Help! Sophie is still not eating right.

[deedeebear]

I have been having issues with Sophie not eating right. Is there anything you can give her to stimulate her appetite. One day she will eat great and the next day or two she will only eat a bite or two. I have been giving her a little Nutra-Cal to supplement her but I need a appetite stimulate. Any ideas?

[Magnus]

What are you feeding her? If it's kibbles, try soaking the kibbles in some chicken broth. (no sodium added) Have you tried hand feeding her?

I mix in a little canned food with kibbles for my two. Mostly for Zoey b/c she's stubborn and won't eat otherwise even though she'll vomit yellow bile. :/

[margaritaville]

When we first got Sissy at 4mo. (who was a rescue) she had tapeworms and was incredibly thin. She was a picker and barely ate. A friend suggested I try Missing Link supplement vet. Strength.

She eats well now but every once in a while she doesn't want to eat. This morning she stuck her nose up at her breakfast. I have a couple of ways to entice her.......1. Some really smelly Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top or 2. dried liver snacks from Trader Joes grated on top of her kibble. This usually gets her attention.

She also may really love the Nutra cal and be holding out for it. They are wise little buggers.

[WafflesMom]

To entice Waffles to eat I use Stella and Chewy's freeze dried food. It's expensive, so I just crumble up a little bit on top of his food if he's not wanting to eat and it almost always works (as long as it's not the lamb flavored). I sometimes have to drop a little on the floor to get him interested. When he was younger he would generally eat if I hand feed him, but I didn't want to get him too used to the hand feeding.

[Lovetodream88]

How old is she? Callie is about to be 7 and for as long as I can remember she will kinda pick for two days then the third day she eats normal and then it starts back over to two days of picking at her food then the third day eating a normal amount. No matter what I have tried that is what she does. When Sammy comes over she will eat a bit more but I think that's because her activity level is much higher then normal. Maybe you could try taking her for a walk then feeding her. Or maybe using a easy treat puzzle or treat dispensing toy but put her food in it instead or treats.

[deedeebear]

Thanks everyone for your response. Sophie had a parasite when we got her and it took a long time and a lot of meds to finally get rid of it but now she is healthy except for her eating habits. We feed her Fromme for puppies and Natural Balance kibble with a little canned Natural Balance mixed in. I read some people give their dogs sardines for their skin and coats I wonder if that would get her to eat better. Sophie is 6 months old I want her to be as healthy a puppy that is possible and I get worried when she doesn't eat.

[ShowGirlLola]

Is she a healthy weight? If so I wouldn't worry, this could just be her way of naturally regulating her calories.

If she's too thin, good luck. It took me forever to figure out foods Lola likes and she still doesn't eat sometimes.

[Buster Brown]

Originally Posted by deedeebear

Thanks everyone for your response. Sophie had a parasite when we got her and it took a long time and a lot of meds to finally get rid of it but now she is healthy except for her eating habits. We feed her Fromme for puppies and Natural Balance kibble with a little canned Natural Balance mixed in. I read some people give their dogs sardines for their skin and coats I wonder if that would get her to eat better. Sophie is 6 months old I want her to be as healthy a puppy that is possible and I get worried when she doesn't eat.

Buster had parasites when I first got him and also was on a lot of meds and antibiotics. I started giving him a probiotic to get his digestive system in balance as well as fish oil for his skin and hair.

[deedeebear]

Originally Posted by Buster Brown

Buster had parasites when I first got him and also was on a lot of meds and antibiotics. I started giving him a probiotic to get his digestive system in balance as well as fish oil for his skin and hair.

What type of probiotic and fish oil do you use for Buster?

[Buster Brown]

I use the Dr Mercola Probiotic for him and give him 1/2 capsule with each meal Mercola Probiotics | Complete Probiotics - Mercola.com. I give him the human grade not pet grade. He eats wet food so it's easy to add to his food. I used to give him Jarrow Petdophilus Jarrow Formulas : Pet Dophilus. There are also other good brands. For his fish oil he gets is Iceland Pure Vista CA Fish Oil for Pets & Animals by Iceland Pure I also give him Fying Basset colustrum a few times a week to boost his immunity. The Flying Basset :: 100% Pure Colostrum Powder -8oz $27.95

[Yorkiesrtoocute]

I would take a fecal to the vet to out rule worms. While your at the vet they have some liquid that looks like syrup that increases apetite on picky dogs. I cat remember the name of the med since I haven't used it in a while.

[Zoey Zendaya]

I went thru that with my Zoey too...trying different brands, topping them with everything I could think of. Since she was so young most all the puppy kibble I got was chicken based , turning 10 months I switched to Fromm Duck and sweet potato......after putting the 5 other kinds in separate bowls , laying them down in a row and letting HER choose which she liked. She went down the line ....sniffed each one and started nibbling on the duck flavor.....I truly think the chicken didn't agree with her! Did it several times and always the duck.....I just thought she was picky or wanted variety!

Also the treat dispensing toy is a great idea . I have the twist off plastic one and she loves it. Keeps her interested if you stick a tiny bit of dry treat in .there too.
I have no more problems with eating. I have slacked back off the bully chews too, if she gets anything in her stomach before she eats ,it kills her appetite .
Good luck

[matese]

Originally Posted by Zoey Zandaya

I went thru that with my Zoey too...trying different brands, topping them with everything I could think of. Since she was so young most all the puppy kibble I got was chicken based , turning 10 months I switched to Fromm Duck and sweet potato......after putting the 5 other kinds in separate bowls , laying them down in a row and letting HER choose which she liked. She went down the line ....sniffed each one and started nibbling on the duck flavor.....I truly think the chicken didn't agree with her! Did it several times and always the duck.....I just thought she was picky or wanted variety!

Also the treat dispensing toy is a great idea . I have the twist off plastic one and she loves it. Keeps her interested if you stick a tiny bit of dry treat in .there too.
I have no more problems with eating. I have slacked back off the bully chews too, if she gets anything in her stomach before she eats ,it kills her appetite .
Good luck

lol and here I thought I was a nut job by laying out dishes of diff. types of foods & letting my baby / babies"choosing" which one they preferred. How we LOVE our babies, and what we do for them, to keep them happy and healthy.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by deedeebear

Thanks everyone for your response. Sophie had a parasite when we got her and it took a long time and a lot of meds to finally get rid of it but now she is healthy except for her eating habits. We feed her Fromme for puppies and Natural Balance kibble with a little canned Natural Balance mixed in. I read some people give their dogs sardines for their skin and coats I wonder if that would get her to eat better. Sophie is 6 months old I want her to be as healthy a puppy that is possible and I get worried when she doesn't eat.

Did she have giardia? If so, it can affect young puppies in much more severe way and lasting ways that adult dogs. It affects the small intestine greatly and can affect appetite/tummy upset for many, many months. SO, if your kiddo had giardia, you do want to supplement w/ a probiotic for a good while...I like Probiotic Max from Nature's Farmacy.

To stim appetite, try sprinkling Parmesan Cheese from the green can onto her food -- remember, dogs eat first w/ their nose. Parm is nice and pungent and cheesy, so dogs usually love this smell unless they're really feeling crappy.

How are her poos, are they healthy/normal - nice and firm, not too wet / poofy / voluminous / gel-y?

You could also try switching brands.

[Zoey Zendaya]

Originally Posted by matese

lol and here I thought I was a nut job by laying out dishes of diff. types of foods & letting my baby / babies"choosing" which one they preferred. How we LOVE our babies, and what we do for them, to keep them happy and healthy.