# Need Help Again... Puppy won't eat



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lily was a pilly eater when she was a puppy. Our vet said it would be fine to free feed and thankfully none of our dogs had glutton tendencies at while we fed kibble that worked just fine. As long as there isn't another dog or cat in the house who would take the puppy's food I would try free feeding. It can make house breaking a little bumpy since you will have a less predictable poop schedule, but it is important to get meals into growing baby dogs.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I feed Leonard Health Extension toy breed All life stages grain free White Fish and Bison, the kibble itself is tiny and easier for teething puppies to eat, Leonard is almost 7 1/2 months old and a smidge under 5 lbs


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Thanks. Someone else mentioned Health Extension. I will give it a try.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Trying Merrick ended with soft stools and runny eyes for my poodles, didn't bother my pom/chi mix
Also everyone eats fish in my house because my girl Pia has intolerances to chicken, beef and lamb


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

I think the same happened with me. Soft stools and runny eyes. His eyes have been clear since.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I would try home cooking:
Scrambled egg, with butter
10% fat ground beef, with 1/2 teaspoonful finely ground eggshell per pound of meat
Boneless chicken thighs, eggshell as above

If she eats these happily you can look into a fully balanced home cooked diet, adding a little liver, kidney and other organ meat and a variety of vegetables. For a toy pup you can cook the mixture and freeze in ice cube trays, then defrost a few at a time for each meal.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I would consult with your vet. First, rule out a health issue, then get the vet's input on what to feed. All of these foods mentioned are so rich, many dogs can't tolerate them.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

I have been free feeding my dogs, puppy and adult, for 25 years. I find that often they will eat the majority of their food later in the day or evening. Iris would have a mouthfull here and there throughout the day then eat the remainder sometime between 8 and 10 PM. Poppy, my current one, eats in a similar fashion, however, sometimes she will eat a little in the middle of the night then go back to sleep. They have all self regulated and none has ever been overweight.

I never feed puppy food and always feed an all life stages food. The food I have fed reliably over 15 yrs was recently discontinued. I have settled on Instinct ORIGINAL for our replacement food. Victor dog food is another excellent choice. Both come in lots of different flavor choices. Natural Balance makes some nice limited ingredient foods which do well for dogs with sensitive tummies or picky tendancies.

Keep in mind, if your dog does not do well on a food or won't eat it, you can return it for a refund. You will not be spending a fortune on food they can't or won't eat. I used to work in a local pet store and it was not unusual for people to have to try various foods until they settle on one they like.

I fed Poppy Origen for a while and her poop was never right, too soft, and she ate 4 cups a day and was always hungry. When I switched her to a higher protein all,life stages food her consumption dropped in half and she was no longer acting starved all the time. She needed more protein.

Hang in there and try another food. You will find something that will work. Also I do suggest free feeding.

Best of luck, Cathy and Poppy


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I wasted a lot of food with the 15 minute rule when Buck was a puppy. He usually finished his kibble by the end of the day or most of it. My breeder suggested adding a little topping to keep the kibble interesting.


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## JenandSage (Mar 9, 2018)

It’s so interesting - I wish I had been on this forum earlier
My standard was so picky and hardly ate when little. 
Everyone said to do the 15 minutes thing and put it away, feed him 3 times a day... it never worked for mine He was so skinny. 
Then I had the vet saying “how much do you feed him?” The bag said 1.5cups so that’s what I tried, but because he was skinny the vet said to feed him 2 cups. Then at the next visit, to feed him 3 cups. He never ate more than 1 and a quarter cup, no matter how much I offered, until he got bigger of course!!!
In the end free feeding him worked best. 
And... like some of the others have posted here, he will eat the majority between 8 and 10pm. 
I also tried adding bits of fish or meat as a puppy (just to flavour the kibble) and he would eat more, but then it seemed like he wouldn’t eat at all if I didn’t add it:act-up::act-up: 
Just too smart! It all worked out in the end. I just wished I had been on the forum then - I was so worried!
jen and Sage.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

JenandSage said:


> It’s so interesting - I wish I had been on this forum earlier
> My standard was so picky and hardly ate when little.
> Everyone said to do the 15 minutes thing and put it away, feed him 3 times a day... it never worked for mine He was so skinny.
> Then I had the vet saying “how much do you feed him?” The bag said 1.5cups so that’s what I tried, but because he was skinny the vet said to feed him 2 cups. Then at the next visit, to feed him 3 cups. He never ate more than 1 and a quarter cup, no matter how much I offered, until he got bigger of course!!!
> ...


Too true my poodle girls eat 1/4 cup, the pom/chi girl eats an 1/8 cup Leonard just had a major growth spurt eating 3/8 cup daily, I may scale that back soon he is losing his poodle belly tuck :wink:


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Calm PF members assured me that no puppy will starve with food available, but I empathize with the angst. I was SO panicked and I didn’t have the hypoglycemic shock to add to those worries. At first, Buck cherry picked the topper, with a few bites of moistened (water) kibble. Quickly learned to mix it all up. Tomorrow he can look forward to some minced salmon from dinner. Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing, but if I had to face the same brown nuggets every day...The practice hasn’t made him picky and requires minimal effort on my part. Hope your puppy finds his appetite.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Well, two days later I think I figured something out. I was mixing wet puppy food with puppy kibble. Then I noticed he would take it from my hand but not the bowl. I looked at his teeth and discovered he lost all but his bottom center tooth (he looks like a hillbilly ). He couldn't pick up most of his food. I crushed his kibble very small and put it in a separate bowl and he wolfed it down - at 9:30 at night.

Did the same yesterday and he ate from the bowl, though at odd hours. He has breakfast around noon, and eats some of his dinner at dinner time, and finishes it off right before bed.

From reading above, it seems this is normal for some.

