Puppy Seems To Lack Appetite

[shags]

Hi all,

I have asked a few questions lately and have recieved great advice, so here comes another one.

I have a just over 4 month old staffy pup who is a very happy and appears a healthy girl. She weighs 8.9kgs so not sure how this compares. She doesnt really seem to have much of an appetite though. We feed here Advance puppy food (wet & dry) and have added in egg, tuna and sometimes coconut oil to add flavour etc. She rarely dives in to her food and most often only grazes and leaves the rest. We follow the principle of not leaving the food out and bring it in after about 15 minutes. However, we would then expect she would be straving for dinner, but rarely is this the case and will still only graze for her next meal?

She has lots of energy still and looks very healthy though. Is there any reason for concern or are there any suggestions to help her eat or make her meals more attractive?

Thanks in advance.

[persephone]

provided she is happy and behaving normally , I wouldn't be concerned at all

grazing can often be fixed by simply offering food twice daily ..NOTHING in between , and removing after 10 minutes.

[Fuzzycuddles]

Some puppies are just grazers my partner has a sibe that drove us insane with grazing too.

If puppy is happy and healthy I wouldn't worry when hungry they do eat and they'll let you know ;)

[Red Fox]

I'd say you're probably feeding her too much ;)

[NOCTRL]

My staffy pup was 12kg at 4 months (and is 14.5 at 5 months now.. the vet thinks he could lose a bit).

If your little one is happy, has energy and doesn't look lacking in any other area i wouldn't be TOO worried. Have you tried giving her some raw yummy meat? Our pup LOVES his chicken wings (once he worked out how to eat them!)

[shags]

My staffy pup was 12kg at 4 months (and is 14.5 at 5 months now.. the vet thinks he could lose a bit).

If your little one is happy, has energy and doesn't look lacking in any other area i wouldn't be TOO worried. Have you tried giving her some raw yummy meat? Our pup LOVES his chicken wings (once he worked out how to eat them!)

Yes we have been feeding some raw meet mixed with veges etc. And we gave her, her first chicken neck the other evening and she burried it?? Strange creatures they are? Although they probably think we are a little strange too?

[jacqui835]

I am no expert, but I have had 'interesting' experiences in this area. I have a dog who is a very particular eater, and maintains a trim figure, he was the same as a puppy. And so I did exactly what you did and tried to introduce tastier and tastier portions so that hopefully he would be unable to resist and fatten up. Well no, all that happened was that my dog became even more particular. He knows now that there are tastier things out there, so he all but ignores his top of the range Canidae grain free biscuits and holds out for the whole chickens, tuna, eggs, lamb necks, turkey steaks etc that I have fed him in the past. And when he gets those, well with the exception of bbq/roast chicken and bung fritz used for training, he hardly seems to care. He eats it, but not right away. Unless it's bbq chicken or fritz, I can make him sit for a piece of raw meat and then say ok and he usually goes off and does something else.

It's deeply frustrating and stressful, but after talking to every man and his dog about it, I took their advice and just decided to relax. He always eats when he's hungry, and he is just happy thin. It's not like he lacks energy or is too skinny, he's just a bit below average but maybe that's normal for him.

[Sayly]

I've had two pups do this, both Aussie pups. The first one was the worst, she was happy and healthy but she was so skinny and just not interested in food at all. Eventually we just had to relax. Now, as an adult dog, she eats a lot better. Her sire wasn't a big eater his whole life and she certainly got plenty of his genes.

[NOCTRL]

If she's burrying them instead of eating i'd also be inclined to think she's just not hungry? I can send you over some of Arby's appetite if you like, he's certainly got enough to go around ;)

It's said that a healthy dog won't starve its self. I'd say keep doing what you're doing and don't encourage her to be picky by giving her the fancy stuff if she doesn't eat the regular meal. I think we often force our views of whats good for the dog on to it, if she is self regulating her diet it must be for a reason!

Alternatively i guess it couldn't hurt to take her to the vets and get some blood work done to see if she's lacking in anything that could be contributing to the lack of appetite (if you're really worried!)

[Fuzzycuddles]

I've heard some breeds are notoriously fussy eaters (Aussies right up there)

Like people some dogs even within specific breeds can vary on what is healthy and normal for them. My partner has a Siberian husky and she is a delicate eater who doesn't over eat but that's not typical of the breed ;)

[shags]

This problem is continueing, so a chat to the vet may be needed. She is hardly eating anything the last few days but is still energetic. She just shows little interest in food and has lost 200 grams in the last five days, when at four months she should be packing on the weight. It is a worry, but she does look very happy amd healthy other than not eating. We give her food but all she is interested in, is being around us and being part of whatever we are doing.

[mumof4girls]

This problem is continueing, so a chat to the vet may be needed. She is hardly eating anything the last few days but is still energetic. She just shows little interest in food and has lost 200 grams in the last five days, when at four months she should be packing on the weight. It is a worry, but she does look very happy amd healthy other than not eating. We give her food but all she is interested in, is being around us and being part of whatever we are doing.

So what about hand feeding her, you said she is interested in being around you? Or give pup a Kong with food in it while your sitting on the floor? Just throwing things at you as I am thinking :-)

[shags]

I am pleased to annoiunce that our little girl ate very well last night after a change in routine. Instead of me coming home, taking her for a walk and tehn feeding her straight away, we waited until my Wife had played with her also an dthen let her calm donw and relax for an hour or so. We then fed her and she ate it all up. We then gave her some fruit later before bed which she ate all up too. We were changing the morning routine the same and going to feed her a while after her morning walk when she has calmed down and spent time with us. I dont know how she went as yet as I left home before feeding time. It appears that it is not ill health causing the lack of appetitie which is peace of mind and it is just her choosing not to eat.

Thanks for everyones advice.

[NOCTRL]

So glad you seem to have found the cause of it! Our pup doesn't eat straight after a walk either.

[shags]

She ate everything this morning I just heard also...which is fantastico. The change in routine may be the trick.

Is that a little Staffy too NOCTRL that you have?

[persephone]

Good news That must make you feel better!

ps: she doesn't really need much in the way of fruit - at this age she will benefit greatly from lots of good quality protein and calcium rich food

[shags]

Good news That must make you feel better!

ps: she doesn't really need much in the way of fruit - at this age she will benefit greatly from lots of good quality protein and calcium rich food

She is getting good nutrition in what we feed. The fruit is mainly becasue she likes it (nice and sweet), it is some extra KJ's for growth and still will have some nutritional value. If she continues to eat what we give her, I and she will be happy little campers!