I'm new and have a question.

pomlover · Member Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 106

Hi, sorry if this is in the wrong place to post this, but I had a question about my Pomeranian. She is 6 months old and she is not eating much. I give her a cup of Science diet puppy small bites each day and she isn't even eating half of it anymore. She has been on this food ever since she was weaned so it isn't anything new for her. I am worried that she isn't eating though! Is this common for a toy breed to slow down their amout of food at 6 months of age? Is Science Diet a good food to be feeding her or should I try to change her to something else? Any information you could provide me with would be greatly appreciated. (She does drink plenty of water too.)

nern · Moderator Joined: 14 Mar 2004 Posts: 5047 Location: NY

As pups get older they do tend to eat less because their calorie requirements begin to decrease. Unless she is losing weight I would'nt worry too much about it. If she is losing weight or starts to lose weight I would have her checked by a vet.
Personally, I don't care for Science Diet. Innova is one of my favorite brands. Unfortunately, there is no one brand that works well for all dogs...you just have to find what works best for your individual dog.

MyBabyShihPoo · Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2004 5:27 am Post subject:

Hi pomlover, it looks like your question has been answered, I just wanted to stop by to say WELCOME!!! Surprised

Kind Regards! Very Happy

pomlover · Member Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 106

Thank you for your reply! Also, thank you for the welcome. Smile

I guess I just jumped the gun a bit when she would always finish her food right away and now she is leaving it. I gave her some before bed last night and she didn't even touch it. Still a full bowl full. Guess I will just leave it there for her to eat when she does get hungry. I haven't heard of Innova before. Will have to see if I can find out anything about it. Thanks again, I appreciate it!!

PooGirl13 · Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 677

Hi & welcome to the boards!! Surprised

Yeah, my Molly and Emma do the same thing every now and then. I don't worry about it because they are still extremely active. Based on things I've read, when the not eating is in conjunction with other symptoms (lack of energy, diarrhea etc.) then there could be a problem, but if all else is normal then she is probably just not that hungry. Also, I'm not sure where you live but I know sometimes in the summer I don't eat as much and maybe that's true for dogs too! Mr. Green

About the food, my own personal feeling is that I won't feed my girls anything with a lot of fillers etc. in it or food that can sit on a shelf for months and months. We feed them Back to Basics, which is high quality human grade food. It does have a short shelf life, but we have learned to time it out just right. They were on Iams puppy food (the breeder started them on this) but over time we got them off that.. I don't like any of those foods. I've noticed a big change in the girls, they are really thriving on it!

There's been a lot of debate on food but it's basically all what your personal beliefs/preferences are & what your dog likes.

MonsterBailey · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1280

HELLO POMLOVER!
Welcome to the board!! Smile

I ditto what everyone else says... I went through the EXACTTTTTT same thing with my Bailey too! And now that i do the math, he was around the same age.... I've found that he goes through stages... some months he eats a LOT, and some months he eats very little. I was very worried at first, but I finally realized he'd eat when he's hungry! Smile

Anyhow, no worries as long as you aren't having any other symptoms! One sure fire thing to look for (if it wasn't already mentioned) was to make sure that his/her stool is solid and "normal".... Smile

(that's always a pleasant conversation, isn't it??hehe)

pomlover · Member Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 106

Thank you all for your replies. I have been watching her stools everytime she goes. I am sure it looks funny, she does her business and I go right behind to "check it out!" Wink

Sure hope the neighbors aren't watching. LOL. Anyway, she is drinking fine and no runny stools so I have calmed down some. Still wish she would eat, but I guess she will do as she pleases.

MonsterBailey · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1280

Pomlover... I actually had to get down on the ground and pretend I was eating his food. I would take some in my hand... and then do the ole 'Mmmm mmmm good' and then "eat it" ... then I'd offer him some, like I was sharing this GRRRREAT treat! LOL... but it WORKED. I know we have a thread on the old auspet board full of advice that I got from other people when I was going through all of this... I'll see if I can find it.

MonsterBailey · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1280

mannnnn time flies! I would have bet the farm on the fact that the "bailey not eating" thread was on the previous auspet board... and hmmm I was thinking it was around December. SILLY ME! Anyhow, it was March and here is the thread.

http://www.auspet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=101

There was lots of great advice! and even suggestions on some vitamin supplements. The "look what mommy is eating" trick seemed to work for us though!

pomlover · Member Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 106

Thank you for the link. I will definately check it out!

Brian · Member Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 23 Location: Toronto

Pomlover, Welcome! Please post a pic of your baby.

Bamboo the Shih Tzu

Brian

MyBabyShihPoo · Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2004 5:30 am Post subject:

If it is okay with your vet, you may want to try and put a little 'VitaGravy' on your pup's food to make it a little more appetizing! Your the best

pomlover · Member Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 106

I will definately check to see if the vet has anything to say about the VitaGravy. Also thought about mixing in some cottage cheese or something to see if that will help. Have even tried the "look what mommy is eating" and it didn't seem to help any yet. Maybe will have my daughters try. Lacie seems to just love my youngest daughter who is 7 so I might have her try. Here is a try at posting Lacies pic, hope it works. Not really sure how to post them yet.

PooGirl13 · Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 677

Looks like you mastered the art of picture posting!! She's adorable!!! Surprised

MonsterBailey · Super Senior Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 1280

she IS adorable!! And ya know, I didn't realize she was a pom (derrr!) and so small... I know you gotta watch for hypoglycemia (or is it hyperglycemia?), so make sure she is eating.... You don't want her getting low blood sugar, that's for sure

MyBabyShihPoo · Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 2:32 am Post subject:

AWWWW, she is so fluffy...verrrrrry cute!!! Surprised

Another thought about her not eating, have you tried mixing in some wet canned food with her kibble? (Be sure you really mix it in, otherwise she might just eat the canned food and leave behind the kibble! Wink

)

Thanks for sharing a pic of your beautiful little girl! Very Happy

pomlover · Member Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 106

Thanks all for the kind comments on my baby. She is starting to eat a bit more on her own now. I will definately try the canned mixed in with the hard if she goes in reverse instead of forward. Hubby really didn't want to start giving her canned also just for the fact that she is stubborn enough, he figured she would only want the canned then. Smile