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Difficult to get senior dog to eat in the morning

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  • 22-02-2020 12:01pm
    #1
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭


    Hi all, I have a 7 (nearly 8) year old lurcher cross about 6 months, she was a rescue and as such she's a little anxious, but has settled into family life and is generally a happy dog.

    We feed her the Real Nature Wilderness brand of kibble, which she usually eats fine, except in the mornings when it can be a challenge to get her to eat. The room is quiet, so it's not like there's kids rushing around getting ready for school, and she gets walked beforehand as well.

    I usually drop in a few broken up treats to get her started, but in recent weeks I've had to repeat this process 2 or 3 times, until she eventually eats it all. I know she's hungry as she's been eating it, so I'm not sure if it's some psychological issue?

    This morning she didn't eat anything, and I even replaced the food, tried gravy etc. I know missing one meal isn't cause for alarm, and she will usually eat all the evening food. I'm just wondering are there any tips to get her eat in the morning, or should I be giving her something different to her evening meal?

    PS we tried the same brand's tinned food, but she just threw it up both times we gave it to her.


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    #2
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    eviltimeban wrote: »
    Hi all, I have a 7 (nearly 8) year old lurcher cross about 6 months, she was a rescue and as such she's a little anxious, but has settled into family life and is generally a happy dog.

    We feed the Real Nature Wilderness brand of kibble, which she usually eats fine, except in the mornings when it can be a challenge to get her to eat. The room is quiet, so it's not like there's kids rushing around getting ready for school, and she gets walked beforehand as well.

    I usually drop in a few broken up treats to get her started, but in recent weeks I've had to repeat this process 2 or 3 times, until she eventually eats it all. I know she's hungry as she's been eating it, so I'm not sure if some psychological issue?

    This morning she didn't eat anything, and I even replaced the food, tried gravy etc. I know missing one meal isn't cause for alarm, and she will usually eat all the evening food. I'm just wondering are there any tips to get her eat in the morning, or should I be giving her something different to her evening meal?

    Don't worry, she'll eat when she's hungry. I feed my dogs once per day and they are thriving.


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    #3
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    Varta wrote: »
    Don't worry, she'll eat when she's hungry. I feed my dogs once per day and they are thriving.

    Thanks, I figured that. I took the food away after about 15 mins.

    Thing is though, I'll go off and get ready for work etc upstairs, and when I come back down she'll just be sitting there looking at me with a full bowl. When I add new treats and put it down again, she'll eat it.

    So she is hungry, even though she has a full bowl but she's not eaten anything. I just worry that she's anxious about eating or something.


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    My retired greyhound has a slice of buttered toast for breakfast. Won’t eat anything else that early. Dinner then around 4pm and a bono at bedtime.

    Just be careful that you give her the toast butter side up.


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    #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    eviltimeban wrote: »
    Thanks, I figured that. I took the food away after about 15 mins.

    Thing is though, I'll go off and get ready for work etc upstairs, and when I come back down she'll just be sitting there looking at me with a full bowl. When I add new treats and put it down again, she'll eat it.

    So she is hungry, even though she has a full bowl but she's not eaten anything. I just worry that she's anxious about eating or something.

    Ah, here. She’s got you wrapped around her little toe! She knows that you’ll give her treats!


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    #6
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    I haven't experimented with things like eggs etc, she's fairly picky in that she had no interest in fruit or carrots etc. She'll eat doggy treats no problem though!

    If I've made a beef stew the day before I'll usually reserve some of the gravy along with a few bits of beef and carrot, and she'll eat it all then if I mix with the kibble. I can't be making stew all the time though! :-)


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    #7
    Tom1991
    Registered Users Posts: 455 ✭✭Tom1991


    eviltimeban wrote: »
    Thanks, I figured that. I took the food away after about 15 mins.

    Thing is though, I'll go off and get ready for work etc upstairs, and when I come back down she'll just be sitting there looking at me with a full bowl. When I add new treats and put it down again, she'll eat it.

    So she is hungry, even though she has a full bowl but she's not eaten anything. I just worry that she's anxious about eating or something.

    We have a dog at home that pulled this stunt with treats in the mix.Have you considered the fact she might prefer the treats and knows by waiting she gets more of them?


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    #8
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Ah, here. She’s got you wrapped around her little toe! She knows that you’ll give her treats!

