# not eating-I am a bit worried.



## cleo

Pixel has never loved her dried dog food but has always eaten it. She has always been quite a strange eater and eats a little at a time. She's never been one to gobble it all down as quick as possible like some dogs. She's 6 months old now and so we have been increasing the amount of food she has over time as she grows. This has been fine and she has even seemed hungry for more food at times and we have given her a little more when she seemed hungry.

She has b'fast, lunch and dinner and it seemed like she wasn't actually having enough when I read the back of the packet so a few weeks ago we decided to increase what she has a little bit more. We also decided to try and not give her lunch and see how she gets on. However, since then she doesn't seem to be eating much at all and she always has lots of food left over out of the amount she should be eating.

She gets given b'fast at about 7.45 so she has lots of time to eat it by the time hubby leaves at 8.50. Sometimes I only work half a day and leave the house at 12.00 and notice she has not eaten her food at all. I have no choice but to put her in her cage so we doesn't have anything to eat all day until I get home 4.00. Even then when I put her food straight down when I get home she doesn't seem interested and will eat a little bit later after our walk or much later in the evening at about 6.00pm. I try to put all the rest of the food she is meant to have in her bowl for dinner in the hope she will eat it but she doesn't. At the moment she is only having one meal a day in the evening and only eating about half of what she should be eating.

She seems in good health every other way and goes after our food when we are having tea. She also gobbles down her treats on walks so she's not completely off her food. I guess she must not like her food. But as I said she's never been that into it but always eaten it. 

I am a bit worried now and not sure what to do as this has been the case for a couple of weeks and it hasn't got any better. I am worried this will stump her growth at a vital time. Unfortunately, I've just paid lots for a massive bag of food so don't really want to waste all that food but I am thinking maybe I need to change her food. She's on a pets at home food at the moment and is called Wainwrights puppy food, which was recommended by one of the people who work there. Reading the back of the packet it seems like a good food and not full of chemicals.

Any advice?


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## kendal

i would cut her down to one meal and leve it for 15 mins then remove it if she isnt eating. cut out treats during the day and up her exorsize. get her out running before she eats.

i would also (and this one is realy just me) give her one day where you porposly dont offer her a meal. i give my girls a fasting day where they dont get anything apart from a treat(but for your girl no treat)

my Gypsy was one of the worst eaters, but now she will eat most things but can still be picky, because i feed raw she wont touch raw meet unless it is frozen. 

what are you feeding your girl ?


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## DONNA

I would agree with Kendal,Buddy went off his food afew weeks ago so ive cut out his lunch time food and i also give him less for breakfast and he has a really big dinner instead which seems to be working (he's always loved his food so it was a shock to me),i know you should cut back the amount soon think its at 9mths??

Also theres nothing to stop you trying the wainwrights wet food as well to give abit of variety ,but make sure that wet and dry food are'nt given at same mealtime.


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## cleo

thanks for the replies. I will try that then and give her a smaller b'fast and take it up if she doesn't eat it. Then bigger dinner. So far she doesn't seem to be eating her b'fast at all and doesn't have lunch except at the weekends.

She doesn't get treats during the day, apart from during her evening walk which is when she comes back to me. She is fed dinner after her walks when she has been running.

Hubby gave her a tiny bit of wet food in with her biscuits and she has now licked the bowl clean so maybe that is the way forward. I didn't want to give her wet food really as it's not as good for them.

Why shouldn't I put them in together? Is wainwrights a good, healthy and quality dog food to give her?


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## kendal

i have neer hered of wet and dry not being fed together. alsot of dogs get a wet food in with their dry, or a little hot water


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## DONNA

Lots of people on here have said it as the body digests them differently,also my cousins cockapoo wasnt eatting well and the vet has told her to put him on natures diet wet food and a dry food which he has at seperate times.

I suppose if your worried about weight then you could give her more high calorie treats?Also when Buddy was on dry food i fed him his kibble in his kongs this way he had to work for his food which is a good idea so they dont get bored.I would also give him his kibble mixed with peanut butter in his kong he loved this!!


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## janail

We were a little worried about Kiaya as she was eating nowhere near the amount that the packet said. When we took her to the vet for her injection, he said to take no notice of what's on the packet. As long as she is healthy and putting on weight, then there is no need to worry. Now I put it down, leave it for 15mins. and then pick it back up, whether she's eaten much of it or not. I add more if she empties it. Some days she eats a lot and other days very little.

Mind you, it's a different story if she can get past the stairgate and get at the cats food. She loves it, and before you can reach her she's gobbling it down, tail wagging furiously.


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## colpa110

I thought it was raw(not wet food) and kibble they digest at different rates
but could be wrong.


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## DONNA

colpa110 said:


> I thought it was raw(not wet food) and kibble they digest at different rates
> but could be wrong.


Maybe your right??


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## Tressa

Teddy has Wainwrights wet food trays, and I always put some kibble in with it. He usually scoffs the wet and leaves the kibble as he has never enjoyed kibble even as a puppy (unless he is really starving). Yes, Cleo - Wainwrights is a very good quality wet food with a high meat content and no rubbishy fillers. Well worth a try. It is also relatively inexpensive - Teddy has half a tray a day.


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## cleo

Thanks guys, I'll nip down pets at home and buy some wet food. I don't want to give her much so will just have a little bit in. 

I'll try the lifting up bit. Hubby said she hadn't eaten her b'fast this morning so he put it in her cage with her and then when he came home at lunchtime she had eaten it. Maybe she just doesn't fancy eating so early in the morning.


