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Puppy not eating

15 replies

sleepingpup · 04/03/2020 10:11

Asking here as I'm not very experienced with dogs.

My 5 month puppy ( a Bedlington Terrier ) is just not interested in his food atm. He has been putting weight on fine up until now and is perky and always up for a walk.

Tuesday evenings I take him to Puppy Training which involves alot of treats/ cheese/chicken to encourage him so I'm not surprised when he doesn't want food after that or even the next morning.

If I give him left overs from what we have eaten he will wolf it down. But is constantly turning his nose up at his mixture of kibble and wet canned food and I mean regularly. He is a typical PFB and the food are brands with high nutritional content so I feel like they are of a decent quality.

Are dogs like children in that they won't starve themselves and will eat if they are hungry? And he is just not hungry?

Sometimes he comes and stands around me whilst I am cooking, around meal times as if he is hungry but then turns him nose up when his food gets put down for him.

I don't want to fuss and create a fussy eater but obviously regularly missing meals bothers me.

What do you experienced dog people think?

Thanks

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RedRed9 · 04/03/2020 10:16

If I give him left overs from what we have eaten he will wolf it down.
^ he knows that there’s a better option out there and he’s holding out for it. Mine was the same until I switched him to raw which he absolutely loves.

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ImGoingSlightlyBrad · 04/03/2020 10:24

I think teenage dogs are often picky like this. I've seen it multiple times in mine and others dogs. In almost all cases their normal appetites returned once they were more mature.

I'd just pick up any food not eaten within 15 mins or so and try again at the next mealtime. Unless thre dog was showing other worrying signs, such as weight loss or lethergy, then I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I might also be tempted to add any leftovers to his normal dinners, mixed well in with the dog food, rather than offer them seperately.

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sleepingpup · 04/03/2020 11:03

I might also be tempted to add any leftovers to his normal dinners, mixed well in with the dog food, rather than offer them seperately.

This sounds a good tip. I already remove the food after 15 mins.

So would my 5 month year old be considered a teenager then? ( god already have enough of those! )

Don't know anything about Raw food. Is it a hassle?

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ImGoingSlightlyBrad · 04/03/2020 13:01

Exactly when a dog is a 'teenager' varies by breed and individual but at five months, yup, I think yours if right at the start of the hormonal chaos that is adolescence.

Brace yourself. It could be another year or so until you finally meet your adult dog and he's likely to be a bit of an arse until then! Smile

Raw food can be a hassle, or not.

  • If you mix it yourself by buying bits of raw meat you need to combine them into portions that are relatively balanced, ensure the right levels of bone and offal and perhaps look at adding a supplement for micro nutrients to be safe.


  • If you buy a commercial mix that's already done for you but you do need freezer space and to remembr to take the food out to defrost. Plus, if you order online you are likely to one day get a parcel delayed and so have several kgs of spoiled meat to dispose of when it finally gets to you.


  • If you go on holiday or stay with anyway you need to consider how you will transport and keep the food. e.g. caravanning without a decent sized freezer is tricky etc.


  • Cleanliness is also a concern. Kitchen surfaces, hands etc all need to be cleaned as they would if you were handling raw human meat. Plus bacterial levels in the dog's saliva, etc are likely to be higher than non-raw fed dogs so extra caution may be necessary if your dog likes to lick your hands, children's hands etc. Depends on your tolerance for bacteria and personal health etc.


On the plus side, raw fed dogs tend to have better teeth and poos are smaller, firmer and don't really smell. Plus, the firmer poo properly stimulates the anal gland so your dog is less likely to suffer blocked glands.

Also, lots and lots of people swear by raw foods health and behavioural benefits. That's all anecdotal at the moment but there's plenty of people who feel it's true.

My own dogs have been fed raw and cooked at various points and, to be totally honest, don't seem to care either way so it's not a guarantee that a dog will automatically love raw.
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StillMedusa · 04/03/2020 14:06

Mine's the same..has always been a bit fussy but since she hit adolescence she has refused food more that she has eaten.
She's part far fed.. ie I'd like to have gone fully raw but she is so selective that I was wasting SO much money only for her to refuse her nice Paleo Ridge or whatever .

