Eating habit issues

[Discussing Labradoodles & Goldendoodles]

Hi all, please help - I am at my wit's end. I could really use some advice for behavioral issues regarding my dog's eating habits. I considered putting this discussion in the food group but feel it will get more notice here and its not really an issue with her food anyway. My problem is that Maddy is completely uninterested in eating and frequently skips meals causing her tummy upset. We are feeding her one of the best kibbles out there and are not looking to change because we are pleased with this food's quality. Home cooking is not an option. Let me plainly state, she is not sick. This is why I call this a behavioral problem. I have tried discussing this with our vet but feel that I know more about nutrition then they do it. (Sad, I know.) So I am at a loss for what to do...

I think Maddy would prefer to graze but this is not an option because we have a cat who's food is always left out and they cannot tell the difference in who's who's. Both the cat and dog get two meals daily at the same time. The dog refuses to touch her's most of the time, usually at breakfast. If Maddy starts skipping meals she tends to get an upset stomach and/or semi-runny stools. When she eats at several meals everything is fine.

Can anyone offer insight or suggestions for what I can try differently?

[Barbara Burrows]

I wish I could tell you what changed to make Abby start eating but there wasn't anything I could see. I do know it wasn't training treats, she had been off them for 8 months. It is hard to understand how they can go without eating when they have so much energy. I have the opposite problem with Molly, she will eat for both of them.

[Beth Lord]

Hi Nancy,
I had this issue with the last doodle service dog I raised, and it sounds like others have faced it too! Talking to one of my friends about his nausea when tummy was empty , she remarked, "oh yeah, poodle stomach." So...don't know if it's really a "poodle" trait or not but I suppose it's possible! Anyway the problem remains how to resolve it...what we finally did was to give Dakota a small amount in the morning -- sometimes I'd have him do some obedience work for me and give him the kibbles by hand as a "treat." Even just 1/4 c. or so in the morning prevented his nausea. As to his dinner, we found out quite by accident one day when the dog dish was dirty that feeding on a PLATE did the trick! Tags jingling the bowl, or even ears touching the edge, put him off. As it happens, right now I am training a German Shepherd guide dog puppy who is the exact same way...eats barely anything in a bowl, but pour it on a plate and he cleans up. I wish I could promise that this will work -- of course I can't -- but it's something easy to try!!

Best of luck to you & Maddy!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's not a poodle trait...at least not a well-bred poodle trait. My poodles had cast iron stomachs.

[Erin]

Yup. We get it here. Hershey was throwing up every so often at about 4:30 or 5am... or sometimes later because she would refuse to eat her breakfast at 7am. Basically if she doesn't eat her breakfast, she'll throw up a little puddle of yellow.

After awhile, I think we have it figured out. She's 55 pounds. She gets 2 and 1/4 cup of food a day, spaced out over FOUR meals, and a few treats through out the day, or a kong in the evening while we watch TV. Small meals seem to work well for her, and making sure she eats her last meal around 10pm or 11pm, before she goes to bed, has really worked for us.

Also, I blame my mother for this but she figured it out when she was dog-sitting.
Hershey will, WITHOUT FAIL, eat her tasty kibble immediately if we add a little water to it and stir it up with a spoon and pretend like we'd making something for ourselves before putting it back down at her feeding station.
Silly, I know - but when your running late its better than hoping your dog eats after you leave and finding bile puddles when you get home later.

[Leslie, Dexter & Kirby]

Our doodles are complete opposites in their eating habits. Dexter will eat anytime of day and never seems full. Kirby goes through periods where he won't want to eat much (especially in the morning). We just keep offering him his food at meal times. He will never go more than a day before he catches up. I know Kirby would much prefer free feeding, but Dexter is such a hog that it would never work (he already steals Kirby's food if we don't watch).

Our vet has said there's nothing wrong with him and that he'll eat when he's hungry (dogs won't starve themselves).

It makes us frustrated - I'll feel badly going to work knowing Kirby hasn't eaten anything...

