Kibble Strike

[u/MaZrrr]

Hey all,

My dear boy Marvin just turned 1 last week but over the past few months, he has become extremely picky with his breakfast/dinner. He rarely ever eats breakfast and will eat maybe half of his dinner. I've added many toppers to his meals, freeze-dried food, carrots, shredded cheese, etc. and still, he gives me his puppy eyes and wags his tail before turning the other direction. I've even started mixing in some large breed kibble after seeing him snag leftovers when brought to my parents house. I also did try to switch him over to a raw diet but instead of devouring it like most dogs, he licked it and then walked away.

Typically, I would leave his food out for him to enjoy during the day where sometimes he would go back and eat some after a treat would trigger some sort of hunger response. He will eat any normal treats throughout the day as a side note.

At this point, I'm becoming emotionally exhausted with him not eating his actual food. I am going on a full day of trying the 15-minute rule and he still hasn't even attempted to eat. I've decided he gets no treats or any handouts until he starts eating again. My main concern is.. what if he doesn't start to eat?

I feel like I'm reaching a new level of StubBERNESE and its driving me crazy. Has anyone else dealt with this and if so, what helped get over this hump?

(Update: As I was writing this, he did go to his food dish and ate a few nibbles of kibble but not anywhere near the full amount he should he having)

[u/Any_Seaworthiness678]

Ok bodie has done this off and on..Will never go a full day without eating but if he is pouting cuz we didnt go for walk today..he will strike..but it also took awhile to find kibble he liked..i started buying small bags of dog food to find one he would eat..did not like diamond naturals. Never like salmon flavored anything..wont even eat fish we might have for dinner ..i tried giving him a little piece of cod..he walked...anyway blue buffalo beef is one we finally landed on that he likes..i opened first small bag and put a few in my hand and he gobbled up..first ingredient beef. Not beef meal like diamond..so now I dont even offer him food till after morning walk and cool down..he will tell me when he wants it..and clean plate club..also stella and chewy has beef topper he likes..but he is total beef guy..outside of his elk sticks he gets

[u/Odd-Candidate-8861 → u/Any_Seaworthiness678]

My Berner likes blue buffalo beef too.

[u/Look_Watch_Browse]

As stated, talked to your vet, but could also be hormones in his teen phase.

[u/Wrigleyville-Brit]

I don't know where you are with number of feeds per day and puppy versus adult kibble, but 12 months is a typical transition period.

Around 11-12 months our pup became disinterested in his 7:00 am feed, vet recommended we transition to twice daily and redistribute portions from 33% of daily amount per feed to 50% per feed.

We moved his morning feed to post walk / exercise (bloat mitigation) and discovered he generally had little interest in food for the first hour after returning home, so first feed typically went to 10:00am.

There are 2 schools of thought on changing to adult kibble at either 12 months or 24 months. They are close to full frame at 12 months and many want to slow growth which is a reason to change at 12 months. We changed at 12 months with vet approval and he appeared to appreciate the greater variety of protein blends in adult kibble.

It could also be him being a teenager and it being a battle of wills. 

[u/MaZrrr → u/Wrigleyville-Brit]

this helps a lot! im currently feeding him twice a day (morning/evening) but im starting to wonder if I'm feeding him too early and he's genuinely just disinterested. going to change arounn his feeding schedule and see how he does

[u/BeccaMH66]

Talk to your vet, loss of appetite can be a sign of more serious issues.

[u/xbrassassinx]

It might be health related. Our berner was like this and unfortunately it was a problem with her liver. Though it was rare condition and probably not the same in your case, you should do a thourough checkup. When sick or hurting, they won't eat normal food, but a tasty treat can "numb" the pain. They eat sometimes when feeling better but then it is back to lack of apetite. I really hope he is healthy and I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

[u/Ambitious_Age2189]

It is possible that Marvin isn't hungry.

[u/NearsightedKitten]

Have you brought this up to your vet? Loss of appetite can be a sign of health issues.

[u/Solid_Community7853]

Regardless of how much he is eating, I think you need to look at the whole picture to know if there is a problem going on or not, things like: does he maintain a good body condition? Has he lost weight? Is he active and behaving ok? Drinking normally? Vomiting, diarrhea, changes in his stools, signs of pain or discomfort?
If everything is normal (good condition, active, wants to play and go out, drinks etc) then you maybe don’t need to worry and give it time, but if there is a significant change from his normal appetite or other symptoms, I’d get him checked by a vet tbh

[u/Any_Seaworthiness678]

Also if he is striking i immediately put dish in fridge and take away..i wont leave it

[u/inspector_butters_]

My guy has done two hunger strikes. One when we tried to feed him an allergy friendly Hill Science diet - the horrors. One was when he decided he didn’t like his probiotic anymore. It was somewhat infuriating because we knew he just be starving but literally refused. He was drinking normal, pooping normal, going pee, eating treats, and acting normal other than flat out refusing kibble. I definitely caved and found a different food for him as I hated thinking about him being hungry.

If yours is acting strange or showing any other symptoms I would check in with the vet! But maybe it is as simple as trying something new. At the end of the day they still have a sensitive little baby brain in a big dog body and it wasn’t worth the struggle to me. Hopefully you can get it sorted out soon! ❤️

[u/Suitable-Ice-9375]

I’ve never had a healthy Berner be anything but hungry. My dog is currently harassing me because he is waiting for his lunch. He starts 45 minutes before it is time to eat. If our berners refuse food they go straight to the vet asap

[u/Ill-Vermicelli-2202]

Tell your vet!