Should I be worried about Maddy or her food?

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

It's not uncommon for Maddy to completely skip meals or not finish a meal but she completely skipped 3 meals in a row (yesterday's breakfast & dinner & breakfast this morning). She gobbled up every piece of dinner tonight and I think that was because she was starving. I've also noticed that recently Maddy's poo hasn't been as firm as usual. Hubby and I both notice it to be runnier. Now tonight we've noticed her to be EXTRAORDINARILY gassy. Maddy is not normally a gassy dog.

Now my question is...should I be worried about Maddy? Or possibly the kibble she is eating? We feed her Taste of the Wild (Pacific Stream formula). I don't know why she would skip so many meals in a row. We just switched our cat's kibble to TOTW too because we thought, if it's such a good food for Maddy then it'll be good for Chance too. Now I'm worried!

[shelly]

Funny - Tori hasn't been eating much lately either... was a bit worried too, but she did eat about a can earlier... she has been changing her eating habits a bit on and off... think maybe it's because she's getting older - she'll be 2 in March. Did you post this question in the food group. Karen (and Jack) is really good with foods. Good luck

[shelly]

That's what I love about this group.. so much help and support right at your fingertips....OH! Yeah.. the vomiting does add to the worries. There was just a post just the other day yesterday I believe...about someone's (Heidi) dog not feeling well after eating a paper towel. I know how you feel. These dog's are just like children... they make us worry so. I hope Maddy feels better. I hope mommy gets some sleep tonight too. We'll check in with you in the morning.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

For a 10 month old puppy to skip three meals in a row, plus vomit and have runny stools is a sign that something's not right. It isn't that there's something wrong all of a sudden with the kibble. How is she acting?
I've been hearing about an awful lot of doodles lately with stomach bugs...not eating, vomiting, diarrhea. It seems to be some kind of flu that's going around. If you're sure she hasn't eaten something she shouldn't have, I'd watch her to be sure she's at least drinking water, and if she continues to vomit, have diarrhea or stops eating again, I'd bring a stool specimen in and have the vet check her.
Hope Maddy's feeling better soon.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Less active/ less appetite. With the winter weather, have Tori and Maddy been less active. Ned at almost two, has finally gotten into a fairly consistent eating pattern. Up until now he sometimes would not eat several meals - unless he stole it. Ned seems to like privacy for his eating and pooping! We feed our dogs twice a day. Our other two usually eat their meals while we are still standing around or I pick it up. Because the other two only eat from their own dishes, we can leave Ned's down. Ned almost always waits until it is dark and we are in bed to eat. I hear the crunching! Ned is not disinterested in food but he is not food obsessed either.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I posted my answer (above) before I realized that Maddy might be ill. I thought she was just not food oriented and wanted to reassure you that not all dogs eat all of their meals at the time you think 'normal.'
It seems that there are some doggy illnesses going around and you may want to get Maddy checked out.

[Melissa & Porter]

I hope Maddy is just having trouble adjusting to her food. The good thing is that stuff is coming out her back end--that makes an obstruction less likely. The next questions are whether she is vomiting, eating normally and active. Vomiting alone could be from new food, but less appetite and inactivity point more toward illness. Let us know how your Vet visit goes.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh, I can definitely "feel your pain". Guinness is an 11 month ALD and we've gone through all these same issues. He would skip meals or just eat a little at a time. He had "runny stools". We tried all of the premium foods and then went to the no grain varieties. He would start out fine, and the stools would firm up. Then after a few weeks, he'd be back to "runny" again. He was always gassy. This went on for months. Finally he had a real bad episode of diarrhea and basically didn't want to eat. The vet finally diagnosed him with IBS and he's now on a home cooking diet. He has completely turned around. I'm not saying that's what Maddy has or changing her diet is your only solution. I think it's encouraging that she did gobble up her dinner. Guinness never did that. I'd say just continue to watch him, and it's probably a great idea to get a stool sample done. If you haven't already, definitely join the Food Group. I can't tell you how helpful their advice was as we went through all this with Guinness.

[Julie B.]

I am going through this right now too. Has Maddy been eating dirt or grass in your yard? I am thinking that is what was wrong with my pup because we went through all of the tests, no fever, no UTI. Do you have a digital thermometer for her so you could take her temp? That would at least indicate whether you are dealing with an infection or an ingestion issue. Good luck, I feel your pain!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Great news...so glad she's better this morning. It was probably nothing...boy they know how to worry us.

[Barbara Burrows]

Molly didn't want to eat for a day..she had soft stools and vomited once. She was quiet for 2 days. Abby didn't eat for a day, but this isn't unusual..she was also quiet Molly got sick on Wednesday and by Friday she was back to normal. Hope Maddy feels better soon.