[dendad]

This has got me stumped. I have two Chihuahuas. One is three and the other is one. They both eat Fresh Pet dog food. Chicken in the evening and Bison/beef in the morning. I warm the food in the microwave and am very careful to mix it with my hands so that i can make sure the food nor the bowls (Correll) are not too hot. Recently, the one-year-old won’t eat her breakfast unless I feed it to her by hand. She acts like she’s afraid of the bowl. She eats her dinner just fine. I’ve switched flavors to no avail. Anyone have any suggestions? I have a great system using these bowls. I bought several so that I can wash them in the dishwasher and keep them sanitary. Hope I don’t have to change that.

[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, the things we do for our dogs! One of mine won’t eat if you are looking at him! So, it’s just the morning meal? Are the bowls different colors? Have you tried transferring the food on to a flat plate after you warm up? I know my cats prefer to eat out of a flatter type saucer. Their tags and whiskers don’t touch the sides of the bowl this way. I have fed my dogs fresh pet as a topper before. They love it! Hopefully others will have some ideas for you. Good luck!

[dendad]

Thanks for your post. The bowls are all white. I’ll try the flat plate idea but the bowls don’t bother her for the evening meal at all.

[Dori]

I’m wondering if at some point the bowl, or the food in the bowl, was hotter than it should have been and your dog got burned and is now simply afraid of the bowl. I don’t believe it has anything to do with the color or type of bowls. I can’t see any reason why you would have to switch bowls. I think that at some point either the edge of a bowl or bottom of bowl or some food in the bowl was just too hot for her. Some materials in the microwave heat very unevenly and very very hot. Some spot may have been overlooked when you were mixing the food from the microwave or you may have mixed the food but some spot on the bottom of the bowl was still too hot for her.

Why do you heat the food up anyway? An easier method would be to just add a little bit of warm water to the food itself if you’re simply trying to warm the food up a little. Also they get more water in their diet.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[dendad]

Good thoughts but as I said Im very careful about that. I mix it by hand. Further this wouldn’t explain why it just happens in the morning. The same bowls are used at both Feedings. The warm water is s good idea though.

[Crystal J]

One of my dogs, Victor, had a period of time where he wouldn’t eat breakfast. I found out that prefers a variety of textures and flavors of food throughout the day. Also, I found that he likes to eat dinner earlier than what I was feeding him at. Once I completely switched his food and started feeding him dinner earlier he started eating breakfast consistently. I know how worried I get when one of my pups won’t eat, I hope you find something that works for your pup.

[Dori]

Sorry, I missed the part about it only happening in the mornings. Hmmmm? The part about acting as she was afraid of the bowl is, I guess, what I was focusing on. Maybe she’s not that hungry first thing in the a.m.? If you work outside the home then I guess you have no leeway with what time you feed breakfast. If you are home, you might try offering her her breakfast a little later in the morning once she’s been up and running around a bit and working up an appetite. It is a bit of a puzzle, isn’t it? Is she eating it out of your handle hungrily or just kind of so so just to sort of appease you? Trying to figure this out. Can’t be the bowls since she’s perfectly happy to eat dinner from them.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[theBCnut]

I’ve had many dogs that preferred only a light snack or no food in the morning and just one meal a day.

[JeffreyT]

Our maltese stopped eating breakfast until we realized she likes a lot of variety so we are always switching it up. Buying sample sizes has been a huge help. It also keeps them loving their favorite foods because they never get bored with them.

The bowls made specifically for microwaves usually have BPA and other chemicals which leach into food….maybe bowl smells funny. Microwaves also deplete food of anti-oxidants, nutrients, etc in less than a minute…other negative health effects as well.
We put glass bowl with food in a pan of hot water for a few minutes.

[dendad]

Thanks to all for your advise and input. This has really been a challenge and I appreciate your concern and willingness to come up with a solution. To address a few points mentioned in your kind replies:

Tonight, I fed her on a flat plate, with food that had been warmed with hot water. She ate most of it, but usually does in the evening. Tomorrow morning will be the real test.

As for feeding her later in the day, If I feed her later in the morning, she gets so hungry, she pukes up water. She actually wakes me up at 4:00 a.m. because she’s hungry. If I wait till 5:00 a.m. she hurls. I believe Chihuahua dogs have to eat more often than bigger dogs. When I first got a Chihuahua, my research and my Vet told me the number of meals your Chihuahua should have depends on his age. Dogs younger than 3 months should eat four times each day, while those between 3 and 6 months old should have three meals a day You can switch to two meals a day when your pup is around 6 months old.

As mentioned earlier, we switched to Corelle bowls because, according to my research, they are the safest dishes around. They are tempered glass, so when washed in the dishwasher, there is no fear of bacteria in pores, because there are no pores. They are microwave safe with zero BPA and lead. I also use large Corelle bowls for their water. I wash them in the dishwasher as well.

As for the health effects of microwave cooking, I’ve been eating food from a microwave for over 40 years. I’m 69 and have never had surgery or any major illness. Maybe I’m just lucky, but don’t take away my microwave bacon!

Thanks again for all your comments. I’m convinced that all “dog people” are good people.

[crazy4cats]

“Cat people” aren’t too shabby either. Fingers crossed for the morning meal to go well tomorrow!

[dendad]

Oops! I really didn’t mean to overlook cat people. I’ve had cats too. Love um! Let’s just say “animal people” to cover all bases. Thanks for your good wishes.

[crazy4cats]

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Elsa R]

Chihuahuas are very anxious dogs and get stressed easily. You can try to feed your Chihuahua separately, because, sometimes they can feel threatened.

[dendad]

Update. This is definitely one for the books. My little girl eats her food just fine in the morning if it’s on a Corelle flat saucer. She’s okay with the bowls in the evening, but not in the morning. I think we need to go visit Dr. Phil!

[Dori]

dendad, you are absolutely correct. One for the books for sure. That is really puzzling. Glad you figured out a way to get her to eat.

[theBCnut]

The way the morning light comes through some window somewhere in the world hurts her delicate eyes. Poor baby.

[crazy4cats]

Whoop! Whoop! An easy solution. (for now anyway) LOL!

[Dog_Obsessed]

That’s so strange! I’m glad you found a solution though. I also feed my dog on an open plate, because she is not a fan of the bowl.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dog_Obsessed.

[dendad]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and helpful advice. I have a feeling that most of you know how helpless you can feel when your pet is suffering in some way and you can’t figure out how to fix it. These little souls depend on you to do what’s best for them and when you can’t help them, you feel you’ve failed them. Thanks again for paying attention to my problem. Pepper thanks you too.

[Author]

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