Here's my situation So I rescued Max from a couple that was relocating which I met via craigslist. I always communicated with them via the craigslist issued email and now the listing is dead and the email is no longer active. The previous owner had promised to email me the brand of the food he was fed as she give me a nice size bucket but it was in a kitty litter box (for storage). Being I didn't hear from her I purchased some BLUE Wilderness Salmon Recipe as I read some solid reviews on this kibble type for labs. In the beginning he's eat the whole bowl in 10 seconds flat as I was mixing it with his old food but now that the old food is done i'm giving him 100% BLUE Wilderness Salmon Recipe and he lets it sit all day long. I'm forced to sometimes mix in peanut butter from his Kong toy into the food to make it more appealing in which at that point he occasionally eats it. What are your thoughts?
Assuming that that's a recent picture of him on your avatar, he doesn't look overfed, so it's probably not because he's just not hungry. I'd get a couple of other small bags of different brands and try them. It could just be he doesn't like it. Sometimes, a bag of food will also go bad and dogs won't eat it. It could be this, so you could try a new bag of the same stuff. If he still won't eat with enthusiasm, I'd get him to the vet for a check-up.
As an update I was able to track the previous owner via the veterinary paper I was given and sourced the food type he was accustomed to. I'll grab some after work and hopefully that will resolve the issue.
He's only eating once a day as of late even with the new food. Before I'd serve it and he'd scarf it down in seconds. Yesterday I did see something concerning in his poop. I found a quarter size red piece of his Kong toy. He had chewed it in half and I had thrown it away as I saw bits where coming apart. I guess he had swallowed some pieces. The kong toy did look pretty complete when I threw it away so not sure if he has any further pieces inside him. I'm wondering if I should take him in to get looked at.
If he is pooping ok and the piece you saw was only the size of quarter (you mean the coin, right? NOt a quarter of the kong?) then, yes, you will feel better by visiting the Vet and finding out for sure. Honestly though, if it was me I wouldn't Vet for that. He is not blocked as long as whole poops are exiting all right. You might find some other reason for his lack of appetite and it's always good to Vet a dog when you first obtain one, just to establish a health record. Did you do that? How long have you had Max, maybe he is still settling in? Hot, humid weather might also be playing a part in decreasing appetite.
I had the same issue with Stryker not wanting to eat. Vet told me this is normal after switching foods and that young dogs really only eat for energy and that he may be getting all the nutrients his body needs. She suggested I play with him longer after the last feeding to help determine if that's the issue or not. I switched to Natures Instinct Raw Boost. Now after his last meal, he plays until he decides it's sleepy time. I was feeding him Blue wilderness for puppies. He is back to eating twice a day but doesn't eat in the morning until after his first poo and a little bit of play time.
He definitely is pooping ok, and yes that piece I saw was the size of a quarter (the coin). I checked out his poop yesterday and didn't see any further pieces. Yesterday I served him food in the AM and when I got home from work it was still there. I played with him outside for a bit and after coming back in he ate it all little by little. This will be my third week with him and when he was given to me I was provided paper work from a veterinarian check he had in May of this year, here are the line items on the invoice: - Exam / Consultation - Rabies 1yr Vaccine - DA2P-Pv 1yr 4L 3wk Vaccine < not sure what that is - Influenza H3N8 Vx K9 3wk - Fecal Test
