Sudden personality change

[Kai_the_akita]

Hi, my Akita is currently five and half months old. He usually eats 350gms (of Ivory coat puppy large breed) each day. Over the last five days he is not eating enough (approx 200-220gms) and I have noticed some behavioural change e.g., he’s very shy, hesitant and somewhat scared. Not totally sure what really caused this sudden change. We took him to the vet and he’s medically all clear. Just wondering did anyone noticed anything similar? Please advise. Cheers, Kai’s concerned dad. 

[Dogsfevr]

Is that all he gets feed ?

thats very little food for a large growing puppy .

 

 

teething can affect some puppies more than others .

Owners expectations and training methods can change a puppy .

What has the puppies breeder said about your concerns 

[Kai_the_akita]

He also eats wet food and treats as well. He doesn’t seem to be a super big eater. He doesn’t finish all his food most of the time. My vet thinks he weighs just about right (he currently weighs 27.6kg) and he’s five and half weeks old. 

[Rebanne]

ask your breeder about your dog. I have a puppy buyer interstate from me ( dog is now nearly 2 ) who was and remains a picky eater and on the lean/skinny side. He is a carbon copy of his Mum! While the interstate person still wishes her dog would eat more and put on weight she also knows it might not happen for another couple of years yet if he continues in his Mother's footsteps.

[Lhok]

I know you said you took him to the vets and got the all clear but I would be still concerned about thyroid issues. The sudden scaredness and drop in food intake would make me wonder about getting a T4 panel done. Not sure if your vet did this or not as I had to ask for my vet to do that kind of testing. Are there any other symptoms outside of the picky eating and the scaredness? Akitas have a long laundry list of diseases that can be inherited so it would probably be best to talk to your breeder and find out what testing they did on the parents to help rule out some things.

--Lhok

[Little Gifts]

Don't want to be a panic merchant and my knowledge on this topic is a little rusty but at 5.5 months your pup could be in their 2nd fear period. Is there anything that happened 5 or so days ago that impacted your dog more than you realised? Were you out and something frightened him? Did your household dynamics change in some way? Only considering this given the medical all clear. Here is a link below about it, although it is not necessarily the be all and end all info on this topic. Maybe have a think back to before the behavioural changes for any clues too (I'd also be contacting breeder and considering more medical causes). Also we had a husky/shep cross who was a seriously picky eater all her life. She wouldn't/couldn't eat from a bowl so had a plate - perhaps try that for your pup too in case he doesn't like his nose rubbing on a metal bowl? You never know! And lean is not a bad thing in a bigger breed.

 

https://www.doglistener.co.uk/puppies/criticalperiods.shtml

[Lhok]

Oh and which type of Akita do you have American or Japanese? Some lines do have some shyness in them although it isn't encouraged.

--Lhok