As if she dun like food
2006-12-05 08:01:02 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
How old is she? My Golden picked at his food until he hit 5 months. He still doesn't eat a ton. They will regulate and as long as you are feeding a healthy diet (if you can afford it, stay away from anything you can buy at Wal Mart, it's generally full of fat and undigestable fillers) and the dog is healthy I wouldn't worry about it. If she is severely underweight (you can count ribs easily) or you are really worried about it, try sprinkling a little parmesan cheese on top of it, or (my dog's favorite) mixing the food with yogurt. The yogurt is also very good for dogs as it contains healthy bacteria that will aid in digestion. If I don't have anything else, sometimes as a treat I will put a little bit of goldfish in my dog's food, and they eat everything because they won't pick out the goldfish. I wouldn't recommend this on a regular basis as goldfish is essentially junkfood. The goal is to get the dogs to eat the food without having to mix it with anything. I only mix now as a treat occasionally, or if they are sick and I really want them to eat.
I wouldn't mix the food with anything big as they will pick around the food. You can also try boiled meat (beef, turkey, chicken, etc) or broth mixed with the food. (If she's a very young puppy, the broth will make the hard food softer and easier to eat.) Make sure it's not too hot when you give it to her and be prepared to see her eat like she's never eaten before!
A couple of other notes: free feed your dog when she's sick. It's a good idea to not free feed at other times as it can help them regulate, but always have food available if they are sick. Before feeding your dog any people food that's not basic (like chicken) check online. Random things are poisonous to dogs. (Garlic and chocolate come to mind.)
Also, it is much better for a large breed dog (like Goldens) to be underweight than overweight, especially their first two years, to avoid conditions like hip dysplacia. So if your dog is not severely underweight, don't worry about it. On all large breed dogs, you should not be able to see ribs, but you should be able to see a definable waist line and feel some ribs if you press. If you can't feel ribs or don't see a waist, they are too large. If you can see ribs without pressing, they are too thin. Generally speaking, if your dog has food out and isn't eating it, it's because she doesn't need it.
Good luck!
2006-12-05 08:20:18 · answer #1 · answered by Maber 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as she's healthy, don't worry about getting her to eat more - too many dogs are overweight, and retrievers are especially prone to hip problems that are made worse by carrying around extra weight. Trust your dog's instincts to eat what she needs!
2006-12-05 16:06:05 · answer #2 · answered by woodlands127 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try getting some Nutri-CAL...it comes in a tube and is loaded with calories and vitamins. This is for dogs who aren't eating or eating very little to keep them going until they decide to eat. Turkey lunch meat works well too.
2006-12-05 16:04:30 · answer #3 · answered by Kimber 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She may not like the food you are giving her. I would contact the vet and see if you should change the foods before bringing her in to be checked.
2006-12-05 17:09:31 · answer #4 · answered by Mommy Pit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have the vet check her out to make sure there's nothing wrong.
Otherwise, some dogs, like some people, are just not big eaters.
2006-12-05 16:50:15 · answer #5 · answered by DaBasset - BYBs kill dogs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dogs can regulate there own eating, I wouldn't be to worried about it if she isn't sick. It is better to have her eating less than normal than it is to have her eating like a glutten.
2006-12-05 16:09:36 · answer #6 · answered by Mrs. Wizard 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like she is not well, and really needs to see the vet..really...Goldens, by nature are good eaters..so she is having a serious problem..
2006-12-05 16:09:15 · answer #7 · answered by Chetco 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