# puppy wont eat his food?



## trasmuson3 (May 31, 2011)

So my 9 month old puppy won't eat his food. We have him on a schedule where he eats twice a day, once in the morning and than again at night. I don't know why he wont eat it though. Its been going on for about a month and a half now, where occasionally he will eat his food. He won't ever eat both times during the day. I am wondering if it is the food that we are feeding him? Does he not like it? We feed him a mix of sciene diet and natural balance. The thing is, is if he is around another my uncles or my in-laws dog's dog food, he runs srtaight to it and starts gobbling it up. I'm not quite sure what to do because i don't want to start buying him crappy food which is what they give to their dogs but he seems to like it. Any suggestions on how i can get my dog to eat HIS food? Another thought I had as to why he won't, is we live in this tiny studio apartment that doesn't have air condintioning and is always super hot. Could that be a reason is that he is just too hot? I appreciate the advice in advance. Thank you!

And one more question, how long do you wait until you start feeding your puppy adult dog food?


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## goonsquad (Sep 15, 2010)

Mix it with a little bit of the crappy food until you can get him used to the good food. Or, mix a little gravy in with the puppy food until its a little softer and get him accustomed to it. He may just not have a strong appetite.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Science Diet IS crappy food...The reason It's so high priced is because of the name and the fact that Vets are peddling it. It AINT that good! Try High Standard, Arcat, or Purina Pro Plan.

Also, dogs don't eat that much in the summer. I feed mine half what I feed in the winter...

And he's old enough to switch to the adult stuff.


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## trasmuson3 (May 31, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the comments. I guess i'm just being the worried first time sole owner of a dog so i'm overlooking everything. So he is running out of his puppy food, and so we will switch him over to adult dog food. What kind do you guys recommend? And is there a certain way you would transition him from the puppy to adult dog food?


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## svmoose (Feb 28, 2008)

The best way to transition was listed above. Mix them together, slowly eliminate the puppy food over a week or so. It shouldn't be a problem.


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Are there any other symptoms in play aside from being disinterested in food, or does the dog seem happy and healthy?

You haven't mentioned what breed of dog you've got or what kind of energy demands come into play - but I have been feeding Pro Plan Performance Formula with great success to my pointers for years.

I have actually used various Pro Plan versions, but prefer the Performance Formula for a few reasons. It's a small kibble, which digests easier. When feeding in the field, I also like to mix it with water to help keep the pups hydrated. The smaller kibble also seems to be easier to consume when doing this. Performance Formula is higher in protein (30%) and fat (20%) content, allowing me to feed less - which translates to less elimination.

You may also want to make sure the pup isn't filling up on treats, scraps etc. at other times during the day as well. Certain treats and chews (like rawhide) will expand in the digestive system and reduce appetite.

Good luck!


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## tigerpincer (Dec 5, 2009)

When I got my first dog as an adult I also started the pup on science diet. He wouldnt eat it. I had Richard Robinson of Robinson kennels in Idaho tell me that Science diet is poor food. That it tastes awful to the dogs and is nearly unedible. I went through many different varieties over the years. I did Iams then Ukanuba they were ok but Bronco had bowel movement problems and wouldnt put on any weight with these foods. I have been told it was likely the fact these foods contained Wheat as one of the main scources of protein. That dogs cant properly digest wheat and many grains of that nature. I moved to natural balance. Bronco liked the food ok, his bowel problems ceased (except the duck and venison varieties made him gassier than me, and that's darn gassy). He finally put on the weight I had been wanting to see. I fed him that until they quit selling the natural balance AMP around here. Once they did that I switched to Blue Buffalo. Bronco seems to like this food considerably more than even the natural balance. Its a human grade food with no grains and very high quality. Its also fairly expensive at about 50 bucks give or take for a 40lb bag. Now that I've picked up another pup giving me two dogs to feed I need a cheaper option. Ive heard good things about Kirklands best from Costco. Its affordable and doesnt contain wheat. I havent tried it yet but liked what I read on the label as well as what I've heard from the breeder that I got my new pup from. I'll probably mix it with the Blue Buffalo and see how that works out.


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## Steve Shaver (Mar 9, 2008)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> Science Diet IS crappy food...The reason It's so high priced is because of the name and the fact that Vets are peddling it. It AINT that good! Try High Standard, Arcat, or Purina Pro Plan.
> 
> Also, dogs don't eat that much in the summer. I feed mine half what I feed in the winter...
> 
> And he's old enough to switch to the adult stuff.


