DakotasDad Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 I have an issue with my 12 month old husky, or at least I think I do. Dakota was always a fairly large husky growing up. She had a normal husky appetite in that it wasn't very big. Her and her sister who we kept in touch with both grew at a very similar rate, though dakota was always slightly larger. At 7 months old she come in to heat and lost her appetite completely. It hasn't returned. She eats barely 1/4 a cup of Orijen food each day. I've tired raw and she will eat even less. Since this started, her sister has gained 4kg and Dakota has remained the same weight despite getting a little taller. Though her sister is now a few inches taller and much much chunkier. My vet says she's just a typical husky. But I beleive he's sayig that just because huskies are notoriously small eaters. But I fear this is more than just a typical husky thing. She's a very happy and active puppy. But her lack of appetite and growth is concerning me greatly. Fwiw I suspect a deficiency. Perhaps zinc. But my vet wouldn't do any blood work due to her being healthy in his opinion. Thanks so much for your time. Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 So is she behaving any differently at all? I'm afraid you can't really say she has a health issue based on her increase in height/weight compared to a litter mate. Each dog grows differently and at twelve months old, it is about time for her growth to start stopping. I mean... you know what I mean. If Dakota is not lethargic and poses no other signs of medical issue, I'd say your vet is right: she's just being a Husky. It's either she wants to eat a little less now, or she wants to play "let's see how scared my humans can get". Are you free-feeding? If you do, maybe you should try the ten-minute rule instead. Put down food on mealtime, wait ten minutes, and then pick the bowl up. Next meal will be served on the next designated mealtime; no exceptions. I know this sounds harsh, but she *will* eat when she's hungry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hi Paul. Some Huskies become finicky eaters. If she is healthy and active, I would keep watch, but not get overly concerned. As long as she does eat something. There are Huskies that will eat one day, then pick at their food the next, not eat again for a day or two. If you don't feed on a regular schedule, do so. Put the food down for say ten minutes or so. If she eats, fine. If not, pick the food up until the next feeding. Huskies will not let themselves starve. If you get to a point where she has not eaten for three days, you might try scrambling an egg and see if she will eat that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotasDad Posted January 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 If she didn't stop growing exactly when she stopped eating, I'd not be concerned. I don't expect a husky nor any other breed to stop growing at 7 months old. For me that's unheard of. We've tried the 10 minute rule but it didn't seem to help. I just kept picking up the same untouched bowl. We've tried different brands and even raw but nothing seems to encourage her to want to eat. Her coat was lovely but now it's much thinner, despite it now being winter in the UK. Her sister eats like a pig and has grown significantly between 7 and 12 months. I know litter mates don't grow at the same rate. But there seems to me to be a correlation with the eating issue. If she was eating normally and stopped growing and become thin, I guess I'd not be concerned with her eating. But as she eats next to nothing day in day out AND she's not growing. I guess I can't help but correlate the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotasDad Posted January 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 I forgot to mention she does have a lot of energy when she needs it. She can run for miles. She's also incredibly loving and happy. Just this issue of not wanting to eat and stopped growing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mydiamond Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 How often do you switch brands then? Could it be that you switch a little too often? Does she still eat treats by the way? I guess it really is difficult. From the outside, I don't see enough evidence to say something's wrong. But then again who knows Dakota better than you do? I thought of suggesting to ring the vet again, but then realized that I won't know what tests I'd expect the vet to run. So... yeah, sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotasDad Posted January 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 We didn't switch from Orijen until this madness started. Once it started in the last 5 months we have tried several brands, as well as raw whcih she refused point blank. I guess my biggest concern even beyond not eating, is not growing. To me that's abnormal at this age. I've never ever known it. But then I'm not a vet. Part of me says just give up. The rest of the world clearly thinks not eating anymore is normal. Though if this was a child, I suspect they'd be hospitalised. The other part of me, the parental part says no, keep pushing until you figure this out. Maybe I need a new vet and some blood tests. Maybe that will be enough to resolve this one way or another Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mazz Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 Has she been checked for parasites? Specifically intestinal worms? Huskies in the Heartland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.