# Leila is a Skinny Minnie!



## pinkpixie1588 (Oct 12, 2009)

So, I'm having a little bit of a hard time with Leila's eating habits (or lack thereof). When she came to me, she weighed 2 pounds (a little over two weeks ago). Here we are, and she has not gained ANY weight. Normally, this wouldn't bother me (she is just little, after all. I don't expect she'll ever be chunky!), but it freaks me out that I can feel her spine/ribcage. Is this normal with maltese..? 

Anyway, I have been trying to get her to eat more. She came to me eating Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, which she is still on, as I haven't wanted to switch her too early. She'll only eat that if it's soaked in water/softened. She was on some sort of Purina soft food, too, but she didn't seem crazy about it so I've been trying some other things. I got her some Wellness Puppy, NB, and Nutro (all soft). She liked the Nutro and the Wellness, and ate a lot of each when they were first opened, but when it came time, later, to have some more, she turned her nose up. She'll also only eat when it's heated. If I hand feed her kibble, piece by piece, she will maybe eat 20 (tiny) pieces. Maybe 2-3 times a day. 

I've also given her plain chicken breast (boiled) and carrot sticks. She doesn't even really like treats (I've tried using plain chicken (best bet so far), NB training tips, and cocotherapy coconut chips. 

I'm completely aware that I am probably creating a picky eater and I HATE that, but frankly, I don't feel comfortable just letting her 'starve' until she's hungry enough to eat when I'm giving her, because at her size, I just don't think she can afford it. She should still be growing..I'm starting to worry. 

Please help!!! How do I fatten her up?!? 

PS. She did great at her vet check-up. All her blood work is normal. Her stool samples are neg. for worms/parasites. The one thing: she had no evidence of giardia (no cysts in that sample), but she tested positive for the immunoresponse for it (some sort of protein or something..?)..apparently this means she could have come in contact with it earlier, or could still have it, but didn't shed any cysts in that sample. But, she has no other symptoms (she has normal/firm stools, no vomiting, etc). 

Any tips greatly appreciated..


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

Well, Bisou (eating is her favorite pastime), loves sweet potatoes, they bake and sell them on the street here during the winter, so I'll buy one for her every now and then and give her a bit of it in her food or just by itself in her bowl. There's nothing added to them (no sugar/butter etc) but she loves them. Actually usually she and I will share one. I would think that would be a good 'treat' and will fatten her up too.


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## janettandamber (Jan 19, 2009)

QUOTE (pinkpixie1588 @ Mar 1 2010, 08:49 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=891626


> So, I'm having a little bit of a hard time with Leila's eating habits (or lack thereof). When she came to me, she weighed 2 pounds (a little over two weeks ago). Here we are, and she has not gained ANY weight. Normally, this wouldn't bother me (she is just little, after all. I don't expect she'll ever be chunky!), but it freaks me out that I can feel her spine/ribcage. Is this normal with maltese..?
> 
> Anyway, I have been trying to get her to eat more. She came to me eating Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, which she is still on, as I haven't wanted to switch her too early. She'll only eat that if it's soaked in water/softened. She was on some sort of Purina soft food, too, but she didn't seem crazy about it so I've been trying some other things. I got her some Wellness Puppy, NB, and Nutro (all soft). She liked the Nutro and the Wellness, and ate a lot of each when they were first opened, but when it came time, later, to have some more, she turned her nose up. She'll also only eat when it's heated. If I hand feed her kibble, piece by piece, she will maybe eat 20 (tiny) pieces. Maybe 2-3 times a day.
> 
> ...


She is tiny, imagine how tiny her tummy is. If she checks out fine at the vet I would not worry. She is just tiny.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

It could be you're expecting her to eat more than she needs at this point. As long as she eats a few times a day
she'll be okay. Puppies often don't really fatten up until a year or more. She probably is too busy being the 
princess.