I'm waiting on the recommended kibble. I ordered a 1lb bag in search of something he really enjoys eating. 

Will keep everyone posted. Thank you so much for the assistance. Let's hope he keeps up the good work.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

*IT'S A MIRACLE......*

I finally found something he will eat - voraciously.

I went to PetValu to try something I had read fussy puppies love and the sales person gave me 2 samples of Primal Lamb freeze dried raw food. I gave it to him as soon as I came home and he licked the bowl clean. Ditto for dinner time.

I went back that night and purchased the beef and lamb flavors, wanting to see if he would go back to the lamb. I let him smell both nuggets and he went after the beef, so I gave him 1.5 nuggets, which is what was recommended for his age and weight. He wanted more, and I didn't give him any, though he, as usual, wanted a snack before bed.

Next day he wiped the bowl clean and I gave him a total of 4 nuggets between breakfast and dinner. He still wanted a bedtime snack 

This morning I offered both lamb & beef and he didn't take the lamb, but cleaned his bowl once again of the beef.

I think we have a winner.... It's a total of 6 meals where he cleaned his plate.

Yes, I know it's raw, and my preference would have been to have him on kibble, but he hated everything I gave him. He snorted and walked backwards. It is very easy to feed the nuggets - easier than measuring out wet food, though I'll bet kibble is even easier. Too bad he won't touch kibble.

He's a completely different puppy these past couple of days. He's not sleeping as much during the day, is much better behaved, and looks generally happier. We were starving the poor little guy even though we were hand feeding as much of the Blue Buffalo puppy would as he would eat -which apparently wasn't enough.

I must have spent $50+ on trying different foods, and yes, Primal is expensive, but I don't care. Even full grown he won't eat more than 4-5 nuggets a day (as recommended on the feeding charts), and as long as he eats - well, we're all happy.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and help.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

I am glad to hear that you found a very good food that he approves of. These funny poodle kids of ours can make us a bit crazy over food.

Most stores will refund you the cost of the food if you buy something and your dog won't eat it. They get reimbursed from the manufacturers. When I worked in a pet store, everything that was returned, if it wasn't old or spoiled, got donated to the local food bank, so it never went to waste.

So happy your kiddo has settled on a good food, as Primal is a very good food.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

What a perfect ending ! I’m happy for you, thanks for the follow-up !


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I am glad little Gilligan is finally chowing down


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Well that is good news! Someone else mentioned that pet stores will take back opened dry kibble and will refund you. I've done this several times with Petsmart, they are very good about it.


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

He's still wiping his bowl clean... 

I'm now concerned that he needs more calories than the recommended amounts. The primal website says that for his age and weight, he should get 200 calories a day.

But I located a toy poodle website which factored in his adult weight, and it ranged from 250-350 calories a day.

Yesterday I gave him 4 nuggets, which is 240 calories (2 feedings) and he was still looking for more food and got hungry mid afternoon. I gave him a 5 or 6 Instincts mixers to tied him over until dinner. I've called the vet to ask how many calories I should feed.

This morning I gave him 2.5 nuggets and will give him the same tonight. That will bring his daily calories to 300.

He's going to be 6 months next week and is very active - plus, he wasn't eating nearly enough until this week. I'm wondering if he's not trying to catch up. We got him mid-Feb and he weight 4lbs 4 oz. When I took him to the vet 2 weeks ago, he weighed 4lbs 8oz - and I don't think that was enough weight gain.

I can't thank everyone enough for all their advice. I'll also bring back some of the other food I've purchased when I go buy him more.... I'm almost out of the small bag I purchased and he doesn't like the lamb flavor, I tried again last night.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

I believe Gilligan has started his growth spurt, I answered your PM :wink:. Go ahead and up his intake. Leonard went through growth spurt at that age, he gained 8 ounces in 3 weeks and grew an inch taller.


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

What a wonderful update! Glad your puppy is eating and eating well! Hope it continues  

I used the formula discussed on this page to calculate the baseline caloric needs for my spoo. Then I adjusted my feeding to body condition and weight gain every week (tracked in Excel). I found it to be fairly accurate for my spoo during the first four months (3.0 factor), but I fed a bit more than the suggestion 2.0 factor for 4-12 months. It just gives you a nice baseline. You have to adjust for the activity of your dog. Shae was very active as a puppy, so I always tended to feed on the more side. She was never fat.

https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

He's still eating voraciously - and wants something all the time. I gave him 300 calories + snacks yesterday and he still wanted a bedtime snack  

Twyla is probably right that he's started a growth spurt. I'll just keep feeding him stuff as long as he asks for it. But I'm only giving him his food for breakfast and dinner. I don't want to get him in the habit of eating 3x a day. 

Thanks to all!!!


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Good to hear you found something he likes and will eat, but I would definitely be feeding a six month old puppy a minimum of 3 times a day.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I agree, a small toy puppy should be fed 3 times a day. You don't have to worry about him getting into the habit of wanting to be fed 3 times a day because as he finishes puppyhood, he will start eating less on his own, and then you can cut back naturally!


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## mary2e (Jan 29, 2018)

Thank you... I tried to feed him 3x yesterday, but he had just gone to puppy training and was full of treats at lunch time.

I gave him 120 calories for breakfast, will give him 90 for lunch, and another 120 for dinner. That should put him at his requirements and leave some room for treats. 

10 days ago he was 4.7 pounds... yesterday he was 5.2 and it looks like he's grown taller and fuller. Thankfully.

At what age should I cut down to 2x a day?


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

For us feeding 3x a day wasn't inconvenient, so we continued it until Shae (spoo) decided to start skipping lunch around 10 mos old. Basically, she weaned herself. I would think 6-7 months, when growth begins to slow down, would be appropriate for most dogs. Hopefully, others will chime in on that.


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