My 8 month old maltese won't touch his food he's been acting weird and picky! Today I was just sittin there watching him and he started gagging and finally threw up some yellow stuff. I've been reading something about bile? I'm not sure if he's sick or not. He actually is always picky about his food.

He'll eat whenever he feels like it. I always make him food when I get up, around noon time for lunch, and dinner. I mix wet food with dry food and if it's something he wants he'll eat or sometimes won't even touch it! Has anyone had this happen to them ever? help!

If he is drinking normally, and isn't acting listless or sick, he's probably fine. If he did it repeatedly over a 2-3 days, with no eating at all, I'd be worried enough to take him to the vet. My dog will vomit similarly when he doesn't eat. Eating any amount of food is better than eating nothing, and it almost certainly won't hurt him to miss a meal or two.

Are you changing his food frequently? That can actually make a picky eater worse. Pick a quality food and stick with it, no changing it at all. Don't let him get away with eating a type of food like a chow-hound for a few days and then deciding, "Oh wait, no, I don't like this, nevermind that for the past week I've eaten it like a starving dog." That'd be like me deciding between yesterday and today that I didn't like Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate. I could say it, but I'd be lying! If you are giving him treats, that can also reduce his desire for his normal dog food.

Make up his food, give him 20 minutes or so to eat, and then pick it up and toss it, or put it away until then next feeding. You really want to be careful about leaving wet food out for any length of time, as the longer it is out, the greater the chance of bacteria getting into the food. With dry food this isn't nearly as much of a problem.

***Edited By: Minniyar on 11/20/2007 4:50:44 PM***
Reason: add

my maltipoo whos 7 months did the same thing and has been barely eating for a couple days. He threw up once nasty yellow pile of i dont know what. I thought maybe the food got stail so i bought him a new bag. But hes still being picky. He ate a little bit of the new bag and keeps moving his bowl.

The yellow stuff is just an empty stomach. Follow minniyars advice. Or you will be catering to the dog for the rest of it's life.

Hi, I have a female Maltese named Chloe. She has been a picky eater most of her life, and actually preferred people food. Well I was not a good mommie, and I used to let her eat scraps, but she got pancreatitis. She has had 3 attacks, and I have to keep her diet very bland. She eats the good life chicken flavor dry food, and that is it.

If your dog is vomiting, walking like his back is all hunched up. Acting like he is straining to go poop. Panting or acting like he is in pain in his belly, I would definitely take him to the Vet. As far as I know Maltese are prone to pancreatitis, and it could be serious. Hpe everything goes good.