# My Puppy Won't Eat But I dont wanna risk hypoglycemia



## ToyPoodleBoy (Mar 25, 2014)

Hi guys,

My almost 5 month old Toy Poodle puppy is a really difficult eater. Sometimes he would eat but sometimes he won't. When we first got him at 2 months, he would eat so very easily but after a few weeks he started being finicky even though we never feed him people food. Tried softening his food with warm water, and he wouldn't eat. I feed Nutrisource small breed puppy.

For the past month, I've been mixing his kibble with boiled meat (my mom is against raw food no matter what I tell her) and he has been doing great. But today, his finicky nature kicked back in. He ate his breakfast but not his lunch.

I have heard about the putting food down and take it back if not eaten in 15 minutes technique but since my puppy is a Toy, I don't want to risk hypoglycemia. My dog is healthy, but he just wouldn't eat. Especially plain kibble. If I do use this technique though, I won't mix his food with boiled meat anymore. I want him to love plain kibble and more importantly not be picky.

What do ya'll think? Should I leave food down and take it back if not eaten in 15 minutes?


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## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

I would put it down for 15 minutes, take it away for 10 minutes, put it down for 15. Maybe try that 3 times or so. Also maybe try not giving him so much food - maybe he is still full!


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## ToyPoodleBoy (Mar 25, 2014)

Luce said:


> I would put it down for 15 minutes, take it away for 10 minutes, put it down for 15. Maybe try that 3 times or so. Also maybe try not giving him so much food - maybe he is still full!


Thanks, I'll try that. But what are the chances of my puppy getting hypoglycemia if he goes without food for too long? I'm gonna mix in dog milk powder in his water so he still has a source of calories even if he doesn't eat, to reduce hypoglycemia risks.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

What does your puppy weigh? As a general rule, hypoglycaemia is a risk in very small pups, especially when they are stressed. Puppies are notorious for going through hungry growth spurts, and then not hungry patches in between - I suspect your pup is getting rather more food than he needs just at the moment. Skipping a meal will do no harm as long as he is on at least two meals a day, and try reducing the amount you give him at each meal. All my toy pups have done this - and all have grown into happy, healthy adults with never a hint of low blood sugar!


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## ToyPoodleBoy (Mar 25, 2014)

fjm said:


> What does your puppy weigh? As a general rule, hypoglycaemia is a risk in very small pups, especially when they are stressed. Puppies are notorious for going through hungry growth spurts, and then not hungry patches in between - I suspect your pup is getting rather more food than he needs just at the moment. Skipping a meal will do no harm as long as he is on at least two meals a day, and try reducing the amount you give him at each meal. All my toy pups have done this - and all have grown into happy, healthy adults with never a hint of low blood sugar!


My puppy weighs about give or take 3 kg if I'm not mistaken. I weighed him myself. Are your dogs still difficult eaters?


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## Tiffany (Feb 13, 2014)

My pup is a miniature and when we first got him we worried about since he would go a day without eating, I did the whole 15 minute thing and I actually found out that he wanted to eat at different times the the schedule I set for him.

He prefers breakfast at 8 as opposed to 6:30 in the morning 

He prefers lunch at 3 as opposed to noon 

And dinner at 6:30 he always eats his dinner after this time. So that what the time I set for him sometimes I feed him later due to getting out of work later.


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

If he weighs 3kg, or over 6 pounds, I would say your risk for hypoglycemia is very low.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I have found that five minutes of exercise, or a small treat before offering a meal are good for getting appetites going.
I agree that 6 pounds is not at high risk for hypoglycemia.


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## PammiPoodle (Jul 16, 2011)

My Toy, Lumi, used to be a very picky eater. Drove me nuts, and for a month she must've eaten nothing but treats! I tried offering for a short period and then taking the food up. Eventually hunger would win and she'd eat some, but then she'd strike the next few meals. Meal times weren't fun for either of us. It was just a battle of wills and there wasn't any joy in her eating (that matters to me, I like to see a healthy appetite!), plus I couldn't give her treats in between for training lest I prolonged her hunger strike! 

