# Our 11 week old lab is not eating much, help???



## 1sttimepuppyowner (Dec 3, 2008)

Our 11 week old lab is not eating much, he only eats around half of his recommended proportion of kibble. On occasion he eats all of his food.

We are feeding him 1/2 kirkland and 1/2 solid gold (for puppies).we already have tried adding warm water and warm chicken broth to make it tastier and softer. 

We are doing 3 meals (1 cup and 1/3 cups per meal) and are considering of going down to 2 meals a day. We are feeding him around the same time every day, but we are becoming concerned so we put his leftovers in his crate today while we are away at work.

Today we will try to add wet food to the mix to see what happens.

Is this reason for concern? Is this diet ok?

Also, he currently weighs 21 lbs.


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## myminpins (Dec 20, 2008)

A fit dog will not show his ribs. His back bone is close under the skin to FEEL but you should not see it.

Is your dog looking thin? Can you see his ribs? I know he's only a puppy but he shouldn't be hugely fat and roly poly just because he's a puppy. If he looks healthy and fit, I'd not worry about it at all. The bag food limits are just a guide. A lot depends on exercise levels, the dog itself, etc. 

If the dog looks fine and has lots of energy, is going to the bathroom properly, etc., I woudln't worry about it at all. I've only ever fed twice a day so I'm sure you could do that if you chose to.

Now, if he starts to lose weight, become listless, not have his usual energy, then you definitely have cause for concern and need to go see a vet ASAP.

HTH 

EDIT: I wouldn't give food in a crate to a dog that has to wait quite awhile to get out (you're not home). Water, either, unless it's a very small, very young puppy. After all, they eat, they drink, they need to go potty and you're not there to let him out so he COULD develop bad habits.


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## jesterjigger (Dec 12, 2008)

My puppy doesn't eat nearly what the package says either. I've talked to a couple of other people and they seem to think that the recommended amounts are high, at least for a toy puppy/dog. I think it also depends on the quality of the food. We feed Wellness to the puppy and our cats and the cats eat less than the recommended amount as well. Jilly is very full of energy and would play nonstop if we let her, so I think she's fine, but we'll ask our vet at her appointment in a few days.


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## 1sttimepuppyowner (Dec 3, 2008)

myminpins said:


> A fit dog will not show his ribs. His back bone is close under the skin to FEEL but you should not see it.
> 
> Is your dog looking thin? Can you see his ribs? I know he's only a puppy but he shouldn't be hugely fat and roly poly just because he's a puppy. If he looks healthy and fit, I'd not worry about it at all. The bag food limits are just a guide. A lot depends on exercise levels, the dog itself, etc.
> 
> ...


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

The package recommendations are usually on the high side. They must think every dog is high metabolism and herd sheep all day. Even with my senior citizens, I don't feed the recommended amount of low calorie kibble. For puppies it's better to be on the low side and not gain weight/fat too quickly.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

My dog is 75lbs, moderately active, and roughly 8 years old. He eats two cups of kibble _a day_. Now, puppies frequently eat more than that because they are using so much energy to grow, but maybe four cups a day is just too much. If the dog is a healthy weight and seems properly active, try cutting back on the kibble.


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## Melissa_Chloe (Dec 31, 2008)

Some dogs just aren't crazy over food.

My dog sometimes eats half a cup a day, sometimes nothing for a day.
I hate seeing it that way, but that's just the way she is.

I have tried feeding numerous dog foods (she has to eat grainfree for her skin) and many tricks and tips to get her to eat, but she just isn't always hungry.

But it may be something more serious. 

When he doesn't eat all his food do you leave it down or put it up? If you leave it down when he doesn't eat, try putting it up and then back down for next meal but only for 15 minutes then back up. 

Hopefully nothing serious is going on with him.


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## moosegirl303 (Jan 1, 2009)

My black lab is 7 months old and doesn't eat what the package says. She also eats twice a day. we feed her when we eat breakfast and we feed her when we eat dinner. When Chloe was 11weeks, all she wanted to do was sleep....she never hardly stayed awake to eat. Maybe he doesn't like his food. My poodle only eats a certian type of food. Try Purina Puppy Chow, thats what I have ALWAYS given my pups. I swear by that stuff


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

Honestly, Solid Gold and Kirkland are more nutritious foods than Purina Puppy Chow. You don't need to add warm water, broth or wet food to make it more palatable -- this will spoil him and you will end up among the scores of dog owners who have to cater to their picky eaters.

