22 replies to this topic

[DemiSheep]

Ok, I wanted to find out how much food we should be feeding Attila. Currently we are feeding him Half a cup in the morning and half a cup in the evening. Every so often he just won't hardly eat any of his food, some days this happening with both breakfast and dinner. He's six months old. He has never been overly thrilled with his food. We switched him to new food just two weeks ago and he's more interested in his new food. We had been feeding him Diamond NATURAL puppy and after looking around are feeding him Chicken Soup for the Dogs Soul which just so happens to be made by diamond as well. The breader we got Attila from fed her pups Diamond.

[Meggie]

I can only vouch for my own experience, but I don't feed Hubble on schedule or a certain volume. But he's a "grazer" when it comes to his kibble. Some days he barely eats, other days he eats like a pig.

I generally fill his bowl with 1-2 cups and it lasts 2 days or so. But if your dog is a food "scarfer" be careful with the volume as I've read they are prone to obesity.

I got Hubble at your puppy's age and was advised a half cup was adequate

[sanford]

I wish I had a suggestion for you, but I'm posting this to say that Ruffy is also indifferent to his food. I understand that dogs will occasionally skip a meal, but when Ruffy skips several in a row, I become concerned because sometimes I mix medicine in his food and he doesn't get the benefit of that. The odd thing with Ruffy is that when he refuses his bowl, I'll offer the food from my hand & he'll eat all of it that way. This may not be a solution for Attila, (unless you want to try it). For all I know, I might be spoiling Ruffy, overindulging him by hand-feeding him in this way. Like you, I'd rather find out why our dogs refuse their food bowls.

Just want to add that In our case, I've switched foods numerous times and home-cooked for him as well, but he still skipped meals, so I'm pretty sure his lack of interest had nothing to do with the brand or the type of food at any given time.

[Lynn in TN]

I wouldn't worry unless he was losing weight and just not eating at all. Kelly is five months old. I feed her Blue Wilderness Puppy 1/3 cup mixed with a little of what we are eating. It would equal about 1/2 cup twice a day. Sometimes she eats all of it and wants more, and I will give her a little bit more on those days, because other days she won't finish the first meal, so she doesn't get the second meal. It is normal for some dogs to eat this way, and humans for that matter. I do the same thing myself. Some days I can eat all day long and not get full, other days I hardly eat anything. Not because I feel bad or anything like that, I'm just not hungry.

[darkpantherbabe]

Sadie does the same thing.. some days she's a little Oinker(piggy) and other days she eats like a bird. it all depends.. I think that its the quality of food, higher the quality the longer it takes to digest? at least whats my vets opinion, when approached about this.... I give her 1/2 cup twice a day myself, and sometimes i give her unsalted french fries from work as a late night snack(never more then 4 average length ones, if long then its only 2 but never more then 4 even if short ones), or some cooked pasta(just boiled) in addition to her dry kibble.... When i mix it up with human food, i give her half the amt of dry kibble to equal 1/2 cup total per "meal". I dont do this all the time, just when she goes on a "no eating" kick and i need her to start eating. Some times, i switch it up entirely with fresh chicken(cooked in the oven unseasoned) with some cooked pasta, and a few veggies(dont recall which, will have to look at my recipe)... And Sometimes, I give her her doggy food in Canned with some Cooked Pasta 'n heated on the stove to warm it up. I find it helps sometimes to vary their food as long as the base is the same i dont see anything wrong with this... base being their normal kibble. correct me if i am wrong in any of this.

Edited by darkpantherbabe, 11 September 2011 - 07:25 PM.

[DemiSheep]

darkpantherbabe, on 11 September 2011 - 07:24 PM, said:

I give her 1/2 cup twice a day myself, and sometimes i give her unsalted french fries from work as a late night snack(never more then 4 average length ones, if long then its only 2 but never more then 4 even if short ones), or some cooked pasta(just boiled) in addition to her dry kibble....

Ok, thanks. This makes us feel a bit better. With Attila being 6 months old and eating 1/2 cup of food similarly to your ~4 year old Sadie, seems Attila and Sadie share the same eating habits, eating light some days.

