Hi, I have a 4.5 month old lab puppy that won't eat. I have tried at least a dozen brands of foods; Proplan, Canidea, Evo, Instinct, Solid Gold ect… and he just doesn’t want to eat any of them. I tried wet dog food mixed in and he still is finicky. I’m now struggling to get him to eat twice a day. I’m currently trying ½ cup of Instinct Original Beef Dry with ½ cup of Instinct Raw Boost Mixers and some treats mixed in to get him to eat it. Basically he’s only eating a little over 2 cups a day right now and that’s a struggle. I give him several biscuits a day to make sure he’s getting enough food. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad idea. I try to encourage him to eat and give him praise and treats if he does and no treats if he doesn’t. His schedule is so screwed up right now. I cut out breakfast because he just wouldn’t eat it and now he won’t eat lunch until 3 or 4. Which means he’s not eating dinner at 10 or 11pm. I picked him out at 4 weeks and he was the biggest pup at the time but once he was fully weaned off mom’s milk he slowly became one of the smaller pups. The breeder said he rather play than eat. I asked the vet but he doesn’t think it’s a problem. He has gained weight but he’s starting to eat less than before, so I need help and advice. This is my 5th lab and I never seen this before. ANY ADVICE, Please?
Welcome to the forum He might be getting enough food and is just not hungry. 2 cups of food is probably plenty. What is his weight like? Does he have enough muscle (good)? Can you easily feel but not see his ribs (also good)? Dog food manufacturers put quantity recommendations on the packet but these are usually waaaay too much for a Labrador. Labradors need less food than many other breeds of dog.
Hi there! Honestly I am pretty hard-hearted about this kind of thing so keep that in mind as you read my answer. Dogs will eat when they get hungry, unless they are sick. If you have ruled out any kind of sickness, I really wouldn't fuss too much about his food. If he turns up his nose at a well-balanced, proper puppy food a time or two I wouldn't worry. He will eventually get hungry and eat. I agree with Rachael about the dog food labels. They tend to suggest more food than a dog really needs. It's better to go by how the dog looks and feels (ribs, etc) which is the point of her questions. So I wouldn't worry if the amount he is eating is less than "recommended" by the dog food manufacturer. Your dog is a puppy, so you do have to keep an eye on weight gain, etc. But if your vet doesn't think your pup's fussiness is due to any health problems then try not to stress about it. Pick a good quality kibble and stick with it. Put down his breakfast in the morning and leave it down for half an hour. If he hasn't eaten, pick it up again. Don't give him any biscuits or treats, unless perhaps some SMALL treats for training purposes. Put down the bowl again at night and leave it down for half an hour. If he hasn't eaten, pick it up again. I bet if he doesn't eat breakfast or dinner, the next day breakfast will be pretty welcome. But like I said, I'm kinda hard hearted. Others may have different suggestions....
He is defiantly on the lean side. I don’t free feed him I give him about 15 minutes and encouragement if he doesn’t eat I pick it up. He has defiantly missed meals and then will eat after missing a meal or two, and that’s the thing, he ends up eating once a day. I’ll get him to eat 2 meals one day and the next day he won’t eat lunch and only gets dinner. I’m only feeding him a ½ of cup of dry mixed with the Instinct mixers which is way under what he should be eating. All brands have suggestive feedings and they are pretty similar with the higher quality foods. On average a lab pup his age should be eating 3 to 4 cups a day according to the foods I’m feeding him. This is my 6th Lab, I had Labs all my life and all were healthy eaters, and he is defiantly not eating like the others. I’m wondering if I should take him to another vet or have blood work on him. I don’t want to stunt his growth by keeping on this cycle. Again, he is lean so I know he could defiantly afford to eat more than he is. I appreciate your advice and your suggestions. Anything else you would advise?
Just a shot in the dark, but have tried soaking his kibble in puppy milk and water (until quite soft) and then warming it up a little for him just before feeding? I have to admit I still do that for my boy even now (he's 9 months old). He wouldn't eat properly when I originally brought him home and so I tried that and it worked a treat.
What would you be looking for with blood tests? Some dogs just don't have much of an appetite - even the occasional Labrador Dogs can be lean but still completely healthy and fit.
Have you tried scatter feeding, or using a snuffle mat? These helped when my latest puppy wasn't interested in eating. I would also hide her kibble around the living room, then release her to find it. Making her work for her food made it a lot more interesting to her. You can also use the puppy's whole allowance as rewards for training, or simply playing games, like flicking it across the room, tossing it to him to teach him to catch etc.
One of my lurchers is exactly the same, very fussy. She's almost three now and we've just decided (rightly or wrongly) to let her have a constant access to her food and she picks a few pieces at a time, it can take her a couple of days to finish one bowl! I think that as long as he seems healthy and full of energy I wouldn't worry. Dogs' appetites vary hugely
You mention that you give him 'lots of encouragement' when he is eating, this may be putting him off? Try putting the bowl down and just leaving the room. Have you taken him to the vet to see if he is unwell as not eating is a sign. You may well be overfeeding him and he is now not hungry? Have you tried putting just a large teaspoon of a good quality tinned meat on the top of the kibble? If he was mine, I would put a small amount of kibble with tinned meat (or tripe or chicken) stirred in, put it down and leave the pup to it and after ten minutes, if he hadn't eaten it then, just take it up, say nothing. Try again at lunchtime and repeat. I would think by teatime he would be eating!
Sparky would sometimes get finicky with his kibble. We currently use Blue Wilderness Salmon. He is a voracious eater. Would never skip a beat when it comes to treats and table food, but sometimes he will turn his nose up on his kibble. We would add a teaspoon of peanut butter in his kibble or sometimes a tin of sardines and that would do the trick. Sometimes he just wouldn't eat and I would pick up his food and toss it in the garbage making sure he sees it. He would definitely gobble down his dinner after missing his breakfast. Before we would add chicken broth to his kibble, but it takes up more work and wouldn't want to be doing that all the time.
