Hilo has stopped eating.
In that past Hilo would slow his eating right before he had a growth spurt, but that would usually only last a day or so. This time around he has not eaten much at all for like a week!
We are getting concerned.
Last night he eat 3/4 of a bowl of HK, but up to that point he had eaten almost nothing this week. He seems to not like his large breed puppy Orijen anymore, and he thinks about eating the regular Orijen puppy, but then he only eats a few pieces. Same for EVO Chicken formula.
Basically, he will eat things that are super tasty, but nothing else. This AM he wouldn't even eat HK!
He will eat kibble if we sprinkle it on the floor - but I'm sure that will only last till the novelty wears off...
Any suggestion?
Comments
You could take him to the vet to see if anything is wrong. Otherwise I would just watch and make sure he is still drinking water, he should eat eventually.
Yea, we have been thinking about taking him to the vet, but since he has done this before we have been just kinda watching to see. He is drinking water fine so... who knows.
We are switching vets and wanted our first appointment to be something more like puppy shots then something like this - but I guess we may not have a choice.
This behavior is not all that uncommon.
First, we do not get to excited when an Akita chooses to skip food entirely or eats very little for one or two days ... or longer. If everything else looks good, and the dog is drinking and behaving normally we just consider this typical Akita behavior. Sometimes this is due to some kind of stress (change in routine/environment, females in season, new dogs, etc., hormonal changes with maturation <most likely at Hilio's age>) but it occurs often enough for no particular reason in dogs of all ages. Often, they just get tired of their diet (particularly younger dogs) and hold out for the humans to give in ... my advice is not to do so.
Offer the usual food, at the usual time and don't try jazzing it up with special treats or additives. Leave it with him for an hour or so and then pick it up. Do not let it sit out for him in the hopes he'll eventually eat it. Doing these things will only make him a pickier eater later in life. When he realizes that he has a certain amount of time to eat the food presented and then the food disappears, it will make him eventually more inclined to go to the food more quickly when it's again offered at the next scheduled feeding.
This is usually when owners freak out and start switching foods, adding temptations, etc. If you believe in the quality of the diet you have chosen, stick to it! Otherwise you will be embarking on years of food switching. You logically and scientifically determine the best food for the dog .. not the other way around.
No healthy dog will starve itself to the point of illness. It just doesn't happen. If you are concerned, even slightly, that there may be a medical basis and wish to have a veterinary exam by all means do so. My hunch is that such an exam will turn up nothing because there is usually nothing wrong medically.
Again .. this is such typical Akita behavior that my best advice is to simply expect it and get used to it. There will be many more missed meals (by choice) in the future. This behavior tends to diminish somewhat in fully adult dogs.
We all want our dogs to eat well and to thrive but, trust me, no one wants to create a finicky Akita. They're that way naturally as it is.
Michael
P.S. If you feel you really must "do something" add a small amount of chopped tuna or sardines in oil) to the mix. This will often stimulate Akitas to eat. Taper it off as eating returns to normal .. and it will.
Now that I think about it, my aunts Akita (american) from about 10 months to 18 months really wasn't interested in food. I mean she wasn't skeletal or anything, but she skipped meals all the time. She only liked to eat once a day, even though bigger dogs really should eat more than once per day, better for digestion.
Hey thanx for the info, that is exactly what I figured but its nice to hear it from the experts. :c)
I'm pretty sure he is about to have a growth spurt, he has now started to be fearful of walking on slippery surfaces. This classic Hilo, he does that every time he has a growth spurt - stops eating and gets overly fearful of things he usually has no issues with. This one has just gone on longer than normal, but with the addition of Kona and some things going around the house he may be a little stressed also.
Yesterday I took him on a nice night walk through the desert - he loved it, and that seemed to get his appetite back, he eat more than half his food last night.
Thanx for the help, I'll let you guys know what how it goes.
... he does that every time he has a growth spurt - stops eating and gets overly fearful of things he usually has no issues with.
Sounds like normal stuff ... if I remember my teenage years.
Michael
Hahah, teenage Hilo. I'm still learning about Akitas, so my sugguestion may not have been a good one?
I know with my past and current dogs, if they haven't touched their food within the first 5 minutes, it's gone until next feeding time. With Lynx and Kei, I haven't had any problems, they usually devour their food within seconds! Although, sometimes Kei, when preoccupied, likes to eat a few bites then go bother the cats and then eat a few more. That's okay as long as he is eating. I had a German Shepherd that use to take her time and eat ever so delicately, again, tis' okay so long as she was eating.
Glad to hear Hilo is eating again! Such strange growth spurts...I haven't had to deal with anything major...yet. I also do partial knibble and tend to do more raw. Rumor has it the raw food tends to slow/gradual growth in pups whearas the knibble quickens the pace a bit. Do we have any data on Akitas specificly with this? I am curious.