A doodle not interested in food?!

[Jessica & Zoey]

For the past one to two months, my Zoey girl has not been too interested in eating. This occurred ever since we switched from feeding her three times a day to twice a day. She used to be so excited when I started getting her food ready, she would jump with excitement! But now she doesn't have much interest, especially in the mornings. Today, she just started taking bites of her food at 3:00 and I put her food out by 8:30. I originally would pick up her food bowl if she hasn't finished it all so that she could learn that food would only be available at certain times of the day, but lately I have been letting her eat whenever just to get food in her. She is always interested in people food which we limit, I occasionally give her leftover chicken- maybe once a week. She isn't as into her biscuit treats either. Why the change in personality? I am beginning to think we just have a sensitive girl on our hands! The other thing I have been noticing is a lot of stiffness in her back legs when she gets up from laying- she also struggles getting her back legs on the couch and she is taller than our couch seats. Maybe these two things relate?...maybe not? Anyone have any thoughts?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I plan to spend a little time voting for the other dos to negate my vote.

[Jessica & Zoey]

Wow Karen, I had no idea about getting insurance for a dog. I guess I heard about it briefly but thought 'we don't need that!' and I guess I didn't think that it would be good coverage. But it's sounds like it is worth the extra pennies up front and I am sure there will be some issue we are bound to have with her at some point in her life. I will definitely look into insurance before we mention an issue to the vet. She is going in to get fixed on Tuesday and I would like to mention it then but I'll try to see if we can get insurance before then just in case. I sure hope she is healthy and that I am being over-concerned!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you search the forum here, you will find literally dozens of discussions on pet insurance. I'd say that the only topic discussed more is coat types, lol.

I cannot emphasize how important it is to have some kind of coverage. Not a week goes by that I don't hear of some doodle whose owners have to give him up or wrose, euthanize him, because they cannot afford necessary treatment for some illness or disease. It really is essential.

If you do mention the back leg issue to your vet, be sure and ask that it not be noted in the records. Otherwise, it will be considered a pre-existing condition and will not be covered. We have had a number of doodles here with HD, and some of them came from reputable breeders who did genetic testing on the parents.

[sf1]

We had the same issue with Milo and his food.  We switched from feeding 3 times a day to 2 times a day at about 4 - 5 months.  At about 9 months, he would not eat his morning food at all...so we switched to feeding him once per day and he is 10 months old now.  He now eats his food in the evening without problem.  We also tried a couple of different foods like blue, taste of the wild, and a few other grain free brands.  He simply did not do very well with them.  He would poop 6 to 7 times a day.  We finally switched him to Fromm dog food - its not grain free, but he loves it and he tummy is doing very good with it - now pooping 1 or 2 times a day.  Sometimes I think some dogs cannot handle the higher protein grain free foods....Milo was one of them.  

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Aw I just looked at your Zoey picture and she's quite big so it seems like she should be able to jump on the couch. My Zoe didnt jump on the couch until 7-8 months although she was big enough. But she is a mini. I really hope her legs are ok. Keep us updated please... Hoping its just nothing and that's it's just her thinking that she's smaller than she is.
My Zoe was really picky with her food from 3 months to about 1 year old. I use Stella and chewy dinner patties and sprinkle it above her dry kibble. She loves it! I think Star mentioned yogurt earlier... Zoe likes that too.

[Jessica & Zoey]

Yes she's a big girl- well only 45 pounds, which I feel is on the smaller end for a standard. She has been jumping up on the couch since 3 months! How much does your Zoe weigh? That's a great idea with the food- I think I will need to spice things up for her!

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Zoe is only 25 lbs. my other one is 45 lbs. please let us know how she likes her food "toppers" and if she starts eating again.

[Ginny Nightingale]

I think that hip dysplasia would show up much later in life--and I would be concerned about Lyme disease--lots of people think that you can only have a tick issue in the spring summer and fall, but all of my dogs that have contracted it, got it in February during a warm spell. (it is big here and the dogs and the people have all had it at least once!) The stiffness in the legs, loss of appetite and sensitive feet are the usual signs--

On the other hand, although my guys all eat like gangbusters (unless my Lyric is pregnant), I do know some that are very very fussy--- good luck with your baby!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hip Dysplasia frequently shows up in puppies. The most commons age of onset is between 4 and 12 months of age. And that's a good thing, as the best treatment options can often only be performed before the dog reaches full skeletal maturity.

"Dogs with hip dysplasia are born with hips that appear normal but progressively undergo structural changes. The age of onset is 4 to 12 months. Affected puppies may show pain in the hip, walk with a limp or a swaying gait, bunny hop when running, and experience difficulty in the hindquarters when getting up"

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/hip-dysplasia-dogs-causes-symptoms-tests

[Ginny Nightingale]

Oh, that is different from what I was thinking of--but it does seem to match what Zoe's symptoms are, doesn't it? My potential  breeding dogs have had Penn hip and OFA tests done and Mattie was spayed because she has "mild hip dysplasia"--but they said that I may never see symptoms of it and at 6 she has showed no signs...maybe because it is mild...

[Jessica & Zoey]

I just looked on the breeders website to see what Zoey's parents ratings were- her dads hip OFA rating is good and her moms OFA rating is fair. :-/ The things you don't notice when you are in puppy love! That is great that Mattie hasn't shown any symptoms! Does she take any supplements to help prevent progression?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, if her parents' scores were prlims, they may have changed, which is why final OFA scores are not done before a dog is 2 years old. But there have been cases of two dogs with good hip scores producing puppies with HD.