# Puppy not eating well



## med105 (Jan 20, 2010)

I am not sure he is eating enough. I have tried him on Science Diet and have now changed him over to Wellness dry. I have also tried him on the canned Wellness and he wouldnt touch it! I put food in his bowl every morning and it doesnt look like he as even touched it all day long. He licks and nibbles all the time. I give him turkey breast and ham and try with other things and he acts as if he is starving to death! 

I have even bought him the Wellness snacks for his bathroom treats. He will not eat those eaither! Any suggestions? 

The breeder said she had them on puppy chow....he didnt seem to eat it much either.....plus I wanted him on something healthier. Thanks in advance!

Oh and when I took him for is 12 wk shot he weighed 5.5 pounds, and the vet said he was healthy?!?!?


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

First of all - NO DELI MEATS!! They are loaded in fat and can cause pancreatitis. Please don't feed him that.

Second, try sticking to one food, you can 'sweeten' it with some fresh veggies (I also use steamed carrots - but plain, not with any butter or any other seasoning). But stay away from processed foods. Just as we should try to be more careful with what we put in our bodies, we MUST do the same for our babies. They depend on us. There are a lot of threads on this forum about foods. Do a search and you should get a lot of information.

For treats, you can try green beans or Cheerios. I also use Carnivore Crunch beef and chicken. There are tons of treats out there (as you probably already know). Just read the ingredients carefully.

If your pup is 5.5 pounds at 12 weeks, he's going to be a good sized adult. By healthy, I'm assuming your vet means he's a good weight for his size (and has no ailments that would keep him from eating), just a big dog and possibly mixed with Bichon, which is a common practice of some less than reputable breeders. But, just enjoy him and remember - there's that much more of him to love! :wub: :wub: 

Looking back on this reply, I would make SURE when the vet says he's healthy, that he means there is no medical reason that he's not eating. Not that he's just commenting on the pup's weight.


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## drclee (Jul 16, 2008)

Jill went through a phase where she barely ate. I had to coax her by hand feeding her one kibble at a time! But she got over it and now eats like a champ. I would just make sure food is available for him and eventually transition to a 2x a day feeding schedule.


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## jeannief (Aug 6, 2009)

When I first got Mason, I divided his day's worth of food into three portions and offered him food morning, noon, and night and didn't leave food down for him to nibble on. He was a little picky at first, but not for very long. Then when he was a little older, I started morning and night with just a treat at lunch time. Hope this helps. We worry when they won't eat, don't we?


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## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

I had 2 very small VERY FUSSY Eaters until I found Artemis "Fresh Mix" Holistic food ( I buy the small puppy variety) I don't worry anymore that they aren't eatting enough. Its very healthy and priced right.

They like it way more than Wellness .


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Have you tried putting some organic chicken broth on his food to entice him? 5.5 lbs at 12 weeks....sounds chubby.....but I guess he's just going to be a big boy....more to love. Have you tried hand feeding him?


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

Glad to see you got him on a healthy food. I'm not for constantly switching foods around, but with a new dog it might take a few to find something he likes and also does well on. What formula of Wellness is it? Is it a fish formula or anything where the smell is turning him off? Did you try warming up the canned? And when you said you are leaving it out, you are leaving dry out not canned right? I do wish you luck!


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Mine went through that phase too. Mine still do, they'll eat a lot one day and nosh a bit the next day.


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## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

When we got Bitsy at 13 weeks the foster mom gave us a can of blue ribbon and a bag of kibble which Bianca refused to eat. She would nibble on it and lick it but wasn't really getting much of it eaten. I realized that the kibble was too big and too hard for her little mouth and immediately switched her to what I feed Bianca which is Natural Balance Duck and Potatoe-Small Bites which is made for both puppies and adults. The size was just right for her little mouth. I would give her the natural balance and put in cut boiled chicken (about a teaspoon full cut real tiny) with a teaspoon of warm water. The poor thing went at it like a starved animal. She's been eating this all along now and went from 2.5 lbs at 13 weeks to about 5.8 now at 5 months. We get our Natural Balance dog food at our local Petco.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Napoleon was tiny when we first got him, just about 1 1/2 lbs. I was always making sure that he ate enough and weighed him daily to make sure he was not losing weight. We used to free feed our Malts, leaving food down all day. With Napoleon, I wanted to make sure he ate enough so I fed each one individually. This way I know how much I was feeding and how much they were eating. You'll be able to monitor food intake better that way. When he was teething, I'd mix a bit of Gerber baby food with his dry kibbles (add a bit of warm water to soften if necessary). Our girl, Raine, is 5 lbs now and she eats just under 1/4 cup of dry food twice a day. I find that they eat when they're hungry so make sure you watch how much treats you're giving him each day as that'd fill him up. And, as others say stick with one food at a time.


