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Post by Andrew on Dec 22, 2014 15:19:19 GMT 10
Hi Tom,
I have a 11 month old pup who eats very slowly and was wondering if you know what the problem could be as i only just recently got him?
He has been wormed, bathed and settled in to his new home but when we feed him he tends to eat very slowly eventually finishing his meal, he seems abit sookie too and likes to have a nip at people.
Please let me know your thoughts, i have tried reducing his meal size which worked for one day then he went back to eating slow again and sometimes he will only eat the meat and not the rest.
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Post by Tom Meulman on Dec 22, 2014 18:56:56 GMT 10
Hi Andrew,
From what you have posted it certainly appears that at this point in time there are two problems you have to solve.
Firstly there is no doubt that a pup that appears somewhat "sookie" and a bit snappy at the same time is not happy being where it is. As you can imagine here is a pup that is at a mental age equivalent to an eleven year old, it's been taken away from its playmates into a strange environment, and a strange routine that does not include being able to run around whenever it wants to.
On top of that the food is not what it is used to.
In most rearing situations where the proprietor has to make a living out of what are fairly low rates for rearing pups when compared to the rates charged by boarding kennels for domestic dogs.
Therefore more often than not the diet consists of minced chicken and soaked stale bread. In addition to that the pup would be used to having a bit of food when it's dished up and then going back for some more, depending on the pecking order that was there between those pups it was being reared with.
So as you can imagine the pup has a lot of new stuff to get used to, and unfortunately just like some little kids that are placed in that situation they do get depressed, tend to withdraw, and not cooperate.
The only time a pup in that situation is likely to be happy is when it is taken out on the lead, or is being let out in a yard.
The only solution is to make a real fuss over the pup and spend as much time as possible with it. In my case I used to go and sit with the pup in the kennel on a daily basis. If necessary sit in the bed with it, and lift it so the front half of its body was on my knees, and then spend at least 15 minutes petting it and talking to it.
In regard to its food - at this point in time it is certainly not necessarily to give the pup lean beef, kibble and vitamins. It is far more important that the pup enjoys it's food, and is able to go to sleep with a full belly as this is such an important factor in it settling in properly and being happy in the environment it is in.
If that requires buying some chicken mince, mixing some of that in with the meat, and using soaked wholemeal bread instead of kibble it you may just have to do this for a few weeks as you can always wean it off again when it's back to being a happy cheeky pup.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Joe on Dec 23, 2014 21:59:03 GMT 10
I'd also seriously suggest checking his tonsils, can make greyhounds very picky eaters and quite withdrawn if badly infected.
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Post by Andrew on Dec 25, 2014 13:49:26 GMT 10
Have tried all of the above. Thx for your comments and help but his still not eating up he only eats in droops and drabs. Maybe thats just his nature? The main thing is his not losing weight.
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Post by Andrew on Dec 25, 2014 14:42:39 GMT 10
I have just given him a handful of roast chicken and he gobbled that up so i am starting to think his been reard on chicken too much. How do i get him eating the beef?
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Post by Tom Meulman on Dec 25, 2014 16:39:15 GMT 10
Hi Andrew,
The only choice you have is to start off with all chicken mixed with bread, and then over a period of a couple of weeks start replacing a small quantity of the chicken with beef until such time as the pup is eating beef only.
Having said that there is nothing wrong with adding a bit of chicken to a greyhounds diet from time to time just for a change. In fact one of Victoria's leading trainers feeds mainly human consumption ox cheek and chicken as well as wholemeal bread as this minimizes the chance of a positive swab from contaminated meat.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Andrew on Dec 28, 2014 18:36:11 GMT 10
Hi Tom,
I really appreciate your help here....
I have got him eating my meat again but this is how I have nurtured him to eat and it seems to be working.
I started by only giving him a small amount of meat on its own and he seemed to eat that then i increased the meat size and he ate that also, i then gave him some kibble seperatly also and he finished that but if he gets distracted slightly he will stop eating and take a while to get going again. I'm not sure if this is a bad sign or just the nature of the dog as people are telling me dogs that do that don't end up any good but if i can get him to eat properly then i have to try my best and this is working so i might just keep on doing this until i am confident he is ready for a full mixed meal.
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Post by Tom Meulman on Dec 28, 2014 20:33:54 GMT 10
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the update, and I have no doubt that the method you are using will result in the pup eating full meals all by itself before too long. As far as someone intimating that a pup that acts like that won't be any good as a racing greyhound is too stupid for words.
I have raced greyhounds that were the biggest sooks you could imagine and yet would bullock their way through a field, and kept chasing hard even after getting severely checked.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Andrew on Dec 29, 2014 9:03:28 GMT 10
Just another thought....
Is it possible that he may have large tonsils?
He seems to eat better in small portions and im wondering maybe its because of the tonsils although i did have a look and they were not enlarged and even so he would only get enlarged tonsils after a gallop wouldnt he?
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Post by Tom Meulman on Dec 29, 2014 15:22:57 GMT 10
Hi Andrew,
A sore throat from inflamed tonsils as Joe mentioned in an earlier post, and or sore gums would certainly make a pup eat slower or just little bits at a time.
Tonsils can be infected and inflamed anytime without having had a run, but with inflamed tonsils and a run dogs do tend to cough or even gag soon after that run.
Keep in mind that when you are inspecting the tonsils on a dog you should not actually see them as they are behind a flap of tissue, in a pocket so to speak.
If they are hanging out and clearly visible, red or not, they are likely to be causing discomfort to the dog.
Cheers,
Tom
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