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

I am certainly not an expert - I'm new to dog ownership - but I'll share what we went through. Sedona was a morning "dry heaver". We tried feeding her more at dinner, giving her a bedtime snack, giving her a Pepcid at bedtime, etc., and nothing seemed to work. As she got older, the dry heaving lessened, but she became pickier and pickier about eating. At at least one meal per day, we'd place her kibble in her bowl and she'd lay about a foot away with this forlorn look on her face. We'd try to hand feed her; after some coaxing, she'd take a bite or two then walk away. Since she was growing and seemed healthy, we didn't get overly concerned. We checked with her vet and he also was not concerned.

While on an RV trip with Sedona, she pretty much stopped eating altogether. Out of desperation, we went to the local grocery store and bought the puppy variety of "FreshPet Select". She gobbled it up! No coaxing, no game playing! We've been home from the trip for several months now and have continued to feed the "FreshPet Select" (after checking with the vet). She shows no signs of getting bored by the food. It's more expensive than kibble, but the relief I feel in having my dog eat regularly is worth it.

[shelly]

My sister's lab had morning vomit of bile.. her vet said to give him a mini bagel each night... has been working for years now.... no more morning vomiting! ?????

[Dr. Judith P. LaVorgna]

Hi Nancy, I've always fed mine at 5..in the afternoon...or right around that time. I feed them treats during the day when they come in from morning out, and each time they go out through the day. I'm retired now and the kids get more treats than ever...they are eating my social security!!! When I worked I would leave them with a treat of some sort so they didn't have an empty tummy until I got home. They seem to know 5 as a magic number, they start barking and zoomying around until their bowls are prepared. None of them leave anything in their bowls. I add to their evening meals a dollop of cottage cheese, vegetables, pieces of chicken from the night before's meal, or pieces of cooked liver, or sprinkle with grated cheese (one or two of these additions). Dinner is extreme delight here. I use not a fabulous kibble...Iams ProActive and have for as long as I can remember. I expect the other stuff I add is what keeps them healthy. My oldest is 15 and still a counter surfer for just about anything any time of day or night, the other two are either not so agile or figure that stretch thing is something Trac alone is supposed to do!!! The three of them can be picky about their snacks, but dinner is the big time highlight. Maybe you could try a once a day feeding...with snacks t/o the day. I was concerned about bloat but my years ago Vet indicated eating habitually at one time, over time wouldl not cause bloat/ I've done this feeding style for almost 35 years now and I've not had any sickness or issues around their food. Lucky me, hardly anything else serious either...but old age. Won't hurt to try... If Maddy is into grazing then you just have to leave it to mother nature I guess...My cats always eat on the counter so I don't have that issue either. I'm just a poop and litter box queen!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Feed Maddy a little less. Do not go by the amount on the package, they just want to sell dog food. Different dogs have different food requirements and Maddy's requirements will vary with her age. If you are feeding her 1/2 cup twice a day take it down to 1/3 of cup twice a day. Leave it down for no more than 10 -15 minutes. Then just pick it up and save it for the next meal or throw it away -whatever suits you. In a week if she is still not eating properly feed a little less. Especially with a little dog if you go down the "what can I tempt her with" she is going to get pretty persnickety. Little dogs are often done growing except for may putting on a little weight. Maddy's food requirement is probably just dropping. You should frequently be evaluating her weight and eating habits. Is she not eating with enthusiasm? Give her less food and more exercise. Cleaning up her food and looking for more, maybe a pound or two thin? Up her food just a bit. To give you a point of reference, my two doodles are "mediums" and weigh in at about 50 pounds each at two years old. They get moderate to lots of exercise. Just over 1 cup twice a day is plenty. In the middle of the summer when they are swimming a lot I up it by just a tiny bit.

When you feed Maddy do it in a routine way. Such as : "Dinner Maddy?" She should be eager enough to follow you to the bin where her food is or wait by her bowl or whatever the routine is. Put food down and walk away. Don't talk to her while she is eating or when you pick it up in a few minutes. If she ate fine, if she didn't fine - you'll just have to pick up runny poop. There are a fair number of dogs who do not like or even will not eat while their human is near or watching.

Good luck
s

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks for the happy update! I hope Maddy continues to do well!