# Food disinterest



## Poppy the Puppy (Jan 3, 2021)

Hi all,

my little pup has never been that into her food, she’s loves chicken but her normal food she rarely eats near the full amount of her recommended in take. Although caveat that does start at 2kg and she was only 1 when I got her.

She is always happy and playful and grazes at her food take a bit at a timeeven in the morning. But whenever there’s treats or chicken she eats straight away.

I have changed her food once gradually and that worked a little bit but then she started doing the same.

do I try another food again or is this just what some poodles are like. She is gaining weight and the vet said she isn’t underweight but would like her to be a bit heavier.

she gets chicken and soft treats for obedience which isn’t anabundance but of course still counts towards her consumption.

ive Tried putiing natural chicken stock over the food but doesn’t have that much impact.Tried giving her normal and wet. Do you think there’s a food out there that she’ll love? I did give her frozen raw but that really upset her tummy and made her bleed.

Any ideas much appreciated


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

What flavor is her food? Maybe you could change it to a chicken formula, since she seems to enjoy chicken so much. 

I've noticed that alot of poodles turn their nose up to food, changing the food all together is usually reccomended...

You could also mix chicken into her food, if you really make the chicken bits small, she'll have no choice to eat the kibble, too. Even if she doesn't finish, its more food than she would of eaten without.

Beyond chicken, you can add farm fresh eggs, greek or unflavored yogurt, I've also heard great things about stella and chewys meal mixers, they are frozen raw, but maybe a different brand won't upset her, just try a little bit first.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I home cook for mine, based upon complete minces from Durham Animal Feeds. Might be worth a try - safer than raw feeding, and highly palatable.


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## Brownie_mom (Dec 1, 2020)

I found that when Ruger was not feeling too great (he ate too much of show and was feeling sick) that cooked rice mixed with bits of cooked chicken breast worked good. All freshly cooked no salt added.


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

Tekno often turns his nose to his food unless I use it for training or throw it so that he has to fetch it. Whenever he can “earn” the food, he eats it readily but totally ignores it in a bowl (unless he’s very hungry). He also likes finding it in snuffle mats. I usually feed him all his breakfast through a training session and only use high value treats like chicken when we are outside or in high distraction areas.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

Have you tried a dog food topper? It works for Normie.  He became reluctant to eat his dinner, so I sprinkle one over his food in the evening. Now he watches the clock for 4:30 (he's a poodle; of course he can tell time!).

If you haven't come across them yet, here's a description: 
Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal or Mixer locks in the nutritional benefits of raw with a delicious taste your dog will go wild for! These recipes are protein-rich and blended with vegetables and fruits for a healthy meal. Adding Merrick Backcountry to your dog's diet provides a convenient and nutrition-packed boost of raw that they will love!


- Can be served as a complete & balanced meal or added to your dog's kibble as a topper!
- #1 ingredient is real deboned beef
- Nutritional raw boost in a convenient and safe format for dogs to enjoy
- Grain-Free nutrition with no gluten ingredients for easier digestibility
- Cooked in the USA
- Poultry-free recipe for dogs with sensitivities to poultry ingredients


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Borrowing from Raindrops here:



Raindrops said:


> About weights, poodles tend to be on the lean side of acceptable. A fit poodle will never look like a fit lab and you don't want them to. They are always going to have different body types. Poodles are very athletic dogs and will tend toward having an athletic build which is the sort you see in working pointers and vizslas. Here are some examples.












I don't remember how old or how tall at the shoulder Poppy is, but poodle bodies will tend to the leaner look.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I feed Peggy two small meals a day of wet food. That gives her day some structure, plus then I know she’s getting something in her stomach first thing in the morning. I then leave kibble out for her to free feed, topping it up if necessary. This is in a separate dish so it’s not contaminated by the wet food. I also hand feed about half her calories throughout the day. She likes to work for her food. She also gets a bedtime snack in her crate.

I think grazing is generally fine, as long as it fits with your lifestyle. Personally, I like that Peggy’s able to self-regulate, eating a ton during growth spurts or on active days, and eating less on others. I assume Poppy’s at a healthy weight for her size?

She probably also has a very small stomach. I recently read that cats often eat only a mouthful or two at a time because that’s the size of their stomach. I imagine the same would be true for a small dog.

The only time my mini mix Gracie inhaled her food all at once was when she developed Cushing’s disease and had an insatiable appetite.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

I don't know how true that chart is.. deacons hip bones are easily felt, but I've got to push in a little bit to feel his ribs when he's standing, but when he is eating or drinking his last three or four ribs are visable. He also has a clear tuck up, and muscles on his shoulders and back legs

its in general a good chart, but every dog carries differently. 


I typically see alot of lean or underweight poodles. since they are athletic and picky as frick.. lol


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

I wouldn’t change her food, or you’ll keep doing that for the rest of her life. A lot of toys and minis are like that. Mine are good now because I set out a routine and didn’t constantly change foods, but they each had their moments where they wouldn’t eat.

Beckie is a grazer. She needs to have food down all day. She’ll eat a little bit at a time, but never the whole thing. She also likes to have a few kibbles before going to bed. One thing that she likes is eating with her treat dispenser ball. I only use it in winter, when we can’t really go play outside and we’re bored. She has 5 or 6 treat dispenser but her favorite are the balls. She has very good control over them and will roll them with her nose all over the house. I put her breakfast kibble in it. She asks for it every morning.

This is her when she was about 5 months old, with her first treat dispenser. This one is too easy for her now. I rarely use it.






Another one when she was a little under 2 years old. She used to like the cat toy but won’t do it now. She wants her ball, lol !


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

Ava. said:


> I don't know how true that chart is..


I'd say the athletic image is spot on. See Louter Creek Hunt Tests restults page for 2008 through 2010 for some very fit poodles 

The Illustrated Breed Standard doesn't really talk about weight but it's interesting to see the body image sans fur overlayed on the show clip.


http://poodleclubofthelehighvalley.com/IllustratedStandard.pdf


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## Poppy the Puppy (Jan 3, 2021)

Dianaleez said:


> Have you tried a dog food topper? It works for Normie. He became reluctant to eat his dinner, so I sprinkle one over his food in the evening. Now he watches the clock for 4:30 (he's a poodle; of course he can tell time!).
> 
> If you haven't come across them yet, here's a description:
> Merrick Backcountry Freeze-Dried Raw Meal or Mixer locks in the nutritional benefits of raw with a delicious taste your dog will go wild for! These recipes are protein-rich and blended with vegetables and fruits for a healthy meal. Adding Merrick Backcountry to your dog's diet provides a convenient and nutrition-packed boost of raw that they will love!
> ...


This helped so much she definitely seems to be eating more


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