not eating right

Question
I have a 3 year old Boston Terrier. She will not eat her food in the morning. She will go to the bowl, smell and turn away. Then about noon time she will eat. I feed her a homemade muttloaf. She will usually eat her meal at night with no problem. I notice (she sleeps w/me) when she wakes up in the morning she goes through a time when she keeps swallowing, this goes on for 30 seconds or so. I worry about this problem.

Answer
Charlene -

If this is a change from her normal behavior, you should take her to a vet to have her checked over.

If this is how she has been for a while, you may need to take a look at your expectations.  As a wise friend once said "No dog has ever been known to starve itself to death on purpose."

If she is not eating, she is likely not hungry.  I always encourage folks to put the dish down for only 10 minutes, and if they don't eat, pick it back up and offer again at the next mealtime.  Allowing a dog to eat when it wants to can lead to some annoying eating habits and often leads to overeating.

When she swallows like you describe, does she make any noise ?  Bostons are one of the breeds prone to what is called a backwards sneeze.  It can sound aweful, but is nothing to worry about at all.

Here's a link on that.   

http://www.beaglebuddies.com/misc/reverse.html

Good Luck

-Beth