# Eating habits



## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark will be 14 weeks on Friday and is a happy, healthy, ENERGETIC puppy.

He is constantly on the go; that said, I don't feel he is eating enough.

He is fed 3 times per day still, 1 cup every meal and he gets about a handful of raw meat and/or fish at dinner time.

He will some times go a day with only eating 1 cup of his food, he sometimes doesn't even eat his raw meat.

There are other days where he will eat all of his food and still want more.

There is no pattern such as the more excerise he gets the more hungry, etc.

He is walked 3 times per day (early morning, late afternoon when it cools down, and again at night before bed) and gets plenty of play time with his cousin dog and a few training sessions inbetween.. 

All of the other dogs I have owned (Shepherds) have always been great eaters.

I don't think he is looking thin for his age and he does have a vet appointment on Friday for his last set of boosters and rabies shot so I will ask then too, but was wondering if anyone else ever had this problem?

Or IS IT a problem?

ETA: My concern is that he has more NOT eating enough days than eating days.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

maybe he doesn't like what you're feeding him.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Jerzey was (and still is!) a pretty fickle eater as well when she was a puppy. Some days she would hardly touch her food, others she was begging for more. Because she was (and has) never been chubby or overweight I just go along with that she wants.

For example, if Jerzey eats all of her morning kibble and is sniffing around for food in the afternoon I'll just put another cup in there to see if she's still hungry.

If she doesn't eat her kibble for breakfast I generally just leave it down all day so she can eat it at her leisure. Jerzey gets raw for dinner, too. However, if she doesn't eat her morning kibble and eats it for dinner she doesn't get her raw dinner on top of it. For me, I don't like to mix the two so if she decides to eat her kibble around dinner time that's all she gets for the evening.

From what I can understand it's not uncommon for GSDs to be finicky or even picky eaters. As long as the pup is a healthy weight and active I wouldn't worry too much. You could always try a dash of garlic powder over the food to make it smell more enticing. Jerzey won't even smell her food twice without it!









P.S. I have a feeling someone will ask but what food are you feeding?


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I am feeding 1 cup of Origen LBP 3 times per day (bag says to feed 6 per day).

The raw does NOT get mixed with the kibble, it is given after or before the kibble.

I have also tried taking the food away after 20 minutes, 15 minutes and even 10 minutes then placing down again a few hours later - no go.

I have tried leaving the food there all day - no go again.

He was started on Wellness LBP but he did not eat that either and got loose stool, so we switched to Origen and his stool is great and he is a great 'pooper'







he just doesn't seem like he is eating enough - he must be, he is very active, healthy and looks great it just still worries me..


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: doggiedadmaybe he doesn't like what you're feeding him.


I am not sure about that because some days he whines when I am preparing his food.

Especially at dinner when he gets raw.

There is no pattern which makes me think that this isn't the case.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Cut him back to two feedings a day. I have had Karlo on 2 x's since he was about 12 weeks. He is the largest in the littter and it seems there was a competition(agility puppy owners) on who's is the smallest. He weighs 47#@18 weeks, so is not small, very food motivated! The littermate(girls) are all in the 30#'s so it is a big spread on weight~My MOOSE loves to eat, but I don't overfeed him.








On the subject of his shots, please do not get the booster and rabies in the same period. I would do the rabies a week or two after his last vac. It is a risky combo, IMO. My vet is ok with this, though I get charged for an exam unfortunately just for the rabies poke. It is worth it...though. http://www.doglogic.com/vaccination.htm


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: onyx'girlCut him back to two feedings a day. I have had Karlo on 2 x's since he was about 12 weeks. He is the largest in the littter and it seems there was a competition(agility puppy owners) on who's is the smallest. He weighs 47#@18 weeks, so is not small, very food motivated! The littermate(girls) are all in the 30#'s so it is a big spread on weight~My MOOSE loves to eat, but I don't overfeed him.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have tried doing the 2 feeding per day and he still doesn't eat enough for my liking, I tried it for about 1 week (last week), still the same thing.

I am probably worried over nothing but I just want him to grow and to be as healthy as he can.

As per the shots - 

I have never heard of doing them seperate?

What are some of the risks?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I edited my post to give you Jean Dodd's vaccination protocol.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: onyx'girlI edited my post to give you Jean Dodd's vaccination protocol.


Thanks - off to read!


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

I _would_ say that your pup is holding out for the raw, but you said that he sometimes doesn't want to eat that either. Hm, tricky. A lot of kibble and raw fed dogs will wait out for the "good stuff." I know Jerzey does. That's why, if she doesn't eat her morning kibble, she gets no raw in the evening, just that same bowl of kibble. Might be worth considering...

Like I said, a shake of garlic worked for us. Or try putting a little bit of water in it... the vet actually recommended that we do that when Jerzey wasn't eating. Oddly, she prefers her kibble like that usually. *Shrugs* It's not, like, soupy or mushy... it just has a quick run-under-the-faucet's worth of water in it. Maybe it helps bring out the smell of the food? I have no idea.


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