[schering]

Please help, my 9 1/2 week old puppy eats very little. At 8 weeks she weighed 8.2 lbs according to the vet. She was parasite free. I feed her Nutro Large Breed puppy food. She eats maybe a handful at a time always leaving food in her bowl. I feed her 3 times a day. She is getting taller but is skinny. Last night I fed her a Nutro pupp packet of food. She ate the whole thing, but it upset her stomach (which I was expecting that). Does anyone have any advice?

 

[onyx'girl]

have you talked to your breeder? Maybe soak some of the food just before feeding. I would also give a spoonful of yogurt, see if she will eat that.

 

[DHau]

That's a tough question. How is her energy level? She should be into everything exploring her surroundings. I find that if my dog gets a lot of exercise, she is more likely to eat.

It's hot here in GA and my dog doesn't have a large appetite.

It's also possible she doesn't like the food because it upsets her stomache. You consider switching to something else.

 

[DSudd]

How long have you had her for? Could it be she is just adjusting to her new environment?

 

[sprzybyl]

Does she eat treats? Are you feeding her treats? (she might be holding out for them...)

 

[schering]

Energy level is high. She can chase a ball all day. I think I will switch the food. I was looking at the Pro Plan sensitive stomach. Do you have any comments on this brand?

 

[BlackGSD]

Personally I wouldn't feed a "sensitive stomach" food to a dog that didn't need it. (I also wouldn't necessarily feed a food that is made of one of the "exotic" protiens, i.e. Salmon, Duck, Venison, ect..)

You might consider feeding something that is higher in calories if she is just not a good eater. That way she will need to eat less to get the same calories per day.

Is she just not a good eater, or is it that she would rather play than eat?

I have had puppies that were more interested in playing than eating. But if they were crated with their food they WOULD eat since they didn't have anything else to do.

 

[larrydee33]

Nutro recently has had some very serious problems with their food. I would get her off this food right away.
Take a look at consumeraffairs.com/pets/nutro.

I would give her either cooked or raw gound beef I prefer raw and cooked brown rice mix it together till you can find a puppy food your happy with.
I would recommend Orijen.

 

[GSDOwner2008]

I wouldn't feed raw unless you're sticking to raw. If you cook it for a minute or two, that's different. I used to feed orijen but it was too pricey. If you can afford it, by all means, it''s a great food, it not, you may want to consider Solid Gold, or a brand of similar quality.