    Yeah but I'm talking one small treat, which I break up into tiny pieces and mix around. Just so she'll get the nice smell and eat everything with it.

    So should I just stop the treats all together? I'd say that'll lead to a few days of no eating. But she'll probably come around.


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    #9
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    Tom1991 wrote: »
    We have a dog at home that pulled this stunt with treats in the mix.Have you considered the fact she might prefer the treats and knows by waiting she gets more of them?

    Yeah you're right! OK, will axe the treats. Gonna be an interesting few days.


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    #10
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,444 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    She could be cottoning on that if she refuses her breakfast you'll give her treats, and who wouldn't turn their nose up at treats? I bet she's training you a bit!

    We have two husky crosses and they only get fed in the evening. The older one was always useless at eating in the morning, and when we got the second one he'd only eat when she did so now they both get fed in the evening.


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    #11
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    scarepanda wrote: »
    She could be cottoning on that if she refuses her breakfast you'll give her treats, and who wouldn't turn their nose up at treats? I bet she's training you a bit!

    That's a fair point. :-) I don't give them to her separately, just in the bowl with the kibble.

    There was one evening when I just gave her kibble and after walking around a bit she ate it. So perhaps I need to be firmer with her, and give her the treat when she's finished everything.


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    #12
    Outkast_IRE
    Registered Users Posts: 7,515 ✭✭✭Outkast_IRE


    In this situation i would usually advise a small trip to the vets just to ensure kidney function is fine. As dogs get older some can start having the early stages of kidney disease which can affect appetite.

    Unfortunately that was the situation with my Collie so i have plenty of experience with it. She also had a preference for eating after a walk, so at times would leave food just sitting there until we were back from our daily walk.

    If the kidney function is fine, then what i would usually do is getting into the habit of keeping a small few healthy leftovers from certain dinners, such as a small amount of rice, peas, carrots, some chicken or meat scraps etc. and mix a small amount of these in really well with the food in the morning. It will be much healthier than the wet food anyway.

    If there are no kidney issues then the dog will eat the dry food when its hungry. What dry food are you currently feeding ?


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    #13
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    I would hardly call your dog senior. One of mine is fourteen and I'm only now beginning to see him as senior. Maybe you could think differently about her food. I feed mine fresh meat (lightly cooked) mixed with bread or rice and the bowls are emptied in minutes and never need washing:D


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    #14
    tk123
    Registered Users Posts: 14,024 ✭✭✭✭tk123


    Vet vet vet. I'm sorry but I cringe when I see posts telling people that the dog is just being picky, starve them etc - hopefully that's all it is ..but Lucy hesitating ever so slightly before eating was what made me take her to be checked out and it was her kidneys - there was no exaggerated signs of kidney problems and the vets were shocked as they'd never had a dog with these kind of results walk in and not look like a skeleton. She was 6 :(


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    #15
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Outkast_IRE wrote: »
    In this situation i would usually advise a small trip to the vets just to ensure kidney function is fine. As dogs get older some can start having the early stages of kidney disease which can affect appetite.

    How are her teeth? If they are sore she may be holding out until she is really hungry.

    I second the advice on a quick check up with the vet, I am just back from mine with my 14 year old dog this morning, as having a similar problem. In my case it is her teeth mostly, but her routine bloods done six months ago showed red flags for her kidneys, so they were repeated this morning, as well as antibiotics and laser treatment for her gums.

    She came home after and scoffed her breakfast of soaked nuggets and cooked mince.


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    #16
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    Update! We got cod liver oil in the pet store, one small teaspoon mixed in with the kibble (no treats) and she chowed it down no problem this morning.

    Delighted. Plus it's good for her as she gets older. Will see how we get on.


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    #17
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    eviltimeban wrote: »
    Update! We got cod liver oil in the pet store, one small teaspoon mixed in with the kibble (no treats) and she chowed it down no problem this morning.

    Delighted. Plus it's good for her as she gets older. Will see how we get on.

    Good stuff. I give my dogs a tin of sardines in oil a couple of times a week for their joints and coat. Works great. BTW stop thinking of your dog as a senior dog... she's not. Enjoy her youth.


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    #18
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Keep a watchful eye on your dog's coat if you're giving them that much oil.

    A little bit is supposed to be okay but I had a rough collie that couldn't take any kind of oil, it broke him out under his coat in painful itchy hotspots.


