# Diet



## Aineshah (Jan 2, 2022)




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## Minie (Oct 4, 2021)

Welcome to you both. I have a tpoo aswll. He weighs 2.5 kgs. How big is your tpoo?
Our Luca is a picky eater aswell. We use his kibble in puzzle activities to make it interesting. Then he will eat. We also give him seek games with kibble.


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## LittleCloud (Apr 21, 2021)

I know the struggle. My vet said Nano was a bit underweight when he was around one, so I did everything possible to help him gain. Thankfully he’s 3kg now, but still pretty lean.

I’ve had a bigger dog before and toys need a surprisingly small amount. He might be extra picky because he’s actually full. I had this with Nano too, I’m not a fan of wasting food so I just gave him the same bowl of food until he suddenly got hungry and ate it all. 

I also found that he will eat more on some days, hardly any on others and I kind of just excepted that he’s not the type of dog who cleans his bowl as soon as it hits the floor. I did have to tell myself that he will not starve to death, he will eat the amount he needs.

Same with eating when you are present, Nano prefers if I’m there but if he’s really hungry, he'll eat.

If your vet says he is healthy then I wouldn’t worry. If he needs to gain, these are the things that helped us:
-soaking kibble
-calorie dense foods (kibbles have the kcal/kg marked so you can compare)
-foods made for dogs recovering from surgery( calorie dense, easily absorbed and palatable)
-adding a little wet food on soaked kibble randomly (it’s always exiting when it’s new, so get different flavors and only add some every other week, or few days)
- using food for training (even if Nano isn’t interested in his bowl he’ll take a bite if it’s in my hand and he has to work for it)

There is a method that I heard of somewhere but have never tried, that’s suppose to stop pickiness: You always put down his bowl of food in the morning and evening at the same times each day. You only leave it down for 30 minutes and take it up whether he has eaten or not. In 1-2 weeks he will stop being as picky and eat within those 30 minutes. I have a free feeding cat and Nano is a thief so don’t know how effective it is.

Hope this helps


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

How long have you had your pup?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

LittleCloud said:


> I have a free feeding cat and Nano is a thief so don’t know how effective it is.


*Do not let your dogs snack on cat food.* I had a tpoo develop pancreatitis from this bad habit. It’s horrible to watch your dog in such pain. My tpoo had to eat a special pancreatic diet for the rest of her life. At that time there were no prescription diets so I had to home cook. Cat food is too high in fat and protein which is hard on the kidneys and pancreas. It doesn’t take much, it was the daily snacking over time that caused the damage. Please keep cat food away from dogs. 



LittleCloud said:


> There is a method that I heard of somewhere but have never tried, that’s suppose to stop pickiness: You always put down his bowl of food in the morning and evening at the same times each day. You only leave it down for 30 minutes and take it up whether he has eaten or not. In 1-2 weeks he will stop being as picky and eat within those 30 minutes.


I have a very picky eater and this is what I do. He gets breakfast, evening dinner and a late night snack. I only leave food down for maybe 5 minutes. Recently when he’s done he pushes the bowl away from himself and that’s my signal to pick it up. I can’t allow my other dog to eat it because she has food allergies and is on prescription food. My boy is still a picky eater and at a year he’s skinny But he’s an oversized minipoo who is happy, active and healthy. When I feel his ribs, they are healthy… they don’t protrude. 

He ate a lot more as a growing puppy which is when he needed more nutrients and calories. He ate enough to grow beyond the 15” height limit.

It took me a while to adjust to the fact that he needs less now. He did have some growth spurts where I assumed I had found a food he liked … now I realize the increase in food intake was related to self regulation. He eats what he needs. If he skips a meal, he can eat more the next one.


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## LittleCloud (Apr 21, 2021)

Skylar said:


> *Do not let your dogs snack on cat food.* I had a tpoo develop pancreatitis from this bad habit. It’s horrible to watch your dog in such pain. My tpoo had to eat a special pancreatic diet for the rest of her life. At that time there were no prescription diets so I had to home cook. Cat food is too high in fat and protein which is hard on the kidneys and pancreas. It doesn’t take much, it was the daily snacking over time that caused the damage. Please keep cat food away from dogs.


Yes! Thanks you for pointing that out!
Unfortunately the cat belongs to another family member and they refuse to put the bowl in a spot where the dog can't reach. We've had plenty of arguments about it, but sometimes you just can't win with family.
Luckily Nano only steals if his own food is restricted, which is the reason we never did the method mentioned above.

I didn't know it was the fat and protein, I thought it was the added taurine.


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## Yellow (Sep 24, 2018)

try a raw diet...go slow...healthier than kibble....try starting with freeze dried for treats If puppy likes it then try raw. Research the benefits of raw...


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