My puppy won't eat :(

[Misspiper89]

My female Labrador is 1 next month, she had her first season at the end of March. She's always been the typical Labrador, always starving, will eat anything she can get her paws on.
For the last month she's been eating less and less, when she was in season she was off food so she gave up lunch at that point and has been having her allowance split into two meals rather than 3.

She started off by just leaving a little bit but the last two weeks she barely touches breakfast, some days she eats nothing until early dinner at 5. We feed half wet half dry, both high quality, most of the time she will eat the wet at dinner time but not a whole days allowance. She won't touch kibble at all, ive tried 2 different ones now. Mixing it doesn't work either.

It's not her teeth, we've had a look and they all look fine, she will eat her crunchy training treats aswell.

The second I go in the kitchen she will follow me and sit while I am at the counter and I know if i gave her tuna, chicken, fruit or veg she would 100% eat it. We still use chicken for high value treats when doing training but ive tried to stop that in case she's choosing chicken over dog food.

She has her one year check up at the vets Monday but I just want her to eat :(
She's looking a little bit on the skinnier side, hasn't lost weight in the last month but has only gained a small amount(300g)

My dog was the same when he was younger, wouldn't touch breakfast so I stopped giving it to him and he just had dinner. He was very high energy but seemed fine.
He is now 17 years old and still in reasonable health so must have done something right 😁

If she's eating other things could she have gone off her food? Have you tried a different brand? Otherwise sounds like vet appt is well timed

I think it's worth remembering that at one she is beginning to enter her 'adult/teenage phase' so she actually needs less. At 12 months their portion sizes should reduce again (I have a golden and his went down about 30% between 11months and 13 months). Plus, people often overfeed their dogs and think their dogs are thin when they are not...she's probably about a healthy weight. I'd ask the vet, but don't be surprised if s/he says there's nothing to worry about!

I wouldn't stop giving her treats during training though - that'll stop her listening and that's the last thing you want with a teenage Labrador!

Edit - just realised the vet check up is the coming Monday! Not the Monday just gone. Response changed :)

Your lab is telling you she doesn't like the kibble. I would up the wet food, possibly try raw, if that is something you possiby would be interested in. You could add some mashed sweet potato or soak the kibble in gravy, or add warm gravy to her food. You may just need to make the food more enjoyable for her to break the cycle.

Yes dogs can eat the same meals their entire life, but it is nice to give them some variety this is especially true if you have a youngster who suddenly changes as your dog has.

You can add some pate to the food, tinned sardines. You may just need to do it for a short while and then she will be back to normal.

A caveat if you do change the kibble or go to raw, or make any major change you need to do it over a few weeks to introduce the change gently.

Is she show or working stock? Working labs are meant to be thin.

Get the vet to check her for a phantom pregnancy.

Agree with PPs about adding interesting extras to the less favoured meal. Tinned sardines, egg, cooked veg etc.

Thank you guys, I might try adding some bone broth/tinned sardines/sweet potato to try and make her more enthusiastic about it, I know the weathers warmer aswell which may pay a part but it has been going on for a little longer than the nice weather.
Ive tried a three types of kibble, two different brands, I might try another one.
She seems okay with the wet food but just doesn't eat enough of it to be her full daily allowance.
I always find the feeding guides to be so vague I often wonder exactly how much she should have.
Very valid point about me thinking she's thinner than she is, I do worry! the puppy check up can offer reassurance on Monday though so that's good.

She's a working lab, so she's definitely your leaner, long legged type of lab, not your chunky Andrex puppy for sure

Basically ignore feeding guides, feed enough so you can just see her ribs. For some dogs this could be half the amount of a feeding guide, for others twice the amount.

Whilst she is eating less currently, you may want to give her kongs stuffed with pate and maybe some of her kibble, as it is an extra way of getting food into dogs without it being a proper meal.

Irrespective of what type your lab is, the ability to see the ribs just slightly should apply to the heavier boned labrador or the longer legged more working type.

One of my young dogs I have here, not a labrador, will drop weight so quickly, just not eating one of his meals a day he will look so thin the next day, but adding sweet potato into his meals for a couple of days, he is back to where he should be.

The heat, her season and her age are probably all part of her being a bit picky with her food.

Do you feed her in between her meals at all?
How many training treats is she getting each day?

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your input, I’ll add some bits in and see what gets her interested and go from there. If she ends up on just wet and no kibble then I don’t mind

I’m wondering about phantom pregnancy. Given season was 6-8 weeks ago? Especially as she wants to be near you. My old dog used to bring us squeaky toys to look after (which required regular squeaking to make sure they were ok).

About a month to six weeks after my dog has her season she goes right off her food - it’s hormonal so give it a bit of time and she’ll probably start eating again.