8 month puppy no longer eats her food

Candy

Hi everyone I am new to this forum, I have a 8 month puppy she has been very picky with her food the past 3 months! It's getting worse though I have mixed everything with her dried food sirloin real chicken cans of duck I have changed her dried food 4 times and no luck she doesn't like anything!!!!! I even try to hand feed her but she just walks away from everything She goes 4 days without eating I don't know what to do anymore
She eats her treats with no problems but won't eat her regular food please help

Marx

Sounds serious, I'd take her to a vet asap, sorry I can't offer anything else.

Candy

She is a bull terrier and very stubborn
The problem is that I cook every night and she smells my food, even when I cooked stuffed turkey she went nuts she would follow me everywhere and that day she didn't eat her food she stared at the turkey and kept barking at it and she didn't eat 4 days after
So I know she is not sick she is just too stubborn I just dont know how to teach her she is not getting my food

Djammy

I absolutely agree with Marx.
This sounds like a situation that could be or become serious. Not only does the irregular eating weaken your pup's body and immune system. There could be a serious reason underlying the picky eating other than just "being picky".

From an uncomfortable feeding situation or an eating disorder, over pain in her mouth (teeth or so), digestive tract, tummy or other organs (kidneys or liver ...) to a foreign object (toy, plant parts or household item) your pup might have ingested without you noticing that may now be clogging its digestive system or sitting in its tummy ... there are just so many different possible causes.
If your pup is only taking treats and as even the most yummy foods a dog knows that may as well indicate that it is really hungry, but can only process tiny pieces right now.
Not to scare you, but some of the conditions causing picky eating to that extend can be or become life-threatening!

Only a thorough talk to a vet about the situation, the foods you've tried and your pup's behavior along with a thorough exam and maybe even an x-ray asap will give you more clarity.

This is obviously not just a "one-day" thing.
If this were my pup and it would not eat for four days in a row, I would have seen the vet already.

philsergeant

Agree with all above. Off to a good vet ( if you can find such a thing) ASAP. Just because she is crazy about the smell of your cooking doesn't mean she can't manage to eat it for physical reasons. Bullies are stubborn but not stupid.

Candy

She eats big treats they are like 3 inch long 1 inch wide she chews her bull stick she eats rabbit one day but then next day she wants something different then I give her sirloin she eats it cause it's new but then next day she won't eat it and same thing with chicken and duck
How could a puppy be sick if she eats big treats eats her food when is new and she has bowels movements
She is 8 months she weighs 52 pounds
I called my vet but he is busy right now he will call me back

philsergeant

Perhaps you threw us all by starting out saying that she hasn't eaten for 4 days.... Seems she IS eating and on that basis our approach would be different obviously. I'd still get the vet to check her over, once you are sure she's in good health then I'd stop all the treats, get her on a non-exotic but good food basis.. A good kibble plus some wet food can or cooked chicken or pork and STAY on the same thing until she learns she is getting no variety or treats in life, just good solid food..She must have eaten like crazy to get to 52lbs in 8 months. Once she gets accustomed to eating " boring" food and downs it every time... Then you can slowly vary to input to see what suits her condition best, not necessarily her desires best. Are you feeding her twice a day?, is she drinking lots of water?

Djammy

@philsergeant
Exactly on the same page with everything you say.

I definitely got scared by the info "no eating for four days".
Candy, your reply surely paints kind of a different picture now.

It's a common problem with "remote advice". It's hard to grasp the big picture when one does not actually see the dog and the entire situation.

I still would get the little one checked by a vet, just in case.

And if the vet does not find anything, go the route as Phil suggested.

DoylerandDave

We currently have Dave on wainwright's grain free turkey dry food for puppies, but so far he doesn't seem too interested in it. Says on the packaging that he should have roughly 500 - 600grams per day so I have been giving him 150g 4 times a day since we took him home on Friday night. I don't think he has eaten more than 40 or 50 g at any mealtime. The breeder had him on a raw diet that came pre packed in containers which he gave us one of to take home. We gradually mixed less and less in with his dry food to get him onto it but he just doesn't seem to want to eat much. He will eat if I put them in my hand or pour a few on the floor though, is it ok to do this? I'm just trying anything to get him to eat as much as possible, sometimes I drop one piece in front of him and when he eats it I drop another until he is standing at the bowl, then he might eat for a min or two then head back to his crate or toys.
Also, is it cool to give him cooked chicken and pieces of fruit for treats if I plan on feeding dry food?

erikashea

Bianca seems to be going thru this strange eating phase. She is also 8 months.she acts very strange with her food all of a sudden,morning especially. She tries to turn her bowl over and cover it up with a sock or her blanket. She won't eat it out of her bowl. If we just leave it there after she tries to cover it up she will just lay in front of it and stare at it. If we start to walk over she acts almost frantic like we shouldn't get too close at first. She isn't agressive at all just seems nervous about it. She will eat a bit if we put some cooked chicken or beef in or if we hand feed but won't eat it after she's eaten the real meat out unless we hand feed. We think she might be in heat, would that bring on this sudden weirdness?

philsergeant

I'd first check and see if one of the components to her meal has "changed"... We have found various things over the years that convince us that dogs can tell from a mile away if something is wrong (as opposed to humans who would just eat)... You can't rely on consistency in any food, least of all dog food. Once a container of kibble got slightly, I mean slightly, damp and grew moldy. Salmon Oil, although kept in the fridge, went off. A brand new pack of raw lamb patties that looked and smelled perfect to us, they both ate the food all around the patty and wouldn't touch it... we took it back.  If it's not one of the regular ingredients it could be just "strange" Bullie behaviour, for which there is often little explanation.

erikashea

Thanks phil, hopefully it will just pass in time. In the meantime the little princess is being hand fed. She's seems to be more comfortable if we start with it in our hands and sit next to her while she finishes. Whatever works i suppose!

philsergeant

Yes, but she could get used to that... per example, my dogs can easily jump up into the back of my car, but, because when they were young they couldn't manage it, I used to give them a lift... now they will not jump up without that help... (breaks my back now that they are 75lbs!!!)

erikashea

Oh my goodness they are waaaaaaay too GORGEOUS!! That is the worry that she will get used to it. Really hoping it is just a weird thing and will pass soon