Trying to put weight on my pup - Page 3

The tough guy "remove food after two hour approach" does not always work. Some GSDs will eventually not eat enough and suffer. The food must have enough taste for some GSDs to do well.

My finicky eater stopped being so in general after her has the constant compansionship of her daugther.


Currently, both girls are having poor appettite may be due to the hot weather.

I have a trick, for me, that works to overcome this problem: the dogs innate fear of losing out to competition for food. This MAY NOT work for you if you have only one dog or if your dogs are too dog-aggressive.
 
First I leave food for each dogs private run for two hours. They usually pick on it at least, may be eat a third of it.  Then I place the two bowls and the two dogs in the same run.  They often start to eat soon after or each morning the bowls are empty. 

I never put two bowls of food and two GSDs in the some run until each has shown lack of appettite; all GSD's are dog-aggressive to some degree after food. I never leave only one bowl of food out.

I also time the amount of two bowls added together so that no one dog can eat too much to risk bloat.

Not 
 "remove food after two hour approach"
but after 2 minutes.
All of my dogs learned to eat this way.

   b

"All of my dogs learned to eat this way."

Some won't and will suffer.

I think there is a very good chance that this reluctance to eat well is due to being alone too much.

If you have the chance, you can borrow or foster care  a small tame companion dog for a while to see if this is the reason.

My older chow went into a non eating phase and had me quite worried.  The shepherd has EPI so I am careful about what they are fed.  When the taste of the wild recall happened I started to cook doggie stews in the crock pot.  I bought some beef liver, chicken livers and what ever else is on sale on Suncay night. I throw everything into the crock pot with chicken broth and carrots and sweet potato and cook all day.  By the time it is finished they both are turning inside out to get at it. 

If all else fails, try some home cookin'

This isn't rocket science for god sake.........and with all due respect as well- I have had the issue......So i do speak with experience. 

Personally, I think a GSD would eat a rock if they were hungry enough.  For that matter any dog would..............  As far as flavor HighDesert - not sure why you would comment on this - I feed a quality kibble  and  doctoring it to make it taste good to your liking is still a human concept.... and frankly seems a concept of still pampering the little fu fu dog.....and not using the simple method of putting the feed down - if not eaten in 5 minutes - pick it up and feed later.....

I am with the other poster - Nine days?  come on.. where did this timeframe come from anyway?.....you  need to take the dog to the vet - that isn't normal.... there is something medically wrong..  

What if the dog was a stray - the basic survival instinct is for the dog to find food  (to survive!!)- after nine days yes a dog would shut down - but frankly I think the dog would eat in 3 days - he would scarf it down and not say that it wasn't flavored to his liking................ he might even appreciate it in the future to know that if he doesn't eat it quickly - that he looses out on his meal.  But that is a human concept too - but that concept I believe.....

Yogie

"Personally, I think a GSD would eat a rock if they were hungry enough."

I tend to disagree.

Also, some will eat just a little food, not enough to be healthy.

Some will eat half ration half the time, just not enough, always a struggle.

I started out firm and heartless, took the food away after 20 minutes, but after several days of half ration or less, I felt I had to do something.

She like some chicken necks , skins, and thigh mixed in, so I gave in. She managed marginally well for a long time. I left food for her overnight and most of the time the bowl became empty in the morning. So every morning it was a nervous moment to check the bowl.

She then went into heat and her appetite increased markedly.   Ever since she has the companionship of her daugther, she is no longer finicky, except for the past few days when the weather is very hot.

Some GSDs are really moody, IME.

The daughter is much more eager to feed, much less moody when it comes to food.

I'm going to throw a wild theory up here...

Hormones control whether we feel hungry or not, and genetics control hormones.  What if the OP's dog has a severe hormone imbalance, (caused by genetics, especially considering they know other dogs in the "family" with the same problem,) that is causing it to starve itself? 
We know that there is hyperphagia in humans (an uncontrollable desire to eat, constant feeling of hunger)  There is also hypophagia, which is less known about. 

Here is a study done on rodents that had medically induced hypophagia, the study showed that the rodents essentially starved themselves to death. 
http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/4/700.abstract

My guess is that in the OP's case, her dog has a genetic condition that is stunting the output or communications of the hormones that control feelings of hunger and fullness.  

It is possible to turn genes on and off in a living being, as well as treat hormone imbalances. 
Macrowe1, perhaps you can find a doctor or scientist that specializes in the hunger hormones who may be able to do experimental treatment for your dog? 

 

Oh don't talk about eating rocks, please. It is hell on the canines, teeth that is. 

Interesting about the "hunger" response. Or lack of one. Worth exploring. I think I know a person with that hyperphagia, thanks, I knew there had to be a name for it!

I'd try to feed them in the same room, but I think that my older girl will scarf down her food and the pup's. I'm going to try seperately in the kitchen. She's not alone too much. She eats more when she's alone than when she's not. I have another dog, she's with me when I go to work, it's not that she's alone too much. I'm going to try to pull up the food, and go from there. Maybe that'll help the situation.