JRT having eating problems - all advice sincerely appreciated...

Hi there, I’d be really grateful for any advice anyone could offer as I think I’m going to end up with a problem if I don’t nip a situation in the bud.

At the beginning of last week my JRT was poorly with a mild stomach upset, on the vet’s advice I starved her for 24 hours, until she had recovered from the vomiting/diahorrea (sp?), and then my vet told me it was important to feed her a light diet of chicken and rice. She was very listless after her bug though and didn’t seem interested in eating, but she took a bit of food from my hand. The next day, she still didn’t seem to want to eat anything again, and was so flat and lifeless that I ended up hand feeding her a second time. I took her back to the vet, who assured me that she was perfectly fit and well, and to switch her back to her normal food of Burns. All through this time she has been drinking water perfectly well.

Anyway, the problem that I seem to be getting into is that when it’s time to feed her, she won’t take food from the bowl anymore. She simply sits next to it and looks at me. I’ve even melted a spoon of butter and stirred it through the kibble but it doesn’t seem to tempt her. She is hungry, and will eat willingly from my hand, but I can’t get into the habit of hand feeding her every night. I’m so reluctant to see her go hungry, but tonight I’ve dug my heels in, and when she didn’t eat her dinner, I lifted it up after 5 minutes.

Can anyone please tell me how to handle this, as I think it’s potentially a problem that may escalate? When should I offer her dinner back? I’m fairly certain that she wouldn’t starve before she’ll eat from the bowl, but how many days might she refuse to eat? I’m mortified as to how could this behaviour have manifested itself so quickly… She’s as bright as a button now, bouncing round and definitely back to full health, but I think she’d rather I served her meals by hand these days!

Has anyone got any experience of this? I’d be extremely grateful for any advice as to the best way to get her to eat normally again without her going hungry or becoming distressed in any way.

Thanks in advance,

Em.x

If your dog is full grown, i.e. not a young pup, then I'm afraid I would do as you did and lift the food after ten minutes if it's not eaten. Don't add anything to it to tempt her - she is playing you - I know 'cause I've had the same happen to me. Persevere - be strong!

Hi Vicki,

Thanks for your reply - she's a rescue so we're not sure exactly how old she is, but the vet has estimated that she's around 3 years old. I really do get the feeling from her that it's simply down to the fact she'd rather eat from my hand, as over the past week, on the odd occasion when I've succumbed and given her a handful of kibble, she's tucked in as though it's her last meal. I've even tried lifting the kibble out of the bowl and placing it on the floor to see if that works, but she won't take that either - it's from my hand or nothing.

I'm determined not to reinforce this behaviour anymore, as I know there's nothing physically wrong with her, I'm just concerned that I do this right and don't distress her in any way.

Can anyone please advise when I should offer her the dinner again? Should I leave it till morning or offer it again this evening? How long would you anticipate she'll go before she cracks and eats from the bowl? I don't want to risk her feeling ill because she's not eaten, or am I being daft as would a dog not allow itself to get to that stage simply out of stubborness...?!!

Sorry for all the questions, this is not a situation I've dealt with before and I'm loathe to get it wrong....

Thanks again,

Em.x

If it was me, there'd be no re-offering of food until the next mealtime. It's hard to do but tough love is always difficult. She'll soon learn!

Our little canine darlings are such clever creatures, and so many of us give in because we can't bear to deprive them. If we aren't strong, though, the positive lesson is never learned, and they end up ruling the roost - never a good idea, in my opinion.

Good luck x

Just wondering if she might have accidentally learned that she is supposed to eat from your hand instead of the bowl, perhaps because of the vibes and tone etc you will have given her when she was poorly ?
She might think you now prefer her to eat from your hand - it`s not as strange or unusual as that will sound

If that`s a possibility I would feed her from hand but let your hand get nearer and nearer to the bowl with eat piece she takes, [ and introduce a specific new cue that means dinner time].
When you are at the point of your hand being in the bowl just resting there so to speak, once she starts taking food from next to your hand instead of on it, slowly take your hand away and keep saying the verbal cue and praising,[ but don`t distract her from actually eating, ie if she looks at you let her know she`s a good girl and if necesary put your hand back to the bowl initially ].
That`s what I would do if on consideration you feel yourself that taking from the hand may now be a learned behaviour, as putting food down and leaving her to it may cause her to become stressed if she thinks eating from the bowl is not ok now.
You know her best of course, what I have suggested is just a speculation based on knowing it to have happened with some dogs.
Slightly different slant but one of mine, [ now at the bridge ], took a long time to teach it was ok to eat from a bowl as her previous morons - I mean owners - had a cat as well but doglet was`nt allowed near the cats bowl, doglet was fed scraps on a plate so when I first took her home with me and started off giving her a bowl she would`nt touch it as she was conditioned to never going near one and she would have ended up ill from not eating through literally being too scared to go near the bowl.
If your littl`un is very smart she could easily have learned to take from the hand as a `requirement` purely by accident as outlined above, so it`s just something to bear in mind.

