Hi! I have an Akita, one year old; from some months ago he started
rejecting his dog food; he eats anything you put in his plate
(chicken, gravy, beef bites)but not his dog good; I probed Eukanuba,
Proplan, DogChow, Pedigree, Beneful, etc. and he always has the same
behaviour if it is a new brand he will eat the first days, after that
he stops only eats if you complement with something like cheese,
gravy, meat juice, small piece of chicken, etc. What I'm doing wrong?

Gh0st1n5h3ll wrote:

Hi! I have an Akita, one year old; from some months ago he started
rejecting his dog food; he eats anything you put in his plate
(chicken, gravy, beef bites)but not his dog good; I probed Eukanuba,
Proplan, DogChow, Pedigree, Beneful, etc. and he always has the same
behaviour if it is a new brand he will eat the first days, after that
he stops only eats if you complement with something like cheese,
gravy, meat juice, small piece of chicken, etc. What I'm doing wrong?

How long will he go without eating? I assume that you've had a vet
check him out and pronounce him to be healthy. He's probably learned by
now that if he holds out for something better, he gets it. Pick a food
that you feel is nutritionally adequate, give him a set amount, put the
bowl down for about 10 or 15 minutes and pick it up after that time is
up, whether he eats it or not. He may skip a meal or two, but
eventually, when he gets hungry enough, he'll eat. In the meantime, NO
supplementing his diet with other yummy stuff.

Suja

On 23 Oct 2003 10:23:50 -0700, (Gh0st1n5h3ll)
wrote:

Hi! I have an Akita, one year old; from some months ago he started
rejecting his dog food; he eats anything you put in his plate
(chicken, gravy, beef bites)but not his dog good; I probed Eukanuba,
Proplan, DogChow, Pedigree, Beneful, etc. and he always has the same
behaviour if it is a new brand he will eat the first days, after that
he stops only eats if you complement with something like cheese,
gravy, meat juice, small piece of chicken, etc. What I'm doing wrong?

Oh the joy of Akitas. Has your boy been to the vet to rule out any
health problems? Have you talked to your vet or breeder about the
problem? *If* you know your dog is healthy, I would find a good
quality food that you feel comfortable feeding and set his bowl down
for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Any food
left in the bowl is to be picked up and put away. My Akita boy missed
2 meals before he decided that eating the food he was provided in a
timely manner was a good idea. That was over 7 years ago and he has
not missed a meal since. In fact, I cannot fix a meal for the dogs
without being accompanied by a wooing Akita busybody.

Akitas are noble, silly, bright, willful creatures that will happily
allow you to cater to them as much as you are willing to. Good luck!

Best regards,

Becky
"If people tell you their dogs have never produced a defect, their
dogs have probably produced only one litter, they don't follow up on
their puppies or what is most likely the case, they are being less than truthful."
George A. Padgett, DVM

Remove the drool to reply

I've tryed that, taking his plate away after some minutes and belive
me he can stands days without eating; but I mix his food with a can of
Alpo chicken/cheese/gravy he will lick his plate till all stuff
desapears.



(Becky) wrote in message ...
On 23 Oct 2003 10:23:50 -0700, (Gh0st1n5h3ll)
wrote:

Hi! I have an Akita, one year old; from some months ago he started
rejecting his dog food; he eats anything you put in his plate
(chicken, gravy, beef bites)but not his dog good; I probed Eukanuba,
Proplan, DogChow, Pedigree, Beneful, etc. and he always has the same
behaviour if it is a new brand he will eat the first days, after that
he stops only eats if you complement with something like cheese,
gravy, meat juice, small piece of chicken, etc. What I'm doing wrong?

Oh the joy of Akitas. Has your boy been to the vet to rule out any
health problems? Have you talked to your vet or breeder about the
problem? *If* you know your dog is healthy, I would find a good
quality food that you feel comfortable feeding and set his bowl down
for 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening. Any food
left in the bowl is to be picked up and put away. My Akita boy missed
2 meals before he decided that eating the food he was provided in a
timely manner was a good idea. That was over 7 years ago and he has
not missed a meal since. In fact, I cannot fix a meal for the dogs
without being accompanied by a wooing Akita busybody.

Akitas are noble, silly, bright, willful creatures that will happily
allow you to cater to them as much as you are willing to. Good luck!

Best regards,

Becky
"If people tell you their dogs have never produced a defect, their
dogs have probably produced only one litter, they don't follow up on
their puppies or what is most likely the case, they are being less than truthful."
George A. Padgett, DVM

Remove the drool to reply

On 23 Oct 2003 14:18:59 -0700, (Gh0st1n5h3ll)
wrote:

I've tryed that, taking his plate away after some minutes and belive
me he can stands days without eating; but I mix his food with a can of
Alpo chicken/cheese/gravy he will lick his plate till all stuff
desapears.

How long has he actually gone without eating anything? What finally
ended the hunger strike? What did your vet or breeder say about this
behavior? Given the propensity for thyroid problems in the breed,
have you had a *full thyroid panel* done on your boy? If so, what
were the results?

Becky
"Traits will not disappear by themselves. Nature will not save us because
natural selection has nothing to do with dog breeding. Dog breeders in
general need to face genetic defects as a realistic part of the problems
encountered in the process of producing good sound animals."
George A. Padgett, DVM

Remove the drool to reply.

Hi , And welcome! I have 4 akitas, they are very smart and have figured
out that if they snuff there nose up the goods will fall. I have one
girl who is picky (will go 2 meals refusing) then gobble. She is thin
but looks good , vet approved, (no matter ow many times I said "she
looks thin", vet says she's great!
Don't worry a dog won't starve its self to death.
Some dogs just come thin!!
But please get a vets option to rule out any health concerns!
GOOD LUCK
Renee

(Gh0st1n5h3ll) wrote in message om...
I've tryed that, taking his plate away after some minutes and belive
me he can stands days without eating; but I mix his food with a can of
Alpo chicken/cheese/gravy he will lick his plate till all stuff
desapears.


Don't worry about the dog being too thin unless the vet gets
concerned. Akitas (like most dogs) have a tendency to put on weight,
but as long as the dog eats when you 'supplement' the kibble, it
sounds like the dog is just being fussy. We humans (Americans at
least) have a tendency to overfeed our dogs out of guilt over just
about anything & everything.

I also have a dog who can go days without eating if she feels like it.
She's a terrier mix & as lively & energetic at 5 years old as she was
as a puppy. She has always been a fussy eater & would eat a new brand
of dog food for a little while, then get bored with it & quit eating
until she got hungry & realized I wasn't going to 'supplement' her
food. She eats enough to satisfy her hunger & nutritional needs. I've
given up trying to cater to her whims & now just feed her what I know
is a good brand of kibble & don't worry about it. I use the meal
feeding method rather than free feeding b/c I have another dog who's
an absolute pig & would eat until he burst if I let him.

Pam