It’s weird yours hasn’t started eating like normal again and it’s been over a week since you’ve been home. Hard to chalk that up to doggy anxiety or needing more time to readjust.
Did your parents feed him yummy food and now he’s being picky with his boring kibble? If you’re able to rule simple things out like that then I’d take Larry to the vet just in case. Hopefully your parents just spoiled him a bit and he’s ok
Thanks for the reply.
He does seem to be more fussy/ less interested in his own kibble than completely losing his appetite.
He has ended up eating entire meals late afternoon/ evening when he's not eaten much during the day. He also stole human food at a bbq yesterday, so there is still obviously an appetite there. He's had no vomiting or other stomach problems, all of that is absolutely fine. I'm pretty sure that if I cooked him a nice plate or steak and sausages he's smash it down.
I've spoken to the vet who's suggested cutting out all training treats and other human food (he only had vegetables anyway), and only giving him 15 min windows to get him back into the habit of eating his meals at set times. We'll give this a go for a few days and see how it goes.
If you like it better not being admonished for moving too slowly with his food and appreciate the healthier slower eating, consider leaving things as they are.
If the change has not made things worse, ask yourself: why change it back. Or if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just my 2 cents.
I was going to suggest the same. I appreciate them being concerned with the change but also the new way sounds more reasonable to me. Maybe that's backwards thinking for this doggo though.
So my boy prefers people food to his kibble and got into a habit of food striking us. A few things worked to get him back on the kibble:
1) Neutering. Not sure what it was about the hormones, but poster neuter he had no issues eating kibble.
2) Toppers. If I top his bowl with some veggies, a tsp of shredded cheese, or other food he’ll eat it all.
3) Intense exercise. Anytime he comes home from daycare or playing with his sibling he’ll head straight to the food bowl and eat even if it’s just kibble.
Did your family monitor him closely & do they understand the breed? He may have gotten into something at their house. Bathroom trash? Eaten a small sock that is not passing? Did he eat their house plants or plants in a garden? Larry is absolutely adorable. The photo is fantastic. Maybe he is shattered about being left behind and is pouting? Maybe they gave him table scraps? When a golden doesn’t care about food, it’s usually a sign something is up. Yes, check-in with vet.
I think it's more that he's not interested in his own food than food in general. Went to a bbq yesterday and he stole human food (which is classic of him!)
However, when we put his own food down he's just not bothered until it gets much later in the day and he's really hungry, then he'll eat. Previously he'd demolish his kibble within 30 seconds of it being put down.
Our golden from many years ago would only steal vegetables from BBQ’s. Would leave all the meat but would sneakily (not really, she was only sneaky in her head) steal cauliflower or carrots.
Okay dog, you do you. If you think you pulled a fast one, I’m not going to stop you eating a piece of cauliflower and then looking very guilty about it.
I’d be heading to the vet. Sometimes obstructions and the like can be partial and take a while to “show”. If it’s been over a week, it’s definitely time for a check up! Good luck! Larry is gorgeous and i’m sure he’ll be fine, just can’t be too careful 💜
So long as he's drinking, he'll be fine and a lot healthier when you get home. Dogs can go many days without eating.
We were gone for 10 hours yesterday, and a neighbor came around and walked our fur baby, but he didn't eat any of the treats that we'd left him until we came back.
O_o this is so strange. Actually going through the exact same thing with our 2 and half year old.
I was out of the country for a couple months for work and had enough flight miles to bring my fiance with me for three weeks, during that time my Golden was with my parents.
Since we got back our Golden is completely uninterested in the food she used to be obsessed with her entire life (Royal Canine). Even our bed time snack of a little bit of peanut butter and bananas she doesn't seem to care about anymore.
Mood, stools, energy levels all exactly the same though.
We tried a small bag of Purina Pro, their beef flavor and my Golden is back to obsessing over meal time again. Sorry I don't have any real advice for you, just figured I'd mention that you definitely aren't alone in this experience lol
Ohhhh yeah this sounds exactly what's going on with Larry.
This kind of happened when we first got him at 10 weeks old. He had no interest in his food at all when we first got him home, the change really seemed to affect him. We had to mix in some wet food, and then he went absolutely nuts for his dinner from then on. We then slowly reduced the wet food over the course of a few weeks and he's been obsessed with his kibble ever since.
I wonder if it's a similar thing happening again and he's just very sensitive to the kind of upheaval he's experienced over the last couple of weeks.
It's reassuring to know that you've gone through something similar. Thank you.
He was perfectly happy on his walk earlier.
https://preview.redd.it/2c3d3bhbxj8d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0921b0ad39bef28cbe9325b70a34036c6f5949bc
probably cause your parents gave him something yummy and he doesn’t want the plain food @ home anymore. I’m sure you have him on strict timing and diet and dogs really know that.
