# Help My Puppy Barely Eats!!



## Cara (Jan 31, 2008)

My puppy turns 5 months old end of Feb and she barely eats. I have to sit with her to get some food in her. I feed her 1/8 cup of Royal Canine. Does anyone have any ideas on what i can do to get her to eat better?????


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## jazak (Feb 12, 2008)

> My puppy turns 5 months old end of Feb and she barely eats. I have to sit with her to get some food in her. I feed her 1/8 cup of Royal Canine. Does anyone have any ideas on what i can do to get her to eat better?????[/B]


My Max was doing that, infact he wouldn't even eat out of his bowls, I would have to take a handful of food out and put it on the ground by my feet to get him to eat. He is much better now, I put his food and water in his crate where his bed is, at first he would only eat when he was locked in there, kinda like "well I guess I have nothing better to do, might as well eat." but now he just goes in there on his own to eat and drink. Also I keep his crate in the living room so he can still feel close to us and not isolated. Made a world of difference when I moved his crate in here. Now I sometimes wonder if he is eating too much!! lol.


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## ggenchur (Jan 12, 2008)

I wish some one would get back to me i have the same trouble with ivory i wish you could see her food i am worried she eat her food the in a couple of days she won't eat it i have bought some great dog food to o i wish some would help me with her also thank you


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## Cara (Jan 31, 2008)

I have tried locking her in her crate for 30 minutes with her food and i feel bad. I also put some food on the floor and sit with her but she doesnt eat much that way. Its very time consuming also. I also try throwing the pieces and she runs after them but that only works so long. I even wettened the food and that worked for a couple days and then we were back to square one. She likes her treats though. My husband said to putt he food out for 15 minutes and take it away and she will eventually get hungry and eat. Thats too cruel as shes just a pup and i am worried something is wrong. She does have a lot of energy though!!


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## kathym (Aug 5, 2006)

I WENT THROUGH I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DIFFERENT FOODS WITH BACI. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT HE WAS LIKING SOMETHING HE CHANGED HIS MIND. I WANTED HIM TO EAT SO I TRIED EVERY THING FROM PUTTING SOME IN MY HAND AND MAKING BELIEVE I WAS GOING TO EAT HIS FOOD, THAT USUALLY WORKED . JUST AS LONG AS YOUR PUP DOESN'T SEEM SICK. IT COULD BE SHE IS JUST PICKY.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

i'm pretty sure your pup needs food down all the time, i wouldn't try taking it away. have you tried any canned/wet food? I had the same problem with my puppy Lucy when i first got her but for some reason, she would eat her dry food if i put green beans in it. She loves green beans!


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## Cara (Jan 31, 2008)

I left food with her all day. I am hoping she eats it. I wish she would spend as much time eatting her food as she does tearing up her puppy pee pee pad, LOL


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

Izzy never really eats a whole meal at once unless she's really hungry or I'm giving her something really good. 

When she was a puppy she always ate a couple of kibbles here or a couple of kibbles there, unless I hand fed her. I never worried about it too much, I figured as long as she always had access to food she'd be ok, and she was. Not every dog is the same but that worked for Izzy.

Leslie


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## gattirenata (Jul 28, 2006)

I went through that with McDreamy last year! He suddenly just stopped eating COMPLETELY!!! I swear... he didn't eat anything for 15 days! Stopped eating his food and all the treats I would give him. the only thing he didn't stop eating was the kong paste!!! 
I took him to the vet they did all sorts of tests. Blood, urine, feces everything you can imagine!!! they all came back normal and no one could tell me why he was not eating!
His vet told me to not change his food! her explanation was that maltese is already picky to eat, and changing his food all the time would not help... would actually just make things worse. 
but still... I tried other foods... wet, dry, homemade... NOTHING! he had some bites of baby food, and never again... he had some bites of chicken... and then would not even go close to it. so I ended up stoping offering him new stuff and stuck with his food. 

After 2 weeks he started eating a little bit... but it would take him 4 days to eat the portion he was supposed to have daily.
Because he was eating so little I kept taking him to the vet all the time, to check his weight and everything else. everything was normal and he was actually gaining weight! HOW???? I have no idea! everyone kept telling me he was eating something... but it was impossible... he was still staying on the playpen while alone... there was nothing he could e eating... 

After not eating normally for more than a month I took him to another vet. the vet examed him and said he was a pretty healthy boy, good size, good weight... and that I shouldn't worry... as long as it was his choice not to eat (meaning, I should always keep food and water for him) 

in the end... summer came and Mac got the appetite of a lion!!!!

and to tell you the truth, the only person who really understood what happened to McDreamy was his Groommer. Of course there's not really a way of proving it, but... apparently he is really right! LACK OF EXERCISE!!!
It gets pretty cold here in connecticut so Mac basically spent the whole winter at home. when summer came we were back at the beach running up and down and spending hours in the backyard with my friends dogs!!!

this winter I learned my lesson... even cold outside we go out and play!!!!

sorry for the long story!!
=)


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## Cara (Jan 31, 2008)

Wow- I think you may be right. I am going to take her outseide everyday for a 30 minute run. I take her out on the weekends but never after work. Ill let you know what happens


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## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

My Bianca was a horrible eater for the first 6 months. She would only pick at her food. She loved he treats though. I found that if I mushed up a tablespoon of Little Ceasers in with her dog food she would eat it. She was drawn to it by the smell. To me it smells like Spam - but hay, whatever works. During the day I would leave out the dry food but at night and in the morning I would mix in the Little Ceasers.


