9 Week Old Not Eating

[hollythegoldenretriever]

That's great to hear.

Also 3/4 of a cup might be a little too much. I would try 1/2 cup 3 times a day and see how she goes.

Ok Thanks!

Will feed her 1/2 a cup 3 times a day from tomorrow.

I did think 3/4 cup was too much but it was listed like that in the handbook, so I followed it.

[First Time Puppy Owner]

Ok Lunch and Dinner all gulped up apart from a few kibble pieces.

I have fed her dry all day today and she seems to love it! You can hear her crunching them and really getting into it!

We knocked down an old BBQ we had in the backyard today, and caught her trying to eat the little pieces of concrete that were left on the floor! She was crunching like crazy, lucky I caught her and took it out her mouth...with a little fight! They will try eating anything I tell ya!

Yep, they will! Benson has now found in the yard (evidentely from the old dog that use to live here) a half eaten party popper, a piece of coral, a hose end, 2 beer bottle tops and some really old bones. Don't get me wrong I thought I had puppy proofed this yard cause I found five old toys and three old bones before he even arrived.

Edited May 16, 2007 by First Time Puppy Owner

[GoldenWei]

great to hear she's eating more.... must not like soggy food :-)

[Gomez the Norfolk]

Woohoo! great news! Gomez also like the crunching bits, when he can be bothered to chew!

The eating of concrete and other non-edible objects has a name, it's called pica, you can do a search- in a nutshell, the puppy is trying to get nutrients he is not getting from his food - (it could be that, it could not be that) if it is, however, it should pass after a few weeks on the Nutro, which is better than the other stuff.

What a cutie, she just wants company for her mealtimes!

[hollythegoldenretriever]

Woohoo! great news! Gomez also like the crunching bits, when he can be bothered to chew!

The eating of concrete and other non-edible objects has a name, it's called pica, you can do a search- in a nutshell, the puppy is trying to get nutrients he is not getting from his food - (it could be that, it could not be that) if it is, however, it should pass after a few weeks on the Nutro, which is better than the other stuff.

What a cutie, she just wants company for her mealtimes!

Yeah I think that must be it, she just likes me to be there while she eats.

I will test her out tomorrow morning, slowly walking away and see what happens, but main thing is that she eats all her meal.

I went out and picked up some beef mince and chicken necks, so tomorrow lunch will add the mince for her and Friday she can have a chicken neck in there!

[stormie]

I really agree that you should be taking away her food after 15 mins of giving it to her. The way your pup feeds will really influence the way she will perceive her position/ranking within your family.

Offering something different such as fresh chicken and other meats can actually train the dogs to become really fussy, and they also start to see themselves as 'top dog' because they see things as 'if i dont eat this, my pack will bring me something better'. It's really important that the pup learns that this is her new pack, and she is at the bottom, and that means eating what she's given (unless of course it makes her ill!!) or otherwise she will go without. Also, not eating unless you are there, is not normal pack behaviour and could be the start of separation anxiety issues as well as controlling issues. Golden retrievers dont always cope with difficult situations very well (once you see the 'drop to the floor and tremble' response you'll know what I mean!!) so I think while she is young she needs to learn to be as confident as possible.

While she is still drinking and behaving normally, do not worry about her not eating as much. Stick to the same food, try not to offer better alternatives, and if possible, remove her food and what is left after she has had her fill. Also when you feed her, try to make her wait before she is allowed to go to the bowl and eat - it really reinforces they are the bottom of the pack!!!

[hollythegoldenretriever]

Thanks for the advice Stormie!

I have been moving her bowl away after 15 minutes of her eating and whatever is left over I chuck.

At dinner tonight she only a few kibble pieces and when I went over to collect the bowl, she went racing to it and finished it off.

I've noticed it is only the mornings that she wants me there when she eats, I have no idea why.

Still got the problem with her not going to her kennel, I put her in there just before and started playing with her when she was in there, hoping to get her comfy and relaxed but she was forcing her way through and as soon as I stopped she jumped out.

Will try on the weekend again!

[JAG]

You can give her chicken necks every day if you like. She is a growing baby and will enjoy chewing on them. Also wings will keep her occupied. She will probably off her kibble and bones around the 4 month mark when she starts to teeth so don't panic. Also puppies grow in spurts. Some days they eat like no tomorrow and other days they are just happy to graze. It is all a normal part of the growing cycle.

[sas]

Hi,

Im starting to worry a little bit, my 9 week old Golden Retriever, has decided eating a 1/4 of her meal each time is ok, and leaves the rest.

Is this something that is normal in puppies, or is it something that I should be running to the vet over?

I'm feeding her Supercoat/Nutro the reason I say both is that I am slowly weaning her off Supercoat, so am mixing the foods.

Thanks,

Adam.

Dante is doing exactly the same....little brat LOL And I did take him to the Vet....yeah yeah yeah over protective Mum hehehe

All completely normal apprantly. Now even though puppies from 8 weeks old should be getting 3 meals a day, some just don't want their lunch. Dante is meant to have 2 cups of kibble per meal setting and he only has one. So I only give him 1 cup, once he starts eating the whole cup then I'll up his meal again.

And like others have said, the food bowl gets picked up 15 minutes after.

Edited May 17, 2007 by sas