I am sorry if this topic is else where..I was unable to locate it as i looked through the numerous threads. I have a GSD named, Daisy, of unknown age/background. She is mid/older adult though. Some one dropped her off down the road and she found her way to my home. She came to me thin thin thin and my intention was to get her healthy then find her a good home...she is a great companion. I have 2 english mastiffs, 2 rat terriers and 2 mutts as it is. I have had her not quite a year now and she still looks the same. You can still see every bone in her body...her ribs, spine processes and hips severly. She has free access to food for 8-12 hrs aday which she does not touch. She will not eat unless I or my fiance stand right next to her. And when we do she eats so fast and seems like FOREVER (like she had not eaten in days...which she may not have). I have 2 outside dogs (the mutts also rescued) with her and if they just walk in her general direction, not even showing any interest in going to her food, she will quit eating and walk away. We have to continue to encourage her to eat. She'll then go right back to eating as fast as she can for as long as we will stand there. She has been to the vet and has been on reg meds for intestinal worms. She came spayed. I really dont know what else to do for her. We really try to sit with here everynight for her to eat but she eats for so long and so fast that it cant be healthy...I wouldnt doubt it if she later throw it all up because she still doesnt gain but a little weight. Then if there are some busy nights and we cant sit with her then she just doesnt eat and looses the weight again. She is not excessivly submissive towards the other dogs during anyother time except when it comes to the food. Please help me help her. We have tried different types of food she is not picky she'll eat anything....no matter what it is she just wont eat unless we are there. We have also tried feeding her seperately, that doesnt work either. Thanks for your help.
Please help me help Daisy.
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My eldest wants company for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I give it to her. I would suggest that you make her smaller servings (not free feed) and find time to set with her - breakfast, right after work, and later in the evening. Another thing you might do if you can only sit with her once a day is to feed her just a few pieces of kibble at a time - so that she cannot bolt her food.
I don't have anything else to recommend.
I don't have anything else to recommend.
It doesnt matter what the food is dry kibble....wet ...human food.....as long as we are not standing there she wont eat it. We have tried expensive and cheap food. I doubt she has ever been tested for that prior to coming to me and i have not tested her for that.
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That's right. But she is skinny and not putting on weight. She sounds to me like a dog not interested in food. To me, that sounds like a dog with digestive problems, and most likely never had the right food. I'm not saying that's your fault, but she is a GSD, and they have a lot of digestive issues.
Well I am not familar with gsd digestive problems....I never had one and wasnt expecting this one. I have always researched my breed of dog before i purchased them as English Mastiffs are not the easiest/cheapest breed to cater to. So when it comes to Mastiffs i am a guru lol but with GSD I dont know much about thier health issues....but i am trying to learn lol.
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Have the vet do some bloodwork to ensure there is not something underlying the issue. I have had several fosters that would not eat unless I was with them. Dinner time was right after work, I would add yogurt (low fat, plain) and salmon oil (or coconut oil) to the food to help put on weight. Also, add some supplements that help with digestion. I use something called the missing link. All the fosters that have come to me have been grossly underweight. This I have found works like a charm. Also, do not free feed, feeding time should be a certain time, if she does not eat it, pull it up and offer a little later, but do not allow the other dogs to eat it. Feed the dog separately for now, perhaps when you sit down for supper, lay his food down as well and keep the other dogs from it. I have found that once they get a routine and security down, it helps, it sounds to me that this dog is nervous around other dogs and food.
i will see what I can do...but she cant come in the house....I already have 4 dogs in the house (2 english mastiffs and 2 rat terriers) But ill continue to try and sit with her outside. I just wish there was a way to retrain her to eat on her own. Because she is such a good dog is why we did not bring her to the pound. I jsut cant do that. But at the same time i cant keep her she messes with my horse running circles around them and chasing them and i cant have that. She has already gotten hurt once from that. I dont want my horses getting hurt in a fence either. So if I cant get her adoptable/adopted then she will have to go to the pound. All the local no kill shelters are full....I have already tried and there are not any GSD rescues in my area that i have found.
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what is your area? Many rescues will arrange transport. We have brought dogs in from all over (I volunteer with the one in the Carolinas). GSD's are very social and need to be close to their people. She may not be settling down because of being seperated from you. I understand with so many dogs the difficulty, but you may want to ask for some help on the rescue section of this forum. GSD's are considered "velcro" dogs. They are very attached to their owners and do not like to be alone as a rule.
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Post on the Rescue thread. I'm sure someone will be able to help you. If you get a picture up, there are a lot of people here that are looking for a dog and would prefer an older one. You just might be able to find her the perfect home here.
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How is Daisy? I looked for another post to see if I could see her picture out here. I hope you can find her some help, there is a lot of help out here.
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