Sorry this got long!!!
We have tried Wellness (both the large breed puppy and Core give him
TERRIBLE gas!). We finally settled of the Lamb TOTW. Suddenly he was not
quite as interested in his food anymore (this is a puppy who used to
eat as much as you would let him! would eat anything!). He was on TOTW
from 4 months to 7 months. Towards the end he was not finishing his
food, and we wanted him to gain a little bit of weight. We tried
switching to Acana (but he had the most horrible gas, and we sort of
figured out that anything with chicken=HORRIBLE gas!). The Acana lamb
was a bit better with gas but still not great so we decided to just go
back to the TOTW (got a new bag!). Both of this food he was never really
crazy about anyway.
Perhaps it was all these changes but he did already started lacking
interest in the TOTW food he was on before we switched (hoping to find
something he likes!). We did notice that a freshly opened bag is more
appealing to him. Now he would go over smell it and walk away. Sometimes
I put yogurt to make him eat and he will eat most of it. I leave the
food out because I worry he gets hungry (half of the time he ends up
eating it later, I think because he just got really hungry and there was
nothing to else to eat). He would normally eat it all and ask for more! A couple times he would go over, smell and
then cry! Also I have seen him do something weird. He will try and push
the food around (as if he is trying to get to the bottom of the bowl)
and then he seems like he failed (at whatever it is he is trying to do)
and then cry! This is making me sad! And now I read these Diamond food problems and I worry if the bag we had has issues.
I really worry about changing food again as I do not want to mess up
with his stomach (I know! should have though of this in the first
place). Could it be the way we are storing the food? What can I do?
FYI, this lack of interest is only with his food as he is still crazy
excited about treats!
Last night at puppy class (he completely failed the "Leave it") since he
barely ate his dinner and obviously making him leave a treat on the
floor alone is impossible! He was starving! Please help me figure this
out I am getting really worried that he will start losing weight. How do I proceed? Should I try something else?
Re: food issues!
1) Relax. If you're stressing over this at home, he's going to pick up on it.
2) A dog will not starve itself. He's playing you. He was eating a food before that he obviously enjoyed more than the TOTW, but that was giving him serious gas, meaning you guys couldn't live with it! So you switch his food to something that his digestion is obviously handling better, but that he's apparently not as into taste-wise (just like people, some dogs like one flavor better than another!). But you're giving in to him by doing the things you're doing.
Bribing him by adding yogurt makes him learn that if he acts put off enough by his food, you'll give in and he'll get something extra yummy. Leaving the food down encourages him to think he's in charge of feeding, thus taking control from you. And obviously going to puppy class and using treats when your dog has refused his dinner isn't going to work.
As long as he's refusing food, you can't give treats. Period. It's called tough love and it teaches the dog that he needs to eat when and what you put in front of him. If he doesn't eat at mealtime (give him about 30 minutes), then pick it up and don't give anything until the next mealtime. Offer his meal, rinse and repeat until HE finally caves and eats. This is how you get a stubborn dog to eat something new when you know it's best for them! It WILL be harder on you than on him. It should not take more than a few days, during which time he's not likely to lose much weight, if any. Once he's accepting the food when you put it down, you can add back in treats and snacks if you feel he really needs to gain weight.
PS: How are you storing the food once the bag is open (since you mentioned that might be a factor, but didn't elaborate)?
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Previously, we have been keeping the food in a plastic bin with a cover (not a dog food container from a pet store, just a regular storage/plastic bin). Once it is empty, I throw in a fresh bag. I never clean/wash it (until we started having issues then I read up on oils and stuff). I tried washing it before a new bag (did not seem to make a difference). So with the latest TOTW bag, I just kept the food in the bag and roll the bag down and close with the huge plastic clip. There was one time when DH accidentally left the bag open for a few hours (does this cause a problem?).
Getting him to daycare is sometimes a problem because I obviously want him fed before he play for 5 hrs. This is the only time I give in with yogurt (to get him to eat quickly so we can leave, although maybe next time I will just send him with lunch for the daycare). Other times I leave the food out. I think I will start taking the food away and see if it makes a difference. I just worry about him not getting any breakfast and then he won't have the opportunity to eat again for another 6-8 hrs.
I forgot to add that the food that caused bad gas also gave him softer poops, sometimes too soft to pick up.
You're definitely doing the right thing for him in giving him TOTW vs the old food (Wellness/CORE) if it was giving him gas and soft poops.
It really just sounds like he's holding out in hopes/in the knowledge that you're going to sweeten the deal for him. I know it's hard to imagine your pup going a long time without eating, but if he's refusing his food, then he's gotta just deal with it. Period. No yogurt, no leaving it down. He might go a day or two (especially one at daycare) and realize how bad of an idea it was to forgo that breakfast or dinner you offered and learn that he needs to just eat it when and how it's given.
I don't know what kind of plastic bin you're using, but it should be sealed airtight. It doesn't have to be anything pet-food specific, mine aren't. But the containers I use all have airtight gasket seals at the closures, so the food doesn't get to go stale while sitting in the container. That would change the taste and texture of the food over time for the dog.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Maybe this might be part of the issue...I don't think the container is airtight as it does not have a good seal on the lid. Just not sure why this was never a problem before. He went through maybe 4 of the 16lb bag of TOTW before having issues
I think I will try and get an appropriate container, a new bag and stop giving in to him and see if this resolves the issue. Maybe it is the container..The day I opened the bag he ate 3 cups when we switched back to TOTW (I have not seen him do that since these problems and I was so happy I thought we were past the food picky-ness) and then the next day he couldn't care less about it!