Hi all.  I have an eight month old pup who is pretty much refusing to eat.  He now has no interest in his complete meal biscuits even though I change these so he has variation and he's not interested in puppy dog food.  I've taken him to the vet who has told me to be stricter with him and not to cater to his whims and that he has to learn that he either eats what is put before him or there is nothing else. However, I have tried him with small tins of tuna and salmon and he will only eat this if it is separate from his food and not mixed into it.  The vet has advised that tuna/salmon is ok but he's not getting the nutrients he needs.  I've also sprinkled cheese over his biscuits and for about two days this worked and he would eat his biscuits but he's now turning his nose up at cheese.  I'm now thinking of mixing cottage cheese into smaller amounts of biscuits to see if this works.  However, I note that I really should stick with the biscuits and he needs to learn not to be so faddy but I'm beginning to get worried.  When I bring shopping in on an evening he's interested to know what's in the bags and is there anything for him so he is hungry and not totally dis-interested.  I think he's just being faddy and wanting new things all the time but he's got to learn that he has what's before him or nothing else.  However, I'm just worried that this could go on for days and I'll end up having to pay for a vet consulation again for tests (he's had a urine test which is completely clear).  Has anyone else had this problem and been able to solve it effectively by either finding a food the dog always wants or by some other remedy.

Many thanks.

Michelle

I agree with your vet with the proviso that you are feeding a good quality food to your dog which contains the nutrients he requires and does not contain ingredients that could make him uncomfortable or ill.  I would recommend Burns or Naturediet as two of the best complete foods in the UK.

You are creating a fussy eater; no dog starves itself to death and I doubt if he needs any testing in fact it is he who is doing the testing at the moment, of your resolve.  You are teaching him NOT to eat until you put something else into his food.

These are dogs, they lick their bums, eat garbage, putrid meat, rotting corpses and cow and horse poo!

I agree with tohme, pick a good tasty dog food and stick to it. Try not to worry he will eat if he is hungry. We had this problem with a rescue yorkie. She was only feed on chicken before she came to us, so we gradually changed her to a more balanced diet. At first, she didn't eat it but when she knew that she wouldn't get anything different for her dinner, she started eating. You just have to be strong and dont give in and give your dog something else that they really like. Try leaving his bowl out and when you are not looking he might realise that he is not going to get any more food apart from this, and have a nibble.

Hope all goes well, Good luck

sarah xxxx

I agree with both posters, it is even more important IMO with a GSD to find a suitable food and stick to it, they often suffer with wheat allergies so you may find a complete such as James Wellbeloved, Burns, Davies Rangers..  would suit him best, all of which do not contain wheat, natural is best.

Abolutely what has been said....ditto. Plus, are you leaving the food down for him for long periods? If so, stop doing that too. LOL. Put it down for 15 minutes and pick it up until the next scheduled feeding time. He's a big dog and will not starve to death.

The only time I catered to this behavior was with my little Chihuahua. She was being taken care of by my niece when I went out of town for about 4 or 5 days. She litterally didn't eat for 3 days, being so tiny, went into hypoglycemic distress and that's life threatening. That won't likely happen to your dog....just tiny, tiny dogs, especially Chi's. So she was taken to the vet and given some special food that she couldn't refuse. So, anyhow, she overcame the fussiness/anxiety even when I leave town. Now, she's bigger and not picky.

But your Shepherd can handle not eating for a while if he so chooses. Just be sure he has water. And don't worry.

Carrie