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    #19
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    AulWan wrote: »
    Keep a watchful eye on your dog's coat if you're giving them that much oil.

    A little bit is supposed to be okay but I had a rough collie that couldn't take any kind of oil, it broke him out under his coat in painful itchy hotspots.

    It's not much oil to give a dog. You can't really make judgements based on one dogs allergy. People tend to behave the same way with their dogs as they do for themselves. You have hypochondriacs and and you have those who have rarely been to a doctor their whole life. We all look after our dogs in our own way, but as long as we're looking after them that's all that really matters.


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    #20
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Varta wrote: »
    It's not much oil to give a dog. You can't really make judgements based on one dogs allergy. People tend to behave the same way with their dogs as they do for themselves. You have hypochondriacs and and you have those who have rarely been to a doctor their whole life. We all look after our dogs in our own way, but as long as we're looking after them that's all that really matters.

    We're all free to give our advice based on our experience. In your opinion it's not a lot of oil. in mine, it could be based on the size of the dog. Also on my vets advice.

    I did not tell the OP not to give their dog oil, just to keep and eye on their dog's coat, as what suits one dog, does not suit all.


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    #21
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    AulWan wrote: »
    We're all free to give our advice based on our experience. In your opinion it's not a lot of oil. in mine, it could be based on the size of the dog. Also on my vets advice.

    I did not tell the OP not to give their dog oil, just to keep and eye on their dog's coat, as what suits one dog, does not suit all.

    As your post followed mine and did not contain a quote I read it that you were referring to my post.


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    #22
    aonb
    Registered Users Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭aonb


    Kibble is pretty boring food really when you think about it. If you were being given the same food day in day out, it would be a bit dull. :cool: Why not open a tin of sardines in oil on Monday morning, mash it up, put in tupperware, then every a.m, mix in a bit with her morning kibble. Or if you have casserole/stew left over, put some leftover soup/juice/sauce in an icecube tray, and freeze, then defrost a cube every am?


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    #23
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    aonb wrote: »
    Kibble is pretty boring food really when you think about it. If you were being given the same food day in day out, it would be a bit dull. :cool: Why not open a tin of sardines in oil on Monday morning, mash it up, put in tupperware, then every a.m, mix in a bit with her morning kibble. Or if you have casserole/stew left over, put some leftover soup/juice/sauce in an icecube tray, and freeze, then defrost a cube every am?

    Well we were told by the DSPCA to keep the food the same, as she is an older dog (again, we were told this) rather than varying it all the time. I do have some gravy and beef left over from the weekend but would rather she just ate what we're supposed to be feeding her and not start mixing it up too much. I know she'd devour the food with the beef and gravy included so at least that's a last resort.

    This morning she was a little distracted but eventually ate nearly all of the food. I'll watch the amount of oil, supposed to be half a teaspoon a day but I've been giving more than that so will need to give less.


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    #24
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,444 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    eviltimeban wrote: »
    Well we were told by the DSPCA to keep the food the same, as she is an older dog (again, we were told this) rather than varying it all the time. I do have some gravy and beef left over from the weekend but would rather she just ate what we're supposed to be feeding her and not start mixing it up too much. I know she'd devour the food with the beef and gravy included so at least that's a last resort.

    This morning she was a little distracted but eventually ate nearly all of the food. I'll watch the amount of oil, supposed to be half a teaspoon a day but I've been giving more than that so will need to give less.

    Our older dog is a very fussy eater. So I feel your pain trying to get them to eat (we have to remind her sometimes to finish her dinner :-0). However, if your dogs eating the food eventually, I'd keep the kibble the same and add in a small bit of something tasty just to make the food that little bit more appealing, not much, just enough that she knows it's there and eats all her food while looking for it. We sometimes have to add in a 1/3rd of a sachet of cat food for our dog, mix it well and then she can't eat around the kibble and/or spit it out. We have however found a midrange priced food for fussy eaters that she finishes most evenings so we don't have to entice her as much. Over the years we've tried out all types of food and this and one other cheaper food is all we could get her to eat for more than a few weeks at a time.

    Just another thought, is the kibble completely dry? If so, maybe try soaking it (or even just running water over the surface) a little bit in water to soften it up might help if she's finding it to dry.


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    #25
    eviltimeban
    Registered Users Posts: 5,087 ✭✭✭eviltimeban


    scarepanda wrote: »
    Just another thought, is the kibble completely dry? If so, maybe try soaking it (or even just running water over the surface) a little bit in water to soften it up might help if she's finding it to dry.

