# Puppy Barely Eating



## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

Leo is now 13.5 weeks old, and has had quite a decrease in appetite lately. 

The breeder was feeding him Eukanaba LBP, which we continued to feed for 1-2 weeks. We gradually mixed in Blue Buffalo, until he was fully acclimated to that. He still was not eating as much as we feel he should be. 

We have since introduced him to Orijen for Puppies (not LBP, but calcium and phosphorous levels are the same), and have been gradually decreasing the Blue Buffalo. 

Our feeding regimen consists of 3 meals throughout the day, around 6:30 am, 12-1 pm, and 6-7 pm. He receives roughly 1.5-2 cups of food per meal, and often times barely eats 1 cup. He's looking a little thin, but remaining very active and has consistent, solid stools. 

Lately we've been adding bananas, sweet potatoes, plain yogurt, cooked ground beef, hard boiled egg, peanut butter, cottage cheese and green beans, amongst other food items we have researched that are healthy for growing pups.

Does this sound like a normal food intake? Is this common in young GSDs?


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

What does it say on the bag for his current size? I think 4.5 to 6 cups of Orijen would be way too much for a little puppy.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Make sure you look at this --> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/feeding-our-puppy/162644-pup-doesnt-want-eat-picky-eater.html

And then look at your puppy. Is he bony or look healthy for a puppy? Use the amount on the bag as merely a guideline (they are trying to sell food  ) . Look at your puppy to see if he's actually getting enough calories. I'm thinking my pup was probably eating around 4 cups at that age, but I may be wrong....


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Your pup's apperance and behavior is way more of a better indicator.

Eukanaba has a lot of calorie-sparse fillers. They have to eat a LOT of it to get their needed calories. It's not a terribly high-quality kibble. You're switching to one of the best - your pup won't need to eat as much of it to get his required calories and nutrients.

That would be my initial suspicion as to why his intake has dropped.


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## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

It says 2.75-3.5 cups of food for his size and age. That's pretty much what he's been eating since he's been transitioned to Orijen. 

He looks healthy overall, just a little thinner near his back legs. 

Thank you all for the input, I'll continue feeding him the amount listed on the chart of the bag. I plan on switching to Orijen Adult Regional Red or 6 Fish once this bag is done.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Why are you switching? He's still a puppy. I would stick with whatever he will eat and stop changing foods.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I agree with PaddyD. :/ You're just going to create a picky eater if you're switching up the food every week.


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## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

I made the first switch to Blue Buffalo because I had already purchased it for Leo before we got him. I read good things about Orijen, and decided I wanted to switch him to that food in the long run after the Blue Buffalo. 

His stools have been good, and I've done the transitioning gradually. He was consistently eating Blue Buffalo for a month before transitioning to Orijen. 

I did this to offer him one of the best possible foods I could, without going raw. How long would you feed your GSD the same food before transitioning to a new food/flavor? 

I was planning on transitioning him off of Orijen Puppy to Regional Red or 6 Fish permanently when this bag is out, which probably wouldn't be for at least 6 weeks. 

I appreciate all input.


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

For a puppy, I like to keep them on the same food for a couple months. Establish good eating habits and keep things fairly regular in case any allergy issues pop up. When they're older, then I'll rotate foods as often as every 1-2 bags.

I'd keep him on the Orijen Puppy for now if that's the brand you want to stick with so long as he is doing good on it. But try not to read too much into everything on the internet. Take it with a grain of salt, Orijen is indeed a great food and if your dog does well on it, awesome!! But it's not the best out there if the dog is having explosive diarrhea or not growing properly on it. Just throwing that out there since Orijen DOES tend to be fairly rich for some dogs. (And I've seen more than one in denial owner refuse to switch the foods because "Orijen is the best")

On another note, my girls appetite goes up and down depending on if she's going through a growth spurt or not. Sometimes she'll inhale her food and other times she eats like a bird. The appetite decrease could be that he's not growing as fast right now. I'd bet money in the next couple weeks he's going to look like he grew over night, look skinny as a rail and eat like a pig when he hits another growth spurt. LOL!


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## jwemt81 (Aug 6, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> Why are you switching? He's still a puppy. I would stick with whatever he will eat and stop changing foods.


