Teething puppy doesn’t want to eat

[Emily Unger]

Hi doodle lovers!

Lily is growing up so fast. She’s 16 weeks and at 29.8lbs. I’m having a little issue with her eating. I know she’s teething like crazy but she’s off her kibble. She eats the raw instinct freeze dried kibble and she’s loved it up until the past couple of weeks. She is almost scared of it as though it hurts her teeth. She eats some and then we will just leave it and then she’ll come back and eat some from our hands but, then stops showing interest in the food. We’ve tried softening the food with water. We’ve tried adding sardines as she loves those into her kibble. She likes that better better but she will never finish a bowl of kibble with sardines or not. I feel like weight gain has slowed due to being very picky even though she’s not showing any signs of being sick and is very lively and eats treats which we also make sure we aren’t giving too many. Have any of you guys experienced this with a four month old teething puppy and do you have any suggestions as to how to keep her weight gain up. She got a lot growing still to go! Thank you!

[Leslie J]

If she’s acting normally, she’s probably just not as hungry or bored with her food. Since she’s acting lively and eating treats it sounds like she is bored with her kibble.
I must warn you, however, to really think before adding “toppers” like sardines. My husband worried about Cocoa not eating enough and started adding toppers to her kibble... now she expects a topper on her meals twice a day. She won’t eat canned food so I have to save meat for her from every meal so she can have her toppers.
Just like kids who are picky eaters, healthy dogs won’t starve themselves to death!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

I have no advice I just wanted you to know your not alone. We are dealing with the same thing with our 17 week old guy. It's so frustrating. I made a post very similar to yours a couple nights ago because I'm worried he isn't growing like he should be :( hang in there!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

There are lots of discussions on "picky eaters" in the Food Group....I'm sure you'll find some good advice there.  Also, are you aware that Honest Kitchen has a number of freeze dried raw foods that are not kibble and might be easier on her while she's teething?  I've been feeding the Honest Kitchen Embark for years (and I add some home cooked chicken), and it has worked out well for me.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Perhaps her appetite has decreased a bit, perhaps your estimate of her food servings is off.  If she seems healthy, I wouldn't change any foods or entice her to eat more than she wants to eat.  If you are truly concerned about her health, I'd take her to the vet.  If the vet thinks her mouth is really tender or that she is too thin or not gaining correctly, then I'd worry. If the vet thinks she is fine, then you can relax.  I would not fall into the topper thing - it will be never ending.  I would not entice her to eat more than her appetite tells her to eat (as long as she is healthy), encouraging her to eat more than she wants, can set her up to be a fat dog down the line.

[Emily Unger]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I really appreciate it! It’s funny, we tried changing her kibble and tried not giving her any toppers etc. nothing worked until one day I read that microwaving the lightly soaked food for ten seconds or so can help with it smelling more appealing. I tried that and added some cooked chicken. She’s been loving it ever since and eats it all and cleans her bowl!! It’s awesome! Thank you all! Lily appreciates it too!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I'm glad you found a good solution for her.