Decreased appetite after neuter?

[Lorraine & Amos]

Hi everyone!  My Amos was neutered exactly one month ago.  Before neutering, his appetite was awesome in that he inhaled his food within a few minutes and his bowl was always empty. His stools were formed.  After neutering, I'm noticing that he is eating slower and he leaves some kibble behind. He only eats twice a day.  His stools have also fluctuated from solid to soft to very mushy.  He is on Orijen Large Puppy and the only new thing I have introduced is peanut butter in his Kong.  I'm wondering if the peanut butter is what's causing the stool changes. Also wondering if anyone else's doodle has had decreased appetite post-neuter and will it ever return.  As always, thanks so much for any feedback!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Peanut butter is extremely high in fat and high fat foods often cause loose stools in dogs. It's also extremely calorie dense, so that might also explain his having less of an appetite, depending on how much he's getting. 

If he was on antibiotics after the neuter, that could also account for the loose stools, as antibiotics deplete the good bacteria in the gut that is necessary for proper stool formation. If that's the case, a good probiotic will help. I recommend Proviable DC.

Lastly, he's probably at the age where his growth is slowing down, which may be the reason for his appetite decreasing. The neuter may just have coincided with that. Their appetites do decrease as they get closer to their full adult size. 

[Lorraine & Amos]

Wow!  Thanks so much Karen!  I think you answered my issue on so many levels.  He was on antibiotics for 10 days post-neuter, but his stools were decent right after completion.  I only started giving him peanut butter the last 2 weeks, almost on a daily basis (frozen in a hollow bone). And I feel like his stools have been funky since.  It did not occur to me about the fat content. How dumb!

And yes, he is supposed to max out at 30 lbs and last month was 28 lbs, so he could very well be hitting his growth ceiling. He's turning 8 months old next week.

Thanks for your help!!!!! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm always happy when there's a reasonable answer to the things that worry us with these guys, lol. :)