# Won't eat regular food



## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

All week Ruby has been offered every treat from the human and doggie pantry to get her to eat after her spay operation left her feeling peekish. Now that she is better she won't eat her regular food. She is giving me the pitiful whine and evil/sad eyes. She usually adores this food. Do I cave or hold firm?


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

Wow, that is an Academy Award worthy performance if I ever saw one! Is she still taking any pain meds? That could be making her appetite for her favorite food be off. I think I would stand firm for a bit on this. Is there something you could add as a topper to her regular food to get her to start eating it? I use freeze dried raw bits over Molly's food. Good luck as it must be really hard to resist caving in to that pitiful face!


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

Molly120213 said:


> Wow, that is an Academy Award worthy performance if I ever saw one! Is she still taking any pain meds? That could be making her appetite for her favorite food be off. I think I would stand firm for a bit on this. Is there something you could add as a topper to her regular food to get her to start eating it? I use freeze dried raw bits over Molly's food. Good luck as it must be really hard to resist caving in to that pitiful face!


She is finished her meds and seems back to normal. Maybe I will have to put a few of the sardines that she loves on top of her food.


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## fluffqueen_scully (Apr 11, 2016)

My dog became spoiled after she got fixed as well. I used to put a little parmesan cheese (the flakes in a bottle) on top of her food. The smell was strong enough for her to start eating her food, but she figured me out though after a few days lol. Now she doesn't need to eat with the cheese though she will give me a long stare when I put her food down just waiting if I'll put more goodies on top again haha


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

I don't know... Her face still looks awfully pinched to me. If she were mine, I'd think she still wasn't feeling well. It certainly doesn't hurt to let her not eat for a while more as long as she's drinking well. I'm not sure sardines are a great food for her... they are awfully oily and salty.

Since it's Friday, and getting in touch with the vet over the weekend might be tough, I'd probably touch base with them again today, and just let them know what's going on.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

krandall said:


> I don't know... Her face still looks awfully pinched to me. If she were mine, I'd think she still wasn't feeling well. It certainly doesn't hurt to let her not eat for a while more as long as she's drinking well. I'm not sure sardines are a great food for her... they are awfully oily and salty.
> 
> Since it's Friday, and getting in touch with the vet over the weekend might be tough, I'd probably touch base with them again today, and just let them know what's going on.


Thanks for weighing-in on how Ruby is doing. I appreciate your experienced eye. All the vets in the area are at conference for the weekend so I will continue the invalid treatment and feed her the healthiest food that she will agree to eat and see how she fares until Monday.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Eveningpiper said:


> Thanks for weighing-in on how Ruby is doing. I appreciate your experienced eye. All the vets in the area are at conference for the weekend so I will continue the invalid treatment and feed her the healthiest food that she will agree to eat and see how she fares until Monday.


I think the VERY most important thing is to keep her hydrated... If she's not drinking well on her own, mix a little low sodium chicken broth into it. If she STILL won't drink, get a dose syringe used for giving medicine to babies, and syringe it into her mouth.

If you can, keep track of how much you can get into her, so you can tell teh doc on Monday, if she's not much improved by then.

I'm HOPING she'll be like DeeDee's Sophie, who was absolutely MISERABLE for quite a number of days, then suddenly, almost over night, bounced back to her old self.


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Thinking of Ruby. How is she today?


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

Chi-Chi's Mom said:


> Thinking of Ruby. How is she today?


Thanks for asking. She seems completely back to her old self except she won't eat the food that she used to love. The best I have been able to do so far is to mix a special can of food from the vet for dogs with gastrointestinal issues into her kibble. That is better than sardines, which is all she wanted to eat last week, but her regular food is much better quality than the vet brand can. She is drinking less than usual but more each day.


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## boomana (Jul 9, 2015)

That video is both sad and hilarious. Glad she is on the mend.


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Ruby certainly looks happier than she did in that video! The food situation is puzzling. Good luck with finding something of high quality that she will eat consistently.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

I hope she will like her regular food again in a week or two. I just spent the last 3 months researching food options for her and had just settled on Honest Kitchen grain free which gets a 5 star rating from the dog food advisor site and I decided to serve it to her frozen in kongs and fresh in a slow feeder. She adored it and jumped up at the counter while I mixed it up. It isn't available locally so of course I just bought 3 boxes of it online! Now she won't even lick her kong or sniff her slow feeder. I do have another dog (a terrier) who eats the same food so it won't go to waste but still I thought I was all set for her food needs.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

So Ruby still won't eat her regular food. She doesn't even seem to like the canned food from the vet that she ate a few days ago. She isn't starving because she will eat the canned vet food at around 10 pm after having rejected everything else all day. She won't eat her training treats, nothing from a kong wobbler or slow feeder or regular kong or in a bowl, served hot or cold. I put scrambled egg over a few options today and she ate the egg but left any piece that touched the kibble. She is whining at me for food which is totally stressing me out. She is strong and healthy looking but I can't stand her asking me for something that I don't understand.

My next plan is to get some fish-based kibble and treats which I ordered expedited online (because our local pet shop didn't have it) and I hope that might tempt her since I know she likes sardines.


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## Raffi'sMom (Jan 25, 2016)

Poor Ruby, and you, I hope you find a solution soon and she feels better.


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## Molly120213 (Jan 22, 2014)

So sorry for both you and Ruby. I hope her appetite returns to normal soon.


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## Chi-Chi's Mom (Dec 10, 2015)

Oh wow. I hope she likes the new food. I know this must be very stressful.


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## Paddington (Feb 15, 2016)

How is Ruby going? Have you tried fresh mince (beef, chicken etc) mixed well with some of her kibble as well.


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## Eveningpiper (Sep 23, 2015)

Paddington said:


> How is Ruby going? Have you tried fresh mince (beef, chicken etc) mixed well with some of her kibble as well.


Thanks for asking. Our breeder suggested hand feeding her (I started a new thread about that). The hand feeding is working with high quality kibble and Daddy is even spoon feeding her the Honest Kitchen soft food 0.

Today she did eat from her Kong Wobbler which was good progress. I didn't want to put the fresh meat in her kibble in case I would have to do that forever, so the hand feeding of her regular food seemed a good choice. Besides this new eating quirk she is doing very well.


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