Can anyone recommend some food that my 2 1/2 year old Bullmastiff bitch (Ellie)might eat. I think she may be 4 weeks pregnant and has gone completely off food. She constantly follows me into the kitchen snuffling for food but as soon as I put something in her dish she has a sniff at it and walks off. I have tried everything it seems, to no avail.
My friend calls round every day and Ellie sits by the door when she's about to leave waiting for a few Burns biscuits out of her pocket. Of course when we tried these in Ellie's dish she didn't want to know.
I'd be very grateful if anyone has any ideas.
Jan

some dogs do go off their food half way through pregnancy when something is wrong .
I am afraid to suggest anything lest this is the case . Please go to vet and see all is well
If all is well and she is just feeling sorry for herself hand feed her some balls of raw mince meat with herbs in them and try your dinner leftovers as well .
. When Alice went off her food [bulmastiff] half way through her pregnancy it was because she had reabsorbed the litter
I am only telling you what happened to my bitch , I am not even suggesting this is what is wrong with yours .
However if she is pregnant then she must have nourishment for her puppies .
Iam sorry I cant give you more positive advice .
Mari

Do you "think" she is in whelp because you have actually purposefully had her mated, or because you think there has been an "accident"? if the former, why not ask the vet to feel or do a scan, then you can do the right thing for your carefully bred litter, including giving her [$ them the correct nutrtion. If the latter] well, good luck!

Just a thought but as she still seems to be looking for food but won't eat it from her dish, change the dish for an old plate of yours and try that? I know it's a long shot. I have a really fussy eater in my house but at least he's not in whelp!
LynnT

when my bitchs go off their food during pregnancy ( they often do) I have learned the trick of tipping the food out by the side of the bowl (on the floor). Don't know why this works but it always seems to help fussy eaters.
Also I try tinned puppy food. My 7 week pregnant Bull Terrier bitch is starting to be fussy now and I have just started to feed her pedigree chum puppy food as an extra to her normal diet.
I had one bitch who refused nearly all food for the last 2 weeks of her pregnancy, she lived on a diet of sliced chicken breast and oranges. She had me worried sick with not eating but went on to produce 10 puppies.

My Neardie Braid wasn't a great eater and I often found putting a few bits of his food on the floor helped, his half sister came to stay overnight and wouldn't eat so I put a few bits on the floor and away she went. Wonder why it does work?
Anne

Cava it is the nature thing they found it and it is theirs .So in case anyone takes it they eat it . Well thats what I was told many years ago. I had forgotten all about that . . Another way for a dog obsessed with food and gulping it down is to scatter it all over the place so she /he has no choice only to slow down and look for it .

Thanks everyone for your responses. I'll try them all. I must admit Ellie does seem to prefer food if she thinks it's ours and she's pinched it! She doesn't seem to like biscuits in her food , so I'll try meat and chicken without any mixer - will that be too much protein?
Sam, I have purposefully bred her this season, but the first scan did not show any puppies, we've to go back in a week for another when she should be 5 weeks - I've got my fingers crossed. This is my first time breeding and although I've read loads of books and done lots of research Ellie obviously hasn't been reading the same ones.