I totally agree with this except I feed Eukanuba and is by far the best food I have ever used. Some dogs however just have problems with certain foods but have not yet had one that didnt do well on Euk. I am currently feeding 10 dogs a day


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

There are a ton of good dog foods out there. Many feed one over the other due to owner preference and not dog preference. Not the first to say it...but there's a lot of dogs out there who have had very happy lives eating Old Roy. Can you do better, sure, but if your dog does well on it....thats all that matters.

I have a dog now who gets really sick from eating Pro Plan Performance. Have no idea whats in it that she is sensitive/allergic to, but as soon as it hits her stomach...back up it comes. Takes her a day or two to get feeling well again. Good food...just doesn't do well with that particular dog.

If your near a Costco, check out their private labeled feeds. Made by Diamond and priced decently. I was feeding VF Performance and switched over to the Kirkland (Costco) Chicken & Rice. Dog(s) doing great, readily available and I'm spending less.


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## trasmuson3 (May 31, 2011)

Yeah i didnt mention what kind he was. He is a springer spaniel/border collie mix that we picked up from the shelter about 5 months ago. But yeah, he is a dog that requires a lot of exercise which is mainly the reason i started worrying, because he runs around all day but than wont come in and eat when it is time too. But he hasnt been losing weight or anything, he is just a lean dog, but seems to be consistent in his weight. As i watched him yesterday and this morning after reading the comments, it seems that you guys are right and that he just may be too hot to eat, but when he is hungry he will eat. So i guess i need not worry about it. He'll take care of himself when it comes down to it i guess.

And about my other question. So we are just about out of puppy food so we are going to go buy adult food today before we are completely out of the puppy stuff so we can start mixin it and transistioning him over to the adult stuff. I think we are going to go with the natural balance brand. Does anyone have any opinions why not to go with that, or all in all is it a pretty good brand. We are in park city and dont have a costco membership or else we would consider that other stuff? Thanks everyone.


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## yfzduner450 (Dec 28, 2009)

Trasmuson3, 
I wouldn't stress out too much about his eating pattern. I have a border collie mutt that is about the most finicky eater that i've ever seen. I feed twice a day and some days he eats and other days he doesn't. I leave his food out and sometimes it makes it clear to the next feeding. I've kind of decided that he knows when he's hungery better then I do and i offer food to my dogs but don't force them to eat. As far as puppy food, I believe at 9 months you can start weening him off of it, just like everyone else said. As far as "good" foods, it's kind of like a chevy/ford debate. Everyone has there preferences and will tell you what it is. I believe the name of the food is not important it's whats on the inside. For most "everyday" dogs, just about any dog food will work. Now if your running hounds, stockdogs, or really working your upland game dogs then more protein is needed. I believe people can get too caught up in "whats the best" when it comes to feed. I've fed eku, nutro, science diet, iams, purina, vf, black gold, ol' roy and IFA brand. If you look what's in the dish right now it's IFA, its got good ingredients, dogs do great on it and it's at a very fair price. So take my advice for what it's worth but I've never had a dog tip over because of food choice.


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## Pintail Retrievers (Jul 21, 2010)

When switching to a new feed I have done the mixing method over the course of a couple of weeks. When I switched to my current brand a nutritionist with the company told me to switch by giving half the normal portion of the old food one feeding, then skip the next feeding, then start with the new mix. I did this with both of my dogs, one whom has a very intolerable stomach and we didnt have any loose stools at all. Pretty good process! 

Kory


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

I'll give a +1 to Kirkland (Costco) brand food. We fed our lab Enhance large breed puppy food until he was almost a year old, and then transitioned into Purina adult dog food. He wasn't doing to great on it, so we switched yet again to the Kirkland brand made with Lamb. It had all the nutritional items we had found to work for our pup, and it was less expensive than the Enhance. And the best part-he LOVES it. He's excited when we fill his dish now. You'll find that there are as many favorite brands of feed as there are people in LA. Find what works for your dog, and stick with it until something changes for the worse.

In regards to not eating- our pup did the same thing when it warmed up last year. He didn't have much of an appetite. But we kept with the feeding schedule, and let him eat when he pleased, and we found that he handled it just fine. And like Tex said, they'll likely eat less during the summer. If its an outside dog, they don't burn half the calories during summer as they do during colder months when they're trying to keep warm. Plus if its a hunting dog, they generally aren't out running around as much, so their calorie needs are lesser yet. Keep with your schedule, but feed him less, and keep an eye on his ribs. If they start to show more, he may need a bit more food. If he gets fat, feed a bit less. And pay attention to his stools. Solid is good!


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## BradN (Sep 25, 2007)

I think many dogs slow down with the heat, and eat less in the summer. When I gave my dog a summer cut, his activity level went up considerably and so did his food intake.


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