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  • Anexoric Dane?

    Hi All -

    Got a question - we have a friend that has a 4 yr bitch that since we have known her (a few years) as had what I would consider Anexoria.

    This girl has no appetite no matter what they feed, they have tried it all, she has been to the vet no health issues, no hormone, or thyroid problems. She just doesn't like to eat to the point that sometimes she looks like a rescue case.

    As this girl gets older it seems to be getting worse and her owners are very worried about her - Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks
    Shellz

  • #2
    My Venus was like this. We tried many different foods. We finally gave in and started useing add-ins to her food: gravy, meat, broth, etc. This would get her to eat, but she wouldn't eat if there was nothing "special" in her food. We tried Canidae, Eagle pack, ProPlan, she didn't like any of those. We then tried Blue Buffalo, which she would actually eat everyday w/o any extras. It was a decent food, but we decided to switch to evo, I wanted to do raw, the bf didn't like the germs, so we decided a grain free kibble was the best way to go. WOW, let me tell you, she LOVES this food. She cleans her dish every time and will even go and stand by her dish when it is close to feeding time. She has never been like that before. It has also helped her put on muscle weight at 6yrs old that she never had before, there are so many benefits that are like feeding raw. I even had to put her on a diet because I wasn't used to her eating all her food so regularly! But anyway, if you have had her health checked and she is fine, then she is just a picky eater. You might try a grain free food like evo, orijen, Blue Buffalo Wilderness. These foods are so high in protein she will need less of them to gain/maintain her weight. On the Blue Buffalo Venus was eating 5 cups a day and on evo 3 cups a day.
    Michele
    Mom to: Angel huskyx (3/15/2001), Lestat labx (12/1/2001), Mystra beaglex (04/01/2005), Merlin airedale (08/01/2012)
    RIP my loves:
    Isis (dane) (7/1/2005-11/5/2011), Venus (dane) (9/1/02-06/24/13)

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    • #3
      Pretty interesting to read this-
      I know a similar Dane. She has always been "thin".
      And she was always free fed.

      When our Dane was a pup, he wanted NO PART of any treat, he wouldn't even eat macaroni and cheese quickly when I was desperately searching for some treat he would work for.

      I learned that "Food Drive" is actually a LEARNED activity!!!!
      For many dogs, food and treats just aren't novel enough to move quickly enough to want.
      Most pups learn this from each other at a very young age but for many that are either free fed or over-indulged, they just grow to be adults that have never known hunger and don't really care unless forced in starvation (which would be a cruelty few would allow!). Lack of food drive in a dog that will only eat until its just not hungry (some dogs are naturally sensible- some are gluttons), and I can easily see how THIN could become the norm for such a dog.

      I would definately try the raw model food mentioned at very regular intervals (not free feeding) to see if that helped.
      Our Dane will still (as an adult) carry around slices of hotdog for a few minutes before he decides to eat one- I had good results with raw meat as treats, though, AFTER he got used to eating it as a meal.
      Randa

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      • #4
        If they've ruled out medical issues, it's likely that she has learned to be a picky eater and they'll have to work to change that.

        If they are free feeding, switch to scheduled feeding. They need to be very consistent with picking up the food 15 minutes after it was put down.

        To start, drop her daily food ration to 1/4 of her normal daily amount. When she can eat all that, slowly start increasing her daily food intake. The goal is to teach her to finish the food presented.

        What food is she on now? If they are kibble feeders, use something like Innova EVO, which is very calorie dense. If they're open to raw, try that.


        Bev
        Bev
        Foto Danes

        Ch Payaso Flighty Star Alliance RN CGC CHIC
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        • #5
          Orijen is another good one if you can't find evo/she doesn't take to it.
          ~Laura~

          Dori: 7 years (TDI, CGC), Toby: RIP SWEET BOY (CGC), Cami: 7 years (TDI, CGC)

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          • #6
            I don't have any real answer. Have they tried satin balls? Frankie is totally NOT food motivated. He eats all of his meal but only because he doesn't want one of the others to get it. The other night I had some small pieces of chicken left over and put it on the dogs' food. They all thought it was wonderful.......except Frankie. He picked every piece of chicken out and spit it on the floor.
            ~Patty~ I have the right to remain silent; I don't have the ability.

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            • #7
              Agree with others, make sure they're not free-feeding. Occasionally a MAGDRL member will mention an anorexia problem, and most times they're free-freeding.

              We start our Danes with a 10 minute rule, but now everyone eats everything in their bowl in less than 2 minutes. And if the owner decides to switch foods, they need to do so slowly by mixing in the old food w/new to prevent stomach upset and diarrhea.

              HTH!
              Lissa's furkids: Jupiter (RIP), Merlot (RIP), Savannah, and Poet
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              Visit them at: http://www.lissa.net/Joya/
              MAGDRL: http://www.magdrl.org/
              AKC CGC Evaluator #9661 since 2003
              Feeding RMB since 2001

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