    Yeah I would have done that the second time of offering, put some water in it.

    Problem with adding in the extra stuff, especially the little treats, is that she'd sniff around and eat the treats, and then not eat the kibble. Obviously waiting for more treats.

    Hopefully with the oil that'll change. I also have a fish treat which we plan to grate and sprinkle over; so she gets the smell of the treat but there's nothing to actually pick out and eat!


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    #26
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    eviltimeban wrote: »
    Yeah I would have done that the second time of offering, put some water in it.

    Problem with adding in the extra stuff, especially the little treats, is that she'd sniff around and eat the treats, and then not eat the kibble. Obviously waiting for more treats.

    Hopefully with the oil that'll change. I also have a fish treat which we plan to grate and sprinkle over; so she gets the smell of the treat but there's nothing to actually pick out and eat!

    If you are feeding kibble you can always add some cooked wet mince and stir it around. As long as the dog is eating something every day I wouldn't fret. Just like with humans, a dog's appetite will usually reduce as it gets older. Food is fuel after all, and an older dog is doing less zoomies to burn it up. You'll see an awful lot of overweight older dogs that are encouraged to eat too much by concerned owners. My senior dog is twice the size and weight of my younger dog but they both eat roughly the same amount of food. Both in great health.


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    #27
    scarepanda
    Registered Users Posts: 3,444 ✭✭✭scarepanda


    Ya, you'll need something 'wet' like an oil or gravy and give it a good thorough mix so that it completely coats the kibble. We would use a mix of tinned fish, wet cat food or a gravy or healthy left overs (although I tend to only use this as a last resort). But a tin or sachet would be split between the two dogs and the cat, so only a small amount per animal. With actual treats our girl would pick up a mouthful of food and spit it out on the floor and eat the treat.

    How long do you have the dog? I know you said the place you got her off said to not change her food. But unless she is on prescription food there's nothing stopping you from changing her food. You would do it gradually over the space of a week or so so you avoid upsetting her tummy. If I was happy that there was no medical issues to her not eating and she has an appetite, then it's possible that she basically doesn't like her food. Finding something she likes can solve all your problems. It took us about 3 years to find something our girl would eat, but it was a cheap brand and I decided to find a better quality one and finally found one she would eat consistently a couple of years ago and she's still on it today. Our girl is 7.5 years btw, and I don't consider her elderly :-)


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    #28
    Wabbit Ears
    Registered Users Posts: 3,043 ✭✭✭Wabbit Ears


    my old dogs a begger.. He'll not touch his food much all day until all opportunities to blag scraps and treats are used up. He never had been an over eater so we just leave his food out all the time and refill as soon as we notice its empty.


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    #29
    AulWan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,653 ✭✭✭AulWan


    Just spoke to my vet - my dog's blood test showed her kidneys and now liver have deteriorated and I've to put her on a prescription support diet. Without a CT its possible it could be a tumour, so we've to retest after a few weeks on prescription diet.

    I guess the moral of the story is, never assume a dog is refusing food just because they're fussy, always get the vet to check them if it goes on for more then a day or so.


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    #30
    Varta
    Closed Accounts Posts: 517 ✭✭✭Varta


    AulWan wrote: »
    Just spoke to my vet - my dog's blood test showed her kidneys and now liver have deteriorated and I've to put her on a prescription support diet. Without a CT its possible it could be a tumour, so we've to retest after a few weeks on prescription diet.

    I guess the moral of the story is, never assume a dog is refusing food just because they're fussy, always get the vet to check them if it goes on for more then a day or so.

    Sorry to hear that. I think most people would agree with you when a dog is refusing all food. The OP's dog is eating, just not eating the things it doesn't like. I hope your dog does well on the new diet.


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    #31
    Graces7
    Registered Users Posts: 32,634 ✭✭✭✭Graces7


    AulWan wrote: »
    Just spoke to my vet - my dog's blood test showed her kidneys and now liver have deteriorated and I've to put her on a prescription support diet. Without a CT its possible it could be a tumour, so we've to retest after a few weeks on prescription diet.

    I guess the moral of the story is, never assume a dog is refusing food just because they're fussy, always get the vet to check them if it goes on for more then a day or so.

    ((((HUGS))))


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