Pups not eating much?

[marympierce]

The pups will be 6 months on Dec.1 and are being neutered next Friday. They're papillion mixes, and weigh 8 & 9 lbs now. They're on AvoDerm puppy food (~370kCal/cup). Coats are shiny and stools are firm, but they're gassy and have 4ish stools/day So, here's the main problem:

The past few weeks, they've quit eating as much. I give them 20 minutes to eat and pick the food up- they've lost interest long before then, though. They used to eat 1/2 cup each twice a day. If they finished that quickly, I'd give them 1/4 cup more. Now, I'm lucky if they finish 3/4 cup each per day!! Luke's eating a little less than Porkchop, and he's the bigger one! They're not losing weight as far as I can tell, and their activity level hasn't changed. They still enjoy training sessions and walks.

I was feeding them in their small crates. When they quit eating, I started putting the food just outside of their crates. It hasn't helped.

I'm just at a loss as to what to do. I tried mixing in a little Taste of the Wild Salmon- they would eat around it, or spit those pieces out. I don't want to keep switching food- I'm afraid that will just make them picky eaters.

Please HELP!

 

[ihartgonzo]

How many meals a day are they eating? 4 poops every day seems excessive... and it sounds like the Avoderm doesn't agree with their tummies too well. Are you at all open to switching? Maybe they have an aversion to avocados... ;]

 

[marympierce]

I'm have no aversion to switching at all. I just want them to eat :lol-sign: ! I totally agree- their bowel habits seem excessive to me as well. Any suggestions on which food to try? Solid Gold is really all that's available in my area. But which variety?

 

[garebear544]

I work at a pet food store, and we get a lot of returns on the Avoderm because dogs won't eat it. It's great food, and the dogs that will eat it do very well on it. Dogs that are usually picky eaters do really well with the Canidae all life stage formula. It's a good, clean food. Innova and Wellness also have puppy foods that are real good.

 

[ihartgonzo]

Solid Gold is really good kibble... I buy a lot of the other awesome products they sell, like canned Green Tripe and their seameal.

Out of their products, I feel the best is Barking at the Moon; click! Or... you could try Just A Wee Bit! It's made with Bison. click! ;D

 

[LoveNewfies]

While I agree that seems to be a lot of pooping, if they aren't losing weight, and they are still eating, I wouldn't be terribly concerned.

They may simply have reached a point that their growth has slowed and they don't need to be eating more than they are.

If you're concerned about whether they are getting enough nutrition, you can try switching to a more nutrient dense food like Orijen or Evo.

 

[marympierce]

Thanks for the replies. They're not losing weight. I'm just worried that they're not getting the vitamins/minerals that they need. I think that I'll try a higher kcal/cup food and see how that works. At least they'll get more good stuff packed in to the food they will eat!

 

[showpug]

Try the Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit for small dogs. It's a great food and I would bet money they'll like it WAY more than AvoDerm.

I would expect them to eat less now. My pugs which range in weight from 15-19 lbs. eat 1/2 cup TOTAL per day. They get 1/4 cup in the am and pm. Your dogs are half their size. I would think 1/2 cup total per day would be more than enough especially now that they are 6 months and very close to being done growing. They are probably eating less on their own now because they need less.

 

[marympierce]

Thanks, Showpug! I'm convinced that those darned estimates on the bag are just here to make me worry. I'm going to pick up a small bag of Solid Gold food tomorrow. So "Just a Wee Bit" would probably be better than "Barking at the Moon"?

 

[showpug]

Thanks, Showpug! I'm convinced that those darned estimates on the bag are just here to make me worry. I'm going to pick up a small bag of Solid Gold food tomorrow. So "Just a Wee Bit" would probably be better than "Barking at the Moon"?

I would go with the Wee Bits. I have fed it with great results!