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5 Months Old and Picky Eater

4K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  mcbon 
#1 ·
My little guy has never seemed to be horribly food motivated. We have gone through the ringer with foods already having started with Life's Abundance from the breeder (which he hated and refused to eat most of the time), to EVO and Acana (which both gave him awful diarrhea, and now we are on Natural Balance. He was eating the sweet potato and venison, but then after a week or two decided he wouldn't eat that. He's now eating the sweet potato and fish, whcih I thought was a safe bet since he sometimes eats the salmon Stella&Chewy mix ins. He loved it at first and would actually selectively eat only those pieces of kibble when mixed with the previous formula. But now he's barely eating this one either. I've read to just put the food out for 10 min and then if he doesn't eat to just continue doing that each meal and eventually he will. But we're on day 2 of him really not eating that much of his food. He has been scratching a lot lately too which has me concerned, but with all his GI history and food switch ups, I'm hesitant to make yet another transition. Any suggestions or previous experience that might be helpful for me?
 

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#2 ·
How much is he actually eating? Five months is one of those ages where they are not growing as fast and so need less food. Is he thin, heavy, just right? Losing weight or holding his own? I would cut out all snacks to force him to concentrate on his dog food to satisfy his hunger.

Fall allergies seem to be hitting pretty hard just about everywhere.
 
#3 ·
He's probably eating anywhere from 25%-50% over the last couple of days. The instructions on the bag for puppies do say to feed them double their weight so that's what I've been following. He's definitely small on the size curve, but that's just his build apparently. He seems appropriately filled out though, lean but not too skinny. Definitely hasn't been putting weight on as quickly as he was when he was younger, but like you were mentioning, it sounds like they slow down a little at this point?

This may sound like a silly question, but we're still new to all of this and are doing a lot of training and obedience classes with him, so how do I avoid treats?? He's very well behaved when we're inside and alone but with any type of distraction, I feel like he'd never listen to me without some treats haha.
 
#4 ·
How many cups of food a day are you trying to feed him? How much is he actually eating?

Does he still eat his treats? It might be that he is getting enough food between his treats and the kibble that he does eat.

You can use pieces of his kibble for treats, just remember to count them in his total for the day.

If he starts to get too thin, I would take him to the vet.

How to Determine if Your Dog is a Good Weight | DogHealth.com
 
#5 ·
You could try the following to make his food more enticing.

1) adding water. Makes it more fragrant.
2) sprinkling something enticing? Lily likes goat's milk powder sprinkled on it. She refuses to eat it otherwise. Like your pup she gets sick of her food very quickly. You can try adding Nupro gold into the food too. Makes a nice gravy.
3) introducing wet food into the mix.

I don't like to 'doctor' her food, but as Long as it gets her eating. I've settled for Fromm 4 star nutritional so I can switch between the Flavours easily when she gets bored. Now I sprinkle a pinch of goats milk on her food. The amount barely makes up a whole tablespoon but gets her eating.

It could be like the others said, you're feeding him too much, and he simply doesn't need it, etc!
Good luck


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#8 · (Edited)
You may be creating the problem....if he was eating the food and not having GI issues, then keep him on it. Don't switch. Constantly switching foods is a really good way to create a picky eater.

The best option would be a quick vet visit for bloodwork (CBC and chem panel) and urinalysis, and if all checks out normal...it won't hurt him to skip a few meals. Offer the food, if he doesn't eat it put it away. No free choice meals. Write down how much he is actually eating.

Is he teething?

Also. Switching dog food multiple times is also switching protein sources. If he does have allergies to food, you want to limit the number of protein and carb sources he "sees" - because once his body has "seen" them and developed an allergy, you can't use that source again. We generally save things like salmon, venison, buffalo, deer, etc as our last choices after deciding that chicken, lamb, beef, etc doesn't work. Be very careful about switching foods with a dog that might have food allergies.
 
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#9 ·
So, as long as he's not dangerously underweight and is still drinking water, its more than OK for him to skip a few meals. Constantly switching food creates picky eaters, and you're also exposing your dog to a lot of proteins for him to develop allergies to.

