Is it normal for some dogs to occasionally miss a meal?

[NNN0LHI]

This dog I found about a year ago. I know she has two different herding dogs blood in her. I had her DNA checked and she came back as German Shepherd and Border Collie Dog. I have never seen any overweight German Shepherds so I don't think she is prone to that. I had her checked out at the vet recently and she checked out good. She was 50 pounds when I found her and she is 80 pounds now. She looks real healthy. She is about a year and a half old.

She normally eats well but once in a while she wants nothing to do with her breakfast. She is good and hungry by dinner time though. She seems healthy and her plumbing seems to be working fine.

Anyone else ever run across this before? All the dogs I have had in the past would eat all you gave them. Real chow hounds. This one is different. Her name is Missy and she is the one with the Cubs hat on.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

Don






Here is a link to a larger photo of her: ?t=1263827041

[livetohike]

1. I think it depends on their activity level

just like us, some days we are starving and some days we eat less. Is Missy eating less food overall, or is she eating what she normally eats only just at supper time? She's really cute :-).

I only feed my dogs once and in the late afternoon. they get a biscuit after their morning walk. Usually they eat everything that's in their bowl, but once in a while they don't. I don't know if any of this helps, but if Missy doesn't have any other symptoms like excessive thirst or nausea/diarrhea, I would say she is probably just fine.

[surrealAmerican]

2. Some dogs really are "self-regulating" when it comes to food.

One of my dogs, when he was recovering from an injury, started refusing to eat some of his meals. He ate enough to sustain himself, but just didn't need as much food as he did when he was more active. Once he was back to his normal activity level, he ate as much as he ever did.

She might not need as much food, now that she's full grown.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Both our dogs are like that

They self regulate. We leave food down for them all the time. Over time, they have confidence food will be there when they want it, so it becomes a non issue for them. They eat when they're hungry and just enough to satisfy.

Our two are one German Shepherd Dog and one Border Collie.

[njlib]

7. I also leave food down for my two

and some days it doesn't seem to move as fast as others. They're both 11, so that might have something to do with it, but they've always been very good about eating just what they need. Cinnamon nibbles throughout the day. She'll take 3 or 4 pieces into the living room, drop them on the floor, then eat them one by one. Buster will go to the bowl when he's hungry and chow down on as much as he wants. Funny how their habits are so different.

[ceile]

4. Sure.

My dog will go a day without eating if she doesn't feel like it. Same mix as yours by the way but only about 55-60lbs

[NNN0LHI]

5. Does your German Shepherd/Border Collie mix look anything like Missy?

We thought she had Lab in her too and she might? The company that does the DNA can't rule out other breeds that they were unable to identify due to so many possible combinations.

Tell you one thing though. She sure is a good dog. A real pleasure to have with us. The cat likes her the best of all. He always liked dogs but he really loves her. He always wants to get near her to lay down where he is touching her.

Thanks.

Don

[japple]

6. My dog never misses a meal unless she's sick, which is very rare.

And she also cleans out the cats' bowls if I forget and leave them on the floor. It's a constant battle to keep them out of her reach. Your Missy is very cute and stylish, with good taste in headwear! The little furry dog is cute too.