For now I have accepted she doesn not look like she's starving to death and if she eats... great.. if she doesn't, then eventually she will. She's pretty much a no breakfast thanks, (which I hate as it means I go to work knowing she's not eaten) She won't eat if I'm not there.

I offer v high quality kibble some mornings, others I offer chicken/lamb and sometimes she eats it. If she doesn't she'll usually finally eat when I get home but not big amounts. I try not to give too many treats but I do make my own.. slow cooked liver in the overn cut into cubes , dried chicken piece, the odd pork chop. She won't eat ANY veg no matter how I disguise it!

But for all that she is healthy, bright eyed and so I assume that over a week if she gets some raw ( chicken wing tips on the bone for calcium, liver ot tripe for offal)) a little kibble for nutrients, and sometimes an egg or cheese, she's probably ok.

I also feed cooked meat as it's easier to take travelling and she is fussy either way!

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sleepingpup · 04/03/2020 14:08

@ImGoingSlightlyBrad

Thank you for that info. It's probably worth me having a read up on it though it sounds a bit labour intensive for me at the moment.

Wow a teenager dog? ! Can't wait. Hmm

Any tips for that would be appreciated.

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StillMedusa · 04/03/2020 14:08

And of course if she can snaffle the cat's food she suddenly has an amazing appetite...so I KNOW it's her being fussy and not a health issue!!!!

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sleepingpup · 04/03/2020 14:47

has refused food more than she's eaten

well your post is quite reassuring Medusa! Thanks

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Funf · 04/03/2020 19:19

Firstly I am so glad you asked as so many people don't.
Bedlington's are a fantastic breed.
Have you asked the breeder?
From our 30 odd years of dog ownership, we also have a working type breed.
Feed in a morning whats not eaten after 10 mins remove, feed evening same again after 10 mins take food up.
We give only dog food, burns wet and burns dry mixed.
Small amount of tiny treats for training, Pigs ear portion or dried bulls penis if we are in a restaurant as she will happily sit munching it for an hour or more as other treats can be eaten in seconds.
Never give them human food table scraps etc.
The amounts we got from talking to the breeder, and regular weighing, we do up the food slightly if she has done a massive walk etc

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sleepingpup · 04/03/2020 21:01

Yes we spoke with the breeder about what type of food and amounts which is more or less what we are feeding him.

It's the constant leaving of food lately that has been bothering me.

Thank you for your tips.

Pigs Ear/Bulls Penis that is something I have yet to discover! Sounds like something I should investigate.

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adaline · 04/03/2020 22:45

Stop giving her human food! She won't eat her food if she knows there's something better on offer.

Pick a brand and food you like and stick with it. Feed her at set times and remove the bowl after 20 minutes if she's not finished. No treats or snacks or human food or anything in between, just feed her at meal times.

She won't starve herself. Once she realises she's not getting anything else then she'll eat. We had the same with our puppy and because I was worried he was ill I kept giving him human food which of course he wolfed down Hmm

He now gets one meal a day plus a chew in the morning. He does get tidbits but only after his evening meal. Nothing else during the day (except on walks for recall).

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sleepingpup · 05/03/2020 06:55

Thanks Adaline.

I never replace his food with left overs. If he doesn't eat the food he doesn't eat the food but I might add left overs to his food from the start as variety IYSWIM.

I do take the bowl away. Lately he sometimes doesn't even walk over.

Anyway I have to hold my nerve and know that as he appears well in all other respects he won't starve himself!

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adaline · 05/03/2020 07:41

Yeah it is really hard! I ended up speaking to our breeder about it cause I was so worried - he basically said "he's got you wrapped around his little finger" 😂

It took a few days of perseverance and sad looks but it's been nine months now and he finishes every single meal within minutes so it's well worth just hanging in there and ignoring the sad eyes!

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TeaCakeAndCockerspaniels · 05/03/2020 08:01

I really wouldn't worry as long as he's healthy and putting in weight, my working cocker spaniel, now 2, has never been that fussed about her food, some days won't touch it, others will wolf it down. She only reliably eats when she has been out working on a shoot. But will never turn down some of what we're eatingSmile

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sleepingpup · 05/03/2020 08:48

"he's got you wrapped around his little finger" 😂

That's me I'm sure! Anyway thanks for the reassurance.

Cockerspaniels

And this. Thank you.

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