I have a rising 7 year old entire male Labrador. I have had him since he was 8 months old & am his third owner. All I know about him before I had him was that he had been badly treated as a puppy & was then kept in a tiny galley kitchen in a flat by his second owner. He was incredibly nervous & frightened of everything. He remains entire as, without the testosterone, he would be a quaking mess. When he came to me, he was fed tinned dog food, but wasn't very happy about it! Since then I have tried everything from completes to raw to home cooked roast dinners to the cheapest of the cheap & to the most expensive. Nothing, but nothing, takes his fancy for longer than 5 minutes. He has a bowl of complete down all the time on which he grazes during the day, but doesn't eat much of. He is offered meat of one sort or another at tea time, but more often than not turns his nose up at it. I have more stocks of different types & brands of dog food than you can shake a stick at so that I can, at the very least, try & keep one step ahead of him. At my vets he is recorded as being 'anorexic'. Can anyone please offer any advice whatsoever?
Hi Christine, welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your story, it's so uplifting to hear about dogs who found a forever home after a rough start in life Your dog's eating troubles aren't something I have much direct experience of, but I'm sure someone will be along shortly who has. It sounds like he has a bit of worried relationship with eating, and perhaps it's not the menu which bothers him, but going to eat? Have you tried hand feeding him? Also, does he enjoy playing with toys? My whippet isn't much of a foodie, and sometimes regards eating out of a bowl as not really worth the effort. But put the same food in a puzzle toy, and somehow he ends up eating it with out thinking about it, whilst solving the toy. I'm not sure if those ideas are helpful or a bit wide of the mark!
Hi Christine, It could be that his previous owners would put his food down and then shut him in the room and leave him alone, using it to trick him. I agree with Sarah to try hand feeding him or sitting in front of him scattering a few bits on the floor at a time. Hopefully he will see that you aren't going to leave and enjoy it as a bonding time. Even try little scent games hiding some under toys etc for him to find.
A kong wobble feeder can be a lot of fun for a lab. I put his food in a bowl but also hand feed him his raw meaty bones at times. He seems to like it better when I hand it to him. Perhaps hand feed him while training and playing so he associates it with fun vs whatever he endured before.
Hi, my brother is a vet, I talked to him a bit about your case. The causes of loss of appetite can be various, but only certain diseases lead to anorexia. Anorexia in a dog occurs if he has cancer or any disease of the digestive tract, which includes a problem with the pancreas or liver. This condition often occurs when a dog has periodontitis or high temperature, which the owner neglects. Pain in a dog also often causes a sudden loss of appetite, and anorexia is caused by various parasites as well as anemia. Anorexia also occurs due to a psychological problem, such as stress or changes in routine, as well as changes in the environment. Tip, do additional tests to find out the cause of anorexia. Without it, you can only guess. Good luck
Thank you for the welcome to the group & for all your words of encouragement. I have tried so many things with my boy over the last 6 years that I have forgotten most of them! I just go round in circles with it all! I do hand feed him - when he wants to oblige! He is with me 24/7 as he suffers with separation anxiety. He prefers to eat from the floor rather than from a bowl. Have tried different types of bowl - plastic (which he destroys), china, metal etc.. He loves his toys - have tried the Kong Wobbler - ignored the food & destroyed the Wobbler! When he does eat his dinner, he is rewarded with the treat of something that he does love - dried lung! He was operated on 5 years ago - am now wondering if there may be some residual pain or maybe arthritis - will check this out. Thank you all for your thoughts - so very much appreciated.
