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joanna
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Jun 15, 2004, 9:22 AM

Post #1 of 46 (1533 views)
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HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food	Can't Post

I have a pup almost 7 months old...She just lose her tooth about 2 weeks ago and suddenly her appetite starts to slow down. She won't eat her dry food anymore not even after mixing it with water. At fisrt we gave her science diet then recently we change to ALPO. But she just won't eat her food. She is active drinks , play and evrything is fine just her appetite slowed down...please help im so afraid she will starve herself like this. it have been going on for 2 weeks now..

Khoobg
Webmaster

Jun 15, 2004, 9:45 AM

Post #2 of 46 (1531 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

The good thing is your puppy is still active and playful. That is good. Loosing appetite is sometime caused by sickness and if you sense that your pup is becoming less active, take her the vet immediately for check up. As for the dog food, Science Diet definitely smell better than Alpo and by switching from SD Alpo may not a good choice. Bear in mind that Shih Tzu can survive with little food intake a day due to their small weight and as long as she eat some everyday, she will be fine.

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joanna
Member

Jun 15, 2004, 9:50 AM

Post #3 of 46 (1529 views)
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Re: [Khoobg] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanx for letting me know...Now im trying to feed her some rice n at time some bread with kaya....she likes it..is it ok for her?...she take it but not her actual food

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 15, 2004, 6:02 PM

Post #4 of 46 (1524 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Joanna.

Please bear in mind that I'm not an expert on this, but I'll share with u some advice based upon my experience with my 4 mth old mini poodle, Haiku.

How many meals a day are u feeding your pup?
Does she finish 1/2 of her food? Or not at all?
Why did u change brands? Does she hate ALPO from day 1 or only recently?

Like what Khoobg said, as long as she's still active, playful and looks OK, I wouldn't get overly worried.

Dogs are smart and if she knows u will give her "treats" (human food) when she decides to puasa, she will puasa regularly. She won't "starve" if she misses 1 or 2 meals. Fill her dish, give her 10 minutes to finish and then, take it away. No comment.

Don't "bribe" or "beg" her to eat.
Do not fuss if she doesn't eat!
Never, ever "substitute" her missed meals with human food!

Repeat this for a few days and she will learn soon enough that she should.

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

joanna
Member

Jun 15, 2004, 11:30 PM

Post #5 of 46 (1517 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi thanx for your reply...actually her dog food is available for her 24/7. i feed her with science diet before ALPO.i change it because i think she might be fed up with the SD taste...she did not even touch her food at all(dry food). so i gave her some steam chicken breast with carrot as substitute. she ate it but not her dry food. maybe she is too manja now n she knows that she is able to get other food if she is not eating her dry food. just cant bear to see her puasa. afraid that she might not be able to take it as she is still young....

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 16, 2004, 1:47 AM

Post #6 of 46 (1513 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Joanna, food available 24/7 (free feeding) is not a good idea. Not only does it encourage picky and/or over-eating, vermin/pests might get into the food and contaminate it as well. Unsure

At 7 mths of age, it's advisable to break her daily food portion into 2 meals a day. But to start, u can portion it out into 3 meals. Eat your meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) 1st, and then feed her. How much does she weigh? Is she active or sendetary? Gauge how much to feed her accordingly. As a guide - U can refer to the feeding tables printed on the dog food bag.

Don't be overly worried she will "starve" if she misses a meal or 2. Trust me, dogs learn fast and will never conciously starve themselves once they know no "treats" are coming their way and they'll be very hungry indeed, if they skip another meal.

Try it for a day. If she skips breakfast, and then lunch... and still, no "treats" are coming, I can bet u she will wolf down her dinner in next to no time. Wink

Be strong and good luck!

BTW, what's your pup's name?

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

joanna
Member

Jun 16, 2004, 8:26 AM

Post #7 of 46 (1510 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi i can't thanx u enough for ur advice...My baby pup's name is Miko...name after my persian cat Chiko...she is actually weighing at about 4kg at 7mths and very very actice...she can just play and run around the house by her own or even chase us....she is our dear...i will try out the 3 meal per day method....have to hard hearted abit i guess... Wink

..i always the kind of soft hearted towards animals ....kind of hard for me but i will try it out for her goodness sake...thanx a lot...

