Opinions please...

[Laura & Chewie]

Chewie is now 17 weeks and doing great. I switched him from the Purina Pro Plan the breeder had been feeding to Wellness Puppy approximately 7 weeks ago. There were a 2 or 3 incidents where he vomited undigested food (once every week or two), but was fine in every other way, so I wasn't concerned. He had been a real "piggy" eating every morsel the minute his bowl was placed down three times daily. Last week he started showing much less interest in his morning feeding, a little better at lunch, and still eating great at dinner. Last Thursday overnight he vomited for about 2 hours...I think he ate something outside...saw prickly things from bushes in vomit...sorry TMI) He had no other symptoms, stools were good and felt better by Saturday. His disinterest in his food has continued. He vomited once Sunday and once today, but is definitely not sick...playing/activity level is normal, etc. I called vet yesterday. He said perhaps his food is too rich for him and also I could feed him twice/daily now. I have decided to take him in to be checked tomorrow just to be sure, but I really don't think he's sick.

So...question - if all is well at vet tomorrow, do I change his food? Any suggestions? I did lots of research before decided on Wellness...had narrowed it down to probably 1/2 dozen or so and then didn't know how to decide from there, so just picked one.

Sorry this is so long. Would love to hear any and all suggestions/opinions/experiences. Thanks so much in advance.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I had found 2 things about Murphy and vomiting...one, if he eats too much or too fast he will vomit, and two. if he is too active for an hour or two after eating, he will sometimes vomit. He has done it with Wellness, Solid Gold and even with my homecooking, so I know it's not the food per se. Just the amount or activity. I have been feeding 2 x a day since about 16 weeks also. Hope this helps
PS, you are giving him the puppy Wellness correct?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I really don't think it's the food that is making him vomit. If there were prickly things from the bushes in the vomit, there is no doubt whatsoever that he is eating parts of the bushes and possibly other plant material, and I'm sure that's what is causing the nausea. The disinterest in food would make sense if his stomach is upset. Nobody wants to eat when they feel nauseated.
You need to find some way to stop him from eating any plant materials in the yard, even if that means he can't be outside unsupervised. What kind of bushes are they? If they're the kind that die back after frost, problem solved until spring. If they're evrgreens, or you live on a warm climate, we'll have to figure out something else.
Laura, try to find out what kind of bushes they are. Some of them are poisonous. I don't want to scare you, but i think it would be a good thing to know exactly what he's ingesting. And I think it's good that you're going to the vet to be on the safe side.

[Laura & Chewie]

Karen - I should have been clearer...the 2 hour vomiting episode last Thursday is when I saw the prickly things, not prior to that and not since. He is never outside unattended at this point, so I was quite surprised when seeing the prickly things...couldn't imagine where he found them. We watch him carefully. I think that was completely different from the occasional intermittent vomiting which has nothing in it but undigested food. His appetite varies from some disinterest in the morning, (but does eat about 1/2.) to evening when he eats great. He is always in the mood for treats.

Sue - yes it is Wellness for puppies. We are talking a total of 4-5 times that he vomited (other than last Thursday) in the last 7 weeks. Now that I think about it, two of the times while playing with another dog in the neighborhood. Like you said...too much activity, perhaps.

I forgot to say, the vet said sometimes "Puppy" formulas are too rich and I could switch him to "adult" food. I think before I did that, I would go to an "all life stages" brand. I don't have much confidence in the vet's opinion on nutrition...thought the Purina was a good choice...claims he feeds it to his dogs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

With this new info, I agree with what the others have said. Slowing down the eating, less activity after mealtimes, reducing the number of feedings, maybe an "all lifestages" food.
I don't think it's that unusual for a dog to show disinterest in eating first thing in the morning; Jack is like that, too. And occasionally throwing up for no apparent reason is not that unusual, either, and doesn't necessarily mean they're sick. I think it's great that you're being proactive and seeing the vet just to be sure, and I wholeheartedly support your lack of confidence in the vet's nutritional expertise.
Please let us know how the vet appointment goes.

[Laura & Chewie]

Thanks Karen...I respect your opinion as I know how much knowledge you have on this subject. Thanks to everyone else who responded also. I will post again after our appointment tomorrow, although I am doubting I will know anything different at that point. We will see...LOL.

[Kelly Gallagher]

My vet also had me switch Maddy to 2x a day feedings when she was 4 months old...maybe that will help. How much does he eat? Also..I have placed a big stone in Maddy's bowl when she eats...right smack in the middle of her kibble...she was eating way to fast and it has helped her slow down. It sounds like she might be eating too fast and maybe doesn't need the extra meal. I agree with you about the adult formula...if you were going to switch I too would stay with an all life stages formula...but I don't think it's the Wellness that's the problem. Good luck and let us know how things go at the vet.

[2hpulka53c8pt]

We switched our puppy to twice a day feedings at 16 weeks. You may just be feeding him too much. I would feed in 2 meals a day and feed at the lower end of the reccomended amount. If he is still hungry add more food. I take Kona is once a month to get weighed so I know where his weight stands our vet lets us weigh them for free.

[Laura & Chewie]

Returned from the vet a little while ago. Chewie checks out good. Vet just wants to keep an eye on the occasional vomiting over the next week or so. He said to put him on two meals/daily and definitely don't let him graze or free feed. Put the bowl down & if he doesn't eat in a reasonable time, pick it up. He said he might not need quite as much now, and will learn to eat or lose the chance until the next meal. So, that's what I will do before making any food changes. The vet tech was saying she has two dogs who initially were great eaters and got fussy as time went on.

Thanks for your comments...will keep you updated.