# puppy going off food, why?



## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

So my 4mo pup has started to turn her nose up at her food. I've had her for one month now, and she ate with gusto up until a few days ago. She eats treats, shows interest in everyones food but her own. Is bright eyed, energetic, happy and in good health and has normal stools. She is teething. The food that she came with is a designer brand I can't find locally, so I switched her (slowly in a 2 week time span) over to Inova's puppy food. It is very close in ingrediants/percentages but doesn't have the lamb that her former food (Verus puppy) had. 

I feed with a dollop of yogurt or cottage cheese on top, she licks it off. I've fed dry, with water, by hand and in treat toys (the red cube one). For her weight (21 lbs) I am to feed 2 1/4 cups a day. I divided that up to 3 3/4 cup feedings. For the past few days she's only eaten the evening meal, and she won't eat more than the 3/4 amount.

So should I switch to a new food?
Or wait it out? Is it the teething that causes the lack of interest?
I'm going to change her routine for a few days and see if that helps.

And sorry, I can't go raw. So please no suggestions on how my dog would be happier on a raw diet.


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## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

I know that when we had a puppy, she turned her nose up at her kibble while teething. We moistened it with warm water and that helped a little. We also froze kongs stuffed with her kibble and a little peanut butter and pumpkin. She liked that as well. The one other thing we did was cut her down to 2 feedings a day versus 3, that helped.

If she's healthy, she should not starve herself. It could just be that it's a little uncomfortable for her right now. I wouldn't change foods again unless you feel she's not doing well on it and you know that it's definitely the food that she doesn't like. That's just my opinion though


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## NRB (Sep 19, 2009)

you know I think that the culprit is too much food. She does get ALOT of treats; all pea sized amounts but she gets a treat each times she pees/poos outside. We're working on loose leash walking, sits and down. And name recognition. I suspect it all adds up in calories. And that she probably doesn't need 2 1/4 cup kibble a day for meals per the recomendations on the bag of puppy food.

Her breeder did tell me that she switches the pups at 4mo to adult food and removes their mid-day meal. Should have listened. So I think I'll offer meals 2x a day, and cut back to maybe 1/2 cup. And I see our vet Friday for shots, I can get her input then. And the breeder will have had time to read her email and reply by then.


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## Wynpyp (Sep 19, 2008)

Yes, treats do add up  Cutting her kibble back a little is a good idea. I go by how my boy feels. I want to feel his ribs but not see them and I like a nice defined tuck. If my boy starts to look like he is gaining a little too much, I cut his kibble a little. If he's looking a little too thin, I increase it a little.


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