Not eating

[Jazzie's Mom]

I have a 9 month old blue dapple dachsie. I just got her about 3 weeks ago from a breeder. This is the first dachsie I have had in 20 years, so I am a little rusty.

She is a very fussy eater. The breeder said that she ate Purina Puppy Chow, so I went and bought the same dry food she was born & raised on.

How much & how many times should I be feeding her? Also, no matter what I do, she won't really eat. I have tried everything. I have resorted to having her eat out of my hand just so she will eat something.

What should I be doing to get her to eat. I've tried mixing her dry food with a little fat free low sodium chicken broth. That worked for 3 days and now she won't even eat that. Help!!! I am getting really worried about her. I wish she would eat better.

The vet said that she was perfectly healthy.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.

Jazzie's Mom

[Twinkerbean]

The amount of food she eats should depend on her weight. There are a couple oppinions on how often to feed. I had a breeder tell me that the dog is less likely to be fat if you just leave the food out. I however like to monitor how much each dog is eating, especially since I have two, and I don't want them stealing one another's food.

I placed Puppies for a while, and finding a new home is stressful. Often a puppy won't want to eat. I often suggest cottage cheese, meat flavored baby food, or even a soft dog food mixed into their food to encourage the pup to eat. I have also had new owners tell me that they switched the food their dog was eating and they were just fine.

I would suggest almost any other puppy food other than puppy chow. If you do switch spend a couple days mixing the food together so her tummy doesn't get upset. Food change can be stressful for a puppy as well.

I am sure there are members of this forum who are more knowledgeable than I am, but this is what I have experienced.

:flower:

[Molly's Mom]

I'd say the puppy probably just isn't used to it's new home, especially since the vet says the dog is healthy. From experience, I'd try not to get in the habit of handfeeding because sometimes that is the only way you'll ever get the dog to eat. Hard habit to break, and I'm sure you don't want that to happen.

For now, I'd stick with the same food since that is what your dog is used to, but after she starts eating again, you could try switching if you want to. However, I would try mixing something in the food she likes to get her started eating it. Have you tried canned food? When we first got our puppies, we mixed a spoonful of canned food in with the dry food. Many dogs like peanut butter, so maybe even put a little in with the food.

Whatever you try, I'd only add a very small amount, just enough to give her the taste of something else. Make her mostly be eating her regular food in with a little of the "good stuff".

Personally, I leave a little food out for my puppies so they can have a little bit whenever they are hungry. Maybe for now, you should kind of let the dog set it's own schedule and eat when it wants to. Don't force it, and just let it eat when she gets hungry.

[doxie_newbie]

Twinkerbean,
I'm just curious as to why you stated that you would suggest any puppy food other than puppy chow? Is it something with Purina or is it just puppy chow? Honestly I work for Nestle Purina and my husband works in the quality assurance department. We are going to be getting a puppy in the beginning of Aug. and the breeder is weening the puppy on one small breed puppy food (which is lamb and rice). I was just curious to find out why you stated what you did. Honstly I'm an information systems tech here, I don't work with the actual product itself and my husband is very proud of the products that they put into the ONE brands and the puppy chow in general.
Thank you for your time.

[Twinkerbean]

doxie_newbie,

I am sorry if I offended. In fact I love Pro Plan by Purina. It just so happens that none of the puppies I have dealt with have ever liked Puppy Chow. I am not sure why that is. If I switch them over to Pro Plan they are much happier. I guess I am just a snob.:cool:

[doxie_newbie]

I'm not offended, just curious to hear why you felt the way that you do, that's all :)
We are planning to feed Toby ONE small breed puppy food, not puppy chow either. I just wanted to find out if you had a bad experience with it or something to that effect.
Thank you for letting me know your view on things.

[Cindi]

I raise miniature wires. I believe in schedules since the majority of my kids are food hogs. I rarely have picky eaters but have one now. By the age of 9 months, my puppies are eating only twice a day. What they do not eat within 5 minutes (usually gone within a disgusting 30 seconds <g>) I pick up and they do not get another chance at it until the next meal. Not only is this easier on housetraining (opposed to allowing the dog to have food all day long - therefore they would need to potty at all times) but it makes the eating go quicker when you have multiple dogs. Since I ALWAYS have multiples and I feed them loose in the kitchen, I do NOT want to have to sit and play guard dog all morning or evening long :)
As to amount, it varies with each dog but on average my miniatures eat approximately 1/2 cup total a day. Some may require more and some less and it will depend on the type of food.

Hope this helps :)

[Jazzie's Mom]

Someone told me to put a little tomato sauce in her food. Do you recommend that?

I think I am going to try and change from Purina Puppy Chow to the One brand. I have tried putting a little cottage cheese in her food, she wouldn't even touch it.

I'll keep trying until I find something she will eat.

I would appreciate any suggestions.

[Krista]

I was told to feed puppies 4 times a day until they were 3 months old then 3 times a day until they were 6-7 months old and then twice a day thereafter into adulthood.

I personally prefer foods without byproducts, chemical preservatives, added sugars, artificial flavors or colors and foods that are lower in corn/corn products (for me thats no corn products in the top 5 ingredients at a minimum). That rules out most if not all purina foods, as well as many of those that are found in pet supply stores, let alone grocery stores.

Currently my crew eats Sensible Choice Chicken Meal and Rice formula for Active Adults.

I have also had great success with Flint River Ranch and Premium Edge.

http://home.attbi.com/~mstraus/dogfeeding.html

http://catatonic.freeservers.com/holistic.html

[Jazzie's Mom]

Krista,

Thanks for the web links. There is a lot of good info on those web pages. I'm learning more and more everyday.

I'll try every dog food I can buy until I find one Jazzie will eat.