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## remy (Jul 9, 2009)

remy was exactly like how you describe leila at first. he was so skinny and i could feel his rib cage and bones. he was also a very picky eater and would barely touch his food. i literally went through every brand kibble there was trying to find something that he would like. he would like it at first but then after the 2nd day, he would turn his nose to it. this went on for 2-3 months where i had to feed him by hand or he just wouldn't eat. but miraculously, after the 3rd month, he started to eat and pretty well too! and now he's a little chow hound  

i think you should just give her time to adjust. don't change her food too often (like i did). since she likes her food warmed up, maybe you can add a little bit of sodium free organic chicken broth to her kibbles and heat it up. also you can sprinkle a little bit of stella & chewy's freeze dried lamb or duck to entice her to eat.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

I can still feel Frankies ribs, and he is two. I think that is normal for a normally weighted dog. If she is not having any bouts of of hypoglycemia, I would think she is eating enough for her little body. At two pounds her tummy is probably about the size of a walnut. One or two tablespoons of food is probably a normal amout for her at a sitting.


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## pinkpixie1588 (Oct 12, 2009)

Wow, thanks everyone for your great responses! You've set my mind at ease a lot. Maybe I don't have to worry about forcing food on her so much, and just have her eat when she's hungry...

QUOTE (Cosy @ Mar 1 2010, 10:34 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=891678


> It could be you're expecting her to eat more than she needs at this point. As long as she eats a few times a day
> she'll be okay. Puppies often don't really fatten up until a year or more. She probably is too busy being the
> princess.[/B]


Phew..ok. That makes me feel a little better. Even at 4.5-5 mos though, they shouldn't still be gaining consistently at that age? I thought they grew pretty consistently up through at least 6-8 months. 

QUOTE (Remy @ Mar 1 2010, 10:35 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=891679


> remy was exactly like how you describe leila at first. he was so skinny and i could feel his rib cage and bones. he was also a very picky eater and would barely touch his food. i literally went through every brand kibble there was trying to find something that he would like. he would like it at first but then after the 2nd day, he would turn his nose to it. this went on for 2-3 months where i had to feed him by hand or he just wouldn't eat. but miraculously, after the 3rd month, he started to eat and pretty well too! and now he's a little chow hound
> 
> i think you should just give her time to adjust. don't change her food too often (like i did). since she likes her food warmed up, maybe you can add a little bit of sodium free organic chicken broth to her kibbles and heat it up. also you can sprinkle a little bit of stella & chewy's freeze dried lamb or duck to entice her to eat.[/B]


wow, i'm so glad i'm not the only one! and there's a light at the end of the tunnel (hopefully!). i'll try some of the things you suggested. but, i'm hoping, like remy, one day she'll just wake up and decide food is just fantastic. 

QUOTE (pammy4501 @ Mar 2 2010, 12:18 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=891712


> I can still feel Frankies ribs, and he is two. I think that is normal for a normally weighted dog. If she is not having any bouts of of hypoglycemia, I would think she is eating enough for her little body. At two pounds her tummy is probably about the size of a walnut. One or two tablespoons of food is probably a normal amout for her at a sitting.[/B]


you know, i tried to imagine the size of her stomach and for whatever reason imagined it much bigger..(maybe like a clementine/peach?). If it really is the size of a walnut, then that would explain why she's eating as little as she is. 

I guess part of what was bothering me was the feeding guidelines (both online and on the food bags) that suggest at least 1/2 a cup a day or so at her age. She's nowhere near that. I guess maybe she doesn't fit under the 'one size fits all' umbrella, given her super tiny size.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

While my boys eat like piggies, the girls don't. Abbey was never a "dinner" eater....she'd rather just have treats :smpullhair: and at dinner time instead of eating...she walks to each bowl making sure the others don't have something better!!! (they all eat the exact same thing) :blink: 

Ava goes in spurts, she'll eat like a piggy sometimes, then all of a sudden it seems like she doesn't eat for days. Then I start hand feeding her canned food :yucky: yucky on the fingers.... I've found out that they will eat when they're hungry, that's why I leave dry kibble out and available all day long.


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## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

Emma- Chow hound- Eats, eats, eats, but she is my athletic Maltese- runs miles per day and burns it up ! She is a seven lb lean machine!

Mimi- She WAS my pickiest eater. She circles the dish and wants to see if there is anthing more appealing. Lately I changed to Artemis Fresh mix Puppy holistic food and she loves it. She is only 3.4 lbs at 9 months old but she is solidly built, just tiny. her appetite has definitely improved recently. She was a very picky baby pup.