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## kendal

yes its raw and dry that shouldnt be fed in the same meal.


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## Nadhak

Treacle is the worst eater but she gains weight and grows somehow! She has her own special diet - sheep poo, Horse poo , grass, unidentifiable poo - anything human she can scrounge and any dead animal !
She is in great condition despite refusing anything dog fopod related.
I have every make of kibble, tried every wet food and all gets refused - all sat in our garage waiting for our next puppy [great excuse to get another poo!]


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## MillieDog

Millie struggled with kibble food, never enjoying it, but eating it out of necessity.

At 5 months I swapped her over to Natural Instinct, raw feeding and she loves it. It was such a pleasure seeing her eat a whole bowl of food.


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## JulesB

Betty got fussy at about 7 or 8 months and it was only when i found Nature Diet that she started eating well. I love the idea of feeding BARF but given she is with me, my parents, a dog walker etc it was easier to use Nature Diet.


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## Dawny

my wispa was a bit fussy as a puppy but i only put the food down for 15 mins and then pickd it up, now i put a couple of folk fulls of any wet food and her dry food togrther and she eats it in seconds. dont worry they all try it on at some point! lol


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## Bonjambon

My Puppy who is 17 weeks, was also a very fussy eater, would take it or leave it. Wouldn't eat lunch, had half her breakfast etc. I tried lots of different things and the vet told me to keep an eye on her weight as she is very slender. Whilst trying to encourage her to eat, I had a brainwave. We had a ball that you put treats in to encourage dogs to work for food. I put her food in this ball and she now eats every single morsel or dried food that is in the ball. It takes a bit longer and she rolls it around the kitchen, but she is working for her food and loving it. I have two older dogs and I have to take them out of the room whilst the puppy is eating. But it is great to finally see her enjoying eating and finishing her meals.....give this ago, I bet you will be surprised! My puppy just seems more motivated by toys, so I guess this is why it works!! Good luck


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## kendal

Bonjambon said:


> My Puppy who is 17 weeks, was also a very fussy eater, would take it or leave it. Wouldn't eat lunch, had half her breakfast etc. I tried lots of different things and the vet told me to keep an eye on her weight as she is very slender. Whilst trying to encourage her to eat, I had a brainwave. We had a ball that you put treats in to encourage dogs to work for food. I put her food in this ball and she now eats every single morsel or dried food that is in the ball. It takes a bit longer and she rolls it around the kitchen, but she is working for her food and loving it. I have two older dogs and I have to take them out of the room whilst the puppy is eating. But it is great to finally see her enjoying eating and finishing her meals.....give this ago, I bet you will be surprised! My puppy just seems more motivated by toys, so I guess this is why it works!! Good luck


i often recomend that for dogs who gulp down their meals so fast they end up throwing it back up. 
its a very good trick, never hered it being used on a fussy eater but will keep that in mind.


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## cleo

Thanks guys, useful tips as usual. I am going to put some wet food in her biscuits I think but only a tiny bit. We have been putting a little bit of gravy and our food in with her food recently and she gobbles it up. 

She is eating a little better now but still not as much as she should be. To be honest I haven't been weighing her and she hasn't been to the vet since her injections so I am only judging of she has put on weight by sight.

I think I am just going to mix the two foods. If they aren't mixed she won't eat her dry food and that's the whole point of giving her some wet food. My mum did it with our two dogs when I was growing up and they were fine.


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## teaberrie

Mars is a picky eater, only likes a new dry food for a couple weeks then stops eating as much. Lately I've been adding rice to his kibble and he's scarfing it down.


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## Janev1000

I introduced the NI to Biscuit at 8 weeks and he wolfed it down every meal and kept going back and licking the bowl clean. Then, exactly two weeks later, it was either after his injections, or after the first puppy party where he was given LOADS of treats, that he flatly refused to eat it. I now find that adding in a teaspoon of tinned sardine (in spring water) does the trick and he once again wolfs it down and licks the bowl clean. I drip the fishy water over it to give it the smell. I rang NI and they said oily fish was great 3 times a week, so I am basing it on that amount and giving a tiny bit with each bowl of NI instead. He still loves chicken wings so I give one once a day. It is a real pain though when they suddenly refuse something overnight and you have just stocked up! I think he would enjoy a home-made raw diet more than the NI so I may have to look at that instead as I refuse to move away from raw.


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## mrsmac

Maisie became fussy after a couple of months of JWB, we tried every flavour of \wainwrights, swapping eac day but she went off them all!! she has now been on barking heads and managed to finish off a 2kg bag, finishing her bowl most time. i've just bought another 6kg bag of barking heads so fingers crossed she's not going to go off that after another couple of weeks  i also bought a packet of the natures diet trays as she loves this, is all else fails i can mix abit in her with food - otherwise she loves it in her kong!!


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## maxjedotto

Dillon just wont eat dog food unless with other dogs, we go to the beach then a café for coffee, he will eat a small amount of whatever is going and that is it. He seems lively but it is a worry when they don't eat, he has no interest in food, he is 1 year old


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## 2ndhandgal

What is he eating instead of dog food then currently?

I would chose a good quality food - wet is often more palatable and offer just that - no extras and only down at meal times for a short time. He may miss a meal or two especially if he is used to you offering extras and different things but should start to eat relatively quickly once he realises he is getting nothing extra if he does not eat what he is offered.


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## maxjedotto

he is been given lily kitchen, nutriment, natures menu, james well beloved you name it I have had it, he just never seems hungry.


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