I’m looking for some help and answers to a few things that have been worrying me...
My puppy, who is nearly 5 months old, isn’t eating his full daily allowance... It happened a few times at first, but now he’s not finishing a single portion, every single day...
He started on Royal Canin and the vet advised me to switch dry food brands, while still sticking to a premium one. I’ve done that, but it hasn’t changed anything; he still won’t finish it all...
Other than that, he’s doing great – really lively, very bright, listens well and loves playing. I’m starting to wonder if the feeding guidelines on the bag just don’t suit him and if he’d rather have smaller portions...???
THANKS
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Hi everyone,
My 6-month-old puppy just won't touch his dry food. I've switched brands three times now; he's gone from Royal Canin to Pro Nutrition and I'm now trying Pro Plan, but nothing seems to work—he's just not interested. I tried mixing a bit of wet food in with his kibble; it worked at first, but now he’s not bothered anymore. I even tried adding a bit of salmon oil, but that didn’t help either. I’m really at my wits' end.
He doesn't eat in the morning or at lunchtime, and in the evening he only manages about an ounce or so (30g to 40g), if that.
On the other hand, he loves his training treats, and I don't give him very many.
The strange thing is, he loves eating our daughter's dog's food whenever we go to her house. I honestly don't understand his behaviour. I even brought some of that food back home with me, and he still won't eat it here!
Could you please give me some advice or help? Thank you.
Evening, I’ve been having the same problem lately with my little Shih Tzu, who is just over 5 months old. It’s exactly the same—she’s in great shape and her poo is perfectly normal. I’ve tried wet food but she won’t touch it, and she isn’t interested in fresh food either... The replies have reassured me a bit though... hopefully there might be some more advice to come. Thanks!
I’m having the exact same problem with the same brand of dry food for my 10-week-old Golden (about 13 lbs). She’s meant to have three 100g portions, but she won’t eat in the morning or at lunchtime—only in the evening.
We’ve eventually just started leaving it out for her to graze, and she manages two portions that way. Her poo isn’t looking great either (she’s had diarrhoea since yesterday), but she's drinking normally. How did things turn out for your puppy in the end? Thanks in advance, LL.
First of all, once you've ruled out any potential health issues, it’s really just a case of finding the right food balance.
You could try leaving his bowl down for 20 minutes to see if he eventually shows any interest. It might also be worth trying a different dry food that he likes more. It’s all about trial and error!
He could well be a bit fussy if you’ve been adding little extras to his meals.
I personally think his back end looks a bit thin, but that's probably just my opinion as my vet says he's perfectly healthy...
I’m starting to wonder if, because I’ve gone to such lengths to get him to eat – whether that's forcing him, giving him something else, or helping him along – he’s just picked up a bad habit and is now being a fussy eater.
Should I be strict and put his bowl down in one place for no more than 20 minutes so he gets used to a routine where it's that or nothing, or should I try changing his dry food again?
In that case, the main thing is to keep an eye on his weight.
Is he on the thin side? Is he growing as he should?
If you're worried, take his temperature and check his gums. But if he's still active, it’s most likely that he’s just not that keen on his food.
When my Golden Retriever was on dry food all the time, he would sometimes go a whole day without eating. Then the next day, he’d only have a tiny bit. Other days, he’d finish a whole bowl over the course of the day.
He was never overweight or too thin—he was always in good condition.
So, I’ve been forcing him by carrying him over and putting him right in front of his bowl, telling him to eat...
I have actually been mixing it with some cheese on the vet's advice, even though I was a bit unsure about the idea...
I'm giving him three meals a day—morning, noon, and night—but he won't touch anything in the morning or at lunchtime, and in the evening, he doesn't even finish half of his daily ration.
And that's despite the fact I only give him dry food, no table scraps or anything like that...
I tried free-feeding him, but it feels like he eats even less that way—maybe one piece of kibble every three hours, and in the end, nothing gets eaten at all...
I just don't know what to do about the food anymore...
Up until they are 5 or 6 months old, you can still give them three meals a day.
Yes and no; my dog only ever had two meals a day until a vet told me to try giving her three. I did it, but she wouldn't finish her portions anymore. I've gone back to two now—she doesn't always eat everything in the morning, but she finishes her whole meal in the evening. To make it a bit more appetising, I’ve been adding some wet food (1 tbsp), but you have to be careful to reduce the amount of kibble.
How exactly are you trying to force him? If you’ve got into the habit of adding tastier things to his bowl, like gravy, cheese, or table scraps, you run the risk of making him a fussy eater.
How many meals a day are you giving him? Until they are about 6 months old, you can still give three meals a day. Just make sure you’re splitting the daily allowance into three and being careful not to overfeed him.
You might need to try several different brands of dry food before finding the right one, and even then, some dogs get bored, so you have to switch it up by trying different flavours within the range.
Finally, free-feeding isn’t a bad thing if you can see that your dog is able to self-regulate and eat consistently.
