Hi everyone, This is my first post. I'm hoping somebody can offer some sort of advice/help/guidance. I've got one of the most amazing Malamutes around, he's 8.5 years old and weighs around 88-93lbs. His name is Nhanuk. When he was a pup I had him on Orijen dry dog food, but he had trouble with the kibble, and the vet figures he has IBS. So he was taken off of the dry kibble and has been on a raw diet ever since. I've spoken with my vet on numerous occasions (during his yearly checkups) about his lack of eating. He can, and does, sometimes go days without so much as a morsel of food from his bowl. He does not lose his thirst and continues to drink his water. Then after a few days of no food he'll start to eat his twice daily meals like nothing happened. The vet has informed me this is normal behavior for a mal, as they really only eat when they need the nourishment. Plus some online research has led me to believe that he's just trying to wait me out for a much more delicious steak or bowl of pasta!!! He's very tricky that way!!! Lately, however, he hasn't been eating much at all, still drinking. (SORRY I forgot to mention, when he doesn't eat he will then choose to eat grass, which will cause him to vomit. I've mentioned this to the vet as well.) As I was saying, lately he hasn't been eating much outside of grass and treats, and when he does eat he then has diarrhea and on some instances has had very dark tarry poops (online research tells me this could be due to internal bleeding). He's also having trouble messing up in the house, which is very odd as he's always been very good at not messing up indoors. So, I'm thinking he might be due for a visit to the vet to discuss these issues, but was hoping that maybe somebody who has gone through this could offer up some advice/help/guidance. I'm open to just about anything. I'm looking forward to any replies. Thanks everybody.
Yes some dogs can be poor eaters,or there could be an underlying cause. I personally would ask for x-rays just to make sure there isn’t a blockage or something. I would also take in a stool sample for analysis. I used to have a picky eater who could hold out for 3-4 days before giving in, after trying several different things in his food I decided on tough love. (No Treats) I would put down his food in the morning, if he didn't eat it after 15 minutes, then I would pick it up and try again at night if that wasn’t touched then he went without till the next night and so on till he eventually got the message, it does work but you must not give in or else all your hard work will be undone.
Hello Frankie, and welcome to the forum. You are right, black tarry stools do show that there is bleeding from the stomach or intestines. I think your Malamute needs to see a vet for some investigations. I hope you can find the cause quickly. Best wishes.
