Edan not eating... sort of

Silaria

Silaria

Forums Sage
I'm pretty sure you all remember me posting last week that Edan was having issues with transitioning to TOTW (http://sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=4681). Well, he seems to be doing a bit better except that he seems to have pretty much rejected his old food also (Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken and Rice formula).

Is it possible he's related both the TOTW and Eagle Pack food, since they were mixed together, with getting sick last week and now won't eat it?

(Please read the rest before responding to that question.)

Last week we completely cut out the TOTW food per our vet's recommendation and starting giving him only the Eagle Pack food. The only way we could coax him into eating, and it was a struggle, was to put some beef gravy on it and soak it in water. He's eat it but sort of grudgingly.

Knowing we had to cut out the beef gravy, we started to just do the "tough love" thing and give him his normal food, in a bowl, no gravy no soaking on Thursday. (Keep in mind, he gets less than 1 cup of food a day normally. He gets other treats to make up the difference.)

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning he nibbled at maybe 1/4 of what he eats for the day. (Got sick, as in threw up) at the trial though on Saturday but that seemed to be mostly the treats.)

Saturday night he was hungry from the trial and ate what was left of his breakfast and half of his normal dinner serving.

Sunday, didn't eat at all or ate very little.

Monday, didn't eat at all.

Tuesday out of a small sampler bag I had. THAT he ate. Tuesday night, food out of the same small bag, completely rejected - and DH even tried putting gravy and soaking it in water after I left for a class instead of picking it up. Edan DID NOT touch it.

Later Tuesday night, right before bed, I could hear Edan's stomach grugling from hunger but he still wouldn't eat. I could also see the signs that he was going to throw up again... and he did, a little on me before I could move him. (Could this be because his stomach was so empty and the stomach acids were gurgling? No food came up, just liquid.)

After he threw up, I gave him some (2 tablespoons) of the chicken and rice I made for him the week before (but it gave him diarrhea so I stopped feeding it too him). He DEVOURED it. I gave him some again this morning (about 1/2 cup) and again he DEVOURED it.

Edan is hungry and loosing weight because he won't eat the food we are presenting him.

I know I should have stuck to my guns and kept presenting the Eagle Pack food we are supposed to get him back to until he ate it. What he seems to be doing is eating just barely enough to not starve and rejecting the rest.

At this point, I'm ready to try and just start him on another food (Blue Wilderness Grain Free Chicken and Turkey) mixed with pumpkin to try to keep him from getting diarrhea or other stomach issues. Unfortunately, canned pumpkin may be hard to find; our largest local grocery store chain is having trouble getting some due to a pumpkin shortage.

Anyway.... HELP! Any ideas??? I have another Agility trial the weekend of the 13th (a CPE trial in Washingtonville, OH) and can't have Edan not eating for the nearly 2 weeks leading up to it.
 
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Go grab yourself some Halo Spots Stew, It tends to appeal to those dogs that are picky eaters and isn't that bad of a food either, it's not Grain free like TOTW but its still a high quality food.
 
I'm sorry that you're having so much trouble with Edan's tummy.

Do you know if he is allergic to any specific food?

Since he's an athlete you probably should contact your vet about this as guessing at home is a longer course to resolving the issue. In the meantime limit him to just water for 12 hours...see if there's any more vomiting. If there's something else wrong, the vomiting would continue and it would be unrelated to the food. If there's no vomiting give him a bland diet (no treats, just boiled chicken and rice).
 
Edan's Dad chiming in:

As Sil said, he was fine up until a week and a half or so ago when we bumped the ratio of new and old food up to 3:2 after his stool showed signs of being a more healthy consistency. After that he was only able to keep about half of it down.

After the trip to the vet, we cut him off of the Taste of the Wild stuff and tried to put him back on the Eagle Pack Holistic. He would eat that mixed and softened with beef gravy cut with warm water and when we stopped mixing in the wet ingredients he simply turned his nose up at it. He gave us a look and then quietly laid down beside the couch.

I guess that in itself should be abnormal as most of the groups shelties would probably be incessantly clamoring for food. Nope, Edan knows the food is there, he just seems resigned to not eat it. He still begs in his subtle, quiet little way while we eat dinner. Then he'll go back and lay down quietly, and ignore the food.

Don't get me wrong, he does get all prancey and under foot as the sounds and visual activities of picking up and carrying his bowl and pouring kibble into it; and he is curious as to what we've offered him to eat. He'll even go so far as to pick a couple pieces up into his muzzle to taste them before spitting them out.

I tried an old Buster Cube last night, one that hasn't been tainted by the Taste of the Wild food. He had great fun pushing it around so the food comes out, but he'll sniff the kibble, register that it's the Eagle Pack Holistic food and leave a trail of kibble behind him. He'll do this until the toy is empty, walk around, sniff all the kibble again, then return to his spot on the floor and quietly lay down.

Sometimes he'll give us a look that implies, "I'm hungry and I know you've fed me, but I don't want to eat that. I don't know what to do so I'm just going to lay down now."

I guess the odd part in this whole thing is the quiet resignation to what amounts to not being fed. A hungry sheltie, and let's face it what healthy, well fed, sheltie isn't pining for more food, is usually more insistent...even obnoxious about being fed.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Until then, if he'll eat canned chicken and brown rice, we're going to help keep his strength up feeding him that.
 
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I might be jumping the gun here, but this sounds like it might be a health issue.

I would consider taking him into the vet.
 
corbinam said:
I might be jumping the gun here, but this sounds like it might be a health issue.

I would consider taking him into the vet.
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Took him to the vet for the stomach issues last week when he was throwing up twice a day the weekend of February 20th. Blood work was normal (kidney, liver, etc.) and the tests on his stool was normal.

All the doctor could find was that his stomach seemed extra gassy/acidy and gave me medication for that and the vomiting. We finished those up on Friday.

I do have a call into the vet as well as the post here to discuss this with is normal vet who, thankfully, is in the office today and hasn't left on maternity leave yet. The vet he saw initial for this was a different person in the same office because he was the only one with an open appointment due to a cancellation; but Edan has seen this doctor before.
 
Might be a longshot... but check his teeth and gums. Just suddenly occured to me that might be a possibility. If not I would really take him to the vet for peace of mind.
 
is the food bowel on a hard floor? Mine always grabs a few kibbles and then goes to the living room to eat it, and then goes back. Try putting the bowel on carpet, could just be a quirk he's developing
 
Herd4fun said:
is the food bowel on a hard floor? Mine always grabs a few kibbles and then goes to the living room to eat it, and then goes back. Try putting the bowel on carpet, could just be a quirk he's developing
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We have wall to wall carpeting except in the kitchen and bathroom, which are vinyl tile. And a little area near our wood burning stove that is fireproof brick.

He's fed in the living room with his bowls on a doggie placemat near the wood stove which never bothered him. He still drinks from his water bowl without hesitation. (The heat radius on the stove DOES NOT pose a threat to Edan in away way. If it did, we wouldn't even have his stuff near there.)
 
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I remember when Layla rejected the food the breeder fed. She was so sad -- she just didn't like it because it nauseated her. I recommend trying a completely new food. I wouldn't add anything to it, just the new stuff. I know people say that you have to work new food in gradually, but this is different. If he hates the old food, you're just "contaminating" the new stuff in his little Sheltie mind.
 
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