I think Maci needs more calories?

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Maci is 17 months old now. She has never been crazy about her kibble since she was a puppy. I have resisted toppers and free feeding. Her last weight was 30#'s, she generally will only eat one meal a day (about 1/2 cup). The last few days she isn't even eating all of the one meal.
I set her kibble out in the morning and in the evening, stay near her and keep the noise level down. After 10-15 minutes we always pick it up. She ate Origen grain free until a few months ago when we switched to Acana wild prairie grain free. ( just to save a few dollars). Her interest seems to be the same in both.
She is so thin and boney. I'm wondering how to boost her calorie intake without creating problems in the future. She had her annual check up in late June when she seemed thin but not concerning. Vet thought she was a healthy weight. It's just that she seems to be skipping more and more meals, and is thinner now. Otherwise she is very active and seems healthy, I just worry she is not getting enough nutrition. I'm guessing maybe some days 300 calories.
Any ideas? I have noticed for what it's worth, she doesn't seem to even start eating until Yogi is finished

[Susan and Bentley]

I personally would leave her food out. Bentley is not a big eater and he eats when he wants to. A lot of times he doesn't eat until 8pm. If I took his food away he would never eat. I think doodles are grazers in general from what a lot of people say.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

One problem I could see with this approach is I think Yogi would end up becoming overweight;-)
He leaves her food alone at meal time, but I don't think even Yogi could leave it alone all day.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree. Free-feeding may work for some, but I really believe that it creates more problems, and makes the dog even less interested in food.

[Susan and Bentley]

I agree that it might not work for everyone but like Maci, Bentley is not very interested in food.  If I put food out in the morning he doesn't usually go to eat until the evening.  He's been like that since he was a puppy, and we used to take it up after 15 minutes but then he would NEVER have eaten.  So it works for us.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I don't think free feeding would work even if I wanted to try it. Yogi would eventually eat it before she did :-)

[Susan and Bentley]

ooooo.  I didn't read.  You have 2 dogs!  got it

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm not trying to convince you to stop free-feeding since it works for you and Bentley, but here's the thing: eventually, I can promise you that he would have eaten. By the second or third day, he would have been so hungry, he would have immediately eaten anything that was set before him, lol. I'm pretty sure that there is no case on record of normal, healthy dog who refused to eat until he starved himself to death. :)

[Susan and Bentley]

I understand!  I know he would never starve but that's why I don't worry now. But he is my first dog, so I did worry when he was a puppy.  The only way he ate was if I put his food in a treat ball and he would push the ball around and eat that way.  He still does that sometimes now. Some days he eats, others days not much but at least now I don't worry. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I know most dont, but I have never had an over weight dog, and I have always done the free-feed method.  This might go with Karen's reasoning, it might make them less interested, not over weight. 

[BG and Gavin]

Hi Leslie. Does Maci go for a morning walk before she eats? Gavin used to need to work up an appetite before breakfast. In addition I always started him out with a dehydrated slice of sweet potato to spark his interest. I also did toppers, which I know is not advisable but he would barf bile in the morning if I did not get something into him.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Thanks BG, I'd say she probably walks before food maybe half of the time. I might try the sweet potato idea, but I almost guess if it takes off the edge of hunger she won't eat.
She does vomit bile occasionally too.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You might try rotating a couple of the Acana Regionals formulas, something different might get her a bit more interested. But I honestly wouldn't worry if the vet thinks she's at a healthy weight. Thin is good; they get heavier as they get older. The only way to increase her calories if she isn't interested in kibble would be to add toppers, and then you run the risk of creating a monster who won;t eat kibble at all, lol.