Dog doesn't eat when @ kennel . . .

[sashamom]

My gf keeps our two and they love her and her three labs!! They have a huge backyard to run in and sleep with her and her girls at night in the bed! However...Sasha pretty much will not eat either. Last Christmas we were gone for a week and we came back to see her hip bones protruding and ribs more prevalent (she is skinny anyway!)...she just does not have an appetite when separated. She is kind of a picky eater at home anyhow....best way to get her to finish her food is to mix in something yummy!!
Maybe next time see if they can mix in things she loves....ours do cottage chesse, shredded cheese...well those are the easy ones!!
Good luck!

 

[Sadiesmawme]

sadie stays with grandma most of the time. She does really good for her!

 

[natrhymer]

Unfortunately most of our family members aren't as keen on our dogs as we are and we always have to kennel the dogs when we go on vacation or leave for the holidays.

I totally understand your predicament. Our boy Dieter requires lots of special "rules" for his behavior issues -- if you have to take him on a walk (which, you do, since we all know boxers need their exercise!) you really have to be an experienced dog handler to do it, and none of our family or friends is up for that. We've found a great kennel, and the staff adores him. But, our guy is sort of the same as yours when we kennel him. The longest we've boarded him was five days, so he doesn't get the opportunity to get as skinny, but he certainly has lost a bit of weight when we pick him up.

I think that you do the best you can. We won't board Dieter longer than a few days, simply because it stresses him out. Whenever we can, we take him with us.

In your situation, the suggestions others have made on finding a pet sitter (in a home setting) sounds like a good option, since your pup seems really distressed by the whole thing. Good luck, I understand how difficult it can be. We have our hopes on my new stepbrothers who love Dieter and are just about old enough to stay at our house and take care of him while we're away. We just have to convince their mom that it's a good idea...

 

[Sadiesmawme]

speaking of stress, it seemed that Sadie had lost some of her fur. Wonder if that was the cause of it?

Aren't our babies just so spoiled?????