suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I have an eight week old toy poodle i am having problems getting him to eat. I have tried everything that the vet and people at the poodle society have suggested but food just doesnt seem to interest him. Im desperate for any other ideas. Can somebody help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 What did the breeder tell you to feed him? What are you feeding him now? Do you stand over the top of him or hover anxiously around him at dinner time? Is there food left out for him all the time (eg. kibble)? Is he eating at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Ive been told to give hime cooked chicken mince,cheese scrambled eggs, weetbis, rice cereal. You name it ive tried it. He will eat a tiny bit first thing in the morning and then wont eat for the rest of the day unless you hand feed him something your eating. Im trying not to do that because it will get him into bad habits but im just worried hes not getting enough to eat. He was bottle fed from 2 weeks old as his mother was stolen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) . Edited May 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 The person wasnt a breeder but has owned poodles for several years. She was giving him Wombaroo dog milk replacer and raw mince. He was seven weeks old when I brought him home. Hes not stressed at all he has settled in very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 OK - this is not a balanced diet for a pup. Furthemore, there is nothing here to work his teeth and jaws - VERY important for pups. The bottle feeding would not have assisted with weaning so you now have the challenge of introducing a proper diet. You either need to feed manufactured good quality puppy food (eg. kibble) with possibly extras OR read up and feed him a raw diet. Otherwise, he won't get the vitamins and minerals needed for proper growth and development. The RAW diet is my preference and frankly they I think they do better. I would suggest you buy a couple of chicken necks and give him one raw to see what he makes of it. Crush it with a mallet or hammer if he is a bit overwhelmed by it. Lose ALL the wheatbix and cereal - puppies can't digest it and it could be gumming him up a bit. Has the vet checked him out for any medical issues? If so, time to harden your heart. He IS eating but on his terms. Smart little devil. Give him his meal. Put it down for 10 minutes in his feeding area and WALK AWAY. Come back, pick up any left overs and get rid of them. Anorexia in dogs is very rare and I suspect that this pup is beginning to train you well. A bit of hunger may produce more motivation to eat. At this age, you should be offering 4 meals a day. When you say he's eating "a little" in the morning could you estimate how much food that is? Half a cup, more, less? Their stomachs are tiny at this age - little and often is the key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Just out of interest - are you leaving milk down for him all the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Hes only eating about three teaspoons a day. I have had him checked by me vetand he said he was a bit thin when I first got him. I have tried tucker time,pal puppy food, divine, raw chicken necks and wings and i have proper puppy biscuits but he wont even look at those. I leave dry food out and water all the time and put what he doesnt eat back in the fridge and try him two hours later but he just shys away from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 I leave dry food out and water all the time and put what he doesnt eat back in the fridge and try him two hours later but he just shys away from it. If you're leaving dry food out all the time, this explains why he wouldn't be that interested in other meals. He ain't hungry. Personally, I don't let my dogs demand feed in this way but that's your choice. I suggest you try taking the dry food off the floor for a couple of days and reintroducing other food. Its more palatable if its at room temperature or slightly warmed so try that too. Another option is to try some chicken "pet" mince which includes bone. He hasn't really had to tackle anything "solid" - milk and mince is too easy so he may be putting it in the "too hard" basket. I'd then offer him a crushed neck or pet chicken mince at room temperature - just the tiniest bit and see what he makes of it. Don't fret if he misses a couple of meals (and believe me I know how easy it is to do that) Is he getting lots of playtime and running around - exercise also stimulates appetite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 He does heaps of running around and playing. I have two children at home 20yrs and 17yrs they play with him all the time he has everyones attention. He also plays with the cat. Ive tried pet mince he just turns his nose up at it. Ive tried chicken necks as wel but he just looks at me as if to say "What is that". He is sitting on my lap right now trying to drink my cup of tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 You are going to have to tough it out... he will eat if he's hungry enough. Do not feed him titbits from your own meals - that way lies ruination. Try crushing the chicken neck... You can, of course simply choose to feed good puppy kibble which he already eats. It's not a fabulous teeth cleaner . Forget adult canned food (personally I'd forget it completely) it doesn't have the right contents for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) . Edited May 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 To add from the excellent advice from poodlefan, it is very important that you dont hover and try and coax him to eat. This can actually have the opposite effect as he can pick up on your stress and transfer that to the food and the eating process. What is a normal proacess becomes stressful so he avoids eating and shys away from the food. Instead, as poodlefan suggested, walk away and dont stick around after you have put the food down. Dont eyeball him (ie avoid eye contact with him), talk to him or hang around. If you want to watch, watch from the other side of the kitchen counter, through a window or another room. You may find at first he still doesnt eat. He is learning the new routine and still has to get over his aversion to the food and eating process. Stick at it and dont go back to coaxing. Make the food available about 4 times a day for 10 minutes only. I agree with picking up the dry food and definitely look to changing what you are feeding to something more appropriate for a growing pup (I too advocate a raw/BARF diet, but if you dont want to do that I suggest a commercially prepared food that contains the calcium etc he will need rather than cereal and boneless mince etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 He wont touch his biscuits. Ive tried crushed chicken necks and warmed them but Axel just wont touch them. Ive tried soaking his dog biscuits in warm water. Still wont eat them. The Lady from the poodle society in perth suggested I take him out to stay with her for a couple of days. As he didnt have any other puppies with him to compete for food. She thinks he will start eating properly if he has other puppies around him at meal times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Hes likes chewing on those puppy denta bones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) . Edited May 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 Is this one of the pups from they 8 yr old blind bitch that had a litter?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Yes its one of the pups from the 8 year old blind dog. Her eyes only got worse after having the puppies. She was booked in to have her cataracts done before she fell pregnant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzi_q12 Posted July 13, 2005 Author Share Posted July 13, 2005 Thank you Anne I will ask my vet on Saturday when I take Axel for a check Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted July 13, 2005 Share Posted July 13, 2005 (edited) Yes its one of the pups from the 8 year old blind dog. She was booked in to have her cataracts done before she fell pregnant. Someone bred an 8 year old blind bitch. :rolleyes: Poor bloody dog. This wasn't a registered breeder was it.... She was "allowed" to become pregnant, Suzi. No offence to you and your pup but the breeding of a blind dog is not a practice I can agree with. It explains why the pup had to be hand raised - poor Mum wouldn't have been able to. :cool: Did she reject the pups? Edited July 13, 2005 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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