Puppy doesn’t like her food!

[Angelthekingcharles]

I have a ten month old King Charles cavalier. When she came from the breeder she was on royal canin nuggets which she really didn’t like.

I added other food like scrambled eggs for breakfast and chicken in with her nuggets but she had loose stools and needed her anal glands clearing due to the soft food and stools not clearing her glands.

The vet suggested just feeding her the nuggets as this was all she would need nutritionally but she just doesn’t like them and doesn’t eat much at all. She does however seem hungry/greedy for other food if I am eating anything.

I tried switching to a different brand of nuggets (gradually) with a higher meat content but sadly she doesn’t like them either. They just sit uneaten in her bowl.

I have tried soft dog food too, added to her nuggets, but she is not bothered about that either.

Some advice would be lovely as I would really like her to enjoy her food as much as she would enjoy human food.

Have you tried softening the kibble in warm water? We feed Millies Wolfheart and it gives a watery kind of gravy.

As she is a small breed have you tried a smaller kibble or smashing her current kibble with a rolling pin?

A small dog on a high protein kibble probably doesn't need much (our 34kg labrador only gets 1/2 cup twice a day), are you feeding too much and she is just taking what she needs? If she was not having enough you would notice significant weight loss, is the vet worried about her weight?

I would feed twice a day only, put the food down and lift if not eaten in 15 mins and don't feed again until the next meal.

Millies Wolfheart (and probably other brands) have facebook pages where you can ask questions which I found helpful when ours was a pup, they also have a knowledgeable customer helpline you can call for advice.

Best i have found after 2 years trial and error is concept for life. Got a free trial pack a while ago and they’re still being eaten.

I have a yorkie though which only eats if it’s hungry. It will not be interested for 3 days then eat everything the next 3.

I have biscuits down all the time and he picks at those. Often takes them to his bed and eats them one by one. Then i put very small amounts of wet food down twice a day- i vary brand as he seems to go off them after a bit, currently applaws.

I do find he eats better if someine else is eating- so i feed him at the same time as us and the cat.

Thank you brokenwing hers was quite small when it was puppy, it is now junior but it didn’t make any difference, she mostly sniffs it and walks away.

She doesn’t look like she has lost weight, she looks healthy and the vet saw her recently and said she’s fine. She has her first season and seems to have less appetite than usual so it seems like she is eating little. I have been adding grated cheese to make it more appealing.

I think adding water might make it too soft to clear the glands iykwim but I will double check how much she should actually eat and like you suggested clear it away.

Hopefully her appetite will pick up when the season ends.

Thank you reallyanotherone I will look into that brand and will try feeding her at our meal times!