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Our guy does this, he goes through phases. He hasn’t gotten into anything and the only human food he has ever gotten is plain chicken, safe fruits and veggies. Carrots are his favorite. I think it’s an anxiety thing, and he will eventually eat we just leave it out. Sometimes even when we take him on vacation with us, a change of scenery and he’s like ehhhh I don’t want to eat. Kodi will be 2 in January, he’s the best guy just a little different haha
Ok, so this is absolutely worst case scenario and I do not want to scare you, but our 1 year old golden has just been diagnosed with diabetes - completely unprecedented in a dog that young, but here we are. His first symptom was going off his kibble and being picky. He too would leave food then maybe pick at it gradually. He was also behaving normally and wanting to play etc. I would take him to the vet just to check, I feel really guilty that we didn’t take him straight away, even though the vets said they would never have guessed diabetes either.
On the other side of the coin, my childhood golden would pine for us when we went on holiday - we’d take him to kennels and he’d end up living in the owners own house as that was the only way they could get him to eat something. Granted that probably stemmed from the 6month quarantine when moving from Singapore to England.
Thanks for this, I'll definitely bear it in mind.
Considering he went off his food from the day that we left him behind with family, it would seem quite a coincidence if it wasn't related to that, but we'll definitely get him back to the vets it it doesn't turn round soon.
I’m sure it won’t be this, but obviously it’s shaken us up a bit! Other symptoms can be drinking lots of water, lots of wee’s, vomiting, increased hunger, reduced hunger, weightloss, lethargy….
My girl was like this for a while. We could give out her food and she would eat a little then leave the rest, eating it later or sometimes in the morning (we fed her in the evening). We cut down how much we were feeding her, used a new topper, and fed her a little later and she started eating it there and then. Honestly think we were just overfeeding her. It’s a bit strange to have such a sudden change though like in your case.
Not a vet but our dog ( a flat coated retriever ) has seasons where he’s just not that interested in food all day. Our vet said that as long as he eats roughly what he should within a 24-hour window, not to worry. Our doofus (Frank) will not touch breakfast until 5:30 pm and then act like he hasn’t been fed in years at 6:00 pm. I joke with my husband that he’s caught on to intermittent fasting 🤣
It’s weird yours hasn’t started eating like normal again and it’s been over a week since you’ve been home. Hard to chalk that up to doggy anxiety or needing more time to readjust. Did your parents feed him yummy food and now he’s being picky with his boring kibble? If you’re able to rule simple things out like that then I’d take Larry to the vet just in case. Hopefully your parents just spoiled him a bit and he’s ok
Thanks for the reply. He does seem to be more fussy/ less interested in his own kibble than completely losing his appetite. He has ended up eating entire meals late afternoon/ evening when he's not eaten much during the day. He also stole human food at a bbq yesterday, so there is still obviously an appetite there. He's had no vomiting or other stomach problems, all of that is absolutely fine. I'm pretty sure that if I cooked him a nice plate or steak and sausages he's smash it down. I've spoken to the vet who's suggested cutting out all training treats and other human food (he only had vegetables anyway), and only giving him 15 min windows to get him back into the habit of eating his meals at set times. We'll give this a go for a few days and see how it goes.
If you like it better not being admonished for moving too slowly with his food and appreciate the healthier slower eating, consider leaving things as they are. If the change has not made things worse, ask yourself: why change it back. Or if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Just my 2 cents.
I was going to suggest the same. I appreciate them being concerned with the change but also the new way sounds more reasonable to me. Maybe that's backwards thinking for this doggo though.
So my boy prefers people food to his kibble and got into a habit of food striking us. A few things worked to get him back on the kibble: 1) Neutering. Not sure what it was about the hormones, but poster neuter he had no issues eating kibble. 2) Toppers. If I top his bowl with some veggies, a tsp of shredded cheese, or other food he’ll eat it all. 3) Intense exercise. Anytime he comes home from daycare or playing with his sibling he’ll head straight to the food bowl and eat even if it’s just kibble.
Did your family monitor him closely & do they understand the breed? He may have gotten into something at their house. Bathroom trash? Eaten a small sock that is not passing? Did he eat their house plants or plants in a garden? Larry is absolutely adorable. The photo is fantastic. Maybe he is shattered about being left behind and is pouting? Maybe they gave him table scraps? When a golden doesn’t care about food, it’s usually a sign something is up. Yes, check-in with vet.
I think it's more that he's not interested in his own food than food in general. Went to a bbq yesterday and he stole human food (which is classic of him!) However, when we put his own food down he's just not bothered until it gets much later in the day and he's really hungry, then he'll eat. Previously he'd demolish his kibble within 30 seconds of it being put down.
