Food.

[Gracious1984]

My goldendoodle is about 9 months now and ever since we switched her off the breeders food we put her on the FROM large breed puppy food. In about the past month she's lost interest in eating at the times she normally would. (Morning and night) It now takes a bit of coaxing with yogurt to get her to eat it and even then she won't eat it all. Do you think she's just sick of her food? Has anyone else had this problem? Would switching food help???

 

Wanted to get everybody on here's opinion before I take her to the vet. Thanks!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

It is hard to say as there are so many things that can cause a loss of appetite.  However, Tara never had much interest in eating and I always considered her a finicky eater until we switched her food from Origen to TOTW. Suddenly she was all about eating!! I think that the Origen kept her digestive tract upset enough to cause her to feel a little queasy all the time.  I was really surprised at what a difference changing her food  has made for her. So if you feel there is a connection between the food switch and her change of appetite it might be worth experimenting with a different food.

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

My 5 month old puppy also went through the same thing a month or so back. I brought in a stool sample to the vet and she was fine. She was on Orijen and just had no interest. We switched her to TOTW (1 cup dry and some TOTW canned mixed in). She devours it!!! She great to see your puppy enjoy their food. I feel your pain! TOTW is an excellent food and not to mention much cheaper than Orijen.

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

At about 9 months Haley lost interest in food.  Around that time the vet said he had pretty much quit growing and to transition him to adult food.  I did it and he started eating normally again and has never quit.  You might want to ask your vet about it.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

I would ask your vet before switching again. Good luck.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Our doodles are all very different and are not really a "breed", so i think it is just a coincidence.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

She may be slowing down her eating because her growth is slowing down and she doesn't need as much food.  She may have preferences about when she wants to eat.  My smaller doodle eats once a day, in the middle of the night when it is dark and quiet. He is not a big eater. I just don't worry about it because he is healthy.  My other dogs eat twice a day when I feed them - like you would expect a dog to do.

[F, Calla & Luca]

You could use adult food now I'd think and switch Fromm varieties. But I agree with others, her growth may be slowing down.

[Vicki and Harli]

Hi - its funny you posted this because I have the same problem with my dog Harli. She is quite the foodie but when I switched to From she has no interest in eating her food and does need a little coaxing. I am going to switch back to Blue I think.

 

[diane silver]

Food is the bane of my existence!  Emma is 3 now and though seemingly very healthy and active, is the WORST eater.  She absolutely refuses kibble (spits it out), and I've tried them all, from TOTW, to Orijen, to Acana, etc., etc., etc.  I finally switched her to Stella & Chewys dehydrated raw, which for awhile she was eating regularly and having nice firm poops(!).  However, 3 weeks ago she had a bout with diarrhea and I took her to the vet; she was on medication for 10 days (finished about 10 days ago), and now her appetite is little or nothing, not eating for two or three days straight!  Also, her poops are still very soft.  I'm really at the end of my rope - I throw out so much food . . . . also, when she doesn't eat for a couple of days, she vomits yellow bile because her stomach is empty.   So, after all that rambling - sorry - a couple of questions:  she does like to chew on cow's ears and I'm wondering if that's impacting her appetite?  Also, could the Stella & Chewy's be suddenly too high in fat for her, or she's getting tired of it?  If so, I don't know where to go next . . . .

 

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I would transition to the Fromm 4-star nutritionals (all life cycle food) - there are 5 or 6 different flavors and you can keep her interested by changing proteins with each new purchase.  We do that with Peri - last month she had chicken, yesterday I got her duck & sweet potato. 

Also, she might start eating slightly less at this point...

[Diane and Alma]

I free feed Alma.  I've tried Orijen, TOTW, Innova, Fromms...  The first part of the bag she will eat like there's no tomorrow then she looses interest.  She is at a healthy weight and my vet is not concerned.  I put down a bowl (1 1/2 cups) for her in the morning and sometimes she gobbles it up and other times it sits there for hours.  I give her another cup in the evening if she has already eaten her "breakfast."  She is our only pet so I can leave her food down.

I would recommend going to dogfoodanalysis.com to research the various foods.  I switched her from TOTW after I emailed the company and got a reply regarding their fish preservative.