Appetite Issues

M

marie_bel_air

Forums Regular
Hey all,

So Lucy has been with us for almost a week now and her diarrhea issue has resolved, thankfully. Anyway, I'm a little worried because she doesn't seem to have a great appetite, nor does she seem very excited about her food. She is 11 weeks and 3.1 pounds, so I definitely want her to be eating.

The breeder said to feed her 1/4 cup 3 times daily. I'm feeding her the same food she'd been getting at the breeder, but she'll only eat about 1/8 cup tops before walking away.

Is this normal? Is there anything I can try to get her more excited about mealtimes? Thanks guys!

-Rachel
 
First, she should be eating more than 1/4 cup for her size and age. Depending on what you're feeding her, I'd give her 1/3 to 1/2 cup 3x a day at least for another month or so. What is she eating? It may be that she doesn't like the food. There are lots of good puppy foods out there, you may want to try a different one.

You can also mix a bit of canned food with her kibble...this usually gets their appetite going. Or try adding some chicken broth.

It seems to me that there's something that happens around the six-month time frame. Our Barkley got tired of his food at that age too, and I've heard the same thing about other puppies. Once I switched his food, he was fine. Let us know what she's eating and we can give you some suggestions.
 
I thought 1/4 cup three times daily seemed like a small amount! She is currently eating pro pac puppy because the breeder says the tiny kibble size was easy for her small mouth. I have been thinking of transitioning to either TOTW or Blue Buffalo since I can find both of these locally. I'm not sure which would be a better fit for her.

Good idea on the chicken broth. I'll try that for her evening meal tonight. I just want her to eat.....she's pretty scrawny right now!!!
 
We're feeding Sundae Blue Buffalo puppy and have weaned her off of wet - when we got her from the breeder she was eating wet exclusively. In the beginning she couldn't chew the kibbles so I got a cheap $15 coffee grinder, measured out her food and ground it all for her. Then I added a little bit of water to make it the consistency of wet food, and she would finish it every time. We also found that if we mixed in a small amount of canned peas or green beans she'd finish the whole dish, pronto.


When we first brought her home, she was too worried about missing anything and she'd stop eating and wander away to find us (even if we were 5 feet away, in the same room). I found that for a while I had to sit with her until she was finished... She's 16 weeks now and is finally eating the whole kibble, although I still put a little water in to soften it up for her.

Good luck - the coffee grinder was a lifesaver for us.
 
Well we bought her some new food and are in the process of transitioning her to it. The only problem is that she LOVES the new food so much that she is picking out the new kibble and wont touch the old stuff. Thankfully, she is tolerating the new food well.

The only thing I'm still working on is finding a treat she likes to eat that I can give to her in her crate every night. She is a picky eater! She will lick peanut butter off my fingers but doesn't really eat it when I put a thin layer inside a Kong. She isn't crazy about carrots either. What are some treats your dogs love? I would really like to give her a nice treat when I put her to bed for the night. Thanks in advance!
 
marie_bel_air said:
Well we bought her some new food and are in the process of transitioning her to it. The only problem is that she LOVES the new food so much that she is picking out the new kibble and wont touch the old stuff. Thankfully, she is tolerating the new food well.

The only thing I'm still working on is finding a treat she likes to eat that I can give to her in her crate every night. She is a picky eater! She will lick peanut butter off my fingers but doesn't really eat it when I put a thin layer inside a Kong. She isn't crazy about carrots either. What are some treats your dogs love? I would really like to give her a nice treat when I put her to bed for the night. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Liver. If you look on the recipe page of the forums you'll see a recipe for liver (you bake it in the oven). My dogs lose their minds over it!
 
corbinam said:
Liver. If you look on the recipe page of the forums you'll see a recipe for liver (you bake it in the oven). My dogs lose their minds over it!
Click to expand...

I agree with Ashley. When I made this recipe the dogs ran into the kitchen and waited by the oven the smell was so inviting!!
 
Sylverlily said:
We're feeding Sundae Blue Buffalo puppy and have weaned her off of wet - when we got her from the breeder she was eating wet exclusively. In the beginning she couldn't chew the kibbles so I got a cheap $15 coffee grinder, measured out her food and ground it all for her. Then I added a little bit of water to make it the consistency of wet food, and she would finish it every time. We also found that if we mixed in a small amount of canned peas or green beans she'd finish the whole dish, pronto.
Click to expand...

and Sundae looks great! my puppies eat part raw, as much as they can handle, and crushed puppy kibble. Just dont let them play you, you don't want them to learn to hold out for better food.
 
corbinam said:
Liver. If you look on the recipe page of the forums you'll see a recipe for liver (you bake it in the oven). My dogs lose their minds over it!
Click to expand...

If the liver doesn't work or you don't have time to make it, try some baby food in the kong. Buy the little jars of meat baby food in the supermarket and put that in the kong and I'll bet she'll love it. That's what mine get at night. I alternate it with blueberry yogurt which is also a hit.
 
You haven'ts posted for a week or so, so thought I would just check in and see how you were doing.

What food is pup eating now, but also as important, what food would you prefer to be feeding and want to transition pup to.

I know how easy it is to get into various diets for our dogs. Sometimes because of outside influences, and sometimes because of the dogs current needs. It can be very confusing and overwhelming.

I hope its all well with now. If not, please don't hesitate to post the forum again. Sometimes you might not get the immediate answer you are looking for, because the forum has become very large.
 
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