Bo is a year old and we've had him on all-raw for a couple of months now. For the past couple days, he has shown decreasing interest in his food, licking it and sniffing it and then coming over to me and sitting on my feet like, "Please, don't make me eat that."

Otherwise, he seems sprightly and energetic. No behavioral problems. Could he be getting bored with this food? I've been feeding him the same thing - chicken necks, salmon oil, yogurt, and egg (sometimes with chunks of venison)- just until his system adjusts. His system has now adjusted and his stools are good. So I started adding liver - he hated it. It seemed like that's when his appetite started lessening.

Any suggestions? Right now there is a full bowl of food in his crate. I'm leaving it there for another hour. Maybe he will eat it.

 Quote: Maegan Ward

Any suggestions? Right now there is a full bowl of food in his crate. I'm leaving it there for another hour. Maybe he will eat it.

Hi Maegan,

I think common practice for dogs who honestly just seem finicky or uninterested in their food, instead of leaving it out until they feel like eating, is to actually REMOVE the food after 10 or 15 minutes and try putting it down a few hours later, or even at the next meal time. If the dog is hungry enough, and has no medical issues that cause lack of appetite, he'll eat whatever food you give him.

Have you tried taking the liver out of the meal, will he go back to eating happily if that ingredient is gone? Or does it seem like he's losing interest in the whole meal all together? Liver is a very important part of the raw diet, but liver from a cow is a lot more pungent than liver from poultry or smaller animals - have you tried liver from other animals?

Also, how many times a day is Bo fed? And is there any chance that you could be overfeeding a little? Since the raw diet is a newish thing for you, you could be giving him a little more total calories than he needs, which could cause some dogs to self regulate by not eating...

~Natalya

 Quote: Natalya Zahn

Also, how many times a day is Bo fed? And is there any chance that you could be overfeeding a little? Since the raw diet is a newish thing for you, you could be giving him a little more total calories than he needs, which could cause some dogs to self regulate by not eating...

~Natalya

First, you want to make sure there are no health problems. You say that he is acting energetic and normal, but if you have any doubt, a vet check-up won't hurt.

From your explanation, I'd ass-u-me he's great.

What is Bo's weight, and how much are you feeding?

Also, a dog that doesn't like organs may even be hesitant to eat anything that the offending organ has touched. I'm with Natalya. We can find a way to get him to eat it separate.

So basically, what she said.

 Quote: Michael_Wise

Also, a dog that doesn't like organs may even be hesitant to eat anything that the offending organ has touched.

Organ meat, brussels sprouts, lima beans, zucchi... oh wait, you're talking about DOGS!

~Natalya

I'm certainly not as knowledgeable as other folks on this forum in terms of a raw food diet (actually just started one of my dogs on it a couple weeks ago) - but I DO KNOW THIS - I dog WILL NOT starve itself to death.

You can try fasting the dog for one day and see if he eats on day 2. If not, maybe a visit to the vet?

JMHO

One of my dogs will not eat organ meat, I thought it was just beef liver but I tried chicken livers yesterday with his chicken thigh and leg and at first he would not eat anything, came back a few minutes later, he ate everything but left the livers! So your dog may not be liking organ meat either- I'm wondering if they can they get enough organs from the leq quarters they are fed? Mine get a leg quarter everynight.

 Quote: maegan ward

Could he be getting bored with this food?

You could try something different, too.

It's been long enough, so it should be O.K. to maybe add in another type of muscle meat to go with those chicken neck meals.

Even a different part of the chicken, while you are trying to add liver, might spark his interest. I would lean this way so that you aren't adding liver and other types of new meat at the same time. This will give some "new-ness" to the diet.

But you are definitely right that liver and other organs need to be added now.

 Quote: Kathy West

I'm wondering if they can they get enough organs from the leq quarters they are fed? Mine get a leg quarter everynight.

Still need more. Especially for a big dog.

Adding variety...slowly...to the diet is what I was thinking, too. Necks, yogurt, an egg, and "sometimes venison chunks" doesn't seem balanced, IMHO.

Might be wrong on that, though.

Speaking about organ meats.

I leave the organs in the chicken backs. Is the general rule of thumb 10% of the meal to be organ meat? If so, would the organs in the back be roughly equivalent to 10% (per back) in your opinion? I'm guessing that they are not quite enough and will need to supplement with more organ meat.