# 10month old eating very little



## Nickole (Jan 5, 2019)

I am so sorry this is long but I really don’t know what else to do and could really use some help.

I have a 10 almost 11 month old male GSD his name is Tucker and he is the most weird, crazy, goofy, stupid, clumsy, cat like dog ever and we love him and all his issues, but one. We got him when he was 2 months old. He was on a food he did not like so we moved him to Nulo. He hated it so we tried eukanuba. He was fine with it but didn’t eat like we wanted him to. Then at 4 months old we found taste of the wild and man did he eat. He eat what was recommended for his age and weight and activity level. Then at around 7 months he stopped eating as much so we got some toppers for him and he eat normal again for like a week. At the end of his 7 month mark we moved him to the barf raw diet and he did wonderful for a month until he started burying his food and not eating as well. Do to not eating the food and the price of it we took him off the raw diet and put him back on taste of the wild. He did alright on dry food again for about 3 days then went back to his old ways and has been getting worse as time goes on. We have put yogurt, wet food, peanut butter, gravy, water, human food, gels, and powders in his food and he will lick the kiddle clean and then spit it back out. In total he is eating about a cup to a 1 1/2 cups a day maybe 2 on a good day and that’s only if I put toppers on it. We have thought about switching his food so we went out and got samples of different foods. He showed the most interest in Nulo. So we got a bag, he goes crazy smelling the bag, put some down in a bowl he walks away without touching it. He is 75 pounds and doesn’t look starved. The vet even says he looks good. But for his age and weight he should be eating around 4 cups a day and I have to bend over backwards to get him to even look at his food. He has also started begging really bad for food like he is starving and he has no food but he does. We thought it was his food and with the switch and still not eating we don’t know what to do anymore. I am a believer that they will eat when he’s hungry but with hip dysplasia common in GSD and having had a dog good through it I want to do everything I can to hold it off as long as possible and with him not eating he isn’t getting the proper stuff he need and that can potentially affect his health down the road. 

So I guess my questions would be. Is it normal for a 10 to 11 month old pup to be eating 1 to 2 cups a day? Have you experienced this before and what did you do? Should I just let him eat the amount he wants even if he isn’t getting the amount of stuff he should be and maybe look for supplements instead?

I have included some more current pictures to show what he looks like and that he doesn’t look underweight.
I really, really appreciate your help and thank you all so much.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I think all of my GSDs went through a picky eater stage around that age. It’s frustrating for sure. Mine eventually got over it. 

I’m not one to do the “if you don’t eat this dry kibble in 15 minutes, then I’m picking it up” thing. I’ve always added different things in, and changed it around daily, or every couple of days. Sometimes they'd eat, and sometimes they wouldn’t. I'll admit it was particularly maddening on a show dog that really needed to eat, or it would lose weight. 

At the time it never occurred to me that my anxiousness over getting a dog to eat would make it worse. I have a young dog right now that picks up every little nuance of my feelings, so me trying super hard to get her to eat would backfire on me!


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## Kari01 (Sep 7, 2018)

My girl is 11 months old and around 73lbs and very similar to your dog. She has been picky and a small eater since 8 weeks and we have used a rotation toppers, wet food and meat scraps in her bowl to get her to eat. I tried for several weeks being strict and giving her only kibble and she ate small amounts only and she seldom seemed interested, even after a long day out in the woods. I don't think that method worked for us. 

I haven't got into the habit of switching her food multiple times, but what I have found effective is I put a bowl of kibble and leave it by her bed (in my bedroom) at night times. She usually eats about 2 cups at around 2 to 3am. My girl is very high energy, active, alert and would much rather have toy than a food treat. So I think her having the option later in the day when the environment is calm and she has calmed down is more preferable for her. Just my experience and what works for us


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