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Originally Posted by Deviruchi  @yorkiemom1, thank you again for the advice. when would you suggest schedule feeding then?
@partipenut, she's going to be 6 months soon in 4 days  but... she's only 2.4lbs... vet told me that she needs to gain weight and wants her to be atleast 4 lbs... this is why i'm so concerned about her nothing eating too :/ |
I free feed puppies until they are at least 8 months old, especially any itty bitty ones like you have.....then I start getting a feeding schedule down to suite us....
She is a tiny little thing, and I would want her to have food available to her whenever the mood hits her.....with one that tiny, maybe wait until 10 months old to start regulating a designated time to eat.....just decide what you are going to feed her and settle on that food, and that is what she will be raised on. Find something she is eating now that she likes, that you are comfortable with the nutritional quality, etc. At her age, it SHOULD still be puppy food, and at her size, you should continue puppy food until AT LEAST 12 months old. If there is a quality puppy food that you like and that she will eat now, as we speak, that is what you start giving her. Like I said, I free feed puppies, ESPECIALLY tinies. She will eat that for a day or two, then she will decide momma needs to adjust her menu.... THAT is when you have to gird your loins, draw up every bit of steelie eyed strength that you can possibly summon, set your jaw, fix your gaze, and tell her this is what is being served and you hope she does not get too hungry until she decides to eat....does she like cottage cheese? For an hour or so, you can supplement her day with a tablespoon of cottage cheese maybe 3-4 times a day, to keep YOU from caving in to her demands....this is going to be a battle of the wills! It is going to be tough, but you can do it! For an hour or so, you can also put a tablespoon of baby food chicken down with or without the cottage cheese....it will make YOU feel better, and she may eat it....but that is all the cheating you do! That goes down next to her bowl/saucer of whatever dog food you have selected to free feed her....
Also, I would COUNT the kibble pieces you have in her bowl, so you can see if she is indeed, sneaking and eating a couple of bites. I dont know if you have tried Healthy Extensions Lil Bites....this dog food is about the size of a BB, maybe just a tiny bit bigger...it is coated with Nutra-Drops, a vitamin enriched formula that MOST dogs find irresistible....That is what I put down for my tinies to eat on during the entire 24 hours....mine have no problems eating it, they love it, it is tiny and fits their mouths just fine....it is available at Chewy.com, I have fed this to my tinies for years and long before t was available from anyone but the company....it cost me as much to ship a bag to Houston from New York as the dog food itself costs...but they adore this stuff....and it is so good for them, and they have many different formulas....just be sure you get the tiny kibble size for your tiny baby.....you may be able to contact the company and they may send you a little bag to sample...I used to give a little bag in my puppy paks for people to try out...
Any way, it is a great food, and most dogs I have ever fed it to, with the exception of ONE, loved the stuff.....and it is great for them!
So, gird your loins and set your jaw and get baby started with the NEW eating program.....!!!!!!
Like Dr Phil says, "Be bold, bloody and resolute!!"