[pindrop]

When Layla was a puppy we fed her twice daily - 1/2 cup of puppy food mixed with a few green beans or some pasta or freshly cooked chicken in the morning and again mid-afternoon. Layla was never a piggy and always grazed so some days she would not eat all her food. In the last two months, we have been changing her over from her puppy diet to an adult food and chose Taste of the Wild as it is grain-free with no empty additives. We chose bison & venison (although they have three others). We will occasionally add another product - omega 3 as a supplement. I wouldn't worry about them not eating every meal as Lynn states, they are not always hungry and will eat when they are. Being a concerned parent is part of the process of puppy rearing and if you feel there is concern when prolonged, always make sure they are drinking and if needed, take them to the vet for a second opinion.

[KShep]

DemiSheep, on 10 September 2011 - 04:53 PM, said:

Ok, I wanted to find out how much food we should be feeding Attila. Currently we are feeding him Half a cup in the morning and half a cup in the evening. Every so often he just won't hardly eat any of his food, some days this happening with both breakfast and dinner. He's six months old. He has never been overly thrilled with his food. We switched him to new food just two weeks ago and he's more interested in his new food. We had been feeding him Diamond NATURAL puppy and after looking around are feeding him Chicken Soup for the Dogs Soul which just so happens to be made by diamond as well. The breader we got Attila from fed her pups Diamond.

We have been feeding Ripley 1/2 a cup morning and 1/2 a cup in the evening. She is nearly 10 months. Nutro Lamb and Rice...She is a piggy and has never refused a meal. She also has a lot of energy! I'm not concerned with overfeeding at this point because she is so active.

[_whits_]

I feel much better after reading this. Addie is 5 months old now and has never seemed all that bothered with food. (Except when she steals her Shih Tzu cousin Toby's food on playdates.) It always seems like she eats to survive, not because she's particularly excited about food. I've tried a couple of different foods but it's the same no matter what.

My dad is a vet and keeps telling me that a) she's not going to starve herself and as long as she's gaining weight (as a puppy) or maintaining weight (as an adult) it means she's getting enough to eat.

Now that she's started loosing her teeth she's started eating less, which my dad also says is perfectly normal (human babies do the same) since her mouth is probably sore. He suggested mixing some rice in with her meals. And I'll give her peanut butter occasionally as well.

My rule of thumb is that if something is wrong (like she's not eating at all) for 48 hours, then it's time to call the vet. Otherwise, she might just be having an off day.

Even with my dad constantly telling me it's totally fine that Addie isn't very food-driven, I still worry. It's nice to hear that other Cairn parents are having the same concerns.

[cairnsby3]

Spring was picky as a puppy, sorry I don't remember what age she grew out of it. All her adult life she has eaten her meals fine, she eats slowly and chews each bite, but she always eats. Shiner on the other hand has inhaled his even as a puppy and still does. They are both eating Taste of the Wild Salmon right now. Spring at 14.5 pounds gets a heaping 1/3 cup twice a day and Shiner at 19 pounds gets a half cup twice a day. Just be sure you go by the dogs actual body condition and not necessarily what the dog food bag recommends.

[lttlbloomers]

We are new to terriers and my Geddy is a mix of some sort that I recently adopted from the local animal control. My previous pooch, a papillion had been eating Blue Basics and so because of the cost I didn't want to throw it away and gave that to Geddy. He picks out the lifesource bits and hides them in my bed or just lets them build up in the bowl! I ran out of that yesterday and gave him a lamb flavor which he looks at and walks away from. I tried another brand and he walks away from that as well. I finally threw some of the refrigerated chicken/rice/vegie cat food on top and he picked that out. I gave him the cat food because he had decided that a cat turd would be better tasting than the actual food that was in his bowl! The vet said we could try the terrier mix by Royal Canin but I thought I would check here and see what you all do for your picky eaters?

[Meggie]

My pup picks out the 'best' kibble and leaves behind the rest. Maybe I'm a mean owner, but I just wait until he's hungry enough and usually he'll eat the rest at night. I try not to give the dog too many options or it's like telling a toddler to go pick out their own outfits ...I fear creating a monster!

[Terrier lover]

I must admit I cannot imagine Jock EVER refusing to eat. He has never been on kibble ( always home cooked and raw) so perhaps thats why. I think as long as they are full of energy and not thin all is well.

[lttlbloomers]

That makes sense, we usually don't mind waiting until they get hungry enough to eat was is offered but he snuck a snack out of the cat box today which totally freaks my daughter out.

[sanford]

lttlbloomers, on 13 November 2011 - 06:19 PM, said:

he snuck a snack out of the cat box today which totally freaks my daughter out.

Can you put the cat box high up, out of his reach?