Finnicky Doodle

[Nancy]

Hello Everyone.....I've been a member of Doodle Kisses for quite some time now but have no really posted much.  In 1 more week, my husband and I will be "empty nesters" so I'm sure I will have a lot of free time to enjoy this forum.

My 2 year old Labradoodle, Oliver has become a very finicky and fussy eater.  It seems like since I transitioned him over to Adult food, I have been having problems getting him to eat.  He is a healthy, energetic, 38 pound dog.  Not to mention the best dog that that I have ever owned :)  The problem is that he really is not interested in eating his dog food very much.  He will eat, but certainly not the amount that he should be eating.  I feed him 2 times a day, 1 cup at each serving, at most, he will eat 1/2 of what is in his bowl.  I have tried many different foods, both with grain and without, he would not even touch the grain free.  I have tried Earthborn, Solid Gold, Wellness and currently Merrick.  I have tried mixing in can food, even the smelliest and he only picks at it.  I have also tried mixing in boiled hamburger or chicken and it seems like he eats more, always picking it out the good stuff, but not all of it.  He acts totally normal with no signs of illness and he has been given a clean bill of health from my vet.  I would love to know if anyone else has similar issues??

[Moe]

I feel your pain. I've been struggling with an underweight doodle since I got her 2 years ago. I worry about it all the time. I began feeding Orijen because it is nutritionally dense so the serving size is smaller than some foods. I worry all the time and did start adding meat or other toppers to the kibble but then she stopped even eating those. I knew it was not a good idea before I did it but I would get worried when she hadn't eaten for a day or so.

She hovers around a 1-2 on the chart below:

The vet says she is about 5lbs underweight. He said he'd rather see them 5lbs under than over. I have switched between the Orijen flavors but it didn't seem to make a difference. Last week I tried switching brands. I got a bag of Earthborn Grain free. She woofed it down the first day so I was very excited. The next day she turned her nose up at it. Occasionally she throws up yellow bile in the morning. I am in the process of trying to restart on the right path. I have not mixed anything with her kibble in a week. I also stopped giving her treats. The serving size is 2 cups per day. At this point she is eating about 3/4 cup per day. She had definitely lost a bit of weight and her backbone and hips are quite prominent at the moment. I was going to give it another week and then bring her to the vet for a check. She is otherwise active and healthy.

If anyone has any suggestions or advice I'm all ears. Do you think Fromm would be a better choice? It is hard to have a dog that doesn't eat.

[Moe]

I have one other question about taking the food away. I have never done that because she never eats when you first put the food down. I put her breakfast down at 9am this morning and she just ate about 1/4 of it now 6:30pm.  She literally ate nothing all day. Most days she eats absolutely nothing until around 3pm. If the dog doesn't eat at all should you still pick the food up? How many meals / days can you do this for? This is very stressful.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's stressful for you, but not for her. She has you well trained. :)

The whole point of picking up the bowl after 15-20 minutes is to re-train the dog. Right now, she has been taught that there is no urgency to eat, because food is always available any time you feel like having some. 

She is not hungry at mealtimes because she grazes throughout the day, so her stomach is really never empty. If you start making food available only at certain times, she will quickly learn that if she wants to eat, she must do so when the food is available or wait until the next mealtime. You won't have to do it for long. 

I would give her a small snack, a biscuit-type treat in the evening before bed, to help with the a.m. bile issue. Otherwise, feed her twice a day, pick up the bowl after 15-20 minutes, and it shouldn't take more than a day or two for her to get it. She will eat her food by the second or third meal, because she will actually be hungry.

Fromm would not be a better choice. Again, she will like it for a day or so and then go back to being picky. 

For her sake, you have to be tough for a couple of days. 

[Moe]

This is one of those things that I can understand on an intellectual level but it is so hard to put into practice. I'll try it tomorrow. One question - If she does not eat any of the AM meal should I offer her one serving or the total food for the day in the PM. She gets 2 cup per day. So one cup or two in the PM if she skips the AM meal?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just one cup at the evening meal.

Think of it this way: You said above that you put down her bowl at 9 a.m. and she doesn't touch it until at least 3 p.m., and the other day it was 6:30 when she ate. So how is that different then if you had picked up the bowl at 9:20and put it back down at 3 p.m., or 4, or 5, or 6? 

Give her one cup at 9 a.m., pick up the bowl at 9:20 (she will not have eaten). At 5 p.m., (or whatever time dinner is) give her one cup. She will be pretty hungry by then and should eat some of it. Regardless of how much she eats, pick up the bowl after 20 minutes. Offer her a biscuit type treat in the evening close to bedtime.

I really believe that by the second day, she will be eating better, and by the third day, she'll eat at 9 a.m.

[Moe]

I hope you're right. I'll report back in a few days. Thanks for the support.