# Will not eat breakfast anymore



## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

Maggie is almost 2 yrs old and up until a month ago she would always eat breakfast. They get one cup of food twice a day. Not sure why she walks away or lays next to it but she won't touch it. After trying several times to get her to eat, I pick up the bowl and save it for dinner time. I have seen no change with her level of activity and she is her normal happy go lucky self. Has anyone here had this change over? My Irish Setter Casey is all about eating. Once I put the bowl down and tell her go, she wastes no time. If I don't pick up Maggie's bowl, Casey will eat for two! The pic of Casey, she waits to see if I pick up Maggies food.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Is it a new bag of food?

I personally would switch foods. Food that is not eaten has no nutritional value and a golden that won't eat is usually telling you something - either the food is a problem or that she is ill and since she is not acting ill my guess would be the food is either bad or does not agree with her.

Check the Pet Food Recall lists: Dog Food Recalls | Dog Food Advisor


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Is she then eating both cups at dinner time, or is she just eating one? If she is eating both at dinner time, I wouldn't be too worried.

If she is eating just 1 cup a day, I would assume she is losing weight and would take her to the vet to be checked out. If everything checks out, I agree that if all checks out, I would try a different food

If you have upped her treats to make up for the missed meal, that might explain at least part of the problem.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Maggie*



mygoldengirl said:


> Maggie is almost 2 yrs old and up until a month ago she would always eat breakfast. They get one cup of food twice a day. Not sure why she walks away or lays next to it but she won't touch it. After trying several times to get her to eat, I pick up the bowl and save it for dinner time. I have seen no change with her level of activity and she is her normal happy go lucky self. Has anyone here had this change over? My Irish Setter Casey is all about eating. Once I put the bowl down and tell her go, she wastes no time. If I don't pick up Maggie's bowl, Casey will eat for two! The pic of Casey, she waits to see if I pick up Maggies food.


Does Maggie eat the same food for dinner? I agree with the poster that said it could be the food and I'd also take her to the vet for a check, or at least call them.


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

Thanks you all for the insight. She eats two cups at dinner. I have tried other dry foods at breakfast and she still turns her nose up. Snack time and dinner is a non issue. I did try some wet mixed with dry and she did eat but than had the runs for two days. If set starts to eat less at dinner, we will see the vet. I did weigh her two weeks ago and still hovers between 78 and 80 lbs


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## goldlover68 (Jun 17, 2013)

As long as she is eating in the evening, that's ok...sometimes they just know what they want!


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

If she is eating both meals at dinner time, I wouldn't worry. Unusual for a Golden, but as long as she is eating and has not lost weight, I would chalk it up to her only wanting one meal a day.


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

Tahnee GR said:


> If she is eating both meals at dinner time, I wouldn't worry. Unusual for a Golden, but as long as she is eating and has not lost weight, I would chalk it up to her only wanting one meal a day.


"I would chalk it up to her only wanting one meal a day" 

I'm thinking this maybe the case. I am keeping a close eye on her because I already loss one golden to cancer.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

Max goes through spells where he turns up his nose at breakfast. He always will eat treats and always eat his dinner, so I do as you do, pick up breakfast and just give him his regular meal at dinner. 

I sometimes sprinkle a little cheese on it in the morning if I really want him to eat it but since he's perfectly healthy, and could lose a pound or two, I try not to be concerned.


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## GoldinPNW (Jun 23, 2015)

I just don't like the look on her face. Looks like either I don't feel well or that food is going to make me not feel well. She does not look at all happy at all.

She may be eating it at dinner just because at that time she is so hungry that she eats it. Id try another food and if she still does not eat check with a vet.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

I would think that if the food was making her feel ill, she'd be exhibiting symptoms after eating her dinner.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

GoldinPNW said:


> I just don't like the look on her face. Looks like either I don't feel well or that food is going to make me not feel well. She does not look at all happy at all.


Or she doesn't like feeling like she is guarding it from the other dog 

Honestly she looks like my guys inevitably look when I am taking a picture while they are lying down


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## Bosn'sMom (Feb 11, 2013)

are you guys in a heatwave? i notice my golden (and hes doing it this week for sure with the 95+ degree weather) has less of an appetite especially in the morning with the heat.


