[Haylo-peapod]

My 15 month border collie has recently gone off her food which is completely out of character as she has always had a good appetite.  She appears happy and healthy in every other way. She finished her second season about 2 months ago but she hasn't shown any signs of a false pregnancy. There were no problems following her first season.

I don't want to start down the route of changing her diet (Eukanuba & Chappie) as I don't want to end up with a fussy dog.

Any ideas??    

[colliewoman]

Is she drinking more? I hate being alarmist but am paranoid. If she were mine, I think I would nip her down the vets for a once over just in case she's brewing pyometra.
Or you might be able to ring for advice?
She's probably just being fussy, but I would check.
Failing that, let her miss a few meals. bowl down for 10 mins, then remove it til the next mealtime NO alternatives of titbits in between.
She'll soon learn if it is fussiness

[Old Shep]

Hmm vet check for me too.  You could also try adding just a little sardines in tomato sauce on the top of her normal food - thats a really good test for mine - if they don't eat it then I know there's something wrong    Hope she's ok.

[Haylo-peapod]

We were in the vets last week for her annual jabs and mentioned she was off her food a bit.
We also mentioned her season finishing a couple of months ago but no sign of false pregnancy at which point the vet didn't pursue the issue. At the end of the appointment he said she was in good health.

So I guess it can't be anything too serious but I'd just like to understand what's going on.
I haven't been aware of her drinking excessivley.
I'll try making her skip a meal or two - hopefully she might show a little more interest....fingers crossed.

[colliewoman]

Vaccinosis then I reckon if she was jabbed last week.
She could well just be feeling a bit rough same as people do after a flu jab.
But please do be aware of her lady parts and watch for a temperature. If it does end up being pyo, the sooner she is sorted the better. Early caught is antibiotic treatment, late is emergency spay to remove a uterus full of pus and slim chance of saving the bitch.
My first job was in labrador breeding kennels and 5 of their bitches had it at some point, all were fine afterwards but it made me paranoid for life

[moody_mare]

My lab x springer went off her food for a few days, but horse/goat/cow poo was still ok. I kept her away from all other food sources, skipped 3 meals and she has never missed a meal since. Can't say for sure why she went off her food though!

[Haylo-peapod]

Yikes - pyometra - scary. TBH, she seems too well in herself for it to be anything too horrendous. If it were something major I would expect her to be under the weather but she's been reluctant to have her food for 1-2 weeks now (since before her jab) yet she's still bouncing around like a typical demented BC puppy.

She does eat most of her food - eventually - but usually needs alot of 'encouragement' and she certainly isn't relishing it like she used to.

Could it be hormones? Could it be the remnants of a chewed toy stick in her stomach (albeit she doesn't seem tender)?

I've put her on half rations now and if that doesn't work I'll cut out one meal a day and see if that does the trick.

Thanks for all your input 

[colliewoman]

She does eat most of her food - eventually - but usually needs alot of 'encouragement' and she certainly isn't relishing it like she used to.

No encouragement, or she'll have you wrapped around her paw for life!
Red Dog tried this with me as a 6 month old and wanted every bit hand fed. She went without for 2 days and has been a gannet ever since!
If she wont eat out of her bowl leave it for 10 mins then like I said take it away til next meal time. You could be on to a winner with the one meal a day. She should be hungry enough by then to eat the lot!

[doganjo]

It is a hard thing to do but I agree with colliewoman.  Put her food down and if she hasn't eaten it in 10 minutes take it back up again and put it down exactly as it is for the next meal.  Don't titivate it. Don't give her ANYTHING else  - no titbits!

SHE WON'T STARVE!!! Believe me, I have done it!

[Haylo-peapod]

Well, let's give it a go.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of a look I get from her.
Hopefully she'll feel left out when my other BC gets her regular breakfast and dinner and she gets nothing .... and with any luck she'll get her appetite back again.

Many thanks for your input 

[colliewoman]

good luck, collies are horrible really I don't know why I keep having them

[jaykay]

  

Yes, no encouragement. All my dogs had dried complete food. Easy. Then Skye wouldn't eat it. So, stupidly I bought him tinned meat, which he loves. So now I have to go somewhere extra to buy the more expensive tins, they take up lots of space, I have to store the empties in the house then take them to the recycling place 7 miles away....... all because I didn't do what has been described and take his dinner up. Talk about having me wrapped around his paws 

[SallyintNorth]

Dot goes off her feed sometimes, usually when I've crept the ration up and up (she's always a skinny minx and I'd always like her to eat a bit more); I drop the quantities and put the constituents in separate piles in her bowl (so she can pick out the bits she likes best easily) and she usually gets back onto eating up pretty quickly.

Collies are obsessive characters; I had one couldn't eat if his bowl wasn't in the right place, another was frightened of a boiled egg in his bowl, one gets upset if anyone else uses 'his' bowl - so he pees in it and every other bowl he can find (eeyewwwww  ) ...

Not that any of them have me wrapped around their paws, at all, oh no... 

[Haylo-peapod]

Dot goes off her feed sometimes, usually when I've crept the ration up and up (she's always a skinny minx and I'd always like her to eat a bit more); I drop the quantities and put the constituents in separate piles in her bowl (so she can pick out the bits she likes best easily) and she usually gets back onto eating up pretty quickly.

Collies are obsessive characters; I had one couldn't eat if his bowl wasn't in the right place, another was frightened of a boiled egg in his bowl, one gets upset if anyone else uses 'his' bowl - so he pees in it and every other bowl he can find (eeyewwwww  ) ...

Not that any of them have me wrapped around their paws, at all, oh no... 

OMG, I think I must be getting off lightly. 

Interesting about creeping up the rations having an effect, now that Fudge is 15 months old and isn't growing as much maybe I should have been cutting back her food.

She didn't seem bothered about not getting her breakfast this morning, let's see what happens tonight...

[colliewoman]

another was frightened of a boiled egg in his bowl,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!

A collie worse than Red Dog! Well done!
Red Dog is scared of cabbages ONLY if they uprooted with their stalks still attached.