lab not eating??

[Fish&Fowl]

I have a 1 1/2 yr. old male black lab who has not been eating hardly any of his food the last week or so. He has been eating the same food since I got him back in early May, so I don't think that's the problem.

I just moved back to school and our whole "routine" we were in at home has changed and now with hunting season we are out early or home much later than when he normally ate before? He ate fine the first 2 weeks here. Any suggestions or theories? This is my first dog and I don't know if they do this from time to time or if it's unusual. He is acting like his usual self otherwise. Thanks!

[uplander]

Is he losing weight??

[Fish&Fowl]

I haven't noticed any weight loss yet that I can tell.

[uplander]

He's probably fine then just keep an eye on him for weight loss.. He's just finishing up growing now and his appetite may decrease a little. Some dogs are very good at self monitoring their food intake and others will eat themselves silly..Pay close attention to him if he starts losing weight or acting lethargic bring him in....uplander

[SSSTaxidermy]

I too would have to guess it's nothing serious. I know my female black lab won't eat very well away from home. Just like the change is too much for her or something. I use the same dish and everything. Nothing changes except for the physical location. If I put the food in my hand...She'll woof it down. Now I just leave it in there and she will eat when ready. Some times it could take a day or more. If I feel the need for her to eat, if I know she will be working hard the next day and needs the food. I put a little bit of peanut butter on the bottom of her bowl...Pour the food on top of it. Seems to work every time.

[Fish&Fowl]

Thanks for the replies guys. I ended up bringing him in to the vet in Crookston where I go to school for a look since he needed his vaccs anyways. He gave me a 2-week supply of Doxycycline, which is supposed to deal with anaplasmosis, which he tested negative for.

The vet said he's been seeing a lot of that stuff lately and wants to see how he's doing after a couple weeks of taking meds. I guess it tests negative a lot of times even when a dog has it. I hate giving him drugs if I don't need to, I'm gonna call the vet at home that I know better and see what he has to say as well. He has no vomitting or diarrhea.

I did buy a think of chicken-flavored canned food and mixed his normal food with it, and he wolfed it all down very quickly.

[fishnhooks]

Quote:

I'm gonna call the vet at home that I know better and see what he has to say as well.

Good Idea, I would do that as well.

Let us know what they say.

Your edited post make made me think of this because he wolfed down the soft food. Did the Vet check to see if there was someting in your pups teeth or mouth that might make eating hard food hurt him?

"hooks"

[Walleye Guy]

Make sure your dog food hasn't developed a mold coating or gone bad. The dog wolfing down the canned dog for leads me to suspect a food issue.

[SDbowhunter]

My dog wasn't eating much. He then got diareaha. I fasted him for 1 day and gave him peptobismal. I then fed him a bland rice and chicken mixture and started mixing his food in the next day to no avail. He ended up having a heavy bacteria infection. He is now on amoxicylin and metronidazole. Hopefully that'll fix him up.

[Fish&Fowl]

Make sure your dog food hasn't developed a mold coating or gone bad. The dog wolfing down the canned dog for leads me to suspect a food issue.

I talked to the vet at home and he recommended the same thing. I opened a new bag of the same food and he ate some, but when I bought a bag of Purina Lamb & Rice he gobbled it up. I don't know if he just got tired of the food he was on or what, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to switch brands.

I'm hoping the problem is resolved now.

[Fish&Fowl]

Well much to my relief, the pup finally started eating again. After looking into a bunch of foods, I was decided on Native and went to buy a bag in Thief River Falls to try. When I got up there I started looking at the Diamond they had, and opted for that instead (they seem like they're pretty much the same food).

I tried mixing it with his old food, but he just picks through and eats the Diamond, but it doesn't seem to be upsetting his stomach yet. Hopefully it keeps up, he ate about 3 cups last night and wolfed down his cup for the morning.