Trixie isnt interested In Food Anymore

[Pam & Trixie]

I know this is similar to Lee & Barbs Thread.  But wanted to start my own since it is about Different dogs, ages, etc.

 

Trixie is 6.5 months old 46#. Has for the most part ate well.  She has been eating Chicken Soup for the last 4 months.  It has been working good for her.  She has a very Delicate stomach So I dont really want to switch foods.  We dont give her any dog treats because of her tummy problems.  She gets Pumpkin mixed into 1 meal.  She is still getting 3 meals or rather is now 'offered 3 a day'.

But she isnt interested in her food most of this week.

 

She had been getting 4 1/3 cups total which was in line with the recommended guide on the bag & she had been eating it good.  She had slowed down at the end of her meals & was leaving food 2 weeks ago.  So I cut back her food amount  & ended up at 3 Cups a day early last week.  She isnt even interested in 1.5 cups a day right now.  Not even Breakfast!

 

She acts like she feels good.  She is pooping fine.

 

I have never had a picky eater.

 

I was going to just offer her Breakfast & Dinner.  But I am not sure that will even work- since she doesnt seem to want Breakfast....Then she might pick at her lunch- but not finish the cup.

 

I really didnt want to have food out all day...Would that help though?

 

She likes toys...Maybe use a treatball with her Kibble?

 

[Anne G.]

I am no expert but might it be that her growth is slowing down? She's about at the age when they do. My pup Murphy is the same age and also under eats according to the package. I posted a discussion about it recently and was told that some food manufacturers inflate the amount you should feed them. Has she been spayed yet? I was also told they eat more after being spayed. I hope her appetite picks up!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If Trixie is alert and active, and seems to be in good health, she's eating enough, regardless of what the package says. She is at an age where her growth may be slowing down. Most of our dogs go through periods when they aren't interested in food, and as long as everything else seems fine with them, it's best to just ignore it. A lot of our dogs cut back their food intake when it's hot outside.

At 6.5 months old, Trixie should be switched to 2 meals a day, especially if her appetite seems to have decreased.

I wouldn't try things to tempt her to eat. If she's a healthy, normal dog, she won't starve herself. It's also fine to leave dry food out all day, which is called "free-feeding", i.e. the dog has access to food all the time and can graze  if she chooses. The problem comes in when you have another dog there who will eat the food if Trixie doesn't. So you may not want to start that.

Above all, don't worry.

[Cathy w/Shiloh~Cody]

My vet said you cannot go by petfood packaging as to volume to feed your dog. They want you to use a lot to buy a lot.

My dog will not eat until noon to 1pm. This is a long time from early evening the night before. Vet suggested

on picky or slow eaters to give them a couple tsp of "Nutri-cal"  Its got vitamins and sweet stuff and it helps them from

sugar level getting too low. I had this problem once when I took him to daycare on an empty

stomach and he was so active til midafternoon it made him hypoglycemic. The symptoms started with him were

head twitching every 5-10 seconds. Nutri-cal can cause too much energy if not given in little amount.

I would call your vet and see what they feel is amount your dog should be eating daily. It varies by size and activity level. You could also ask them if they recommend Nutri-cal. Good luck-its frustrating when you care and love them so much and they do not eat what is good for them

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unless you have a dog who has been diagnosed with an illness, or who is undergoing chemotherapy or some other treatment, I would not recommend giving Nutri-cal. With all due respect to your vet, it is not intended to be given to a healthy dog who is just a picky or slow eater. There are way more dogs who are overweight than who are too thin, and it is much healthier for a dog to be a bit too lean than a bit too fat, just as for humans. It's not a good idea to add extra calories to a dog's diet if he's consuming enough from his regular food sources to maintain good health.

From Nutri-cal's website:

Nutri-cal is a very effective calorie supplement that provides extra energy in an easily digested, low volume gel for cats and dogs.  Nutri-cal has been proven very useful  for injured pets and pets dealing with a great deal of stress due to whelping, illness, and surgery.  It also helps increase aging pet's daily caloric intake.

http://pscpets.probioticsmart.com/nutri-cal.html?gclid=CPX0rKWIzaoC...

Ingredients:

corn syrup, soybean oil (source of LA and ALA), malt syrup, cod liver oil (source of EPA and DHA), cane molasses, methylcellulose, water, gelatin by-products, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (vitamin E), sodium benzoate (preservative), manganese sulfate, pyridoxine HCL, vitamin A Palitate & D3 supplement, potassium Iodide (source of iodine and potassium), riboflavin 5'phosphate sodium (source of vitamin B12 and phosphorus), folic acid and Cyancobalamin (Vitamin B12).

Considering that Nutrical is basically sugar and fat, from sources such as corn and soy, both of which are not recommended for dogs, I think it would be healthier and also cheaper to just give your dog a scrambled egg in the morning, which is pure protein, easily digestible, and contains only about 80 calories.

 

 

[Cathy w/Shiloh~Cody]

Karen, you bring up a good point regarding dog weight. I noticed you are a weight mgmt coach so its  sensible for you to be aware of weight issues even in our dogs. I do not offer Nutri-cal daily.-I used it ONLY if he has gone off food (all food) for long time, meaning any food-he would not eat an egg as you suggest. I would not give it if he was not going somewhere high in activity. My dog does not have an off switch at daycare, he runs, plays, swims and it gets his sugar levels to low. This is why vet suggested it-as a back up plan when needed.

I meant to only offer it as an idea to check with their vet, if they are worried their dogs health is being adversely affected. Your suggestion is also a good one.

[Pam & Trixie]

Thanks Anne, Karen & Cathy.

I do think her growth has slowed down alot.  I will switch her to 2 meals...I had planned on doing that..but when she was eating 4+ cups a day...I liked they idea of 3 smaller meals rather then 2 large meals (Just for Bloat preventative)

 

I will try not to worry- At this point Im not ...But if she continues to not eat much food I will worry that she will loose weight.  She has not been spayed yet.

 

I also figure 2 cups a day is not very much food for a 46# dog that is still growing- even if growing slow...  And right now she is only eating 1.5 cups a day.  Well today she hasnt even eaten a cup

 

I would leave her food out...we dont have a 2nd dog...but we do have a Love bird that will go into her dish & eat her food :o

 

[Judi, David & Maddie Irishdoodle]

Pam - my Maddie is 17 months and approx 65 lbs now.  She is not in my mind a picky eater but some days she doesn't eat her whole ration of food. She doesn't eat as much if it is hot and humid or if she doesn't get as much exercise as usual and some days she eats it all up right away.

I now give her 1C of a DK recommended kibble in the morning and sometimes I add 1 tsp of FF yogurt at 7am and some days she doesn't finish it until 10 or 11 am. Her supper kibble is given at 5 or 6pm and sometimes she nibbles on it and finally finishes it at about 8pm. Some days she doesn't eat her full ration but that's just her.

She is full of doodle energy and I just think she eats when she is hungry so I have never really worried about it. Our vet also says she is the perfect weight for her height and build.

Try not to worry - she won't starve.  I think they just have their off days just like we do..