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 16, 2004, 2:57 PM

Post #8 of 46 (1507 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

No need to thank me so many times. Blush

I'm glad to be of help.

Miko and Chiko - Do they get along well with each other? Angelic

4kg seems to be a decent weight for a Shih Tzu. Has Miko lost any weight lately? Keep an eye on the scale during these few weeks of "refeeding". What brand did she eat when she was younger? If she still refuses the current brand u are giving, u can try changing back to what she was eating before this whole puasa scenario started.

Is Miko housebroken? A regular feeding schedule will help in housetraining too. (U can sort of influence the, erm... "input and output", so to speak... Wink

)

Don't worry, it's not "cruel" to do this, Joanna. Sometimes u have to be "cruel", to be kind.

Since what u are doing is for Miko's own health and attitude towards food in the future, trust me, it will be worth it. Smile

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

joanna
Member

Jun 16, 2004, 11:17 PM

Post #9 of 46 (1499 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

yeah the two of them get along very well...sometimes they do play together....Miko's weight is still ok i think it didnt drops much as i don't hv the scaling machine at home....she is one dog i would consider very obedient kind....She took Science Diet when she is younger and just changed to ALPO recently...i would change it back to SD as it is better as what khoobg says....

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 17, 2004, 2:30 AM

Post #10 of 46 (1497 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Yes. I'd go back to the S.D as well. Since Miko likes it when she's younger. Do give the 3-meals-a-day routine a try, or u will never believe it will work.

U don't have to cut out all of her "treats". But make it a rule she finishes her dry food 1st, and then give her the treats. Even if there's 1 kibble left in her bowl, NO treats. Be consistent and stick to your guns. If u feed her treats throughout the day, or before her meals, for sure it will spoil her appetite.

As for the nature of the treats, choose "healthy" ones. Lightly steamed/boiled veggies are great. (Try carrots or frozen green peas, Haiku loves them best.) Don't give her canned veggies. (Lots of salt, additives, etc...) Steamed chicken is good too. So are small amounts of fruit and unsweetened yogurt. U might want to skip the roti-kaya. (Too much sugar, yeast...)

If u like to train using treats as a reward. Do so after she had her meal. She's won't be hungry and can concentrate better too! (Otherwise her mind would be on the food, not what u are teaching her.)

And make sure there's filtered water available for Miko at all times. Tap water (chlorine, flouride, etc...) is nasty.

Store her dry food in an airtight container. Use a dry scoop everytime. "Masuk angin" kibbles are NOT tasty.

Let me know how everything goes for Miko. Smile

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

joanna
Member

Jun 17, 2004, 5:13 AM

Post #11 of 46 (1494 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

yeah i im starting as what you said starting tomorrow....in fact SD is always my first choice of foof for her too as my cat took SD too...filtered water is the only water i gv her....i think i will still give her steamed chicken only on weekends.... Wink

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 17, 2004, 3:17 PM

Post #12 of 46 (1489 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Good for u Joanna. I'm very glad u are willing to give it a try. Smile

Not many people will heed good advice or even keep an open mind, and try it out for themselves to see if it will work. Worse, they may accuse the "advisor" for being a busybody, know-it-all. Crazy

Are u feeding Miko in a plastic dish? Plastic absorbs odours, so u might want to change dishes often, or switch to stainless steel/ceramic bowls.

Best of luck! Keep me updated on Miko's progress.

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

joanna
Member

Jun 17, 2004, 11:52 PM

Post #13 of 46 (1479 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

yeah i will give it a try this weekends....cos im in at home whole day for saturday n sunday...can keep an eye on her...the rest of the day im relying on my mom...so have to rely on myself on this...my mom kind of manja her already....she is eating her food in ceramic bowl i get from pet shop n washes it evryday

joanna
Member

Jun 20, 2004, 9:37 AM

Post #14 of 46 (1463 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Haiku Garden....Im very happy today...my baby Miko is starting to eat her Science Diet again...even though at first she ignored us n then vomit abit maybe due to the food we gave her few days ago...then at night my mom told me that she is eating her dry food again...no more vomitting and very very active still...im so glad i found this forum and u here advising me...its works...it really works...cant really describe how i feel now but its definitely going to be good.....thanx for replying n helping all the way.... Sly

