Not eating in the mornings

[Dorian]

We use to free feed Doriam up untill about a week ago. I had made a previous post about him getting sick due to not having anything in his stomach. Well since then my husband and I have decided to put him on a feeding schedual and hes been on it for about a week now. But it doesnt seem to be fixing the problem. He simply isnt hungry or doesnt want to eat in the mornings. Hes doesnt seem to be getting sick anymore, but since we put him on his feeding schedual hes only eating about 2 of 4 cups a day because we have been picking it up after 15 or 20 min of allowing him time to eat. Im all out of ideas on how to get him to eat... Im apprehensive about putting something in his food in the morning because I dont want to create more of a problem for myself in letting him think if he doesnt eat then he gets treats in his food. I simply just dont know what else to do at this point. I give him and egg once or so a week mixed in with his food, that was the only day he actually ate the 2 cups i gave him in the morning, the rest of the time he eats nothing or maybe a couple mouth fulls. He just doesnt seem to be getting the idea that he no longer has all day to eat. I also tryed feeding him an hour earlyer in the evenings in hopes he would then be hungry in the morning, and that hasnt worked either. I would really love any advice I can get, its driving me up the wall. :(

 

[kit02]

Im apprehensive about putting something in his food in the morning because I dont want to create more of a problem for myself in letting him think if he doesnt eat then he gets treats in his food.

As a half homecooker I don’t see this as being a problem. I know some people on here disagree though with the add-ins but I totally believe in it. Adding in fresh meat, yogurt, veggies, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, sardines, etc, I don’t see as “treats”. I look at it is wholesome foods that are great for them. But if you’re not willing to stick to it then you might not want to start it. So what about mixing in some canned food? They seem to like that better than plain kibble. (if you don’t already…)
Give it more time though, a week isn’t very long. He won’t starve himself. Just stick to feeding him 2 times a day, leave the food down for 15-30 minutes. He’ll get the idea that he has to eat or it’ll disappear.

 

[lillys7]

I do exactly what Tanya&jazz does, He won't eat in the morning either...I put a kong in his cage with a nylabone or something he can chew onfor while were at work and then he eats when we get home (early afternon) and then around 530-6pm I put out his 2 ccups for dinner. I always knkow when there is a growth spurt coming because he will lick both bowls clean but if he's in between he'll hardly eat...I figure he'll eat if he's hungry, he usually likes to check out what we're having before he'll eat his own so I keep it down for when he's ready...

 

[kit02]

I’ve never had a problem with Owen not eating so I guess I never had to worry about this, he actually eats too fast where I have to give him a little bit at a time. The thing with free feeding, the way I feel anyway, is if you’re worrying about Bloat. My Finley bloated so I am super paranoid about that. They say you should not let them play an hour before and after eating. Now if they get free fed and are always eating, when do they get to rough play? During the week our schedules are pretty hectic and I need Owen to eat at a certain time b/c then playtime has to be at a certain time. I couldn’t arrange that with free feeding. And my mornings are hectic so he needs to eat before I leave b/c I don’t feel comfortable leaving him anything to chew/eat on while no one is with him. Free feeding may work for some but I couldn’t do it with my schedule.

I would watch the nylabone in the crate unattended - I’ve heard of them biting pieces off. God forbid a big piece came off and you weren’t there… just something to think about

 

[Dorian]

Well its not that he just doesnt eat. If he didnt eat till early afternoon then I wouldnt have a problem with it. The problem is that he may not eat till 5 or 6 in the evening. And during the day he will throw up bile because he hasnt eaten anything. Iv started giving him a cookie before he goes to bed and that has helped, but it hasnt completely solved it. Which is why we decided to try putting him on a schedual.

 

[harleyboxer]

My dog used to do the same thing also. He creates to much stomach acid. I also believe that because he is so deep chested the acid runs back down his pipes, especially if he hasn't eaten. We assumed that he probably had an ulcer so the vet put him on fomatidine (doggy pepcid). I started giving him a pill twice a day for five days and then went to one pill in the evening. I also switched his food. The pills really helped, and the food that he is on now seems to not cause him any problems so I haven't given him a pill for about a week or so. Eukanuba low residue worked the best for his stomach, but he is allergic to the fish in it. I also give him canned I/D on his food morning and night to entice him to eat his food, if he doesn't eat it I have other wet food on hand and will put a couple tablespoons on top. Once he eats something he'll usually eat it all. I also feed dinner around 8:30 at night. If Harley didn't eat his breakfast he would fast anywhere from one to two days.

 

[kit02]

Dorian - what food are you feeding him? Are you feeding all kibble? Or are you mixing it with can?

 

[Dorian]

we're feeding him all kibble, i sometimes mix in other things, yogert, an egg, veggies etc.. hes on Nutro max.

 

[nanabear]

As a half homecooker I don’t see this as being a problem. I know some people on here disagree though with the add-ins but I totally believe in it. Adding in fresh meat, yogurt, veggies, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, sardines, etc, I don’t see as “treats”. I look at it is wholesome foods that are great for them.

I have to say I'm in the same camp - your dog is telling you what he needs and wants. It's not that hard to keep a few things on hand (as mentioned above) and add them into a meal.
Decide what you want to use - make a list for a week and add an easy variety.
Mon - an egg
Tues - cottage cheese or yourgurt
Wed - canned mackerel
Thurs - a hamburger meatball
Fri - another egg
Sat - more cottage cheese or yougurt
Sun - another hamburger meatball
It's not spoiling them..it's just feeding a "member of the family" in a way that he craves. and BTW is good for him!
It doesn't have to be rocket science - make it easy for yourself and it's easy to do.

 

[sashamom]

Sasha is a picky morning eater too...more than half of the time she just picks a bite or two and leaves it....i have learned to entice her with scrambled eggs, shredded cheese,cottage cheese, ect....all mixed in....since its been cold i have simply been mixing in a bit of hot water ....she has hogged it down! Good luck!