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Are DDB's fussy eaters or do I have a problem?

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere but I'm looking for some advice from more experience owners.

We have two 11mth old rescue DDB's that we've had for about 4 months. They are happy dogs but over the last month or so they have stopped eating properly.

When we first had them they would be eager for food. 7:30am and they were waiting for breakfast and the same at dinner time. They are both on a RAW diet and seemed to be thriving on it. Recently however, the male especially simply refuses to eat. He will sniff his food and give it a few licks but not really eat it. I figured he wasn't hungry but this has now become the norm. The female tends to be better and eats pretty well.

I have tried changing the food in case they are bored of something, reducing the portion sizes, feeding in different locations and times, changing from fish oil to flax oil to no avail. They are getting the very best organic raw food but they just don't seem interested anymore.

The male is fit and healthy and in good condition. He weighs around 55kg at the moment. The female as some health issues - a bad case of recurring mange, a secondary infection and just today what looks like growth pains in her right front leg. See is about 45kg. Both dogs were abused and had a pretty shit start to their lives but we're trying to give them the best possible life now. I am concerned that without enough food they will have problems later in life.

Should I be worried or is it just a breed thing or an age related thing?
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Hmmm... I don't know of many dogs that pass up raw meat.... unless it's enhanced or something else is 'off' with the food.

Have you washed their bowls? Tried just feeding outside on the ground?

Maybe fast them for a day and take them for a good long walk before their next meal?

I also haven't heard of growth pains while on raw (but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen)... are you going by the whole prey model? 80/10/5/5 (meat/bone/liver/organ)?

How are their poops? Too much bone might make them constipated and uninterested in more food...?

Any chance they both got into something that has upset and/or blocked the system?

What are their portion sizes now? If they've been getting big portions, maybe they're just 'taking a break'?
For Denna, we're down to 1.8% of her expected adult weight (but she's a mid/low energy EM)...

I've heard a number of dogs self-select to just eat one meal a day at about that age, but have not experienced that myself... not eating at all does not seem natural, though.
 

NeSaxena

Well-Known Member
I love your posts, Tina! I agree with the taking a break part, but I'd assume they'd eat at least one meal. If you can clarify what you're feeding them, maybe we could help further.

Boone did get growth pains (about a month ago - Boone limping thread) while on raw. Thought I'd confirm it is a possibility :)
 

Atlas_Mama

Well-Known Member
My breeder told me that DDB's are notoriously picky eaters. And with Atlas I find this to be dead on. and frustrating at times...
 

BeauxJaxson

Well-Known Member
I have a DDB , he is about 18 months now, he goes on hunger strikes and fast's like its Ramadan !!!! I would agree they can be picky/stubborn eaters
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Thanks NeSaxena! I try!! :)

Well, good thing I prefaced my post with the fact that we have an EM... she's definitely NOT picky. :)

How long will a DDB hold out for something "better" than what's served up? Do you just let them fast themselves?
Or do you supplement with "treats" during the day so they're getting something? (we use regular kibble for treats around here, or a freeze-dried/dehydrated whole food, so not just a 'sugar cookie').

Our last dog (Dane/lab mix) was not excited about his food (high quality kibble... same version day in/day out all his life)... but, he'd eventually get hungry enough. We didn't worry about it. When he was boarding and getting lots of exercise (it included daycare time), he would still skip meals. The staff there would try EVERYTHING to get him to eat (gravy and toppers), but he just didn't care. Too much fun to be had to eat... and then too tired at the end of the day. He always kept himself a lean 100lbs.
 

peachy

Member
peaches was very fussy been threw all most every dry foods, pedigree meats, fish, chicken, eggs but finaly has setled on the chappies vet checked meat a diffrent diet every cuple weeks
 

KimT

Well-Known Member
I got tired of trying to find a food for Indy,she's my picky one, I found a food she ate for a couple of weeks with no problem so that's what I buy and if she wants to go on a hunger strike,I guess she doesn't eat that day,she is perfectly healthy so it wont kill her if she misses a couple of meals. But I did put my foot down with everybody..if she doesn't eat her food she gets no goodies. There is nothing more pathetic than a pouting DDB face but I got tired of fighting with her.
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
Many thanks for the advice and insight.

A typical meal for our dogs would be either lamb or chicken mince (actually a mix of lamb or chicken, salmon etc that comes in cubes) plus tripe and flax or fish oil. The male would normally eat around 1.5kg to 2kg over two meals and the female about 750g to 1kg. The mince is the best quality available - free range and organic etc. They will often have chicken necks or chicken frames as well to make up the weight of food. The also have venison, possum, or wallaby mince. We've fed them whole possums and half wallaby carcasses as well to ensure they have a varied diet. They are not great fans of large bones, but we've fed them sheep and venison necks and hare shoulders with some success. Sometimes they have K9 sausages as well.

I think we are trying to feed them the best possible diet and up to a few weeks ago they seemed to doing well. Recently however male in particular has just gone off anything I offer. He will sometimes eat if you hand feed him but that is not something I want to encourage.

