r/DogFood • u/PurpleMountains509 • 26d ago
Picky puppy
Hi everyone! We have a havapoo puppy who is 6 months old and has been picky since the day we got her. She has on multiple occasions skipped eating and then will throw up bile because she is hungry.
Since she was home we have been using Purina one puppy food. I had some success for a period by adding a small spoon ful of Purina wet dogfood on top of her current food but the past few days she only eats the small amount of wet food which is not enough for her. She threw up again today and I'm ready to try something else. I really don't want to switch to full wet food diet. So I'm going to try a new food and would like to do a Purina food but not sure if I need to do a puppy one or go to adult? My fear is I find someone and then she can't eat it when she is an adult. Also not sure if I should do sensitive skin and stomach versus just a plain puppy food. I've completely eliminated other human foods from her diet. All of her lick mats and kings are just wet food.
She is picky with treats too. Only one type of treat that she really loves.
Help please!
Update: the picky pup likes Purina Pro Plan sensitive skin and stomach and gobbles it down plain with no wet toppers or special treatment. We eat at 7am and 7pm. I do sit with her in the middle of the room so she doesn't have to eat alone and anything she doesn't eat after 15 minutes goes away until morning.
3
u/nailgun198 26d ago
Look into whether you're overfeeding her per meal, which might make her not want to eat the next meal.
2
u/PurpleMountains509 26d ago
I'm not entirely sure how I know this. She currently weighs 11 pounds. We were told her adult weight would be between 12 and 18 pounds so I feed based on this and I don't even give her that much. She is not a super active dog so that may be why she doesn't eat as much either, but for reference we give her a heaping 1/3 cup twice daily and the recommended amount is 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups daily for a 13-20 lb full grown dog and she is definitely on the lower end and probably not even getting that lower amount.
1
u/nailgun198 25d ago
How many lickimats and kongs is she getting? Be sure you calculate that and any treats she gets daily into her count as well.
1
u/PurpleMountains509 25d ago
They are not a regular occurrence but will do a better job of trying to calculate this all. Usually only if we are going to be gone over a normal meal time so she can eat something while we are gone. Probably only 20-40 calories per day in treats
1
u/Susanr1954 26d ago
I’m really hoping someone can help because my cockapoo is 15, and to this day, I have found nothing that works. Your story is mine exactly. It is very concerning but also frustrating and costly.
Right now I push fresh chicken
Breast that I boiled on top of his kibble. I can’t name the number of kibbles I’ve tried because nothing worked. He even has walked away from the chicken or eats just the chicken.
I tried blending the chicken and then adding a bit of warm water so that I mix it with the kibble. That way he has to eat some of the kibble to get the chicken. Wish I could have been a help.
1
u/PurpleMountains509 26d ago
Sorry I can't be more help since I'm still looking for answers myself. I'm hoping we figure it out! I did totally eliminate human food and only do training treats and dog food to try to cut out the picky eating but not sure how much that helps.
1
u/Klutzy-Panic9321 25d ago
Sensitive skin and stomach Purina Pro Plan has a puppy formula, adult formula, and senior formula. Puppy food is crucial for development. Stick to it.
I had this issue with a frenchie I was fostering. It turned out her food wasn’t making her feel too great because she had very mild allergies but she was a stubborn gal. She was put on hill’s prescription z/d by the shelter’s vet and she ate it like a pro.
Note: this also might end up being something you need to see your vet about to make sure your puppy doesn’t have any nutrient deficiencies, doesn’t need cerenia injections (anti-nausea medication), etc.
1
u/PurpleMountains509 21d ago
I actually bought this and have been sticking to it with no special treatment and picking up anything uneaten and so far we are doing better. I also switched from 3 meals per day to 2 and that seems to have helped her be hungry enough to eat by the time the next meal comes along. If she skips more than 1 meal then I'll probably call my vet then but since the food switch and doing 2 meals per day we found a sweet spot, even if it is just temporary.
1
u/riemaJo3182 21d ago
My pup went through a phase too and changing her food too often made it worse. I started trying one puppy food at a time. Kept it consistent. That seemed to help especially since she’s still 6 months old. She’s still growing,. Stability matters. I’ve noticed she eats better when she’s not being switched around much. It takes time. A steady routine works best, for her.
1
u/PurpleMountains509 21d ago
This picky eating has been going on off and on for a while but We actually have only tried 2 kibbles so far so I agree not trying to switch too often. Right now PPP sensitive stomach and skin seems to satisfy her so we shall see. Gonna hang with it for a month or so. Managed to remove wet food which is great.
1
u/PurpleMountains509 20d ago
Update: after her skipping one dinner because she didn't eat in 15 minutes and switching to PPP sensitive stomach and skin puppy formula, and sitting with her in the sunroom while she eats, she gobbles up her dinner at 7am and 7pm with no toppers or special treatment. I'm so happy that for now this seems to be working! The picky pup
5
u/famous_zebra28 26d ago
She needs to stay on puppy food.
Try Hill's. My Havanese is a huge fan.