My (F) German Shepard is being picky eater lately,I was feeding her a top grade dog food?

Question

Now she won't eat that she will put her nose up to it,called her vet and he says try another brand with a little wet,BUT to go slowly with the new brand a little at a time with the old,that was all well and good until recently when she has decided that it was time for a new change,it get to the point she lost a lot of weight and she was not eating,she has had all her shots she is a year old and very hyper not spayed as of yet,(i'm planning on one litter with her since she has amazing blood lines)I bought her from a excelant breeder.wHO BREED FOR QUALITY PUPS AND TEMPERMENTS,tHESES ARE SHOW DOGS.Has anyone gone through anything like this with there dogs or any animal that they may have?Please help has of right now the vet is saying to watch her he sees nothing wrong with her she may be just a picky eater.

Answer 1

Well, it's always a good idea to slowly change dog foods. As your vet said, start with a mixture of maybe 20% new food, 80% old food and slowly move it up as your dog responds until she's only eating the new food.

I currently own a 4 year old female shepherd that was a terribly picky eater and it used to stress me to the max. She turned her nose up at everything I gave her. So, I started buying canned dog food (soft with lots of meat chunks) and putting 1/2 a can in with her dry dog food and mixing it well. That got her eating, but it also became terribly expensive. That's when I realized (with the help of my vet) that a dog will not starve itself. I am the master, not her, and if I'm feeding her quality nutritional food she has no reason not eat it. So, my dog went a few days (maybe 2) with a full dish of dog food and when she realized that's all she's getting she started eating. Shepherds are incredibly intelligent and if they think that they can get what they want from you, they'll work you to the bone. Be firm, feed her quality dog food, and remember that she is not going to starve herself. Contact me when she has a litter, if your prices aren't outrageous I'll be interested in a male pup. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

If your Shepherd isn't eating and is losing weight your vet should run some tests to make sure there isn't something wrong with her. If he/she didn't and is telling you just to keep an eye on her then I would concider a second opinion from another vet. Talk to your breeder and see if anything like that has run in her lines. If your vet did run tests and found nothing wrong with her, go along with his/her advice, but if nothing gets better either go back for a follow up or again find a second opinion... Maybe think about going to the vet that sees her dam and sire, they may know a little more about the bloodlines if they've seen members of her "family". Best of luck to you and your shepherd.

Also if she's being picky.. Try giving her small amounts of boiled white rice and chicken... For the first couple days feed her only that then slowly start to mix in her regular food... You can add a bit of warm water to the dry food and mix it around to see if that will stimulate her some as well... Just be careful not to keep her on the chicken and rice for too long, she may get too used to having it as her main diet.

Answer 3

Maybe something here will help with the food. Our pets need quality pet food. Read the ingredients list and learn what the stuff on there is and what it does (or does not do) to/for our pets. A quick pet food 101. If the pet food contains corn/corn products or by products it is a poor quality food. Do not pay attention to advertising, they all say there food is great. Corn is a filler that can trigger skin problems. (allergies, skin problems, itching and excessive shedding) By products is anything from an animal not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue. Quality foods have meat as the first ingredient. California Natural, Solid Gold, Innova and Merrick are a few of the best brands available. If you want to learn more check out: http://www.sagekeep.com/petfood.htm www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359&more=1 http://animalark.eapps.com/animal/PetFoods.nsf/$$PetFoodsByRating?OpenForm

Also, I have to ask, is coming from a good bloodline REALLY a good reason to contribute to pet overpopulation? Why can't you just enjoy your dog?
Why do you want to beed a dog?

Are you not aware that there are 15 dogs born for every one human? http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.cause&cgid=1&rgid=2&stid=10

Are you not aware that there are millions of dogs killed every year because of not enough homes? http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost/voices/voi.valdyke.animal.html

Are you not aware that only 1 dog in 10 gets a permanent home? www.safehavenforcats.com/main.htm

Are you not aware that one female and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in just six years? http://www.metroplexanimalcoalition.com/SpayNeuter/didyouknow.html

That coupled with the health benefits of spay/neuter WHY would you breed your dog? www.sniksnak.com/benefits.html

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/myths_and_facts_about_spaying_and_neutering.html

Answer 4

We had a Lab that used to request a food change every few months like this... he would stop eating dog food (yet begged for table scraps and treats) and lost a little bit of weight. We made a switch back to the original (and best) food he started with, and simply put our foot down. Nothing was wrong with him -- he was just picky! Once again, he refused to eat the dog food. It was hard, but we put our foot down and would not change to a different food. After a day or two, he finally got hungry enough and began eating. We never had to switch foods again. I know it might be a little harsh, but this worked great. It's just like my mom used to tell me when I was a picky eater: when you get hungry enough, you'll eat it.

Answer 5

If you have taken her to the vet and he did a complete physical with blood tests, I would listen to the vet. Secondly, what type of food are you giving her, since she is a puppy, are you feeding her puppy food or adult food. She may not eat the adult food because it could make her sick. I own two champion Siberian Huskies and they are fed Eukanuba, but right now, since they are still young they still get the puppy food. You don't say how old your shepard is but if she is under two or three years old, she is still a puppy, even though she may look full grown.
As for the breeding, both my huskies, one male, one female, have been fixed. They were obtained as family members, not pets or a money machine, and believe me, I have had plenty of offers for breeding since I first got them and have turned down all.

Answer 6

My dogs aren't eating because of the heat this summer. They're just picking at their food and drinking more water. In cooler weather, they eat regularly. As long as they stay active- barking at the mailman and keeping their regular routines, I don't push them to eat when it's summertime. She'll eat when she's hungry.

I would ask you to rethink breeding your dog, no matter what her bloodlines. I have a purebred Aussie Shepherd that I found in the dog pound and have been told he's a beautiful guy and a great example of the breed but since he's my companion, I had him neutered. There are so many dogs who need homes- ones from amazing bloodlines and ones who are just amazing.

Answer 7

California Naturals, Innova, Evo, Taste of the Wild, Wellness, Canidae, Blue Buffalo, Merrick, Orijen, Natural balance, and Diamond Naturals and that is only a few Stay away from: anything by Purina, Pedigree, Ol roy, Kibbles n bits, beneful (made by purina), anything you can get at Wal mart, Target, you grocery store such as Kroger, Publix, the list goes on....Those foods have had a lot of recalls and caused issues with many dogs including mine

Answer 8

Yeah, I have german shepard dog right now. Your dog that because she is bored with the same food all the time. Maybe you can spice her food a lil bit. Like adding some white rice, or boiled chicken or pasta with the dog food. Also you can add lil breadcrumps in the food. Or you can feed her with boiled chicken with rice without the dog food for a while. like a week. Then you start adding few pieces of dog food in the chicken and rice. All these things helps. Trust me, I been raising german shepard all my life, this dog is my 4th german shepard dog i ever own and I miss my other german shepard. try this out and see if this works. thanks!

Answer 9

have some blood tests done.
my rabbit would not eat when i had her i tested her on different foods and have found a type that she will eat.
she was skinny when i got her a gave her pellets and she refused to eat and lost weight, now she is on a mix and is eating OK.

do you have homes for the pups yet as it is best to have homes waiting before breeding (breeders often do this) as you wouldn't want them to end up in a shelter or with an impulsive owner who will get board with it and just leave it out side and never give it attention.

Answer 10

I feed my AKC dogs Purina Beneful. There haven't been any problems with it at all. Some of the others cause vomit, but this seems to keep the dogs healthy and interested in eating.