Suddenly not eating raw food.

[Mika]

my boy has been picky eater always. He periodically stops eating things. he loved vegetable now he eats only steamed carrots but bigger issue is he loved raw food for 3 years but recently he just don't want to eat it. I am switching proteins, grounded, not grounded. He just don't want to eat. he likes snack (which I call junk food...)... can he get spoiled as we were at my grandmas place for 2 weeks he eat there his raw food + plus food for beautiful eyes as my grandma likes to share food. when we went back to city he just picks small bits of food or not eating at all.

[eeeefarm]

I would say a vet check is in order if he is really off his food that much. Anything else? Behaviour changes unrelated to food, urination and defecation issues? Have you tried cooked food or conventional food? Any chance he was fed some spoiled food that made him feel sick? Sometimes if a dog feels sick after a meal he may not want to eat the food he associates with feeling ill even when presented with fresh food. When you went to your grandmother's did you use the same dishes for feeding your dog, or did you use hers?

[DonC]

I'm thinking he's working you for more things he Iikes. I'd be more concerned but for your note about his recent stay at your grandmas'. Yes that can happen. Easy test would be to put out the "junk food". If it's an actual problem he won't be tempted. If he snarfs it down that's a good indication he's striking for "better" food. LOL If that's the case you just have to wait him out.

In my experience pizza and ice cream are tempting junk food.

That said, sometimes old and ailing Basenjis will eat food like pizza.

[Svetlana Zhur]

Hi, check him for internal worms. My girl is also on raw diet and sometimes she just doesn’t eat her food for few days. But she would eat a bone with meat around it always or boiled poultry. So, when these “mood days” are happening now, I just switch for a few days to different food.
Also, take away snacks these days, they know if the don’t eat their meal, they would fill up with snacks)))) usually, when they are sick, they would not eat anything at all but with internal worms they might eat junk but not meat. Good luck!

[Branch]

My boy has always been a very picky eater and always had tummy issues...until my new vet said to only use dry food “lamb” from Open Farms and to get ground bison . So I cook the ground bison in the crockpot for 5 hours covered with just water. Then I mix it with his dry and woal-la what a happy boy! No more picky eater and no more tummy issues!!! He is going on 13

[Mika]

@eeeefarm thanks no he is perfectly normal, he plays and eats all other things, just not his food. I think he is just testing me, maybe he decided not to eat liver or something..

[Mika]

@svetlana-zhur I did made bone broth and put that on meat. and it was success he is testing me, because he decided that he doesn't like some ingredients, and I will test worms too, just in case...

[Mika]

@donc i am thinking is that like Basenji thing. but yes he does it some dry rabbit meat (snack from store). so he is just testing me

[Mika]

@svetlana-zhur said in Suddenly not eating raw food.:

Hi, check him for internal worms. My girl is also on raw diet and sometimes she just doesn’t eat her food for few days. But she would eat a bone with meat around it always or boiled poultry. So, when these “mood days” are happening now, I just switch for a few days to different food.
Also, take away snacks these days, they know if the don’t eat their meal, they would fill up with snacks)))) usually, when they are sick, they would not eat anything at all but with internal worms they might eat junk but not meat. Good luck!

.............. to what food you switch in those days. I don't want to go on dry and then off, but I don't know what else would be good?

[Mika]

Just remembered I had 2 kind of foods, bought premade and mine that I made for him. He eat mine + grandma's given things, and he hated premade ... maybe he learned that he can just wait out for something better and not eat all that is given to him.

just would love to know if he can do that for weeks my heart wont be able to handle that.

[Zande]

Actually it doesn't do a dog any harm to fast for 36 - even 48 hours - think about it, animals in the wild can't guarantee a kill at 8 am and again at 6 pm every day of the year.

I'd just put down his normal food, no specials, no treats. Leave it for ten minutes and if he doesn't eat it, take it up again. Same thing each meal time. When he is hungry, and realises this is all he is going to get, he'll probably wolf it down.

But if he doesn't - then a trip to the vet - immejute !

[Mika]

@zande oh 100% he is fishing for something better like ice cream, baked chicken .... he eat out lamb fat left other things, now he eat liver that I put bit of baked chicken on....

[Zande]

@mika said in Suddenly not eating raw food.:

@zande oh 100% he is fishing for something better like ice cream, baked chicken .... he eat out lamb fat left other things, now he eat liver that I put bit of baked chicken on....

So don't put such goodies near him ! You'll end up with a very plump, not to say FAT, little boy in no time and that is not good for him at all.

Plain food, twice a day, down, ten minutes later - up if not eaten !

Basenjis are so good at winding new owners around their paws, you have to learn not to pander to them !

[Mika]

@zande said in Suddenly not eating raw food.:

@mika said in Suddenly not eating raw food.:

@zande oh 100% he is fishing for something better like ice cream, baked chicken .... he eat out lamb fat left other things, now he eat liver that I put bit of baked chicken on....

So don't put such goodies near him ! You'll end up with a very plump, not to say FAT, little boy in no time and that is not good for him at all.

Plain food, twice a day, down, ten minutes later - up if not eaten !

Basenjis are so good at winding new owners around their paws, you have to learn not to pander to them !

yes it was more to test is he trying me out just he is stubborn, he will not eat and that is it. and I broke my toe so we can't go for runs too.
I wonder how stubborn are other basenji.

[eeeefarm]

@mika said in Suddenly not eating raw food.:

Just remembered I had 2 kind of foods, bought premade and mine that I made for him. He eat mine + grandma's given things, and he hated premade ... maybe he learned that he can just wait out for something better and not eat all that is given to him.

just would love to know if he can do that for weeks my heart wont be able to handle that.

There is a clue here, in that he doesn't want to eat the premade but will eat what you make. I would be suspicious that there was something wrong with some of the premade that has put him off. In my experience dogs don't just go off a food they normally eat for no reason.

[Mika]

@eeeefarm yes but at home I am giving him that I made. just Sunday I was at market and bought fresh food.

[Zande]

@mika said in Suddenly not eating raw food.:

I wonder how stubborn are other basenji

Just about 99.99% of them