For three weeks running Harley has lost her appetite following puppy class. She does get treats at puppy class and she gets very excited but I can't understand why it would cause her to lose her appetite for up to 36 hours afterwards. We have taken her to the vet and he puts it down to teething. And I support that but we are now soaking her food and she eats all her meals soaked. And she eats everything. Her stools are normal, except during the time when she doesn't eat because she doesn't poo much. She seems fine, maybe a little extra sleepy after class, this week was hot again, but otherwise herself. So I don't know what to do...but it doesn't strike me as normal that she doesn't want to eat.
Hmm, that is strange. A few things I would be asking: Do you use different treats at puppy class to at home? Where is puppy class - could she be eating something there? Are there any other occasions that she has the same level of exercise and stimulation as puppy class? Ella has felt 'under the weather' a couple of times and has been off her food without having abnormal poos so I guess my questions are trying to determine if there is anything that could be causing stomach upset or over exertion/tiredness/soreness at puppy class.
Thanks Emily, We watch her like a hawk at puppy class so she doesn't eat anything other than her treats, and unfortunately other puppy's treats that are dropped on the floor. She does get higher value treats at puppy class but not much, volume wise, and we feed her half a portion breakfast on the morning of class. My worry is that she is in pain from over exertion and isn't showing it overtly. She isn't limping or anything, she is just a little off and has the loss of appetite. She does get very hot, so I was wondering if adding electrolytes to her water may help? So at the moment it is a combination of factors, not the least is that she is teething actively and she is more excited and does more at puppy class than she does when she walks with us or plays, because we break up the play throughout the evening and the morning.
We went into the vet just to have her given a once over and again they can't find anything the matter. And of course she was bright and sparkly. So we are going to continue wetting her food and observe.
I had the same experience with Dixie around 6 months old. She absolutely refused to look at her food and would only pick at it after a whole days worth of exercise and training (zero treats). I had the vet check her out, to which she said nothing was wrong and she was perfectly healthy. I'm not sure if you're willing to change her diet, but I switched my dogs to home cooked food like chicken/turkey with vegetables and some rice to keep their stomachs settled. I've had Dixie on that for nearly 6 months, and she still gets so excited when she sees her food coming. I can't think of any underlying problems if your vet said she's fine. My only thought could be that she just doesn't like her current food. Or that the treats she's getting at puppy class are upsetting her stomach.
Dehydrated sausage, normal sausage, steamed chicken, and a different brand of kibble that she has in her stuffed kongs etc.