How many cups are you feeding him? How many cups is he actually eating? Is he teething?

If he's teething he might not want to be eating the dry food because his mouth is hurting--you could soften it with water if this is the case.

I would put food down, and if he doesn't eat it, pick it back up 20 minutes later. No putting it back down and trying again. He waits until the next meal to eat. Do this at every meal. Its OK if he goes 3 or 4 days without eating anything--but trust me, he will get hungry and eat!! He will quickly learn that he only gets to eat when the food is down.

Piper desperately wanted to be a grazer--her breeder left food out all day, so she just wanted to eat a couple nibbles here an there all day long. I let her do that for a week or so because I was nervous about her being underweight (she was a tiny puppy), but then just stopped. Within a week or two she was gobbling up all her food at mealtimes. If you search this forum, there are lots of threads about people who have been in similar boats as yours and have done this same method with good success.

If you're feeding Stella and Chewy's you definitely don't want to get that stuff wet and leave it out for hours uneaten. Anything raw can carry a risk of giving your dog an infection. So if he doesn't eat that, I would pick it up 20 minutes later. You should wash out the food bowl with soap and water each day.

The itching is hard to know. With El Nino this year, fall allergies are off the chart across the country, so it also could be environmental allergies. If his coat looks good, ears look good, and poops are normal, I wouldn't switch again.
 
#10 ·
Picky eating is learned behavior.

As already mentioned, there are lots of good threads on the forum about exactly this. A search should bring them up.

Dogs are set up metabolically to eat once every 7-10 days. Not eating for 3-4 won't hurt him a bit. Really really.

Several people have asked, and I'll be another one, how much are you feeding him? More than 2 (8 ounce, level) cups per day is probably more than he needs.

Finally....all puppies itch. It has to do with hair growth, changing, and falling out. As long as the vet has checked to be sure there are no parasites, chances are it's just the usual puppy itch stuff.


The itching is hard to know. With El Nino this year, fall allergies are off the chart across the country, so it also could be environmental allergies. If his coat looks good, ears look good, and poops are normal, I wouldn't switch again.[/QUOTE]
 
#11 ·
Thanks so much for all the advice! Per the food guidelines, I've been feeding him about 2 1/4 cups a day over three meals. The perseverance seems to have paid off though; he is eating most of his food most meals, and I'm feeling less worried when he doesn't eat it all after hearing all the advice. He is definitely teething too so perhaps wetting his food a little might help with that too, but as of the last couple days, he seems to be eating better. I have to sit with him and encourage him to eat, but I think that's more because of him being distracted than anything. The vet also recommended giving him a little bit of Benadryl to help with the allergies that might be more environmental at this season, which definitely seems to cut down on the itching.

Thanks again for the helpful advice!
 
#12 ·
I would ask what is the current activity levels for the dog. Try playing some games and activities that the dog likes (and not what we like to do) about 15-30mins before his feeding time. This could create association for fun/enjoyment to the feeding pattern you are introducing. Keep the feeding pattern fixed, don't give up easily and change food just after 1-2days. Frequent changing could cause confusion and until the dog sees a pattern, they might just react by not doing what is expected (e.g. Eat when feeding time is near). If your dog sits around most of the day, introduce activities. This burns the energy and creates the natural desire to eat. Take care if your dog is teething as they might bite and chew things and accidentally swallowing some small bits that could hurt when they feed. I would not suggest to focus on what the dog likes to eat, but what is needed at this stage of the dog's growth and provide what is required. Personally, I think 3 meals a day is too much - it has to be balanced with the dog's activity levels, growth stage and nutritional needs.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the response! He is currently VERY active. We go for a short run every morning before breakfast and then still go to the dog park 1-2x/day or our local puppy playtime once a week. He also does a training class once a week too. He plays a good bit of fetch just inside the house as well throughout the day. I have tried to use some of the feeding puzzles to help excite him about eating in the past which has sometimes helped. Currently our vet is a little concerned about his lack of weight gain do she recommended a significant increase in calories so we are working on a slightly modified meal plan, which has actually given him quite the appetite! :)
 
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