Still struggling to get puppy to eat his food
 

Hi Everyone:

I am just wondering what everyone is feeding their little ones. Wallee is almost 6 months old and trying to get him to eat on some kind of a schedule has been a nightmare. I had him on the Royal Canin small breed puppy when I got him and found he wasn't interested most of the time unless I scrambled the food accross the floor. I have tried many high end holistic canned food added into it.
I switched him recently tot he Royal Canin yorkie puppy which he seemed to eat better the first time. Now we are back to the same thing. I can sometimes get him to eat it if I add the Nova holistic puppy food to it, but basically, he seems to just not want to eat on any kind of a schedule. I do not want him to be a grazer as I work shifts and need to get his feeding/bathroom regular so I can make sure to arrange to have someone come in to walk him if I am at work.

I am so frustrated. Never had a dog who ate like this before. Any suggestions welcome.

Have you had blood work on him to check his liver ? and does he have any retained puppy teeth ? as the teeth can cause this.

:thumbup:

Puppy teeth, never thought of that...its probably the reason why Miss Mia seemed to eat so much better after her retained teeth were removed. I even remarked about it without taking note of the teeth being removed...thanks for the excellent advice to take mental note of for future reference!

If you switch food every time he does not eat its going to make him picky and think that if he doesn't eat he will get a new food. Could he be scared of his dish sense you said he eats if his food is on the floor?

Maybe mix some canned food into the kibble

I had the same issue with my baby. When I brought her home I switched her to Orijen as that seemed like a very good food. Most of the time she wasn't all that interested and I had to make a game of it too. I did Not keep switching her food because I heard that was bad, but one time when she was sick the vet gave me some canned food, she ate it for one day and then refused that over her kibble. Some days she wouldn't eat at all until evening. I recently got a sample of Stella and chewies freeze dried patties. I mixed that with her Orijen and she ate it right down, so I bought more and every time I offer it it to her she eats it all. In fact when I m preparing it she gets all excited and even talks to me about it. I started it on Saturday and she is now eating twice a day with no problems. It is very expensive and the recommended amount for her size is 2 patties per day. So I am giving her 1 patty a day mixed with her kibble. I break it up very fine and mix it good so she can't just pick it out and leave her kibble. It has been wonderful. Finally for the first time in 6 months I have her on a schedule. She poops first thing in the morning on her walk, comes back and has breakfast, eats again about 6 pm goes for another walk and poop in the evening. It's now like clockwork and such a relief. To me it is worth the extra expense. She is almost 9 months old.

Poor Pup! :/
 

My only advice would be is make sure the vet clears your pup from any sickness that could be making him not eat. :) After you do that & tests come back clear I'd try to find a good food that your yorkie enjoys & know when they get hungry they will eat! Don't continue to buy new food because you will just create a very picky eater so find something that she likes even a little bit and just stick with it! IF she's had any shots, or heart worm medicine that could have something to do with her not wanting to eat. Give her sometime! Also make sure you are not giving her too many treats because they do have small tummies and too many treats will fill her up quickly. Good luck!

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. He is eating his kibble now mixed with a tiny bit of holistic canned puppy food. I guess he just isn't hungry in the early morning even though we walk before trying to feed. He is still teething as well as he is only 5 months old so could explain why he doesn't feel like, eating all the time.

You don't say how much your pup weighs, but you could be expecting him to eat too much! Dori weighs 7 lbs. and eats 1/4 cup kibble (TOTW) twice daily.
I measure it to be accurate. She is thriving and never has a problem chowing down!