Puppy not eating

[IvyW]

Hi HA community,

Leo my 6 month goldendoodle has not been eating the past several days. I usually feed him either raw beef from the butcher or Bones & Co. raw frozen food.

I always feed him in his crate, and he usually eats with zeal.

At first I thought the Bones & Co food was maybe not fresh, but he won't eat the really fresh raw beef either.

He WILL eat if I feed it to him by hand, in small bites. Very interesting. Could this be a call for attention I wonder?

His bowel movements have been variable lately, some loose, and some constipation I noticed. Today he had one relatively normal BM it seemed.

I have just fed him some pumpkin (by hand) in case he's having tummy issues.

His BEAM is otherwise high, very active and good natured. We go out for a significant exercise 3x/day as a routine. He is crate trained and spends significant stretches of time in his crate. No other changes in behavior, and no new stressors.

Thanks for your help!
Ivy

 

[Dr. Christina]

Good reporting, Ivy.
Usually goldendoodles have a great appetite.

Have you offered him all sorts of different foods - egg, cheese, treats, veges? Is he drinking? Will he drink soup/broth?

Their hearing and senses are so much stronger than ours that something could be bothering him. It was just a full moon, too. YOu may want to note that in his journal.

Is it a new thing for his stools to be variable?

Is he a patient of a holistic vet? Though you do not need to call yet, it is important to have one. Go to holisticactions.com/select, read the whole article then go to all the web sites. Remember that homeopathic and some other holistic vets work virtually.

Also work on your own thoughts, and banish worry to one time a day to decide on next steps. Spend the rest of the time enjoying him and having fun. Laugh together. Maybe decrease exercise and replace it with some trick training.

Dr. Christina

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Ivy!

I'm sorry to hear about Leo's diminished appetite.

Did he have any vaccinations, or other vet treatments, in the past few weeks?

What brings him the most joy in life?

Perhaps focus on doing that every 2 hours for the next few days.

And try to get him outside to "ground" as often as possible (even if he's just sitting around and sniffing the air).

Frequent micro-engagements doing what he loves is key to restoring his appetite and inner balance.

 

[IvyW]

Thank you Dr Christina and Dr Jeff, for all the great guidance.

No recent vet treatments. His stools are usually somewhat variable, but not this much.

Leo ate his dinner last night and his breakfast this morning! I think he was having some digestive issues... and the pumpkin seemed to help. Really loose BM this morning. Going to keep watching it.

We had a really fun play session this morning playing fetch with his toys outside.

Ivy

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes! GI upset can definitely put him off his food.

To help normalize his stools and microbiome, consider a species-appropriate probiotic like the Wolf and/or Fido's Flora from Adored Beast:

Pre & Probiotics

Pre & probiotics are an essential part of a healthy supplement regimen. Probiotics encourage the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut, helping to crowd out harmful, disease causing bacteria. And prebiotics feed probiotics, allowing them to thrive! To keep your animal healthy, you want to help...

adoredbeast.com

 

[IvyW]

Hi Docs,

Leo didn't eat lunch or dinner today. Today is the first day of switched food (from butcher beef to thawed Bones n Co). I have rotated his food between these two kinds for a while now.

Today he had a lot of stressors, a bath after swimming in the ocean for the first time (he doesn't like baths), and then experiencing fireworks in the evening (he got really scared).

I always feed him in his crate, in order to build a positive association. He's basically fully crate trained at this point. When he's being picky, I notice that sometimes he's more likely to eat if I feed him when he's out of the crate or hand-feed him snacks...

However I don't want him to begin to expect special snacks or attention any time he's being picky and won't eat in his crate. Do you think I should wait it out, and continue to offer him the same food at the same times of day inside his crate? Or do you think I should experiment with feeding him outside of the crate? His main meals are always the same food (butcher beef or bones n co) and I regularly feed him snacks (cucumber, sweet potato, etc).

Thank you!
Ivy

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey. Ivy!

There's lots going on Leo's world!

How does he like swimming, and the ocean?

How was his BEAM, in general, yesterday?

Do you think I should wait it out,

That depends on his BEAM and whether he might be trying to tell you that he doesn't feel well.

and continue to offer him the same food at the same times of day inside his crate? Or do you think I should experiment with feeding him outside of the crate?

Do you close the door of his crate when he eats? If you do, perhaps try keeping it open and/or putting the food bowl down near the entrance of the crate.

He may be trying to tell you that he no longer wants to be fed in his crate.

It would also be a great time for you to start exploring adding a vet homeopath to his health care team.

Please Read Before Proceeding – The Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy

theavh.org