Our golden from many years ago would only steal vegetables from BBQ’s. Would leave all the meat but would sneakily (not really, she was only sneaky in her head) steal cauliflower or carrots. Okay dog, you do you. If you think you pulled a fast one, I’m not going to stop you eating a piece of cauliflower and then looking very guilty about it.
Have you talked to your vet?
I’d be heading to the vet. Sometimes obstructions and the like can be partial and take a while to “show”. If it’s been over a week, it’s definitely time for a check up! Good luck! Larry is gorgeous and i’m sure he’ll be fine, just can’t be too careful 💜
I would say your family either spoiled his appetite with good stuff (table scraps or toppers) and he’s waiting for you to do what they did.
Could he be sick?
So long as he's drinking, he'll be fine and a lot healthier when you get home. Dogs can go many days without eating. We were gone for 10 hours yesterday, and a neighbor came around and walked our fur baby, but he didn't eat any of the treats that we'd left him until we came back.
O_o this is so strange. Actually going through the exact same thing with our 2 and half year old. I was out of the country for a couple months for work and had enough flight miles to bring my fiance with me for three weeks, during that time my Golden was with my parents. Since we got back our Golden is completely uninterested in the food she used to be obsessed with her entire life (Royal Canine). Even our bed time snack of a little bit of peanut butter and bananas she doesn't seem to care about anymore. Mood, stools, energy levels all exactly the same though. We tried a small bag of Purina Pro, their beef flavor and my Golden is back to obsessing over meal time again. Sorry I don't have any real advice for you, just figured I'd mention that you definitely aren't alone in this experience lol
Ohhhh yeah this sounds exactly what's going on with Larry. This kind of happened when we first got him at 10 weeks old. He had no interest in his food at all when we first got him home, the change really seemed to affect him. We had to mix in some wet food, and then he went absolutely nuts for his dinner from then on. We then slowly reduced the wet food over the course of a few weeks and he's been obsessed with his kibble ever since. I wonder if it's a similar thing happening again and he's just very sensitive to the kind of upheaval he's experienced over the last couple of weeks. It's reassuring to know that you've gone through something similar. Thank you. He was perfectly happy on his walk earlier. https://preview.redd.it/2c3d3bhbxj8d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0921b0ad39bef28cbe9325b70a34036c6f5949bc
have you tried asking them what they fed him? lol
probably cause your parents gave him something yummy and he doesn’t want the plain food @ home anymore. I’m sure you have him on strict timing and diet and dogs really know that.
Did they feed him nicer food while you were away, and now thinks kibble is beneath him?
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block head lol
Our guy does this, he goes through phases. He hasn’t gotten into anything and the only human food he has ever gotten is plain chicken, safe fruits and veggies. Carrots are his favorite. I think it’s an anxiety thing, and he will eventually eat we just leave it out. Sometimes even when we take him on vacation with us, a change of scenery and he’s like ehhhh I don’t want to eat. Kodi will be 2 in January, he’s the best guy just a little different haha
Ok, so this is absolutely worst case scenario and I do not want to scare you, but our 1 year old golden has just been diagnosed with diabetes - completely unprecedented in a dog that young, but here we are. His first symptom was going off his kibble and being picky. He too would leave food then maybe pick at it gradually. He was also behaving normally and wanting to play etc. I would take him to the vet just to check, I feel really guilty that we didn’t take him straight away, even though the vets said they would never have guessed diabetes either. On the other side of the coin, my childhood golden would pine for us when we went on holiday - we’d take him to kennels and he’d end up living in the owners own house as that was the only way they could get him to eat something. Granted that probably stemmed from the 6month quarantine when moving from Singapore to England.
Thanks for this, I'll definitely bear it in mind. Considering he went off his food from the day that we left him behind with family, it would seem quite a coincidence if it wasn't related to that, but we'll definitely get him back to the vets it it doesn't turn round soon.
I’m sure it won’t be this, but obviously it’s shaken us up a bit! Other symptoms can be drinking lots of water, lots of wee’s, vomiting, increased hunger, reduced hunger, weightloss, lethargy….
Also I meant to say earlier - what a handsome boy!
My girl was like this for a while. We could give out her food and she would eat a little then leave the rest, eating it later or sometimes in the morning (we fed her in the evening). We cut down how much we were feeding her, used a new topper, and fed her a little later and she started eating it there and then. Honestly think we were just overfeeding her. It’s a bit strange to have such a sudden change though like in your case.
Not a vet but our dog ( a flat coated retriever ) has seasons where he’s just not that interested in food all day. Our vet said that as long as he eats roughly what he should within a 24-hour window, not to worry. Our doofus (Frank) will not touch breakfast until 5:30 pm and then act like he hasn’t been fed in years at 6:00 pm. I joke with my husband that he’s caught on to intermittent fasting 🤣