Eating slow, and eating from our hands

[Lucy & Ellie]

Lucy is 11 weeks old day!  She doesn't eat a whole lot.  We go to the vet tomorrow for a booster shot so I'll mention it to her.

We transitioned her to Origen and she likes it and is doing well with it.  Does it help with odor?  Because I don't smell an odor on her at all - awesome!

I notice that when I sit by her and her bowl and feed her from my hand, she eats a lot more.  I wonder why?!  Should I do this so she'll eat more?  

Thanks :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If the puppy is active and healthy, don't worry about trying to get her to eat more. I don't know what you were feeding before the Orijen, but Orijen is nutrient dense and you feed less than with most other foods. Check the amount Lucy is eating against the feeding guidelines on the package. is there a significant difference?

At her age, Lucy should be fed three times a day. Don't free feed, give her 15 minutes and then pick up the bowl, and don't offer her more food until the next scheduled feeding.

I'm not sure what you mean about not smelling an odor on her? Did she smell bad prior to switching to Orijen? 

[Lucy & Ellie]

We feed her three times a day and do just that - 15 minutes and she's done.  We feed her in her pen though and we're usually in the same area and I think she doesn't like being in there while we are all out and about. 

No, she didn't smell too bad before.  She was on Royal Canin.  She just had a slight doggy odor.  It really wasn't horrible but I took a good sniff of her today and didn't notice anything at all.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Can you try feeding her outside of the pen and sitting near her while she eats? My dogs have always had their bowls and their meals in the eating area of the kitchen, and always like to have company when they eat. 

[Lucy & Ellie]

Yes - we can sure give that a try.  I guess we initially did it so she'd feel like good things happen in her pen.  

Thanks for the advice!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I wouldn't hand feed her for no reason.  She is probably eating the amount she needs to eat.  With Orijen you usually feed less than you do with other foods because it is higher in calories.

[Lucy & Ellie]

Thank you so much!  

[Lucy & Ellie]

Lucy had her vet appointment yesterday for her booster shot and the vet said she seemed skinny.  She's 10 lbs at 11 weeks.  (She is a mini labradoodle).

The vet asked what we'd been feeding her and I told her we had made the switch to Orijen from Royal Canin.  She's been on Orijen for almost two weeks now.  The vet said, "Put her back on the Royal Canin - I really like that food."  

I am no expert at all, but that doesn't make sense right?  Wouldn't Orijen be better for a skinny pup, with the higher protein?

The vet also said to give her 2 cooked eggs a day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If there is only one thing that we hope you get from this group, it's that vets do not study nutrition in vet school, and they know nothing about dog food. They are only familiar with the companies that make RX foods, because the salesmen visit them and give them information, incentives, and perks to recommend their products. Royal Canin (owned and made by Mars, Inc) is one of those companies; many vets sell their Rx line. 

Ignore the vet's advice about switching brands. Orijen is a thousand times better than R.C. 

There's nothing wrong with giving her eggs, but two a day? That's a lot of eggs. And I think you are going to have a hard time stopping that, once she gets used to having freshly cooked eggs with her food, she isn't going to want to eat it plain, especially since she's not a big eater anyway. 

Eggs also are pretty low in calories. Maybe he thinks the eggs will get her to eat more of the Orijen, but they sure aren't going to help her gain much weight on their own. 

[Lucy & Ellie]

If there is only one thing that we hope you get from this group, it's that vets do not study nutrition in vet school, and they know nothing about dog food. 

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/eating-...

I've only been here a few weeks and already that is ingrained in me!  I'm definitely sticking with Orijen.  I thought the same thing about her not wanting to eat her dog food anymore once she was used to the egg.  So maybe I'll just do one a day??  

I swear, I can't wait till winter is over, she's fully vaccinated, and we can get out and take walks and play!  The one time she played out in the snow for a good 30 minutes, she came in and gobbled up her food like a champ.  I think she just isn't working up a good appetite on a normal cold snowy day....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would not do more than one a day. The easiest way to do it is to hard-boil a bunch of eggs and then you have them ready at meal times. Just chop it up and mix it in with the food so she can't pick it out. But you can scramble it, too, if you feel like it. 

[Elly Koretic]

I agree with Karen & Jackddoodle…My vet recommends Royal Canin too but my breeder, Lisa from Springview Doodles, recommends Orijen or Acana (grain free)..I have tried both and now just use Acana.  If you could find a holistic vet that would be the best..I do not have one in my area.  As a new golden doodle owner i tried all the same things..hand feeding, eggs, different toppers and I created a picky eater.  I wish I would've followed the advice of my breeder and left her kibble down for 15 minutes and then picked it up until the next meal.  I am doing that now.  A dog will not starve itself…it will eat when it figures it out that it is not going to get anything else.  Darla is 1 years old and weighs 17 lbs.  She was 1 of 11 puppies and was on the small side of the litter.  I think she is a perfect size and the Acana makes small compact eliminations when she goes outside to "make".  She has no odor either…I wonder if it is the food? Good luck!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You might give her some peanut butter in a kong or hollow bone.  That would increase her calories but not 'spoil' her with "fancyfying" her food.