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

It's hard to read these changes in dogs. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the bag of dog food, maybe . . . Not to be a downer but the first thing I noticed when Zoe got sick was that she wasn't eating all her kibble but she'd eat anything else we gave her. So I thought it must be that bag of dog food. Later one of the specialist vets who treated her told me "when a Lab or Golden goes off their food there's usually something going on." I think that comment will always stick with me.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

TheZ's said:


> It's hard to read these changes in dogs. Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's the bag of dog food, maybe . . . Not to be a downer but the first thing I noticed when Zoe got sick was that she wasn't eating all her kibble but she'd eat anything else we gave her. So I thought it must be that bag of dog food. Later one of the specialist vets who treated her told me "when a Lab or Golden goes off their food there's usually something going on." I think that comment will always stick with me.


But what does that mean, to say "goes off their food?" If the dog is still eating everything else and just doesn't want their one meal, is that really saying that the dog has gone off her food? 
Not trying to be argumentative - it just seems to me that if something is wrong and causing the dog to lose appetite, nothing will appeal.


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## Castaway (Dec 19, 2011)

Cassie is sometime like this. She loves her dinner, but breakfast she could do without. I have to give the command "Eat your breakfast!" a few times before she finally will eat it. Doesn't matter if it's 7am or noon (we sleep in on the weekends).

Holly on the other hand wakes me up at the crack of dawn claiming starvation.


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## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

Last week Thor went through a couple of days when he would not want breakfast. He would eventually eat it all before noon but was not at all interested when I first put it down. It happened to start the day after we'd been to the beach and he had swallowed a lot of water, and it went on for a couple of days. Those days all happened to be high heat and humidity days. He would end up eating it as I said before, and he would be as hungry as ever at dinner time, but he was just not waking up hungry as usual. This week he's back to his normal habits. It also happens to be that we are on a new bag of food and a different protein this week (we rotate). So there: I'm not sure if it was the salt water, the heat, the food wasn't as fresh anymore, or he's tired of the salmon food...Maybe this information will help you, maybe not, but I figured I'd share in case.


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## Lennap (Jul 9, 2010)

Remy is not the best of eaters at any time, but lately he has also been not eating his breakfast. I've been doubling up his dinner and that seems to be ok.

I'm thinking it's the heat - will check back here to see how your pup is doing and report back on mine.


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## Adriel (Dec 15, 2013)

Ember isn't a breakfast eater, especially Sunday morning (go to church and hopes to get a breakfast from the candy man though stopped long ago) and summer.

What I was told by the vet when Ember quits eating in the summer is only be concerned if continues for a week. Think four days is the longest, and then just a snack. Water is a couple days, especially lack of. What I had to learn is quit being concerned, give it some time, and observe. If there is a real problem, we will know.


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

laprincessa said:


> But what does that mean, to say "goes off their food?" If the dog is still eating everything else and just doesn't want their one meal, is that really saying that the dog has gone off her food?
> Not trying to be argumentative - it just seems to me that if something is wrong and causing the dog to lose appetite, nothing will appeal.


For the benefit of anyone who might be reading through this thread, I thought I should respond to this comment. Zoe, like many Labs and Goldens would always eat all her kibble as soon as it was put down (twice a day). In fact I recall thinking and saying, if she ever doesn't eat her food right away, I'll know something is wrong. As mentioned above the first thing I noticed before she got ill was that she was slow to eat her kibble or wouldn't finish it all, usually in the morning as I recall. It happened about the time we had started a new bag of food which was brought home on a very rainy day. Since she was happy to eat other things we gave her, I thought it must be the bag of food or that she had gotten tired of it (she'd been eating the same food for probably 3 years). When I was going over the history of her illness with the internal medicine specialist vet who treated her, I mentioned what I had noticed about the change in her eating. It was at this point that the vet made the comment that_* "*when a Lab or Golden goes off their food there's usually something going on." _I took "going off their food" to mean any noticeable change in their long standing eating habits.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Post deleted.