Agree with Vicki, do not change the food or, once picked up, replace it or feed by hand. But I would try changing the bowl for one of different material.

Pita's idea is good, about changing the bowl.

I would be tempted to follow Vicki's advice, although Patch has a point too, so would be tempted to pop the bowl down then drop a tasty treat into it, of your dog is happy to take the dropped treat (let her see you drop it) then I would say she just wants to eat from your hand.

Biff is terrible for this so I understand how you feel, but my almost 12 years with him has taught me that you have to be strong. Only offer food at mealtimes, no treats etc inbetween times, put the bowl down, don't try and tempt them to it, just let them know it's there, then pick it up after 5 mins and offer it again at the next mealtime. I do tend to refresh the food to make it more appetising, at least once a day!

It could take a few days...it could be sorted in 24 hours, it totally depends on your dog. Just ignore your dog when the food is down, no reassuring or encouraging,just leave your dog to eat.

One other way, if you don't want to do that, is similar to Patche's method, inthat you could have the food in your hand, then move your hand close (one piece of kibble at a time) then drop it near, then by then in the bowl, I've tried that with biff in the past and it works. 9only if you think the bowl itself is an issue though, if not just put the food down).

The important thing to do is be consistent....

I agree with bits from everyone, I did think change of bowl....but to something flatter, like a saucer or similar.

I also would walk away from her....if she is playing you, which I suspect she is or like/got used to being hand fed, she will also pick up '''very quick''' that it worries you about her not eating. I've had this with our middle one Skye...ever since she was a puppy, so I feed her in a different room and leave her with it. She used to not eat it at first so when I went back I'd take it away. Now she does eat it....think she realised I am not playing her game

What fantastic advice - thanks so much to you all... She has taken a little treat from her bowl this morning, so I'm going to first try putting her food on a saucer tonight and just ignoring her when I give it, and if she's still reluctant to eat at all, I'll give Patch's method a try - I have to say it never even crossed my mind that she might think I prefer her to only eat from my hand. That's why a site like this is so useful - brilliant, experienced and informative points of view!!

She made me smile earlier today as she's obviously feeling hungry but I'm being strong and not feeding her till her normal meal time of 6pm. She disappeared upstairs for a while, and came back some time later with an antiquated pigs ear that she'd unearthed from heaven only knows where - I absolutely dread to think where that's been kept for the past how many weeks, I can only imagine it's been buried under our bed. I wonder how many other little treats are stashed in secret places around my house - no tripe sticks that's for sure, I reckon I'd have soon realised they were there )

I took the pigs ear off her anyway, I don't want her to spoil her appetite - I did feel mean, but I'm going to be strong!

Thanks again for all the brilliant tips, I'm sure they'll work, and it's just good to have the reassurance that I'm not being cruel!!

Em.x

If I were you, I'd put a small amount on a "human" type plate (coz that's worked for me in the past!). If she laps it up, put the rest on the plate bit by bit until she's eaten it all. You may have to do this a couple of times, but the next day resort to her usual bowl. Btw, what is her bowl? Is it a proper dog bowl - maybe she doesn't like it??? You have to think of everything in situations like this and believe me, I've been in most of them with this type of thing with my last dog! If she still refuses to eat out of the bowl the next day, then if it's no great expense to you, go out and buy her a new one or find an old pie dish of your own in the cupboard and try that! Oh I've soooooo been here, can yer tell!!!!

Personally, I don't think she's turned into a fussy dog, she's been ill/sick, she's wary of what she's eating now, and to see a great big dinner in front of her in the SAME bowl that she thinks (or might think) got her sick, that is the reason she's wanting to take the food off you, she trusts it more! I know this probably sounds stupid, but this is exactly what happened to me and I got round it by doing the human plate thing and changing the bowl. It's simple and sometimes it just works!

Edited to add Btw Burns can go "off" too! I've had an episode with BOTH of my dogs refusing to eat it after they had BOTH been sick/diarrhea bugs, and because there's no preservative in it at all, you have to be very careful with it, especially in this hot weather. Don't buy too large a bag of it in the summer. You dog might be cleverer than you think!