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 20, 2004, 2:45 PM

Post #15 of 46 (1462 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Yay! I'm so happy for u and Miko, Joanna. How many meals did she "reject" before settling down to eat? How much of the S.D did she eat? The vomitting could be due to hunger, or something she ate earlier... Keep an eye on her today and I hope everything goes well... Smile

Feel free to contact me anytime. ( chewlyy@yahoo.com )

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

joanna
Member

Jun 20, 2004, 11:20 PM

Post #16 of 46 (1457 views)
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Re: [Haiku_Garden] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Miko rejected 2 meals before she finally eats her SD...for the whole day she ate about a quarter cup of her dry food....today (Sunday) still rejecting her food for the breakfast and lunch...i think she is probably expecting her treats...which is not going to be given Smile

....drinking well n playing still...so im not that worry now ....hopefully her appetite will return to normal soon....(joannateoh@hotmail.com) just in case i did write contact ur hotmail u will know who i am... Wink

....

Haiku_Garden
Enthusiast

Jun 21, 2004, 12:07 AM

Post #17 of 46 (1455 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

A few more days into this "routine" and Miko will understand soon enough that: rejecting meals = hunger, and no matter what - the treats ain't coming. As long as she's still active and well hydrated, it's OK. 1/4 cup is still better than none. Just be strong, and have patience. Smile

Once Miko can finish every meal, u can gradually phase-in her treats... Start with veggies and maybe, some yogurt, or fruits. (After she had her meals, of course.)

More good reads for u =

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nutrit1.html

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/nutrit2.html

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/teeth.html

Galeria Poodle - The Haiku Collection

a_evie
Doggyman

Jun 22, 2004, 10:29 AM

Post #18 of 46 (1437 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

haiku's tips were good...make sure no free feeding...it only encourages picky eaters.

noted that you mentioned that she just lost 1 tooth. in most cases, that does affect a furkid's appetite. the next time that happens...just don't press the panic button and start offering her bread and kaya (junk food for furkids)...but simply follow haiku's tips..and stay calm.

what is her name? shalom is also a shih tzu and is 8 month is 2 days time. big girl...but has yet to lose any teeth...

joanna
Member

Jun 22, 2004, 11:30 PM

Post #19 of 46 (1430 views)
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Re: [a_evie] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanx a_evie...yeah im following haiku's advice n it works...she started to eat when we feed her no nonsense anymore...my baby dog name is Miko...she is now 7months in another 1 day.... Wink

a_evie
Doggyman

Jun 23, 2004, 7:15 PM

Post #20 of 46 (1411 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

aha...nov 23 baby? shalom is oct 23 baby. tonight we are going to give her a mini birthday for turning 8 mths...

good for you that miko learns very fast....and cute face you know...so nice and white.

joanna
Member

Jun 24, 2004, 12:12 AM

Post #21 of 46 (1410 views)
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Re: [a_evie] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

thanx ...ur doggie is cute too...i think of making her a cake...they say cheese cake is good ... Tongue

...can share the cake with her

a_evie
Doggyman

Jun 24, 2004, 3:29 AM

Post #22 of 46 (1408 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

haha..cute? she is a rascal...a real gangster...very tomboy..and is hyper! but for all that....i still love her.

oh...cheese cake? you have cheese cake recipe for doggies?

joanna
Member

Jun 24, 2004, 8:27 AM

Post #23 of 46 (1407 views)
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Re: [a_evie] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

nope yet...still seraching....in fact we r celebrating her birthday by the time she came to our house actually...that would means not really her birthday oredi...cause when we bought her ...the owner just told me that she was 2 months old at that time but didnt give me the exact date...so im celebrating her birthday on january 23 next yr....her birthday n mine together lol....my birthday dog...hehehe Wink

a_evie
Doggyman

Jun 26, 2004, 3:17 AM

Post #24 of 46 (1391 views)
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Re: [joanna] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

so desu...

let me look thru my books early july...then i post some recipes...you can have a look lor.

joanna
Member

Jun 26, 2004, 8:08 AM

Post #25 of 46 (1389 views)
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Re: [a_evie] HELP plz mix breed shi tzu not eating her dry food [In reply to]	Can't Post

thanx would appreciate that...who knows maybe a lot of doggie lovers looking forward to read ur recipes too.... Wink

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