Hello! I was gifted a two month old French Bulldog exactly two months ago and when we arrived he was very shy and quiet, but as time passed he became more playful. About three days ago, he refused to eat his usual food and until today he hasn't eaten it. Yesterday, I decided to put a little bit of tuna on it so he maybe wanted to have some, but he only ate half of what he usually eats in one meal... And when I tried that today, he only licked it off the food and left the rest. There are some factors I should also include: • My mother gave him some lunch leftovers, rice and beans and we usually give him snacks like fruit and such. • As I mentioned earlier, he only licks the food but doesn't but chew it (I thought it had to do with his teeth, but he has chewing toys and he can bite them easily.) I suspected the food is spoilt (but that can't seem to be, since we got it 5 weeks ago)... Please help me, I'm really worried!
What is his normal food, and is there any change you can think of that may have triggered this lack of appetite, or has anyone else been feeding him without you knowing? The other food he's getting also could be harmful (as animals aren't supposed to eat human food), but it could also disrupt his routine and so he may just be full from that. Is he drinking plenty of water too?
Beans and rice are OK BUT you should be careful of left-over cooked rice if it has been left to cool and get cold at room temperature, both for humans and for dogs. The only safe way with left-over cooked rice is to cool it immediately and then freeze it. It will be safe once re-heated on a high heat with a tablespoon-full of water. http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning.aspx?CategoryID=51 Also fruit is high in sugar so although it might fill your puppy it is not advisable to give him too much. Most raw vegetables are preferable for treats. My dog is raw fed with human quality food, based on the BARF diet but tweaked according to what I can get. And she does not get snacks inbetween meals. But each to his own and unless your puppy is sick, not drinking and/or peeing and pooing OK, I would not worry. But if you do have any worries please take him to your vet for a check-up. Oh, and before I forget, welcome to Breedia from Tikki Tikva and myself!
THIS. Is your problem. I've experienced it a million times with my Border Terrier, and it's why people don't understand when I get angry when they ignore my pleas for them to NOT give large amounts of human food to my dog! She literally will not touch her dog food for two days after someone gives her a meatball, or a bunch of salsa chips....or french fries... Let me guess. Walks up to the bowl, sniffs it, and walks away? Classic. You have only one recourse, and believe me it will work. DON'T BE SOFT. The dog senses your worry and knows that if he holds out just a little longer, you will give in and give him something else. Don't fall for it. A dog will not starve itself, ever. He is testing your willpower against his. Don't play the game. Now, if it's been DAYS and he's acting listless or exibiting strage behaviour, then get him checked, but I'm pretty sure your mother just created a monster.
There's absolutely nothing harmful about "human" food if it is nutritious and not loaded with sodium. The problem is, it's just more palatable than dog food, so dogs are reluctant to going back to bland cereal once they get a taste of it. Which would you prefer? Food is food. Pet food is a relatively recent invention.
Hii, thank you for answering. His normal food is just Pedigree dog food, recommended by his vet. I don't think there has been any change, of course that's from my point of view... And no, we live in an apartment and my household and I keep track of the feeding, to answer your question he drinks like he normally would and goes potty on routine. I thought about this as well, and it's probably what happened. It just changed his normal routine and he wants to eat our food. Thank you again, Best wishes!
Hello! Wow, I did not know about the rice thing! Thank you so much, since we've never gotten sick from it we had absolutely no idea. And I shall start giving him more vegetables instead of fruit now, your reply was very helpful and it made me worry a lot less about Rex. Best wishes!
At four months old, don't leave it too long before checking with your vet that all is well. Keep an eye on his energy levels, fluid intake and his general well-being. If, however, he is eating alternative foodstuff it may be him just knowing what he prefers
No worries. Any time you have questions there's always someone willing to help. And yeah, be careful with rice as it contains small traces of arsenic (nothing dangerous) so always make sure you wash your rice before you cook it. And can we see some pics of your Frenchie? We love to people's dogs.
Hi I’m new to the forum and own a French bulldog , I would not feed any commercial dog food , raw diet all the way , there is a lot of places selling this now , 80% meat 10% bone and 10% offal , A dog is a carnivore and is not made to digest grain or rice , Look up raw food diet for dogs , and they hate being on there own for long periods , if your at work all day a frenchie is not for you .