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## Aarianne (Jul 22, 2005)

They're small dogs and don't eat much food. As long as she isn't losing weight (and as a pup--preferably gaining), you're giving her a nutritious food, and she's not filling up on not-so-healthy treats, you can relax. She'll eat when she's hungry and if you stick to one food, you'll both have a less stressful time imo... she will learn that that's all she's getting, so she won't hold off for something a bit better (like tastier, but less healthy treats) that may be coming her way in 5 min. if she doesn't eat her kibble.

Keep in mind that those guidelines on the dog food bags are just guidelines... she shouldn't be eating exactly that much. To maintain a healthy weight, one highly active 5 pound dog may require more food than is recommended on the bag, but another less active one may require much less, but each is getting as much as they need. Also keep in mind that it's healthy for your dog to be slim as an adult--not pudgy. Your puppy will seem less pudgy as she grows, and that's normal.

I wouldn't be so concerned about having scheduled feeding times and taking food away in between them. It teaches dogs to gobble all they can when food is available because they know that they won't have food available for a while again. It doesn't necessarily mean they'll eat more throughout the day than if they were free-fed though... just that they may eat more during a single stop at the food bowl because they know food won't be available for say another 4 hours or so. I like scheduled feedings as it makes pooping more predictable and therefore helps tremendously with housetraining. 

I only feed mine twice a day (as adults) and they eat until they're full, then I put the food dish up on the counter--it takes maybe 5-10min. for each to have their fill (Zora often waits for Tiffy to nearly finish before she dives in). I let them eat as much as they can and I always say the same thing before I put the food up... like "more food?" and if they want to they'll take a few more bites, and if not, they run to the door and sit and I put the food away. We do the same thing every day (week day or weekend), so they gobble away knowing that they won't have food for a while, then they almost always poop for me when we go out after and I know they're safe for the day while I'm at work. Sometimes they'll only eat once a day even though food is offered twice. They maintain healthy weights with slim/muscular builds and have never had any health problems (but are only nearing 2 years old).

So I would relax and not worry about your little one. She sounds normal. It's okay that she's not a little piggy.  I'm sure she'll love getting some extra exercise, but keep in mind she's a wee pup so you don't want to overdo it and exhaust her... start small and work up to longer runs.


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## Tiger's Mom (Jan 9, 2008)

> I wish some one would get back to me i have the same trouble with ivory i wish you could see her food i am worried she eat her food the in a couple of days she won't eat it i have bought some great dog food to o i wish some would help me with her also thank you[/B]


are you feeding him dry food (Kibble) . . my babies were that way when I first got them . .and I think it was because the flavor was blah, even though I know they are one of the best in the market . . so I have been adding wet food to coat the dry . . .just a little so the flavor would entice them to eat ...and viola, I have never had a problem since. I get Evangers organic and natural, Merrick, CA Natural . .just different kinds so they are always happy to not have the same meal over and over again . . . who wants to eat chicken the same way everyday  . . . I also put a small dollop of cottage cheese over their meal and they LOVE it . . . hope this will help.

oh btw, I give my babies EVO (as they are older now) and Merrick dry combined to make it even more gourmet tasting


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## Maxsmom (Aug 5, 2007)

I took this picture today of Ollie. He isn't eating well either. He just wants table food and I don't want to get him into that habit. I think that he looks thin. Do you think so?










Yes, I know that he's blue, it was my photo editor. LOL! CM


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## gattirenata (Jul 28, 2006)

> Wow- I think you may be right. I am going to take her outseide everyday for a 30 minute run. I take her out on the weekends but never after work. Ill let you know what happens [/B]


I hope it works for your baby!!! I don't know you but... everyone could tell me it was normal, that maltese are picky eaters, and even the vets telling me he was normal and all... even with Mac bein active and looking healthy... I was FREAKING OUT!!! 
It was very scary for me to see this little thing not eating.

let me know how it goes!!!


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## yorkieville (May 9, 2005)

With these tiny ones, I feed the most condensed food I can find. I have an old book called "Breeding a Litter" and the author explains that the feeding recommendations on the bags of food is the amount of food the puppy needs to eat to get their nutrition for the day. I don't know if this is true or not, but, it makes sense.

Artemis Small Breed Puppy food recommends a 1/4 cup a day for a 2# puppy, 3/8 cup a day for a 4# puppy, etc. Also, the kibble is very tiny.

My nine year old 4# Kia is a picky eater and loves the Small Breed Adult.

Perhaps anyone with a finicky baby could give the puppy formula a try.

Sheila


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## pixxee84 (Jan 23, 2008)

Beowulf has the opposite problem!! He eats all his food in like ten seconds, and then just stands there looking at me like he wants more! Goodluck on your problem, I am currently working on resisting the "Beowulf Cute Look" so I won't give him too much food......


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