What I found worked best for us was to make mealtime a fun game, including treats! If it was kibble she didn't want to eat, I would whip it back and forth across the floor under my finger, enticing her to chase it, or sometimes even revving her up like it was a ball and then tossing it across the room. Usually that would be enough to get her to scarf it up, which then resulted in a reward marker (with a clicker or verbal marker), followed by a tasty treat! May seem crazy to reward eating with food, but if what she really wanted was cheese, I used that to my advantage. Sometimes she wouldn't actually eat the regular food, but I would still mark and reward for keen interest or biting it. If it were wet food I was trying to get her to eat, I used the same methods by having a bit on my finger or spoon, or putting some on a piece of dried food or treat that I could wiggle or toss. Once she was reliably eating a bite of the regular stuff, knowing it would earn her a treat, I would then start rewarding every other bite or every third. Once she realized that it was eating the food in front of her that got her extra special treats, rather than avoiding it, I couldn't hold her back! Hahaha It probably took a week or two to get her eating the desired ratio of healthy food over special treats. The treats, mind you, weren't unhealthy, just not a balanced diet. I wouldn't recommend feeding your dog mostly McDonald's french fries for a week, might cause some tummy issues! : P After she was a good eater, I still gave her a yummy treat each time she emptied her bowl for a month or so. Probably could've stopped sooner, but I was just sooooo happy to have such a voracious eater that I was my pleasure to reward her! : )

The truth is, she didn't "dislike" her regular food. She just preferred cheese and liver and such. She knew they came often and freely, as I'm a training junkie, so why should she bother with this less exciting stuff sitting in her bowl? It probably took her some will-power to *not* eat it, but to her it was worthwhile effort because she'd rather seek out the other, better rewards. Once she got the picture that she can eat that "plain" food and it will *earn* her goodies, well, that just became a no-brainer! She is not picky in the least now. At all. If I offer her a piece of food she swallows first and ask questions later. There are one or two things she spits out, including carrots and couple raw veggies. And I don't see that as choosy or picky, but rather being repulsed. There's a difference between holding out for something better or being blase, and just plain finding a flavor/texture unpleasant. I want her to spit out anything that repulses her, as that would hopefully include most pills or rocks or non-organic things.

Anyway, that's my experience with finicky eating! Lumi was extremely difficult to feed between 3 and 6 months old, and it was quite sorted out within a few weeks of figuring out this method. She's now three years old and has remained a fabulous eater (and no longer requires "dessert"!) Amala also tried out being picky by spitting out the less exciting training treats during a session (I train with a random variety). Whenever she did I just re-offered it to her, or made it a game by wiggling it like with Lumi, and when she ate it I would follow with a more delicious treat. She learned that you only get what you get and only after you eat it do you get another option. No problems with Amala's appetite thus far, and she's just over one year. Hope this can be helpful for you!! : )


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## Wild Kitten (Mar 13, 2014)

ToyPoodleBoy said:


> My puppy weighs about give or take 3 kg if I'm not mistaken. I weighed him myself. Are your dogs still difficult eaters?


Your 5 months old toy poodle weights 3kg? How tall is he?

Lucia is 27.5cm tall (really the top end of the Toy size by UK standards) and weights about 3.20kg..... and she is nearly a year old and she is not skinny anymore.
Your pup is probably getting more food than he needs so he is not always hungry.

Be careful that you don't make him fat.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I agree with all that has been said....I don't think a 6lb 5mth old is in much danger of hypoglycemia. Try feeding smaller amts and taking up the bowl after 15-20 mins....if he is still teething try making the kibble a little softer with low sodium chicken broth...... I bet he won't starve himself!!!


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## Pella (Oct 7, 2014)

PammiPoodle just wanted to say thanks for that advice on picky eaters! I just searched the forum for info on picky eaters and low blood sugar as my last Mini often had this. I had never ever occurred to me to reward her eating with treats! SO SMART! This is certainly the method I will use with picky eaters from now on--eat your piece of kibble, get a piece of cheese. Thank you for that brilliant insight.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Try serving the same crunchy breakfast cereal to a human every day and every meal. Its very boring and you might get the same response. Comercial dog food YUK!!!
Eric


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Tiny Poodles said:


> I have found that five minutes of exercise, or a small treat before offering a meal are good for getting appetites going.
> I agree that 6 pounds is not at high risk for hypoglycemia.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


A bit of tasty food before feeding regular meal is what I call, "Priming the pump." I have to do that with one of my dogs sometimes. Then she eats just fine.


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