# Mexican standoff - Update



## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

Maybe this is just how it's supposed to be all along.


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## a2girl (Oct 4, 2020)

If it’s helpful, my sister who is a vet says that the manufacturer feeding guidelines on kibble bags are way too high for a dog with average family pet activity. I would only worry about my dog if he started feeling really skinny to the touch.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I do not free feed, feed two meals a day and only have food down a limited time.
I feed way less than the recommended amount, 1/3 cup per day is recommended for 6 1/4 pound Leonard he actually gets 1/4 cup per day, 2/3 cup is recommended for 8 1/2 pound Pia gets a 1/3 of a cup per day.

If I remember correctly Winnie is about 18 months, and is probably done with a growth spurt, they fill out until they about 2. Adults eat significantly less than pups


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

twyla said:


> I do not free feed, feed two meals a day and only have food down a limited time.
> I feed way less than the recommended amount, 1/3 cup per day is recommended for 6 1/4 pound Leonard he actually gets 1/4 cup per day, 2/3 cup is recommended for 8 1/2 pound Pia gets a 1/3 of a cup per day.
> 
> If I remember correctly Winnie is about 18 months, and is probably done with a growth spurt, they fill out until they about 2. Adults eat significantly less than pups


Maybe I am overestimating how much she needs compared to when she was a pup. It just seems like such a small amount. I don't free feed which is why I expect her to be hungry by the end of the day.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

It's eye opening up you think about it, for mines as growing pups they ate almost a 3/4 cup daily, as in almost 3 times more as they eat as adults.
Unless your pup has soft stools, or is uncomfortable as in belly pain, belching I wouldn't worry to much. Pia has food intolerances and was put off food, she wanted to eat but it was clearly causing her discomfort.
I think Winnie is in between growth spurts and isn't as hungry because if it.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Winnie was due a groom and everyone kept telling me she was looking chunky. I said it's her hair as she can't possibly be chunky on the amount of food she eats. Now she has been defluffed she looks slim and I don't get anymore comments. I wish I could control my diet like she does.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I feed wet food on a separate plate so it doesn’t contaminate the kibble. Peggy gets a spoonful of wet food for breakfast and dinner, which she always eats. Her kibble is topped up throughout the day in quarter cup increments. Any uneaten kibble is tossed at bedtime.

This method accommodates appetite fluctuations, ensures she has something in her belly in the morning and evening, and prevents waste.


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> Winnie was due a groom and everyone kept telling me she was looking chunky. I said it's her hair as she can't possibly be chunky on the amount of food she eats. Now she has been defluffed she looks slim and I don't get anymore comments. * I wish I could control my diet like she does.*


Story of my life too lol. Although, I have made an effort to simplify what food I bring in the apt. Human food that is generally off limits for them is stuff we shouldn't be eating anyways, like high salt, high sugar, and high processed food... Which is basically everything addictively delicious. I try to look at it like a continuation of puppy proofing the home.

You're not alone.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

PeggyTheParti said:


> I feed wet food on a separate plate so it doesn’t contaminate the kibble. Peggy gets a spoonful of wet food for breakfast and dinner, which she always eats. Her kibble is topped up throughout the day in quarter cup increments. Any uneaten kibble is tossed at bedtime.
> 
> This method accommodates appetite fluctuations, ensures she has something in her belly in the morning and evening, and prevents waste.


Thats a good idea.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

So a couple of days ago I gave Winnie a scrambled egg which I know she loves. She spent the next 5 minutes crying and pacing around her bowl. I thought this was odd as she normally wolfs it down so quick it doesn't hit the sides. I moved the scrambeld egg into a different bowl (one we keep as a spare and it is a bit bigger than her original one). She couldn't get the egg down quick enough - she practically inhaled it.
Could it be something as simple as she just didn't want to eat from her original bowl anymore? So for the next couple of evenings I put her dinner in the new (old) bowl and each time she ate THE WHOLE LOT in one sitting!!!!!!. I feel bad that I didn't think of doing this before but can't believe she was that persistent in not wanting to eat from her original bowl that she would rather go without. So keeping my fingers crossed that this was the problem and that we have a happy dog. I so wish they could talk.....it would have saved us a lot of time and trouble.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> Could it be something as simple as she just didn't want to eat from her original bowl anymore?


It’s possible. Did something happen with the original bowl that spooked her? Maybe her dog tags hit the bowl and clanged? Maybe a new dishwashing detergent made it smell off? Maybe the size affects the way she moves her food to pick it up to eat? It could have been something so minor you didn’t notice.

Obviously if she continues to eat with the new bowl Then stick with it.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Skylar said:


> It’s possible. Did something happen with the original bowl that spooked her? Maybe her dog tags hit the bowl and clanged? Maybe a new dishwashing detergent made it smell off? Maybe the size affects the way she moves her food to pick it up to eat? It could have been something so minor you didn’t notice.
> 
> Obviously if she continues to eat with the new bowl Then stick with it.


The only thing that I can think of is that the other bowl which she has had since she was little has a narrower bottom as the sides slope inwards and maybe now that she is bigger she doesnt like her face in the sloping sides. The other bowl has sides that go straight down so the full area at the bottom is flat. I never really thought about it before as there was no obvious sign that she didn't want to eat out ouf it. It was only in the last week or so that she just didn't want to eat anymore. Other times she did eat but not always and would often leave some. The last couple of evenings she ate everything which was a complete surprise. Maybe she had been giving me signs by not eating all her food but I just put it down to being picky, fussy or whatever. The new bowl is old and we just kept it as a spare (in the summer we used it for her water in the garden) but if she likes it then its staying.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

If she's willing to eat out of the new bowl, I also say keep using it. 

A friend's Doberman is having a similar issue at the moment, acting scared about eating from her usual bowl in her usual spot. He took the mat her bowl sits on into another room and just put her kibble onto it, and she ate just fine. She's on special food for copper storage disease, so his options for tempting add-ins are limited.


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## Jbean (Feb 18, 2019)

My sister's dog will not eat from metal bowls even though she's a golden with a very hearty appetite.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Funnily enough both bowls are metal. It's only the size and shape that differ. Her water bowl is metal too and it is the same shape and size as her food bowl but she doesn't seem to mind drinking out of this one.


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## Jbean (Feb 18, 2019)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> Funnily enough both bowls are metal. It's only the size and shape that differ. Her water bowl is metal too and it is the same shape and size as her food bowl but she doesn't seem to mind drinking out of this one.


Dogs get funny ideas! She might eat out of that bowl, if you put it on the other side of the room.

When I was a kid, we had a dog who would stop eating midway through her meal until my mother stirred her food with a silver spoon. A stainless spoon was not acceptable. As an experiment, my mother switched the two flatware drawers and then the dog would only settle for having her food stirred with a stainless spoon.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

So glad you figured that out with her help! We feed Peggy on plates, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea to occasionally put treats in bowls and containers of different sizes, shapes, and materials. Scattering it on the floor or in (not chemical treated!) grass is another option.

I have a friend whose doodle didn’t eat for their entire vacation because they forget “her” bowl.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Elroy didn't like eating his kibble from his Stoneware bowl (vertical sides). He's happy to eat it from a very large soup bowl (with sloping sides)🤣. He drinks his water from the Stoneware bowl though🤷‍♂️.


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