Increased Appetite

Just wondering if anybody had experienced increased apetite in a bitch or what the reasons for this could be.

Cassy is usually pretty good about food, she gets her feed once a day and nothing else except for a nylabone or on occasions a pigs ear as I am very fickle about what they eat and how much as I like to keep them as lean as possible. Anyway, to cut a long story short she isn't really a scrounger and just takes what she is given and when and never looks for any more - usually anyway.

However, over the past few days her appetite seems to have increased hugely. I have woken up a couple of nights in a row with her in the bin in the kitchen and yesterday she snatched something out of my hand which she NEVER ever does, she knew instantly that she was bad but skulked away into the corner with the food after a row of course. I gave Kip her feed and Cassy was straight in Kips bowl even though again she knew she was in the wrong but it was almost as if she couldnt help herself. As well as this if myself or Kyle has had any food she is literally right under our noses begging sniffing at the floor and trying to eat anything she can even when outside my neighbour had left some bread for the birds and I literally had to drag her away from it, very embarrasing too. Again I will say she has not ever been this way before and has always had very good manners when it comes to eating. On Saturday night we went out for a few hours came home and in the morning I was clearing up and came accross a box of pringles in her bed (eaten) this was a full box before we left the house so she must have stolen the box and piged out on them. It seems strange that this has occured just very quickly and I am not sure whether this behaviour metits a visit to the vets or not - any ideas?

I know its not worms as she was wormed 2 weeks ago and is always wormed every 3 months religiously, she hasnt changed in herself an awful lot just doing a lot of scavenging so I am at a loss to explain what is going on with her.

Thanks
Laura

i would have said worms Laura, but if you know its not that then i have no idea i hope you get it sorted. its not nice when they change for what seems to be no reason

Ems
x

storing winter fat Laura...........it's gona be a cold one ...don't worry they will loose it in the spring....

Thanks Emma, its just not like her at all, but like I said no chance its worms she was given Drontal wormer (or the equivalent I forget the new name) from the vets a couple of weeks ago so I cant see it being that & Kip is normal.

She is on anti-histamines since then too for her skin troubles but since she has been on them before with no affect on her appetite I assumed that this wasnt the cause.

When a bitch is pregnant does the appetite increase? She suffered a false pregnancy after last season, she had a season a couple of months ago now so I am wondering if perhaps she is going into another false pregnancy and this is the cause. Just to add also there is no way she is pregnant not even the slightest chance of that.

Laura

well jazz lost her appetite and i spent most of my time trying to find something that she would eat !, thats not to say that there are some that dont
and i think i know you well enough from here to know that you wouldnt have an unplanned litter

Ems
xx

Is this a possibility? Would the dogs appetite change suddenly for this reason as its been cold for a while now if this were the case would it not have been a gradual case, she is a few lbs heavier in the winter anyway, I have not experienced this last winter or the one before - I never thought about that either right enough.

Thanks
Laura

it was just a thought as all of mine seem to be eating more and i spoke to a dog friend who seemed to think they are storing for the winter..........

Jas is wanting more to eat too adn it's been bloomin' bitter here the past few days

Yeah there may be something in that I suppose in the wild dogs would have done this, Kip hasn't had an increase in appetite though but that said she does have a really coarse thick coat unlike Cassy who has hardly any hair and what hair she does have is very very fine & soft so perhaps this is the case.

Although I dont know that this would explain the loss in manners as its not just an increased appetite but stealing food from us and Kip which she has NEVER ever done before almost like she is not being fed at all and is scavenging through the bins too....

Thanks peeps all your input is much appreciated.

Laura

its gona be a much colder winter than last year ....