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9 months old no appetite

10K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  blackshep 
#1 ·
My nine month old puppy Trooper has lost his appetite. Is there anything to do to increase his appetite? Eats a little each day, was vomiting a yellow liquid but vet said it was from not eating. Gave him an Antacid (Pepcid). There is a slight weight loss and we did change his food to Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice. Adult. :mad:
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
My male will eat fine for awhile and then there will be a day when he does not want to eat. He also will upchuck yellow bile of a morning if he does not get to eat shortly after getting up. They get wet food mixed with kibble, but sometimes I add some type of meat that is left over from supper.

Hope that your boy starts eating better, it always scares me to think they are losing weight and not knowing why.
 
#5 ·
My nine month old puppy Trooper has lost his appetite. Is there anything to do to increase his appetite? Eats a little each day, was vomiting a yellow liquid but vet said it was from not eating. Gave him an Antacid (Pepcid). There is a slight weight loss and we did change his food to Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice. Adult. :mad:
My experience is limited to raising three GSDs, but for me one thing is a common denominator: They need variety in their diet, a change every day or two.. Your upchuck is bile, and he needs to be fed earlier in the morning and he wil put that digestive juice to good work. Try some Raw Diet additives to your regime, all raw, chicken thigh on the bone, chicken carcasses, red meat on the bone like a cheap Y-bone or Blade steak chuck, maybe get some cheap cut of lamb and cartilage (although mine do not like much lamb fat and it is only good once a week or two) Also try some scrambled eggs. They get bored and picky.

Look, if I gave you your favorite food every day, you would soon not like it. Variety is the issue. After a day or two of Raw diet, not only will your dog be healthier as the kibble is easy but shortens their life, not only will he be getting a big immunity boost for coat and skin and joints and such, but after a couple of days he will probably chow into your dry food again. You may just have to add this variety, and see if he perks up on appetite. I know, ALL of mine are just like this..

Even take home a cheap BBQ chicken every few weeks.. Don't give him any leg or larger bones, but strip the thigh and leg meat and share with him, breast and so on, and the cooked carcass is OK... Mine LOVE to share a lunch like that with me every couple of weeks. I put my meat in a slice of bread, preferably with a glass of wine, and we eat the whole thing leaving only leg and larger bones...

Variety is the key, they get bored and picky with the same old thing. You can only get them on the same boring diet only if you work them hard, as by nightfall they will chow into ANYTHING... If for some reason you can't vary their diet, a large dose of exercise always seems to work wonders, and they will put on muscle...

Kind regards, and P.S. my senior dog was dying, and with only three weeks off kibble (dry food) and on the Raw Diet, he is perking up and LOOKIN GOOD!!

"Dances with Wolves" as best as I can with GSDs and Horses in Australia...
 
#6 ·
Even take home a cheap BBQ chicken every few weeks.. Don't give him any leg or larger bones, but strip the thigh and leg meat and share with him, breast and so on, and the cooked carcass is OK...
Sorry but COOKED chicken bones are NOT ok.

Raw chicken bones are fine but when cooked they dry out and become brittle. These bones can cause problems for your dogs digestive system.

So, since raw chicken bones are fine stick with those and don't take the gamble on cooked bones.
 
#7 ·
Is the dog pooping ok?

Did the dog ingest anything out of the ordinary? Is it possible the dog could have without your notice (like a sock)?

How is the dog otherwise? Active? Drinking water? Will he eat treats or other things (other than the kibble)?

Has he always been a good eater?

I am very aware of my dogs normal eating habits. That way I know when something is wrong. If Mauser, my GSD, was to skip a meal I don't worry - he does that every now and then. But if Winnie, my Corgi mix, skipped one - as in showed NO interest in food - I would have her out the door and on the way to the vets instantly. She is a serious eater and turning her nose up at food would be a serious issue for her.
 
#9 ·
They need variety in their diet, a change every day or two..
I've had dozens of GSDs and other breeds in and out of my house and not one of them required variety, toppings or other tricks to get them to eat. They eat the same kibble every day for a year or more at a time.

Pick a kibble and stick with it. As long as your dog is healthy, he will not starve himself.

The bile is from waiting too long in between meals.

Was the switch to BB when he stopped eating or did you switch because he wasn't eating?
 
#14 ·
I agree.

Variety can actually upset the tummy (why they suggest changing food very gradually). It can also create a picky eater.

Have you had an xray done, OP? Did the dog ingest anything?

How are the poops? Is your dog running a fever? My puppy went off her food and was throwing up when she had a bad giardia infection.

Hope you can figure this out soon!
 
#13 ·
My experience with my boy is he's gone through days with low appetite. He is also 9 months old and actually just went through a day of not eating his food at all and a couple days of not eating very much about 2 weeks ago. He would eat treats though and I'll give him food as treats too when we're training.
I stick to the instructions a few trainers have given me to not leave him his food plate for more than 30 minutes but still give him food 2x a day - I've been told it helps make picky eaters learn they have to eat when served.
When he's gone underweight, I add a few treats or a scoop or two of canned food or toppers. If there's any sign of digestive upset I've mixed in a scoop of organic nonfat plain yogurt or pumpkin puree - whichever I had at hand, and he loves both so he gobbles his food then.
Good luck with your boy. Was he otherwise ok with the BB or did this start when you switched his food?
 
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