Twinkle- She is my "grazer", she wants to eat frequent tiny amounts. I feed her Artemis Fresh Mix puppy. She loves Organic /probiotic yogurt and I think it has helped build good shiny coat and put on weight. She is 2.4 lbs but also sturdy feeling now.

Both of my small puppies wanted to be "hand fed" but I ( like you) tried to find the food they liked. they also beg human food........( mostly from hubby- the push over) UGH ! I would just be very observant of what they eat and stop worrying, I believe its very common.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

Have you asked the Vet if she is indeed "skinny"? You may find out that she is just perfect. The calorie requirements for such a tiny gal are not great and what seems like not enough to you may be just what she needs. When Sophie arrived Tammy told me she needed to "lose weight" (according to the Vet); I actually thought she was quite slim. 

So our perceptions are not always accurate. The Vet would be a great place to start.


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## Delilahs Mommy (Nov 22, 2009)

QUOTE (pinkpixie1588 @ Mar 1 2010, 08:49 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=891626


> So, I'm having a little bit of a hard time with Leila's eating habits (or lack thereof). When she came to me, she weighed 2 pounds (a little over two weeks ago). Here we are, and she has not gained ANY weight. Normally, this wouldn't bother me (she is just little, after all. I don't expect she'll ever be chunky!), but it freaks me out that I can feel her spine/ribcage. Is this normal with maltese..?
> 
> Anyway, I have been trying to get her to eat more. She came to me eating Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy, which she is still on, as I haven't wanted to switch her too early. She'll only eat that if it's soaked in water/softened. She was on some sort of Purina soft food, too, but she didn't seem crazy about it so I've been trying some other things. I got her some Wellness Puppy, NB, and Nutro (all soft). She liked the Nutro and the Wellness, and ate a lot of each when they were first opened, but when it came time, later, to have some more, she turned her nose up. She'll also only eat when it's heated. If I hand feed her kibble, piece by piece, she will maybe eat 20 (tiny) pieces. Maybe 2-3 times a day.
> 
> ...



I have Delilah on Nutro Ultra puppy wet. She won't hardly touch the dry. I have to sneak a few pieces in the wet, but she will eat those last. Also, the Nutro Natural choice has a puppy chicken and oatmeal in gravy slices and I gave her yesterday and she seemed to like.

As far as treats go. She hated them all! Until I got these this weekend- Healthy Omega Treats for dogs, made with chicken,codfish and sweet potato. I cut them all into smaller pieces and have been using this in her puppy kindergarten class. She loves these so far! I tried quite a few, but chunked quite a few in the trash after I seen they had artifical colors and BHA in them. This one contains no wheat, soybean,lecithing, BHA,BHT, Ethoxyquin, Artifical flaoers, glutens or grains. And they are kinda chewy like. I got them at Petsmart.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

QUOTE (puppymom @ Mar 2 2010, 12:21 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=891797


> Have you asked the Vet if she is indeed "skinny"? You may find out that she is just perfect. The calorie requirements for such a tiny gal are not great and what seems like not enough to you may be just what she needs. When Sophie arrived Tammy told me she needed to "lose weight" (according to the Vet); I actually thought she was quite slim.
> 
> So our perceptions are not always accurate. The Vet would be a great place to start.[/B]


That is really true. So many people think my Zoe & Jett are too thin but they are actually at their perfect weight. It took me some time to get used to what a dog at an ideal weight really looked and felt like. Most dogs here in the U.S. are actually a little bit overweight.


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## cleex1004 (Aug 2, 2008)

If you are really worried about weight, you can try giving her some nutrical. I did that with Louis for the first 2 weeks I had him cause he was such a picky eater. I just squeeze a little bit on my finger and them let him lick it off. I remember in the beginning though I used to put some on my finger then stick my finger in his mouth. Its really rich so you only need a little bit but it really helps.


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## nekkidfish (Aug 25, 2009)

I found that every treat I tried with Poppy made him have runny pooh. So, I now feed him 2 small meals, and feed him his food as treats when I brush him, clean his face, etc. He pretty much gets his third meal throughout the day when getting his food as treats.

His most special treat when we're training is little bites of no-sodium added green beans. He'll do anything for green beans.  

HUGz! Jules


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