My girl won't eat on her own. Worried... Hi all I.m new to this site and have a question about eating. My little Emmylou will not eat on her own. I have to spend all day hand feeding her to get her to eat. She ends up eating maybe 1/4 cup of kibbles a day. I have tried all kinds of different foods. Have her on Wellness right now. Mix the wet with the dry and hand feed. Seems like I am spending my whole day trying to get her to eat. Can someone please give me some advice. Thanks |
Hi, welcome to YT. How old is Emmylou, how much does she weigh, and how long have you had her. |
Some only need 1/4 cup daily. |
I notice on your other post that she is 4 lbs. Whether or not that is enough depends on her age. A growing puppy that is 4 lbs needs more than a 4 lb dog that is fully grown. That being said, my two are 16 lbs each. They get 3/4 cup per day. They are four times the size of Emmylou, but they only eat 3 times as much! If Emmylou is an adult, pound for pound she is eating more than mine and you shouldn't worry. If she is still a puppy, then it should be discussed further. |
Eating Some pups are very delicate or fussy eaters. Have you tried putting small amounts of powdered Parmesan cheese(just a small sprinkle) or broken up treats or high value food. Mine will not eat until I put something on top to make it smell more tasty, then he eats all the food. I also add a small amount of Beech Nut chicken and gravy sometimes and that works. I have read here that some babes are fussy about the food dish!! Some don't like stainless or deep dishes and will eat from saucers! Other dogs will take the food a kibble at a time and eat it somewhere else. All kinds of reasons for a healthy dog not eating. Could be that the dog has a health issue or is eating enough for his weight? Good luck, it is a tough problem when our babies will not eat, very concerning. |
I also have had problems with Nena and her eating habit. Other than changing the food, have you tried mixing the kibble with something else? There are days that Nena will eat on her own and there are days that she will just smell and walk away. When she does that, I mix her kibble with wet food and she will eat. |
I have 2 that are 5#'s & they eat about 1/3 cup a day...so 1/4 cup for a 4#'er is an ok amount. Does she get any exercise outdoors, like walking? Princess won't eat her 2nd meal of the day until we come back from her walk, she'll have a better appetite. Hope you'll find a solution soon! |
Thank you all for answering. My Emmy is 4months old and weighs 5 pounds. I have tried lots of different foods from Iams to Blue. She is now on Wellness puppy kibbles and wet. I try to feed her at least three times a day but it seems like my whole day is taken up with feeding her. She won't et out of the bowl. I have to make a game out of feeding her and roll the wet with the dry in small balls. I got her from a home breeder who wanted to get rid of the pups at 6 weeks. I took her at 7 weeks because if not she would have been sent to the pet store like the rest of the litter. She is very friendly with people and other dogs. The et said to lay the food down and if she d't eat in 20 minutes take it up. |
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If Emma were my pup, I'd research for the best quality food I could afford & stick to that brand. She seems like she's getting plenty based on her age & weight. There are toy/feeders you can get if she absolutely won't eat out of her bowl. Honestly, it sounds like she's gotten used to you playing with her at mealtime. I'd try what your vet suggested for a day or so. As you read more & more here on YT you will discover that what that "home breeder" did was not only morally wrong but here in Florida, it was illegal too. Sadly, not enough people do the proper things when it comes to these precious pups. I truly fear for the pups who went to the pet store. |
:) Welcome to YT and YORKIES! Some are picky eaters, some like the food but not the bowl, and some, like yours, seem to like having your complete attention! :) Mine had me doing that- sitting on the floor with dry wet food balls like you described. Try bringing your hand closer to the dish she's supposed to be eating off of. Use small food balls to lure her closer to the dish, then just place 1 ball in the dish. If she eats that off the dish, praise her like there's no tomorrow! That's how I got mine to eat off her dish. |
I free feed mine so I don't know how much they eat, but none of my dogs has ever been picky and they never miss a meal. They eat what the need/want when they want to. I keep the food and water available almost all the time, but there are times when I put it up. This has been the routine for all my dogs since the day we got them. We currently have 4 dogs, but have had as many as 5 at one time before. It is cute when they all line up to eat. It seems that one of them starts it, then they line up to get food. Maybe they just learned from each other. I don't necessarily agree with leaving the food down for a short time and then putting it up. Especially being a puppy, your dog could get hypoglycemic and could crash pretty quickly. I think you are doing the right thing by doing whatever you can to get the dog to eat and drink an adequate amount. The 1/4 cup may be enough for your dog. If not, you would notice something in the way the dog acts. As long as the dog is staying healthy, alert, active, growing, and gaining weight, it should be fine. Maybe little by little you can get the dog to eat a little bit on its own. |
Give it time. Jess was so quirky at first..Eat it, wouldn't eat it, wet, dry, you name it, drink out of a bowl, then wouldnt touch it...I think it takes a good while for them to accimilate to the surroundings. Now jess is 5lbs, eats half a cup of kibble plus as many treats as she can get...shes a piggie |
I free feed Kibble, but give servings of home cooked at least twice a week |
Max was the same way for his first year. I hand fed almost every single kibble. He would perform a sit next to his bowl for each kibble. To speed things up, I started the game "Kibble in the Kong." I would put about 6 kibble pieces in the Kong and get him really excited by sort of singing, "Kibble in the Kong! Kibble in the Kong!" Teddy also took his time eating when he was a pup and would leave food in his bowl for after his walks. If dry food is left in the bowl, make sure you change it at least once a day. Premium kibble will spoil faster and be unappetizing to your pup. I agree with the advice above to pick one food and stick to it. If you keep offering your pup alternatives, she will think that is part of a game and she will learn to hold out. Max and Teddy became chow hounds when they grew up. |
My first Yorkie, Prince, was like that. He would not eat independently...and would only eat from his daddy! When my husband was out of town for business, I even had him Skype Prince to get him to eat! I miss my baby boy. |
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