I would stick to your current feed and watch your puppy's build. You are lucky to have a Lab that doesn't scarf down everything in sight...a typical Lab usually eats till he barfs (then eats the barf.) If he's not becoming underweight, then he's regulating his intake on his own accord and you should just continue to feed him the amount that he is eating now. If he is eating less and you start seeing ribs, or a significant drop in energy levels, I would take him to see the vet.


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## jesterjigger (Dec 12, 2008)

1sttimepuppyowner said:


> I have a lab, and they are supposed to gain significantly more weight in comparison to a toy puppy, so I don't think that is applicable in my situation.


Funny, everyone seems to agree that the recommendations are high period, so maybe it's more applicable than you think. Don't worry, I won't pass along what I've learned with my puppy anymore, since it probably won't be applicable.


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## dukekota (Jan 18, 2008)

My shepherd had the same problem as a puppy. He would not eat his food. I tried everything and still really no interest in his food. He was grossly skinny, finally I switched foods about 7 times and finally found one he will eat. 

Possibly does not like the food you are giving him?

Also mixing wet with the dry was usually one way I was able to get him to eat some food.


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## Harley NC (Sep 15, 2009)

1sttimepuppyowner said:


> Our 11 week old lab is not eating much, he only eats around half of his recommended proportion of kibble. On occasion he eats all of his food.
> 
> We are feeding him 1/2 kirkland and 1/2 solid gold (for puppies).we already have tried adding warm water and warm chicken broth to make it tastier and softer.
> 
> ...


I am having the same problem...I have a 21 lb 11 week old lab who drastically cut down what she would eat about a week ago when I started giving her antibiotics for UTI. Medication is done and still only eating about 1/2 of what she should. Changed to a new food, was feeding Nutro's now bought Iam's to see if she liked that better. She is still growing and still has a lot of energy. 

Did you ever figure out if anything was wrong or did she start eating more on her own?


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## smileypits (Dec 25, 2008)

Puppies will eat what they want. If he's healthy in all other ways then I would just be thankful that you don't have a hog of a lab (notorious trait). 4 cups a day seems to be much too much food. i would cut out the kirkland and feed 2 1 cup meals per day. If he's healthy weight and size then I would just chalk it up to being that he's inbetween growth spurts and another one will come along soon and he'll begin eating all his food. 

If this isn't the case, a spoonful of cottage cheese and a spoonful of plain yogurt should help him out to eat.

Also make sure your food is fresh, labs are sensitive to moldy or stale food.


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## robert25 (Sep 15, 2009)

My dog has the same problem I am thinking about a routine check up now, lets see what does the specialist say!


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## Independent George (Mar 26, 2009)

jesterjigger said:


> Funny, everyone seems to agree that the recommendations are high period, so maybe it's more applicable than you think. Don't worry, I won't pass along what I've learned with my puppy anymore, since it probably won't be applicable.


I think the OP meant that a Lab's expected growth rate is going to be much greater than that of a toy breed, so you weren't offering an apples-to-apples to comparison. It's a fair point, made without rancor, and deserving of a much better response than your answer.


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## Terrie (Sep 11, 2009)

Our pup is 10 weeks old and she doesn't eat a lot either. She eats what we give her but she is never excited about meal time as much as other dogs I've seen in the past. She does drink a lot of water though. Before, during, and after anything she does especially after naps and play sessions.


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## Morrwyn (Aug 13, 2009)

My pup is the same way, he's an 11 week old husky/(shepherd?) mix. He eats about a cup and a half of food a day, which is a full cup less that what the bag recommends. But he's still been gaining weight (which is good, he had a horrible worm problem when we first got him, all ribs and bloated belly, poor thing) and has been active and the vet said he was fine when we took him on Monday. He weighs 12.5 lbs btw.


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## SandyPuppy (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm in agreement with everyone else. And that amount specifically sounds like waaay too much food, its really a good thing he isn't eating all that!


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