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## laprincessa (Mar 24, 2008)

TheZ's said:


> For the benefit of anyone who might be reading through this thread, I thought I should respond to this comment. Zoe, like many Labs and Goldens would always eat all her kibble as soon as it was put down (twice a day). In fact I recall thinking and saying, if she ever doesn't eat her food right away, I'll know something is wrong. As mentioned above the first thing I noticed before she got ill was that she was slow to eat her kibble or wouldn't finish it all, usually in the morning as I recall. It happened about the time we had started a new bag of food which was brought home on a very rainy day. Since she was happy to eat other things we gave her, I thought it must be the bag of food or that she had gotten tired of it (she'd been eating the same food for probably 3 years). When I was going over the history of her illness with the internal medicine specialist vet who treated her, I mentioned what I had noticed about the change in her eating. It was at this point that the vet made the comment that_* "*when a Lab or Golden goes off their food there's usually something going on." _I took "going off their food" to mean any noticeable change in their long standing eating habits.


Thank you, I've heard this said before and never really knew what it meant.


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

GoldinPNW said:


> I just don't like the look on her face. Looks like either I don't feel well or that food is going to make me not feel well. She does not look at all happy at all.
> 
> She may be eating it at dinner just because at that time she is so hungry that she eats it. Id try another food and if she still does not eat check with a vet.


I konw what your saying about the look but I forgot to say that this is 5:00 am. Maggie is not a morning doggie


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

Bosn'sMom said:


> are you guys in a heatwave? i notice my golden (and hes doing it this week for sure with the 95+ degree weather) has less of an appetite especially in the morning with the heat.


 
We are in a high humidity heatwave. Her time outside is very limited which does not go over well but I have to do it


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## mddolson (Jul 10, 2012)

Our Bella is 3 years old (in April) & she's the same. She won't touch her food during the day. So now we put two cups of food out at dinner time, & she usually eats it all. Sometimes she'll leave some, (ie 1/4) but it's gone by morning. If it's very hot & humid, she'll ignore her food for a day or so also.

Mike D


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

All, very good points by everyone who posted and I have learned a lot. Asking for advice from people who care about their dogs as much as I do is always a win win! I placed a call to the vet over this weekend so I'm expecting to have a conversation with her today. Maggie ate breakfast (1 cup) yesterday morning about 5:30 am. Dinner time meal is consumed every evening. We put her on the scale yesterday and she's coming in at 79 1/2 lbs. Her last time at the vet 3 months ago, she was just shy of 78 lbs. I'm still concerned because I'm over protective of my girls. I'll let you know what the vet has to say

Thanks again for all the comments, it's been very helpful


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

Talk to the vet yesterday and I have an appointment on Friday. She did note that all her blood work from 3 mo ago was good but it's been 3 mo.


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## GoldinPNW (Jun 23, 2015)

Sounds good Id rerun the blood work and see if any change. 

Make sure that it is a good blood panel I learned that "blood work" can mean so may things, some are so basic they don't really tell you that much unless there is something really major going on. My Riley's blood panel was great 8 weeks before he died and that is why the vet did not rerun it and ignored the fact that I knew something was wrong. Was written off as an over concerned mummy so now I might be an over testing mummy but better safe than sorry.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

All of Jakes bloodworK was normal the day he collapsed from hemo. He lived for three weeks after diagnosis.


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## GoldinPNW (Jun 23, 2015)

I suspect Riley may have had Hemo too. He was up and down for about 5-6 weeks really hard to wake up some days then fully alert and playing. Another vet said that may signal hemo in the heart. I was away when he died in his sleep and he was held for me to say goodbye so we could not do a necropsy so ill never know. I suspect Hemo or something else causing organ failure that would have been picked up on blood work and possibly treated. He had an XRay and no obvious growths but the vet did not do an ultrasound or repeat bloodwork so Hemo could have been missed. The day that I brought him to the ER he did literally collapse and I keep hearing that with Hemo cases but he did also rebound up and down which I know now signifies bleeding usually. Riley was 11. At the younger ages I worry more about things that might show in blood work.

Oh and on the 5 am.... funny Benjamin is NOT a morning dog either but does perk up when the food comes out. Have you tried feeding her breakfast later in the morning?


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## mygoldengirl (Jan 10, 2014)

Update - a few changes have happened. First, her blood work came back normal. Her blood work did cost extra this time because they tested for a bunch of things. She is 81 1/2 lbs and that is a gain from three weeks ago. We changed up her food and the time that we feed her in the morning. She is now eating a cup at 7 am. My setter Casey is not happy about eating so late but she rolls with it because she gets a little more than Maggie.


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