EPI Dog not eating breakfast

[mkazin]

Hi there,

My dog Scottie (~2 yo, GSD mix) has been doing really well on her enzymes for about 10 months now. Weight is holding steady!

However we're having one problem--- since we switched her to her new food because of food allergies (she's a medical mystery), it's a fight to get her to eat breakfast. We're not allowed to put any extras in the food due to her allergies. We hand feed her, try to hold her mouth closed, lure her, play with her, put the food on the ground, even cut the kibble into smaller pieces, etc. Most mornings she'll end up eating enough, but sometimes she just fights us on it until we give up. We know it's behavioral because she'll eat her other meals fine! So I'm not worried about her mouth hurting or the food... she just doesn't want to eat in the morning.

USUALLY I would just let it go as long as she was getting enough food throughout the day. But as many of us know, when EPI dogs don't eat for a while, they can throw up bile. This happens to her a lot. So my question is--- first of all, any one else dealt with this? Just not wanting to eat in the morning? Also, is it a terrible idea to let her not eat in the morning even if that means she'll puke bile? It's awful and we hate it every time it happens, so hoping there's another way.

Thank you!!!

[Montgomery]

Check with your veterinarian because SOMETIMES it is okay to add to an elimination diet if what you're adding is a single ingredient treat made from the same protein as what is in the food, a canned version of the same diet, or a vegan snack (like grated carrot?) to motivate a poor eater. Another trick is to give her ten minutes to eat, then take it away. Offer it later, same thing. Don't mollycoddle her or you'll create a monster.
Good luck!

[Olesia711]

V.... that is a GREAT idea!!!! adding something of the same composition as the special food....unless it is hydrolyzed....

THe other thing i was going to suggest... since she is already prone to acid.... is that i am just wondering if maybe she doesn't want to eat breakfast because maybe there is already acid build up starting in her tummy and therefore that is turning her off the morning meal. THe way to handle this (in case this is what is going on) is to give her a mini snack just before she goes to bed. Something she can tolerate.... sometimes just a few bite of something in the tummy is all that it takes.

[mkazin]

Thank you both so much!

Unfortunately the food is hydrolized (Royal Canin Ultamino). But the trial is only for one more month, and her allergies don't seem to be going away-- so we'll probably switch to non-hydrolized food, which should help us be able to add little treats.

So appreciate the ten minutes idea--- you're totally right. She's now used to the morning struggle and it's part of the routine, which is the opposite of what we want!! We'll try that starting tomorrow.

We do sometimes give her a snack before bed-- haven't noticed it making a big difference in her morning behavior but I'll start journaling and see if there's a relation I didn't notice.

[Jean]

do you know what the allergies are

[mkazin]

No we are trying to find out. That's why the vet put her on the food-- to see if they're related.
She kept getting her anal sacs impacted, and gets very sneezy and her ears are always itching her.