[jzgrlduff]

The guy that my husband is working for has a 4 year old black lab, male, named Boomer. About a week ago, Boomer decided he didn't want to eat anymore. They tried different types of foods, thinking maybe he was bored with what they were feeding him (Pedigree), but he wouldn't touch anything. Brought Boom to the vet, who did every test possible on him, everything came back normal. Peeing and pooping fine, drinking, will eat people food, such as salami, etc.

Oh, meanwhile, over the weekend they gave him what we recommended - the NB Venison & Sweet Potato and he has been eating that.

Just curious what would make a dog just stop eating like that? I thought maybe the food was "bad", but they tried a bunch of different foods.

 

[dweck]

No idea. But I think w/everything checking out okay medically, I'd adopt the philosophy: The bowl stays down for 10 minutes and is whisked away, and when Boomer's hungry enough, Boomer will eat.

 

[MidwestGirl]

Glad he is eating now. Maybe he was just being snobbish

 

[blackandyellow]

I just watched a Cesar Millan program that showed a dog just like that. He basically gave the dog new activities, exercise and a "job" to bring him out of boredom and immediately started eating again.

When my poor Brownie was old she had that same problem, I had to force her to eat. She was just not interested in dog food anymore, but she was 12 years old, not 4!

 

[Baloo317]

I think if he was a regularly voracious eater, I would still suspect something health-wise, as most tests aren't 100% conclusive and certainly don't cover everything. It could be something as simple as a tummy bug or a partial obstruction, that wouldn't show up on an x-ray (assuming they had x-rays done).

Aside from that, pedigree is a really horrible food, and I certainly don't blame him for turning his nose up at it. The NB is a step up, lets hope they stick with it.

 

[jzgrlduff]

pedigree is a really horrible food, and I certainly don't blame him for turning his nose up at it. The NB is a step up,

N.B. is a helluva lot more that a 'step up'. Check the ingredients.

 

[Baloo317]

Ok... two steps up? three?

I just meant that it's a better food, I wasn't actually applying any kind of established hierarchy.

 

[labby]

If my dogs quit eating, I take them to the vet for a thorough checkup including blood panels.

 

[Luvmydog2much]

Do they have any other dogs? Perhaps a girl in season?

Also of note, I wouldn't eat dog food either, if I was getting salami somewhere else

 

[joflake]

Do they have any other dogs? Perhaps a girl in season?

Also of note, I wouldn't eat dog food either, if I was getting salami somewhere else

That's what I was going to say. Who wants boring old dog food when you can have salami. No wonder he's not eating his food.

 

[jzgrlduff]

If my dogs quit eating, I take them to the vet for a thorough checkup including blood panels.

They did, everything checked out normal.

They didn't try the salami until 2 or 3 days of not eating.

I just meant that it's a better food, I wasn't actually applying any kind of established hierarchy.

I know, I didn't mean to sound snotty.

No other dogs in the house...

 

[fanny&eddiesmom]

When Eddie stopped eating - we checked everything around his area and found ants!

There was a little bit of dried food on the floor nearby and they had found it - Eddie was not happy. Eddie gets a clean bowl every meal and we clean the area everyday so this was a new thing. We set him up on the other side of the kitchen and he was fine. SU was nominated to get rid of the ants and a fine job he did.

 

[Aimee]

Couple of thoughts - if the dog is anything like mine and is normally a voracious eater, vet check would be the first stop. Could be anything from a simple stomach bug or upset stomach to a more serious condition. Assuming that checks out, I'd be more inclined to think that the dog is just being picky. Like Dan said, food down for 10 mins, then it goes back up. A healthy dog won't starve itself, but it will definitely choose yummier foods like salami over kibble. Stop the treats and babying the dog - he'll get it pretty quick. Also, it may just be the heat; I've known of some dogs to lose their appetites or not eat as much during the summer heat.