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## med105 (Jan 20, 2010)

I have tried a little bit of everything. I keep the wellness dry out for him. I tried mixing dry with canned, I tried heating the canned, I have added water to the dry and heated it and I have tried to hand feed him. It doesnt seem like he is interested in the food or something. He will eat about anything you hand feed him otherwise (which I am against, but DH gives him) and when he does he acts as if he is starving to death! DH left a bag of BBQ Pork rinds on the end table while he went to the restroom and came back and Jake was tearing them up like he had never seen food. Not sure what to think of him? I really hate to change his food again. BEFORE I read this website I did give him a can of the Ceasars canned food and he scarffed that down like nobodys business! What to do, what to do!?!?!


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

Is he good and hungry when it's time to feed him? May be he prefers canned food to dry food? There are many good brands of canned food that our members here feed their babies. Check out the thread on what food we use. The main thing is to not keep switching, that would promote picky eaters. Raine's very picky and I used to have to hand feed her. She's a little better now but still acts like she's not hungry and don't care for the food but will wolf down her treats. Sometimes I still have to throw some kibbles on the floor to get her started but if she doesn't want to eat, I'd put the food away.


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## med105 (Jan 20, 2010)

QUOTE (cleooscar @ Feb 26 2010, 11:28 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=890625


> Is he good and hungry when it's time to feed him? May be he prefers canned food to dry food? There are many good brands of canned food that our members here feed their babies. Check out the thread on what food we use. The main thing is to not keep switching, that would promote picky eaters. Raine's very picky and I used to have to hand feed her. She's a little better now but still acts like she's not hungry and don't care for the food but will wolf down her treats. Sometimes I still have to throw some kibbles on the floor to get her started but if she doesn't want to eat, I'd put the food away.[/B]



I think I have tried everything!! I can put out a handful of dry out and leave it out for days and he will never touch it. I have tried 2-3 diffrent kinds of canned foods. He wont eat it. Ive tried mixing it with dry. But he will eat table food and act as if he is starving! I am really worried about him not eating! I have tried to continue with the Wellness line.....but just not sure hes getting enough to eat! Oh.... and i free feed him?!?!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

QUOTE (med105 @ Mar 5 2010, 11:29 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=892837


> QUOTE (cleooscar @ Feb 26 2010, 11:28 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=890625





> Is he good and hungry when it's time to feed him? May be he prefers canned food to dry food? There are many good brands of canned food that our members here feed their babies. Check out the thread on what food we use. The main thing is to not keep switching, that would promote picky eaters. Raine's very picky and I used to have to hand feed her. She's a little better now but still acts like she's not hungry and don't care for the food but will wolf down her treats. Sometimes I still have to throw some kibbles on the floor to get her started but if she doesn't want to eat, I'd put the food away.[/B]



I think I have tried everything!! I can put out a handful of dry out and leave it out for days and he will never touch it. I have tried 2-3 diffrent kinds of canned foods. He wont eat it. Ive tried mixing it with dry. But he will eat table food and act as if he is starving! I am really worried about him not eating! I have tried to continue with the Wellness line.....but just not sure hes getting enough to eat! Oh.... and i free feed him?!?!
[/B][/QUOTE]

Oh I think I may have one of those "Treat" pups!! My Abbey begs for treats all the time, but turns her nose up at whatever is being served for dinner! It makes me crazy!!!!!! Been like that since she was 8 weeks old.....alas, she's now 5 years old and a healthy 6 lbs. So I'm pretty sure your boy won't starve. :thumbsup:


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## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

Try this...Go to a dog food boutique and ask them for a few samples of puppy food (small bits) - put each one in a separate dish with the package under the dish so you can tell which is who and offer them all at the same time. Whichever one he eats all first is the one to buy. Dilemma solved!


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