I fully agree with this 200%. He is very young and you really need to keep feeding him the Eukanuba that his breeder was feeding him at least for a few weeks while he adjusts to his new environment. That is what he is used to. A new home, new water source, new people, new smells, and overall totally new surroundings puts a lot of stress on a puppy as it is. The last thing they need is a completely different food that they're not used to. Keep him on the food he was originally on and then if you decide you want to switch to something else several weeks later, then do it very slowly over time by mixing in the new food with the old to allow him to adjust to it. Also, if you keep changing foods, you will most likely end up with a picky eater, which you definitely don't want. If he does well on the Eukanuba and doesn't have any problems at all on it, I would probably just stick with that until you have an actual reason to change to something different. I personally go by the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" method. If he seems to like the food, has a healthy weight, healthy and shiny coat, and a good energy level, that means he is doing well on the food. A good weight for a dog is being able to feel the ribs with light, gentle palpation, but not being able to see them.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

all dogs are different when it comes to eating
but i think you're over feeding. 
1.5 to 2 cups 3 times a day could be to
much for your pup. at 13.5 weeks my pup was eating
1 cup in the am, 1 cup at noon and 1 cup in the pm.
he had snacks throughout the day plus treats
during training.

when i gave my dog p-nut butter i used organic
p-nut butter (no sugar, no perservatives and no added junk).
i only gave my dog p-nut butter when i did his nails. i would
smear it on a plate and let him lick it off while his nails were
being clipped (dremeled).



Minoli said:


> Leo is now 13.5 weeks old, and has had quite a decrease in appetite lately.
> 
> 
> 
> Our feeding regimen consists of 3 meals throughout the day, around 6:30 am, 12-1 pm, and 6-7 pm. He receives roughly 1.5-2 cups of food per meal, and often times barely eats 1 cup. He's looking a little thin, but remaining very active and has consistent, solid stools.


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## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

Yesterday he declined to eat breakfast and lunch, but ate pretty good at dinner. He really only eats Orijen Puppy if we mix other things in it. He won't eat it plain. 

Should I switch to an old food that he was on before like Eukanaba, or keep him on this? He turned down his two meals which had ground beef in 1, and raw egg in the other. It's not like him to not eat if we add extras to it. 

I don't want to keep switching foods, but I'd also like him to gain a little weight (he looks pretty thin to me) and be comfortable on a food that he has no problem eating. 

Thank you for all input.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

It is possible that your puppy has trained you to put good stuff in his food. Dogs learn fast that if they just wait, the good stuff will be added. Why eat plain if they can eat yummy stuff?


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

I agree with PaddyD. I have had GSDs for over 30 years, as well as other breeds, and have NEVER had a puppy or dog that didn't eat its kibble PLAIN and DRY from the time I got it at 8 weeks of age. Maybe they just KNOW I am Not Going to mess around and beg them to eat. Nor am I going to doctor their food to get them to eat it. I feed my dogs a TON of stuff, but I NEVER add it to their kibble. That MUST be eaten plain.


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## kitmcd (Aug 31, 2011)

Along this line, I just brought home my new 8 week GS female pup. She had very loose stool the first day (Sat), has since become mostly solid but very soft (is that too much info?). 

Took her in for first vet check today. The vet says she is too thin and we need to keep an eye on weight, plus she is absolutely the most mellow puppy I've ever been around (curled up and went to sleep on exam table), which also concerned vet somewhat. On exam, she has a mild skin rash on belly and some vaginitis (started her on antibiotic).

She is not eating well. Have her on Blue which is what she was weaned to, but bet she is not eating over 1/4 to 1/3 cup three times a day.

She had a long flight from Germany on Thurs, to the local breeder's home for a day, then a car trip to come home with us. Am I expecting too much too early?


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## Minoli (Jul 19, 2011)

We started transitioning him to Eukanuba again (what he was first weaned off of) and he has been eating more than he was before with Orijen (I think it was too rich for him). 

I don't want to keep him on a food like Eukanuba for too long, although he seems to be eating better. Would it be too soon to change him to something like Solid Gold Wolf Cub for long term?


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