Shoud I be concerned?

Pits4Life · 04-13-2009, 01:30 PM

Ever since we got our puppy she has always eaten like a champ. She would eat three times a day and finish every drop. She is on the Merricks Wilderness Blend and has done very well on it. For the last few days, she has had little appetite. We really cant get her to eat more than a few bites of her food and the only way she will eat is if myself or my boyfriend softens the food and literally sits there with her and stir the food up every couple of bites. Its frustrating because she doesnt seem sick at all.Her stool has been normal, activity level is the same, and no other changes have occured. Should I be concerned and what could reasons be for her going from eating like theres no tomorrow to nothing. Anything we should do? thanks

MY MIKADO · 04-13-2009, 01:44 PM

First off how old is the pup? She may be just bored with the food. You can go to the pet food store and see if they have some samples of other food you can try. Vendetta was on NutiSource Pure Vita she ate almost three bags of it then she too said no more. I switched er to Dick Van Pattens organic formula which she loves.

Pits4Life · 04-13-2009, 01:49 PM

she is 15 weeks old. Its weird because if i take a handful of the food and feed her from my hand she eats it but put the bowl in front of her and she doesnt want it.

MY MIKADO · 04-13-2009, 02:04 PM

She will eat when she is hungery enough. Don't fuss around her with her food set it down and walk away.

BedlamBully · 04-13-2009, 03:13 PM

Put her food down for a half hour and if she doesn't eat it pick it up and put it away then don't put it down until her next normal feeding(that day). Again if she doesn't eat after a half hour put it away, she will get the idea.

Dont hand feed her anything or feed any table scraps or treats. She should just get her own food period. It can make dogs picky eaters, but Mikdao is right...she will eat whatever you put infront of her when she's hungry enough lol.

Also how much are you feeding her? At three times a day it should only be a cup of food at a time so 3cups a day max.

shadowgames · 04-13-2009, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsar16

she is 15 weeks old. Its weird because if i take a handful of the food and feed her from my hand she eats it but put the bowl in front of her and she doesnt want it.

She is a pit bull, she lives to please you. Listen to BedlamBully, right on the money great advice there.

Pits4Life · 04-13-2009, 03:59 PM

Thanks guys

FloorCandy · 04-13-2009, 04:21 PM

You could look in her mouth and make sure you don't see anything wrong, like an abcess or sore or anything, if all looks normal, just stick to your guns, and she will eat when she's hungry :-)

Pits4Life · 04-15-2009, 01:26 PM

so we are a member on a forum for am bullys and we found this recipe for dogs that they apparently love. its got a lot in it, ground beef,total cereal,molassas,egg,wheat germ,etc. You feed it to them raw and its a good weight gainer and has a lot of protein. We made it for capri sine she hasnt been eating all that well. We mixed it in with her kibble and the first few times we gave it to her she ate it up like crazy. then last night and this morning she is back to not eating. I dont know what her deal is.

**Indigo Bully Connection** · 04-15-2009, 02:06 PM

Do not use that recipe for puppies. It is waay to much for them. The recipie is intended for adult dogs who need to put weight on. If you want to go raw please contact Shadowgames, he seems to know alot about the nutrition that your dogs/pups will need. That is the recipe for satin balls that made my adult dog gain 6 pounds in 6 days. You don't want to put too much weight on a growing pup no matter what these Am Bully people say it is detrimental to propper bone grown and development.

Pits4Life · 04-15-2009, 02:21 PM

Hmm, interesting. We figured it wouldnt hurt for her since she is a little underweight. She was when we got her so we have been trying to catch her up. I should also mention that we have been only mixing in about a 1/4 of a cup of the recipe in with her kibble.

**Indigo Bully Connection** · 04-15-2009, 02:30 PM

when a person properly feeds that recepie to an adult dog they're only to feed 3% of the dogs total body weight with NO kibble to gain weight. One "ball" is 12,400 calories. Really, she's just being a picky eater and I would listen to Bedlam...she won't starve herself to death. People who use that recepie for pups are those breeders who are looking to achieve that "wow factor" and not concerned about the dogs over all health.

**Indigo Bully Connection** · 04-15-2009, 02:32 PM

also, one "ball" (i make em into patties so i can freeze them and unthaw them as needed) should weigh 1/3 of a pound

Pits4Life · 04-15-2009, 08:30 PM

thanks for the info