Food Issues with Puppy

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Need help...please let me know how much app. does a 7 lb mini doodle puppy (I was told she would weight 25 lbs app. as a adult) actually need to eat every day and what do you do when she walks away from her food. All she wants to eat is boiled chicken...I got desperate. Any suggestions...she does not seem to like the Chicken Soup Pupply Lovers dry food that I wet down. I added some boiled chicken...some canned Chicken Soup Puppy Lovers brand...and still I can only hand feed her maybe two teaspoons of it.???? Any suggestions..would really help...never had a finicky eater before.

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

How old is your puppy? Any changes like food, is she new to your household, etc...? Anything else you can think of in terms of information that would help us give you some suggestions?

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Hi I am sorry that I replied so late. She is 9 weeks old, little mini goodledoodle. I kept her on the food fed by the breeder...she wouldn't eat it after soaking it in warm water like the breeder said. I then added a little chicken....she ate a little (again the breeder recommended to add a little boiled chicken). She skips her 12:00 feeding and ate about a teaspoon at her 6:30 feeding at night. I did finally get her to eat app two tablespoons of food this morning after mixing a little canned food from Chicken Puppy Lover brand (same as the dry food). How much should she be eating? She is only 7 lbs now. Also, I have to coax her to drink a little water. Some things I have read say to add Karo but her stools are good. This will be her third day with her new family. Thanks...

[Dianne Carter ~ Trinity Doodles]

I have noticed that sometimes when we bring a new dog in we do not see its true appetite until they settle in for a few days. I used to panic, now while I certainly do want them to eat I have learned that they will. With our puppies sometimes I run dry food through the blender and mix it with a little baby cereal, ie rice or oatmeal and add a tad of low sodium chicken broth and sometimes goats milk. This is how our puppies first get introduced to solids here, but on occasion I whip that back out when we have food issues. Especially with one that small as they cannot stand to drop any weight. I have one older dog who is going through a very pecular stage of not eating and I have found a solution in adding a small amount of shredded cheese and mixing it in so that he cannot just eat it off the top without touching the food. As for how much she should be eating I would consult the bag, each brand is different in that often the more premium the food the less that is actually required because they do not need to process the fillers and junk before they get to the good stuff. If I can help further at all please do not hesitate to let me know : )

[sbis0oszc95r]

Our puppy was really finicky the first month. The first week we had him, he wouldn't eat anything except dog biscuits, but we felt that that was because of the new environment and the trauma of losing Mom. He was the only puppy in her litter.

We feed Barney Solid Gold puppy food and we sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheddar cheese on top to make it smell good.

Good luck and stick with puppy food that has really small pieces. She's adorable!

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Thank you for your advice...I finally got her to eat some dry food soaked in the broth from a chicken breast that I boiled and mixed in some of the chicken and same brand canned dog food. A lot of work but at least she is eating now. She doesn't eat but two tablespoons but at least she is eating. She is one energetic little girl...stays up almost all day and is out after 6:30 and only up for a little play time around 8:30 pm. I am 58 and exhausted but she is doing her business outside with not one mistake in the house. Very proud of her...she is extremely smart. Thanks again for the advice. I am not used to a little dog...we have only had a larger breed. Have a great evening!!!

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

Do you have a Three Dog Bakery in your area? They have a product called Entree for Dogs. It is all natural and made from ground chicken, rice, green beans and carrots. It does not have gravy or gluten added -- just vitamins and minerals. It comes in a foil-type bag that you can give your baby a tsp or so of the food, then roll down the top and put in the fridge. Though my doodle is not finicky at all, my grown collie is the pickiest eater I have ever seen. Adding a little bit of the entree to his kibble, then adding a little warm water has him cleaning his bowl. It's about $2.79/pouch. Maybe this helps. :-)