# What food?



## Michigan Gal (Jun 4, 2019)

Poodles should be trim. Feeling his ribs is not a bad thing. There are drawings used to see if a dog is the right weight for his size. I'm sure you could find it on the web.

He doesn't "need" kibble. He would be fine eating RAW chicken with the bones in, but feeding raw involves paying attention. He would need variety, occasional beef, fish, egg. He would need organ meat.

It's possible that he is eating according to his energy output. He also may need a different kibble. You don't mention what you are feeding him. _www.dogfoodanalysis.com_ is a good site to check out.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

A quality kibble provides a balanced diet. I feed Purina and dress it with a little chicken or beef bouillon. This has been my practice for over 50 years of raising and showing dogs. 

I cannot free feed or the Lab would weigh over 100 pounds and the poodle would starve!


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Poodles are supposed to be lean, so being able to feel the ribs is normal. I use the hip bones as my gauge instead of the ribs. Sharp hip bones with a hollow between them means the dog is skinny. Being able to feel the points of the hip bones without sharpness, and only a little hollow or no hollow at all between them, is good. Not being able to feel the points of the hip bones at all means a diet and exercise program is probably needed.


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## PowersPup (Aug 28, 2020)

That's what my mini-poo did when he was that age. I topped his gently cooked kibble with some freeze-dried raw lamb, which he ate fairly readily on days that he was hungry. Other days he just didn't eat, or just nibbled. The vet said to not worry about how much he was eating; puppy eating habits fluctuate with growth spurts, and the number of training treats he's getting during the day. She also said poodle puppies are supposed to be lean. He's 14 months now and is still pretty slender - 13 inches tall and just under 10 pounds.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

I have given up with Winnie. The food goes down. It stays there for about half hour. It gets taken up again. Sometimes the bowl is clean sometimes not. I have tried every variation of foods and toppers. If she's healthy and within the right weight range, then I'm paying no more attention to it. A year is long enough to try and coax her to eat.


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## lvanalstyne8 (Oct 17, 2021)

I feed Acana after a great deal of research I chose this as my dry kibble. It's made in Kentucky and is mostly whole foods and organ meats. I stay away from chicken personally I choose the quail, duck or lamb. Ella never eats bowl at once she grazes. I feed less because it's so full of good stuff and so for so good she is 4 months old now.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> I have given up with Winnie. The food goes down. It stays there for about half hour. It gets taken up again. Sometimes the bowl is clean sometimes not. I have tried every variation of foods and toppers. If she's healthy and within the right weight range, then I'm paying no more attention to it. A year is long enough to try and coax her to eat.


Good for you for deciding not to worry about it! Most poodles limit themselves and stay lean. I've never known a dog to starve itself to death - although said dog may tell you otherwise! Incidentally, if you are going by the amounts stated on a dog food bag, just ignore it! Dog food bags seem to indicate amounts that would be appropriate for a really hard-working dog - such as a sled dog! Our couch potatoes need to eat far less than those amounts!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

My puppy is 10 months old. He is a skinny, oversized minipoo. He’s also happy, active, playful, healthy and a completely normal poodle puppy.

In the early stages puppies bones were growing, but over the next year puppies start to develop their mature, adult muscle. By two years old your puppy may still be an average skinny poodle but he won’t feel so bony with the added muscle.

My boy is also a picky eater. His food goes down twice a day. Sometimes he finishes the bowl and other times he doesn’t. He will eat a little, walk away and come back, check out his sister’s empty plate, lick it and come back. Then he walks away and gets involved with something else. When he does this I know he’s done. His food is usually left down for 10 minutes before I pick it up.

I don’t play the topper game: I don’t want to encourage picky eating habits. When he’s hungry he eats, when he’s not, he doesn’t. I don’t worry because I can see he has been growing, is active and healthy. I feed a good quality food and i know if he didn’t eat enough one meal he will make up for it in the next.

I have also found the recommended feeding sizes on dog food is just a general suggestion And often don’t relate to what my dogs eat.


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## Vee (Mar 2, 2018)

Mixing a tinned sardine into the dry food often helps encourages them to eat.

Ive always fed mine raw dog food it’s great for fussy dogs as the meal size tends to be a lot smaller than other foods. My nine month old feels ribby, It’s normal for that age.


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## Vee (Mar 2, 2018)

Johanna said:


> I cannot free feed or the Lab would weigh over 100 pounds and the poodle would starve!


🤣 I can relate I have a very greedy ESS


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Johanna said:


> Good for you for deciding not to worry about it! Most poodles limit themselves and stay lean. I've never known a dog to starve itself to death - although said dog may tell you otherwise! Incidentally, if you are going by the amounts stated on a dog food bag, just ignore it! Dog food bags seem to indicate amounts that would be appropriate for a really hard-working dog - such as a sled dog! Our couch potatoes need to eat far less than those amounts!


I pay no attention at all to the guide on the bag. To be honest the daily recommendation is enough for her for about 3 or 4 days, as I mix in a little bit of wet food or use a topper too, but even without those it would be far too much. Sometimes if she finishes it all quickly I think she must have been hungry and put down a tiny bit more - only a tiny bit just incase she leaves it - and sure enough she leaves it. So now I have stopped doing that.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

The feeding guidelines also make an assumption that no other food, snacks, or treats are given .

Poodles should be lean and will mostly self regulate. Growth spurts will have an effect on appetite.

One of our members, PeggyTheParti, has found a compromise. She offers a small portion of wet food each morning which is almost always eaten promptly. This way, she knows that Peggy has something in her tummy. Her meals are dry kibble and may be left out until eaten or at least for some hours.

In my case, my "picky" eater turned out to simply not have liked any of the kibbles I'd tried for around his first two years (I felt so bad). Once I found a kibble that he truly liked, it was very different. He eats now much more happily and reliably.

I also add tidbits of whatever protein we had for dinner that night and as leftovers thru the week with a splash of warm, filtered water to au jus it up. This offers a slight variation daily.

My downside is that if he doesn't eat it within a short time, it's trash.

1/4c kibble plus some bits


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## The Popster (Feb 23, 2021)

WinnieThePoodle said:


> I have given up with Winnie. The food goes down. It stays there for about half hour. It gets taken up again. Sometimes the bowl is clean sometimes not. I have tried every variation of foods and toppers. If she's healthy and within the right weight range, then I'm paying no more attention to it. A year is long enough to try and coax her to eat.


Rapidly coming to the same conclusion..... well nearly.


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