Fussy Bullmastiff Puppy

[TonyDav]

I have a 13 week old Bullmastiff puppy "Thor" who seems to be a very fussy eater. I'm not sure if this is normal with BM pups but can't remember this issue with any of our other pups.

I've tried numerous dried puppy foods and although he seems happy at first he quickly loses interest in the food. I can sometimes coax him to eat more by staying with him, but he's a slow eater at best and I don't have time to spend 3 or 4 x 15 minutes with him every day watching him eat!

He does love fresh meat and bones, but the vet has recommended feeding him at least half dry puppy food.

FWIW the puppy foods he's tried are a mixture of premium and normal. At the moment he's on Nutro but really isn't liking it. If I mash up a boiled egg into it I can get him to eat a whole bowl but that's what it takes. I have a Diet Science sample and he seems to like it, but I don't know I want to take the risk of buying another bag - particularly with 10+kgs of Nutro sitting there at $120/bag!

Appreciate any suggestions. He's a great pup and looks very good but I worry he's not eating enough.

Tony

[SeeGee]

Some people put stock into soaking the kibble in warm water for awhile to soften it? Im not sure if thats for encouraging them to eat it though. In the past i have tossed kibble in home made yogurt (in the early days, before raw).I have never had the problem though, my 2 inhale food if im not careful.

[Sandra777]

I've tried numerous dried puppy foods

Exaggeration meybe? Pup is 13 weeks, I hope this means you've had him 5 weeks or less - and given the amount of time it takes to swop one dry food for another, numerous seems a bit um... dramatic

and although he seems happy at first he quickly loses interest in the food. I can sometimes coax him to eat more by staying with him, but he's a slow eater at best and I don't have time to spend 3 or 4 x 15 minutes with him every day watching him eat!

OK, so if you stick him in a boring environment with his food, what happens?

He does love fresh meat and bones, but the vet has recommended feeding him at least half dry puppy food.

What did the breeder's diet sheet recommend. Personally I'd take the diet sheet of an experienced breeder over what any random vet might think any day of the week.

Appreciate any suggestions. He's a great pup and looks very good but I worry he's not eating enough.

How much does he eat? Is he a good weight, lively, happy and playful? If so, chances are he's getting all he needs. The quantities on dog food bags tends to be way over the top in most cases.

If he genuinely isn't eating enough and is bad condition then of course do anything you can to encourage his appetite, but you say yourself that he looks very good, so maybe this is what you should be looking at more.

Sardines or a raw egg (no reason or need to cook it) over his ration of dry food won't do any harm if you want to add them and it makes him eat more and eases your mind.

[Danois]

Be very very careful about switching diets around on a growing giant breed puppy as it can lead to problems.

I would always go by the advice of the breeder generally. My experience with giant breeds is that it is better to feed an appropriate giant/ large breed kibble while they are growing as this has the correct ratios and % of protein and fat for slow and steady growth which is critical. I would not be feeding a lot of raw outside bones and chicken wings.

A dog will not starve itself and if you are offering alternatives when he does not eat then you are simply teaching him that if he holds out long enough then something better will come along.

There are some studies which associate bloat with soaked kibble and honestly they do not need it. If you want to entice then use a tsp of vegemite or a tablespoon or so of mince and mix that up with a little water to make a gravy and then mix it into the kibble - not enough water to soak it but coat the kibble.

You do not need to be spending the 15 mins with the pup while it is eating - put the food in the crate, shut the door and go and do something. At 13 weeks I personally would not be feeding 4 x a day and maybe that is the problem - he is not needing 4 feeds? I would be feeding 1-2 times a day as well as training treats.

Which is another thought - how many treats are you giving with training during the day?

Also echo the advice of another poster - go by the advice of the breeder and experienced owners of the breed or giant breeds before the advice of a vet. Some vets will suggest giant breeds need calcium supplements

[TonyDav]

Yeah probably "numerous" is a bit of an exageration. I have tried 3 different types including the Diet Science sample pack in the 5 weeks we've had him.

I do think he looks healthy based on my expectation for an adult dog and certainly the vet said he was looking good. I don't like overweight dogs and hence my dogs are all on the lean side. But I don't have much experience with how a BM puppy should look though and it just concerns me that he isn't eating enough.

I'll go back to my usual feeding regime of giving him the food for 15 minutes and then removing.

He's very happy with the raw meat and my long term intention is to move him onto this style of diet. I've long agreed with Tom Lonsdale's views and I'm a bit cynical about the reasons why vets promote dry food (that they sell of course). I was quite surprised to see a very dramatic brochure in the vets surgery "Don't feed bones to your dogs". I initially assumed it was talking about cooked bones, but no, any bones are now out!

