I've had my GSD for a little over a year now. He is about four years old. Over the past 2-3 weeks his appetite has diminished. He used to scarf down two cups of Blue Wilderness in the AM and two in the PM. We've been doing a lot of exercise the past several months - anywhere from 3-8 miles per day of running/walking/jogging. He always eats laying down. I'm spending significant time every morning and night trying to get him to eat. I feel like a cheerleader cheering him on and trying to coax him. He seems to mostly skip any AM feeding and will eat at night now so I try to feed him before our big run and later on in the evening (being careful to leave enough time to prevent bloat). I'd say out of the four cups of food he used to consume in a day he now consumes 2.5-3. I'm wondering if its normal for an adult dog to lose some appetite in the summer? He is getting a lot of exercise so I'm worried.
Loss of appetite - summer related?
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He still loves his treats. I thought maybe I got a bad bag of food so I got another, same issue (but its from the same place so possible two bad bags - happened once before I got a stale batch). If I put some roast beef in with his food he will pick that out and leave the food. I only did that a few times because I did not want him to get used to it. I have no easy way of checking his weight aside from going to the vet but maybe its worth the trip.
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Yes, it could be a bad batch of food. My neighbor's Huskies like to eat just one meal a day, and my daughter's dog, once she turned about 2 yrs old, started eating less, skipping a meal. When it's really hot I don't like to eat.
If your dog is getting unexpectedly picky about what it eats, you might consider taking him to the vet. This happened to our previous dog - it was a sign of cancer.
If your dog is getting unexpectedly picky about what it eats, you might consider taking him to the vet. This happened to our previous dog - it was a sign of cancer.
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We are active all year but even more so in the summer. I usually give a little more food on those days where calories are really being burned. His weight is good. Rusty is the opposite and in the winter months will sometimes skip a meal, this is normal for him.
If this unusual for him I would bring him to the vet for a checkup.
If this unusual for him I would bring him to the vet for a checkup.
He a big check up before starting all of his shots back in April and then another check up about a month ago with his rabies shot (vet said another checkup was required). Everything was good. He got a ton of shots, most recently rabies and lyme. He had his Bordetella, DA2PP/DHPP, and Lepto shots before those. I'm wondering if the shots are playing a role. In any event, I am going to head to the store to try to find a small bag of his food. For some reason its near impossible to find it in NYC (Blue Wilderness Salmon). If that doesn't fix a problem then I am going to find a way to check his weight and/or make a vet appointment. Thank you for all of your feedback!
Update: I purchased another bag of his dog food (Blue Wilderness Salmon). He would not touch it. Walked over to the vet and explained the situation. They said they are pretty sure he is just sick of his food, suggested I change it and come back if the issue persists. In the mean time I ripped up turkey and mixed it in with the food and he ate everything quicker than I've ever seen. I hate the idea of wasting the two months of food I have for him but I guess its time to start researching what to buy if he is going to continue to protest his food. I spent so much time researching and settling on his food last year, I'll probably pick between Orijen Six Fish or Acana Pacifica unless there is a new popular food? I like the fish flavors for his coat and joints.
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My dog had GI issues and was not into kibble that much. We ended up getting some dehydrated and prepared frozen raw foods. Now her GI system is good, and never any food wasted. You might want to consider this.
Here are the foods we use but there are other brands out there:
Nature's Variety frozen 8oz patties, comes in beef, chicken, lamb, venison, duck, rabbit. Hopefully your store has a frozen section.
The Honest Kitchen, comes in turkey, fish, chicken, beef, with and without grains.
Like you, we wasted many bags of food until we went the raw route. If after a few days your dog does not like this, go back to the vet.
Here are the foods we use but there are other brands out there:
Nature's Variety frozen 8oz patties, comes in beef, chicken, lamb, venison, duck, rabbit. Hopefully your store has a frozen section.
The Honest Kitchen, comes in turkey, fish, chicken, beef, with and without grains.
Like you, we wasted many bags of food until we went the raw route. If after a few days your dog does not like this, go back to the vet.
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