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06-14-2009, 02:29 PM | #1 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: metairie, la
Posts: 9
| My Puppy isn't eating consistently. Hello guys! I hope you guys are able to give me some advice as I am a first time dog owner of my 14 week old yorkie! My puppy, Rocket, has been eating just fine up until the last week of may. I had brought my puppy to Louisiana with me, because I was visiting family for a week and he adjusted quite fine that entire week. I then came back to Houston on May 30th and ever since we've gotten back, he hasn't been wanting to eat 3 meals a day anymore. he rather not eat anything for an entire morning until maybe 3 or 4 PM and then he eats dinner at around 9 PM. I asked the vet about this and she told to just go with two meals a day because he may not be needing to eat 3 meals a day anymore. but 9 PM all the way until 3 or 4 PM the next day is a long time to go without eating. most of the time i have to put food on the floor or put it in my hand to get him started on eating. can anyone help me? i don't understand what's gotten into him..... how do i get him to get an appetite back? i am feeding him the wellness puppy mix right now, so it's not like it's a bad brand of puppy food. i even tried mixing in some of the canned wellness food with his dry food and that doesn't help either. the only successful attempt that i've had is sprinkling some of his treats in with his food. however, this causes him to now chew his food properly. he just puts his dry food in his mouth and just swallows. i don't hear him biting into his dry food at all. i am pretty strict with the eating times, because it really does help me monitor his bowel movements and when I need to take him outside to potty. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! THANKS SO MUCH!!! |
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06-15-2009, 08:45 AM | #2 |
No Longer a Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Savage Garden
Posts: 1,147
| I hope someone will be able to help you. I've always been free feeding mine although there are times of the day when I also encourage more eating. Your pup's eating schedule sounds nearly the same as mine currently. However, throughout the day, for mine, I give her "treats" which is just another brand of dry kibbles but in smaller pieces also. She whole heartedly believes those are her treats so she eats them readily as a potty, trick, general good behaviour treat. That's how I make sure she doesn't get her appetite spoiled by the higher calorie dog treats so she gets a better balanced diet of "real dog food" instead. Of course, I also give her some real treats every so often but kept at a minimal. I have mine paper trained (though she does go outside on walks too) so I'm pretty sure you might not want to feed yours the way I do mine. Also, my girl has finally just about grown out of needing to necessarily be "hand fed" all of the time. I had also stopped tossing food around for her so if she wanted it tossed on the floor, she'd have to roll it on there herself, which she does when she's not as hungry. She's nearly 1.5 years old and will eat on her own if at least we open the lid on her food dish and place it down for her. It's the same dry kibbles as she has out for her all of the time on a dish, but she only eats those when she's desperate, bored, or can't get us to serve her after pawing at the dish or plate. |
06-15-2009, 09:18 AM | #3 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: May 2009 Location: Sumter, SC
Posts: 124
| Does he seem to be hungry at any other time of the day? Is he growing ok? How are his bowel movements? If everything is ok with his health, then I wouldn't worry about it. Just give him sometime to adjust, he's still young and his eating habits may change again. It is summer and most dogs eat less now, especially if you've had him playing outside and getting hot. |
06-15-2009, 09:29 AM | #4 | |
♥Tiny Tia my Furbaby♥ Donating Member | Quote:
__________________ Lots of love from Julie , Olly &Tia's mummy. Yorkies leave paw prints on our hearts | |
06-15-2009, 06:16 PM | #5 |
YT 500 Club Member | Meg really eats only two meals during the day, the larger of which is in the morning. I'd try to get your pup to eat a second meal that is spaced out a bit more, but as long as he is not losing weight or not having energy to play, he's probably okay.
__________________ - Nicole, Megatron, and T-Bone Check out our blog! http://nicoleandtim.blogspot.com |
06-16-2009, 10:49 AM | #6 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: metairie, la
Posts: 9
| thank you so much for the feedback guys! i try to get him to eat in the morning, but he just won't eat. it seems as though if i don't get him started on eating lunch, then he won't eat that either. =( before whenever i would say "time to eat" he'd be so excited and couldn't wait to eat. but now when i say it, he ignores it and doesn't care to eat at all. i don't want him to get into the habit of only eating if i mix a treat or wet food in, but it seems like that is the only time he's excited to eat. his bowel movements are fine and he is still full of energy and wanting to play. he seems pretty normal. it just makes me a little worried because he doesn't seem to have much of an appetite. thanks again! if you guys have any other suggestions, i'd appreciate it! |
06-16-2009, 11:08 AM | #7 |
♥I Luv my BaileyBlue♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,855
| So how much is he eating now a day? I wouldn't feed more than two times a day either. I know this sounds weird and it may not work but i've had to get SUPER excited about feeding times with Bailey at times.
__________________ Chandra, Bailey Blue's mama |
06-16-2009, 11:55 AM | #8 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: metairie, la
Posts: 9
| he eats twice a day now. i feed at 3 PM, but he doesn't really eat much. then again at 9 PM. i try to get excited too, but he doesn't seem to care. |
06-16-2009, 12:08 PM | #9 |
♥I Luv my BaileyBlue♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,855
| I feed Bailey once in the morning (6-7am) and then again in the evening 6-6:30pm. Try feeding around those times when you yourself are eating. Maybe if will "trick" your pup into eating too?
__________________ Chandra, Bailey Blue's mama |
06-16-2009, 06:56 PM | #10 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: metairie, la
Posts: 9
| i try to do that too because when i wake up at 6:30 to get ready, he hears me and wants to get out of his kennel. i take him out to pee every morning and then put his bowl of food down for him, and he doesn't want to eat. i leave it there for about 15-20 minutes and then take it away, because i have to leave, so i can't wait for him to eat. thanks again though! |
06-17-2009, 06:20 AM | #11 | |
♥I Luv my BaileyBlue♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,855
| I lived in Metairie for a little while a loooong time ago for about a year with an ex bf. What brand are you feeding? Quote:
__________________ Chandra, Bailey Blue's mama | |
06-17-2009, 06:32 AM | #12 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,693
| I would definitely suggest leaving food available to him at all times. (free feeding) Especially if he's having appetite issues. If he's not eating enough, his blood sugars go low and that causes them to not want to eat. So it puts you into a cycle. He's very young and I wouldn't dream of trying to feed meals at this age. Also, he's teething. His mouth may be sore which could be causing issues as well. Check his teeth to make sure he doesn't have something going on there.
__________________ Steph, Mama to 6 skin babies and beautiful yorkies! |
06-17-2009, 11:07 AM | #13 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: metairie, la
Posts: 9
| i am feeding him wellness, the puppy mix. and occasionally i'll mix in some of the wellness canned food for puppies, as well. he seems to like that more though. how did u like metairie? i like that everything is so close to each other! haha |
06-17-2009, 11:08 AM | #14 |
YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: metairie, la
Posts: 9
| really? free feeding? how come a lot of people recommend a feeding schedule? it helps with the potty training, because it lete me know when he is most likely going to potty. |
06-17-2009, 11:12 AM | #15 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,693
| Yes, feeding on a schedule can help with potty training. But if you're having issues with him not eating, then you need to have food available to him at all times so he can eat when he wants to. Once he's older and eating consistently, then you can gradually switch to feeding meals. I personally don't ever feed meals. Mine always have food available. Their stomachs are too small to hold very much at a time. They play too hard with not enough food and then they can go hypoglycemic. Especially with a puppy.
__________________ Steph, Mama to 6 skin babies and beautiful yorkies! |
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