Refusing to eat

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OntarioSheltie

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I noticed a little more than a week ago that Sadie was eating really slowly. Very out of character for her, as she usually hoovers her food. I thought the change probably had to do with Ginny, that maybe she was teasing her with her food.

Last night I was feeding them dinner in their crates and shortly after I heard Sadie let out a yelp. I saw her standing in her crate, backed away from the food dish. She completely refused to eat. She looked fine (she some times spooks her self and lets out a yelp) and was excited about going out (she new we were going somewhere) so I thought she was just being a brat.

I let her out of her crate thinking she'd eat if I took Ginny outside and left Sadie by herself, but a few minutes later she still refused to eat; she'd just whine and lie down. I put the food away. I figured if she really was being bad that she'd be very hungry by the next morning.

I did give her a carrot at my parents and she didn't seem to have too much trouble eating it.

This morning I tried to feed her by herself and again, she refused to eat. She just lied down and whined. So I wet down her kibble and let the water soak in. Sadie got VERY excited and gobbled it down when the kibble was soft. I gave her a bit extra since she didn't really eat last night.

Last night and this morning I checked in her mouth but didn't see anything unusual. Mind you, she finds it very insulting having someone prying open her mouth and she wasn't exactly still. I couldn't see anything on the top of her mouth or in her throat either.

Since its Friday (sheltie rule!) the vet fit us in this afternoon, thank goodness. I think this has gone on for long enough.

Any thoughts on what this could be? She acts normal in every other way and seems happy otherwise.
 
Could she just have lost interest in her food? Maybe she's bored with it. That's why she got so excited when you put water in it. It might have smelled weird, so she thought it was different food?
 
Other than checking her mouth and poop, I have no other suggestions.

But I am so paranoid about pups not eating.

Keep us posted.
 
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take4roll10 said:
Could she just have lost interest in her food? Maybe she's bored with it. That's why she got so excited when you put water in it. It might have smelled weird, so she thought it was different food?
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That's what I thought at first. Like I said, this has been going on for a little over a week, but I'm not so sure now. She usually LOVES her food and gobbles it down. Its slowly gotten worse as time goes by, she's been eating slower and slower till she won't eat anymore. The only time she's ever refused to eat is when she was having digestive issues and her tummy was bothering her, which leads me to believe something is wrong.

Also, Sadie isn't easily fooled. A bit of water in her food doesn't usually make her that excited, I wet her dog food in the past. When she was refusing to eat the dry food, she seemed like she really wanted to eat and was whining, but was afraid to eat it. She eventually started picking up one kibble at a time, eating very slowly, taking her time to chew it.
 
RonandJan said:
Other than checking her mouth and poop, I have no other suggestions.

But I am so paranoid about pup's not eating.

Keep us posted.
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Both look fine. Sadie is otherwise acting the same, is active and plays with Ginny all the time.

Sadie seems to be a little more irritable with Ginny lately, but I'm not sure its related. Sadie is quicker to snap at her, which I know can be a sign of pain, but Ginny can also be relentless and its also been rather warm lately.
 
corbinam said:
Mel, I have no suggestions but I hope the vet can shed some light on it. Hope it's nothing serious.
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Megansmom said:
Well poor baby!! I'm sure you and the Vets will figure out what's wrong and "fix it"..:smile2:
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Thanks. Yeah, I hope so too. If the vet suggests putting her out for a better look I think I'm going to let her do it. I just have a feeling...and I've been right in the past when I've had a feeling with Sadie...
 
You are smart to have the vet see her, I'm with everyone else about the not eating thing. It worries me. From what you're describing, I wonder if she could be having a tooth problem? It almost sounds like it bothers her to eat. I do hope it's something that simple. I know what it's like to have pups with stomach issues and it's a tough nut to crack. The only other thing I could suggest is trying to give her canned food.

Good luck this afternoon and do let us know how she is!!
 
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