My 2 year old GSD won't eat, need advice!!!!! - Page 1

I have a 2 year old GSD that does not have an appetite for food.  He has lost weight and is about 10-15 lbs under weight. I've tried feeding him every type of food, dry, canned, mixture, etc... and still he will not eat.  He very little and if I sit next to him and hand feed him dry food or if I add kitchen scraps like hot dogs, and chicken. 

Does anyone have any advice to give me on what I should do?  I have made an appoinement with the vet give him a check up and see if there is anything medically wrong with him.

The first thing is to have the dog checked for parasites and general health at the vet. You do not say if this is normal behavior or sudden. You also do not say how long you have been handfeeding him. What are the stools like?

Unless there is a medical problem, the likelihood is that you are creating the problem by allowing him to be picky. Dogs do not starve themselves to death, unless they do not feel well or are injured, and even then, eventually most will eat.

Yes, it's always wisest to get him a thorough exam by a good vet to make sure he's not got worms or something making his belly hurt or something totally unexpected brewing.
I mean no offense by this: you could be the culprit for his picky eating by changing foods and babying him by feeding him like you are. A healthy GSD will typically eat when they wanna eat when they get hungry enough. Maybe if you don't leave food available all the time, but rather, offer it only at certain select times for like 10-15 mins, then take it back up until another scheduled feeding time might encourage him to eat better and develop better eating habits.

There could be many reasons why a dog won't eat. First, have your dog checked by a vet for parasites (stool sample) and have blood work done. Your vet should ask you questions about how long the dog has been refusing food, stool frequency and appearance, could the dog have gotten into something he shouldn't have, and other questions like that to pinpoint the cause.

Sometimes dogs simply don't feel like eating if the weather is hot or if they haven't been getting much exercise. But a loss of 10 - 15 pounds is cause for a visit to the vet.

Sometimes not eating is caused by an anxious owner feeding the dog various kinds of food to tempt the dog to eat. The dog becomes a picky eater because he can refuse to eat and make you give him the kind of food and/or attention he wants. But if your dog has lost a lot of weight, don't assume this is the cause. Take him to a good vet for a checkup.

Have you had your dog tested for Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency?  I read that GSD's can have this.  It begins with weight loss, appetite loss, stomach rumbling etc. 

He has always been a picky on food and only ate when he wanted too, but he did eat on a daily basis and was of normal weight. 

Thaks for the advice so far, I will be taking him for a check up tomorrow and I am sure the vet will do the normal routine, stool check, blood work, etc... will follow up and let you all know the results, maybe it helps others who may encounter the same problem. Hopefully there is nothing wrong with him and he will get back to normal in a few more days time!!

And to answer some of the Qs. I have recently picked him up from an extended absence, so it may be that he does have some parasites or got something from the kennel where he was at???... I've only been force/hand feeding him for a few days since I got him back and noticed the weight loss and lack of energy/appetite.  I only changed foods on him these past few days and tried various types of foods after I noticed that he did not eat at all but normally I maintain him on the same type of food (natural Choice/GSD).

Changing foods is a good way to cause major system upset, runny stools, etc.
If you boarded or left your dog in the care of someone else, then parasites may be part of your problem unless you had it in the agreement for routine worming to be done. What about heartworm protection-has he been on that, or is heartworm not an issue in your area?
Sometimes dogs, if suddenly relocated, can develop sensitive tummy issues due to nerves. If you've been gone a while and now are bringing him back home, that might be part of your issue, too.
Good luck with the vet checkingand maybe it will help pose some answers for you.