The male went to the vet today and he's actually lost a little bit of weight. The vet suggested a change to kibble - Hills Pet food specifically but I am really reluctant to change from raw but he needs to eat something before he starts to really loose condition. It is an important stage in his life and I don't want him to miss out on vital nutrients now.

Is he just being fussy or is there perhaps an underlying medical thing going on?
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
The food is all fresh - frozen but thawed. I wash their bowls out after each meal and they are feed using stainless steel bowls on top of buckets in the garage as its winter here. The male has not really eaten properly for quite a few days and has lost weight - about a kilo or so. I think I have the balance right in terms of meat, bone etc. Their poops are good and they don't seem constipated. I don't think they've eaten anything on the section that would have upset their stomachs though they have both been eating a bit of grass occasionally and throwing up (saliva rather than stomach contents). Only happens once a week or so.

I am not sure of portion sizes. The male is about 55kg and has been eating around 1.5-2kg per day. He had a growth spurt about a month ago and overall has grown about 15kg in 3 months.
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
Many thanks for the advice and insight.

A typical meal for our dogs would be either lamb or chicken mince (actually a mix of lamb or chicken, salmon etc that comes in cubes) plus tripe and flax or fish oil. The male would normally eat around 1.5kg to 2kg over two meals and the female about 750g to 1kg. The mince is the best quality available - free range and organic etc. They will often have chicken necks or chicken frames as well to make up the weight of food. The also have venison, possum, or wallaby mince. We've fed them whole possums and half wallaby carcasses as well to ensure they have a varied diet. They are not great fans of large bones, but we've fed them sheep and venison necks and hare shoulders with some success. Sometimes they have K9 sausages as well.

I think we are trying to feed them the best possible diet and up to a few weeks ago they seemed to doing well. Recently however male in particular has just gone off anything I offer. He will sometimes eat if you hand feed him but that is not something I want to encourage.

The male went to the vet today and he's actually lost a little bit of weight. The vet suggested a change to kibble - Hills Pet food specifically but I am really reluctant to change from raw but he needs to eat something before he starts to really loose condition. It is an important stage in his life and I don't want him to miss out on vital nutrients now.

Is he just being fussy or is there perhaps an underlying medical thing going on?
If you do decide to switch to kibble or supplement please do your research before using Hill's. Most vets push it but it is not a very good food especially for our giant breeds!
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
If you do decide to switch to kibble or supplement please do your research before using Hill's. Most vets push it but it is not a very good food especially for our giant breeds!

The vet was extolling the virtues of Hills whilst standing in front of a bunch of Hills branding. Obviously the practice is sponsored by Hills so perhaps he's not the most impartial person.

What would people recommend if we do move our guys over to kibble. There's so much online about good and bad food but its really hard to actually decide. I have huge guilt that we might move off raw but he needs to eat properly.

Orijin is supposed to be very good but we started them on that when we first got them and it didn't seem to work. I am wondering now if that was more about the dogs being stressed - rescue dogs in their new home for the first few weeks was bound to be stressful. Perhaps we try them back on that. The vet did suggest evening primrose oil as well and joint supplements, so a food with all of that already in would be great.
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
Stress could've been an issue although orijen can be too rich for some dogs. Being that you're guys are older I'd do the orijen regional red. Yea Hill's sponsors many vet programs so that's all they push unfortunately.
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
Is it OK to feed both raw and kibble - not necessarily in the same meal but perhaps breakfast of kibble and dinner of raw. Could be a good way to prevent them getting bored with one or the other. I know the stomach acid thing is an issue if feeding bones especially and kibble. Kibble leads to stomach acid that isn't strong enough to process the bones?

Apologies for bombarding forum members with real newbie questions but I am worried that our guys aren't getting the best nutrition and I want to give them the best possible life after their horrible start.
 

Smart_Family

Dog Food Guru
Feeding raw and kibble is one of those iffy things. I'm not a huge fan but if you're going to do it I'd do breakfast of one and dinner of the either, preferably as far apart as possible.
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
A possibility is he may have swallowed an object and it is blocking the intestine,

He is drinking normally, doesn't seem under the weather or unhappy, plays with his sister as normal and poos are normal. It was one of the things I was worried about but it seems unlikely. Also you can palpate his belly and he shows no discomfort so I don't think he has an obstructed GI tract.
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
Feeding raw and kibble is one of those iffy things. I'm not a huge fan but if you're going to do it I'd do breakfast of one and dinner of the either, preferably as far apart as possible.

Tried them on a little bit of Hills kibble for breakfast and they literally spat it out!

At the moment the male is eating small amounts of freshly roasted chicken. However its not nearly enough for him so he's off to the holistic vet later this week to get checked out. If she can't find out what the issue is, then he's off to the conventional vet for blood work and scans.
 

thedigitalkiwi

Active Member
I actually now think he is ill. I've noticed he's drinking a bit more than normal the last few days and he's just thrown up the roast chicken I managed to get him to eat for his breakfast. Off to the vets for him I think.