just gets to be boring.

So since that dog I have always fed them at a certain time, twice a day (for an adult) and always put 'something' on it. For years I have been feeding my little dog Kali, Stella and Chewy's Raw Coated Kibble. And topping it with Stella and Chewy's raw patties that are kept Frozen until use. ( I take out a few at a time and keep in the refrigerator) I also grow vegetables in my garden and grind them up in a food processor and put a teaspoon of that on too. ( by the end of summer I have dozens of bags frozen in my freezer to use all winter) Along with Ultra Oil skin and coat supplement. My dogs love their food and always gobbled up. If they're not eating, then they have a belly ache or something going on. I think fasting for people and probably animals is a good thing. Although I have never fasted my dog, the idea of giving their food once in the morning and once at night is sort of like fasting. At least to me. They need to be hungry! If they have food all day long, in my opinion it gets to be unattractive to them. It's like, it's there, it's always there. They should be hungry and ready for their meal when it comes.

Now Annie was probably fed with all the rest of the puppies and it's like a free-for-all! Hurry and get your food before the next guy! She gobbles it down like someone's going to take it away. (Another puppy?) So it's taken her a little while to kind of eat at a normal speed. But she's getting better at it. And I always make her sit calmly before I put it down.

I'm glad she's a good eater! It's easy to take food away but so hard to feed an animal when they don't want it. But making it interesting with toppings always has my dogs looking forward to their meal!

And, IMO, hand feeding your dog it's food can get to be really bad habit. Once you start that sometimes it's hard to stop. They should learn to eat their food like a dog! LOL I would definitely be hand feeding a dog that was sick or just needed some enticing but I would never continue that. That can really lead to a very spoiled dog. And it could be why he's not eating. He's waiting for you to hand it to him.

 

[UnitySpirit64]

He was not the original poster. This Thread goes back to September 2023 and was bumped up again just recently. The original poster hasn't been back since he made the thread.

But there is some good information put in here recently. So I'm not saying we can't continue. In fact I'll add my two cents.

With our very first Doberman we fed him free. Meaning food was down all the time and he ate when he felt like it. And that dog was very skinny and seemed very picky. But on the other hand I didn't know anything about 'topping' his food like I do now. A bowl full of kibble can get pretty boring. Even my horses look forward to their grain because hay and grass just gets to be boring.

So since that dog I have always fed them at a certain time, twice a day (for an adult) and always put 'something' on it. For years I have been feeding my little dog Kali, Stella and Chewy's Raw Coated Kibble. And topping it with Stella and Chewy's raw patties that are kept Frozen until use. ( I take out a few at a time and keep in the refrigerator) I also grow vegetables in my garden and grind them up in a food processor and put a teaspoon of that on too. ( by the end of summer I have dozens of bags frozen in my freezer to use all winter) Along with Ultra Oil skin and coat supplement. My dogs love their food and always gobbled up. If they're not eating, then they have a belly ache or something going on. I think fasting for people and probably animals is a good thing. Although I have never fasted my dog, the idea of giving their food once in the morning and once at night is sort of like fasting. At least to me. They need to be hungry! If they have food all day long, in my opinion it gets to be unattractive to them. It's like, it's there, it's always there. They should be hungry and ready for their meal when it comes.

Now Annie was probably fed with all the rest of the puppies and it's like a free-for-all! Hurry and get your food before the next guy! She gobbles it down like someone's going to take it away. (Another puppy?) So it's taken her a little while to kind of eat at a normal speed. But she's getting better at it. And I always make her sit calmly before I put it down.

I'm glad she's a good eater! It's easy to take food away but so hard to feed an animal when they don't want it. But making it interesting with toppings always has my dogs looking forward to their meal!

And, IMO, hand feeding your dog it's food can get to be really bad habit. Once you start that sometimes it's hard to stop. They should learn to eat their food like a dog! LOL I would definitely be hand feeding a dog that was sick or just needed some enticing but I would never continue that. That can really lead to a very spoiled dog. And it could be why he's not eating. He's waiting for you to hand it to him.

I am not a he

 

[earlthedoberman]

hey there, sorry to hear your pup has lost her appetite! that can definitely be concerning. Have you tried adding something extra tasty like low-sodium broth or plain yogurt to make the kibble more enticing? Sometimes a little sprinkle of grated cheese helps too.

 

[LifeofRubie]

I am not a he

Noted!

 

[UnitySpirit64]

hey there, sorry to hear your pup has lost her appetite! that can definitely be concerning. Have you tried adding something extra tasty like low-sodium broth or plain yogurt to make the kibble more enticing? Sometimes a little sprinkle of grated cheese helps too.

I in no way give cheese to my dobies. BLOAT! Opinion of course. I read up on it someplace. Im paranoid having lost 2 dobies to bloat. And dobermans are known to sometimes have stomach issues.
Doberman Pinschers can be prone to several stomach issues, including:

• Canine parvovirus
  This virus can cause vomiting and diarrhea, which can lead to gastroenteritis. Dobermans are at an increased risk of developing this condition, so it's important to keep them vaccinated.
• Gastric torsion
  Also known as bloat, this condition occurs when a dog's stomach fills with gas and twists, putting pressure on other organs and cutting off blood flow to the abdomen. It can be very dangerous if left untreated and requires an immediate trip to the vet.
• Colitis
  This is an inflammation of the colon and large intestine that can cause painful stools or diarrhea. It can be chronic or acute and can be caused by whipworms.

cheese can cause bloating in dogs because dogs are lactose intolerant and can't break down the lactose in milk. Other symptoms of lactose intolerance in dogs include:

• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Flatulence
• Stomach pain
• Behavioral changes like irritability, lethargy, or hyperactivity

I am giving what I do. not as anything you can't find on your own. Experiences and vet visits Im going by