Hi everyone. I'm new here and in some serious need of input. My dog is a mixed breed and 10 tears of age. She is normally a very picky eater and gets sick of her food if we feed it to her for a long period of time. Now she just refuses to eat anything we give her and would rather fill up on water. She's been eating a tiny amount here and there but usually pukes it up shortly after, along with most of the water she has drank. We've tried both dry and wet food but when she so much as smells the wet food, it's like she gags and sometimes throws up. We have been feeding both dogs the same food which is adult pedigree and she is the only one with the problem. The wet food is also pedigree. We even tried her on a couple other brands of dry and she still wants nothing to do with it. Has anyone experienced this before? If so should we be concerned that it's a health issue rather than her being picky?? Could this possibly be signs of a blockage or worse?? She acts like herself which is really confusing me! Please help!

There is definitely a possibility of an intestinal blockage, from your
description of refusing food, drinking much more than usual, then
vomiting. Is she passing stool at all? (I've had three dogs have
intestinal blockage.... so I've seen it.... plus humans do much the same
thing, and I was a nurse for 30 years....) GET THIS DOG TO THE VET NOW!

Back to diet. Read the label of that dry Pedigree. Doesn't it look
much more suited to a cow than a dog, with all that corn and barely any
decent animal protein? The canned isn't much better. Dogs do not
easily digest and utilize corn, wheat, soy, dyes (which are just there
to make you think it's rich in MEAT). Many are sensitive or allergic to
one or more of these. If I was your dog, I'd go on strike, too!

I'm not going to tell you what brand, or formula within a brand you
should feed, but I am going to be quite frank. If you can buy it in the
supermarket, the food does not have enough animal protein and does have
too much corn, wheat, or soy and dyes.... or up to three out of four of
these.

Go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and do some serious reading. A
huge number of dog foods are listed with their ingredients, and many of
them are evaluated/reviewed by experienced breeders. (Note that vets do
NOT study normal canine [or feline] nutrition in school. They may
attend a weekend seminar presented by either Purina or Science Diet....
and almost everything else they learn comes from a SALESMAN.) Breeders,
on the other hand, have much practical knowledge about which foods give
them show dogs and dogs in other canine sports that "glow" with health.

If you are feeding foods in this site's 5 and 6 star ratings, with no or
minimal grains of better quality than corn and wheat, and plenty of
animal protein, you will feed less, scoop up less in the yard, and have
healthier dogs that Love their food. Even 4 star ratings will require
less food, etc. I rotate among several formulas of one brand and two or
three foods of other brands about every 2-4 months. This assures that
my guys are likely to pick up trace nutrients that one brand or "flavor"
may not have, the difference in taste keeps them enthusiastic about
their food. For several years, my dogs have only needed to see the vet
for routine physicals and their rabies shots every three years.

There is nothing right or wrong about mixing dry and canned foods. Dry
food only "cleans" teeth if the dog bothers to chew it (mine don't take
time for mere chewing). Since I moved my guys to no-grain foods, I find
that their teeth stay clean longer, so they don't need to have them
cleaned (under ansthesia) as often. Since they are not sensitive to any
grains or meats, I don't worry about it if their treats have some grain.
We all enjoy some junk food. I also use RAW veggies and fruit for
treats.... carrots, apple, broccoli stems, green beans.... any veggies
EXCEPT onion, fresh garlic, leeks scallions, green onions, which cause a
serious anemia. On the fruit side, NO grapes or raisins, which can
cause kidney failure. No pits from peaches, cherries nectarines, plums,
plumcots, apricots, and avacado, or seeds from the apple and pear....
contain dangerous chemicals (cyanide, in the interior of the pits). No
walnuts or macadamia nuts.... can cause a strange paralysis, primarily
of the rear of the dog. I may top off a dinner dish with left over
veggies, cooked or raw. An older dog that hasn't had raw veggies may or
may not be interested in them. I've had one dog that didn't like
apples....

Now.... picky eaters. If the dog is getting a good quality food and is
healthy, a skipped meal now and then is not a problem. I HAD a picky
eater. He did skip every meal for 3 days, and I never had problem
again. I had one other who would eat part of a meal or skip for 2-3
days when he was a puppy on puppy food. I went through different brands
like a hot knife through butter.... same picture. I finally put him on
adult food... feeling guilty.... and end of problem. I figured out that
he was self-regulating! The puppy food just had more nutrients or
calories than his body needed. In fact, as a trainer, I see pupies from
4-12 months that are hyperactive.....a permenant "sugar high" from puppy
food. I no longer use it for any puppy I get; at 8 weeks or so. If he
was inactive for some time and started to put on an extra ounce, he'd
cut himself back for a day or two, then back to normal. Not all dogs do
this self-regulating. My others would turn into porkers if I didn't
regulate how much they get. I use a set of dry measure measuring cups
for dog food scoops, so I know just what they are getting, and cut it
back a bit if a dog starts to get chubby. My 16 year old is slim, trim
and active.

Hope this helps. GET THAT DOG TO A VET NOW!

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

On Jan 25, 6:34*pm, Kawigurl wrote:
Hi everyone. I'm new here and in some serious need of input. My dog is a
mixed breed and 10 tears of age. She is normally a very picky eater and
gets sick of her food if we feed it to her for a long period of time.
Now she just refuses to eat anything we give her and would rather fill
up on water. She's been eating a tiny amount here and there but usually
pukes it up shortly after, along with most of the water she has drank.
We've tried both dry and wet food but when she so much as smells the wet
food, it's like she gags and sometimes throws up. We have been feeding
both dogs the same food which is adult pedigree and she is the only one
with the problem. The wet food is also pedigree. We even tried her on a
couple other brands of dry and she still wants nothing to do with it.
Has anyone experienced this before? If so should we be concerned that
it's a health issue rather than her being picky?? Could this possibly be
signs of a blockage or worse?? She acts like herself which is really
confusing me! Please help!

--
Kawigurl

I'd gag too if I were a carnivore and was fed corn and cereal. Dry
food is dangerous for dogs. Their natural food has a lot of water
content so it's no wonder so many dogs anymore have kidney problems,
diabetes and worse.

Try reading a few links and you will find all your answers.

http://www.rawfed.com/myths/
http://www.rawfitpet.com/pb/wp_fa7e8..._fa7e8251.html

Jo Wolf wrote:

Go to http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and do some serious reading.


Those are all American dog foods and I've never heard of any of the 6 star
or 5 star rated ones.
A few of the 1 star rated ones I've heard of, Pedigree and Cesar namely, but
all the rest are completely alien to anyone living outside the US