But back on topic, I'll keep a closer eye on exactly how much he's eating and stop worrying so much. I'm sure he's fine.

[Danois]

I would not be moving him on to a raw diet until critical growth has finished - around 12-18 months.

You can't afford to screw up the growth of giant breeds as you otherwise set them up for a lifetime of issues.

Under General Discussion there are breed subforums and there will be one somewhere there for your breed - they are a great resource and usually include a mix of owners, breeders and show people so a great range of experience.

[Caesars mum]

Tonydav drop into the bullmastiff thread, there are a heaps of pups around at the moment and breeders to give you the best advice.

bullmastiff thread

my Bullmastiff x DDB was a pain in the but when it came to feeding as a pup, she would be starving one day and turn her nose up the next.

I feed all my adult dogs 2 meals a day and when pups 3 or 4 feeds

giant breeds should never get just 1 large meal, as this may cause bloat

good luck with your baby and do post photos in the BM thread

Edited September 6, 2010 by Caesars mum

[aussielover]

You can't only feed raw meat, i am sure you are probably aware of this. A "raw" diet also includes vegetables and most importantly, whole bones. Otherwise the pup/dog will not get enough calcium and you will have numerous problems.

Cut back to feeding 3 times a day (at most)

Your pup is clearly getting enough food, as he is not eating some of the meals.

You should be glad he has at least some sense of when to stop. Mine would eat until her stomach ruptured i think.

Only leave the food down for 10 minutes, if he doesn't eat, he doesn't get that meal. He will soon learn. It sounds tough, but you don't want to end up with a fussy dog. Also, going without food for a day is not harmful, even for a puppy, as long as there is access to water.

[emery]

i have a fussy large breed to a rotti pup.

she has decided she no longer likes biscuits, bones, chicken, mince or treats hmmmmm

she will work for treats for like 2 minutes before losing interest in them lol.

i have useda raw egg over kibble and also some gravy.

if she is hungry she will eat she lost a bit of weight last week because shedidn't but is eating fine this week

left some chicken carcass this morning but is eating it now for lunch

[TonyDav]

You can't only feed raw meat, i am sure you are probably aware of this. A "raw" diet also includes vegetables and most importantly, whole bones. Otherwise the pup/dog will not get enough calcium and you will have numerous problems.

Cut back to feeding 3 times a day (at most)

Your pup is clearly getting enough food, as he is not eating some of the meals.

You should be glad he has at least some sense of when to stop. Mine would eat until her stomach ruptured i think.

Only leave the food down for 10 minutes, if he doesn't eat, he doesn't get that meal. He will soon learn. It sounds tough, but you don't want to end up with a fussy dog. Also, going without food for a day is not harmful, even for a puppy, as long as there is access to water.

Sorry should have been clearer. By meat, I meant lamb necks and the like. Tom's site is here (although i'm sure you're aware of it): http://www.rawmeatybones.com/

At this stage I'm still intending to feed Thor at least 50% premium kibble. I think I'm just a bit surprised at his laid back approach to eating. My other two dogs (the border collie x kelpie in particular) would eat until they exploded.

I've decided to just keep feeding him the kibble and if he doesn't eat it in about 15 mins remove. When he's hungry he bolts it down. And I agree, I don't want a fussy dog that I have to add something to his food to get him to eat it.

tony

[Starkehre]

Good advice and well taken TD.

I think what you will probably find (I find this quite a bit in large breed puppies, more so males) that if you are concerned about their feeding (and they can be pretty unenthused by the whole thing) you may find yourself offering him things so regularly during the day and him taking tiny portions, so that in affect, he is constantly being topped up to the point where he is getting just enough to curb his hunger.

Then this type of eating becomes habitual for him. He is learning not to be food orientated. Now, I don't know about you, but I LOVE a food motivated dog as they make for easy training.

Let him get good and hungry. No top ups between meals. Try and ensure he get a good 6 hrs between feeds of nothing. I understand you will be doing some training and treats may be involved, but try to keep these to a minimum until you get his feeding habits back on course.

I agree with Danois when it comes to feeding a raw based diet on these larger breeds, particularly males. IMO it is difficult to get exactly right, and near enough IMO is not good enough for these big boys. Things can and do go wrong. I love feeding barf, but would only do it for smaller breeds, adults or medium/large breed bitches.

If he was my dog I would be feeding a super premium dry until he was fully grown 12-18 months, and then switch slowly to a raw diet. And doing any 50%-50% will only unbalance your dry. Just be careful.

Best of luck with your pup. he sounds beautiful.