puppy going off her food, why??

[NRB]

I got a 3mo standard schnauzer puppy about one month ago (now she is 4mo) She was on 2 1/4 cup Verus puppy food. I divided that into 3 feedings of 3/4 cup each with a dollop of yogurt or cottage cheese on top. She ate with gusto. But I can't get Verus so i switched her to Innova's puppy food in a 2 week time period. Once I had her fully switched over she started to turn her nose up a little. She'd eat some but not all of her meals. The past 3 days she's not touched her am or noon meal, but eats her dinner. And will not eat more than 3/4 cup. 3 days ago she also had a watery stool, but ti's been normal ever since. She is teething. She is @ 21 lbs and looks great. Happy, healthy, bouncing puppy.

SO is she
1) eating the right amount for her? and I shouldn't worry?
2) ready for a new puppy food that interests her?
3) does teething cause them to go off their food?
4) under stress so isn't eating??
5) not working/playing hard enough in the am to want to eat? She's at home all am, and just follows us around, goes outside to pee/poop but no hard core play sessions nor long walks.

I do take her to the barn in the evening, around 4pm. So she's been offered 2 meals before then that she doesn't eat. She trys to eat the barn dog food. (I stop her) and wants to eat manure (again I control as much as possible and keep her leashed) When we come home she eats her evening meal at 7pm fine.

Any suggestions? We see the vet on Friday for shots I can ask the Dr then.

[IFG]

My puppy hated the Innova Large Puppy food. Since you have a Standard Schnauzer, is that what you are feeding?

He liked the Solid Gold large puppy better.

[Simkie]

Teething can certainly cause them to go off food.

3/4 c three times a day for a 21 lb dog is A LOT. Does she really need all those calories? I have a 70 lb dog who gets 1 c twice a day (she ate 2 cups or less a day as a puppy.)

What do you do when she doesn't eat? Do you pick the food up? How long do you give her? If you are leaving the food down, pick it up. Give her 10 minutes to eat. If she doesn't clean up her meal by then, pick her food up. Offer again when she'd due to be fed again.

I have no experience with Innova puppy food--I've always started my puppies on the regular Innova dog food, and have never had issues with doing so (used to be Innova didn't even offer a puppy food.) Perhaps try the regular Innova?

[pintopiaffe]

Teething can definitely be the culprit. Just like human kiddos, they can even run a slight fever and just feel generally yukky at certain times.

No experience with those foods, but plenty with teething canines and equines. (and now felines. :dead: ouch!)

[Nezzy]

call the vet. It's not normal for a dog to go off their food. could be many things.

[NRB]

I think Simke is right on this one; I'm feeding too much food. I'll cut back and feed only 2x a day and see where I get with that. I also treat alot; a treat for peeing outside; we're working on loose leash walking; sits and downs. So that's a lot of calories there. I use pea sized amounts of treat or kibble. But I suspect it adds up. As to the dog food given at meals I was going by the guidelines on the dog food bag, which are just that a guide. A rough estimate.


Simke I do offer food, wait 10 min then take the food up. I do not let it sit all day.

IFG the puppy food is their only puppy food (at least at this store) and doesn't say large or small. It is the triangle shaped kibble, and seems to be exact same ingrediant list as the adult. Only difference is that the puppy is 28% as opposed to 24% protien, and 16% as opposed to 14% fat. But oddly the adult food has more calories at 504 kcal/cup verses 454 kcal/cup in the puppy food.

Nezzy; this isn't a call the vet situation since the pup is eating, just not eating as often as before; but I do see the vet in 3 days so I can ask then. This dog eats her kibble from my hand when I use it as a reward in training. She also eats the higher value treats (tiny bits of shredded chicken, pea sized amounts of meatballs and halved Newmans dog biscuts- again it's the size of my fingernail) And she eats her dinner meal with gusto.

I just think that all the treating is adding up.

The breeder did tell me at 4mo to switch her to adult food and drop her mid day meal. I should have listened. But when she stopped eating her am meal I'd offer her again at the midday to see if she was interested. But by then we'd gone potty a few times (treats) and worked a little on sits (more treats) and some loose walking (ok too many treats)

[IFG]

You can never give too many treats. Just adjust the amount that you are feeding in the bowl for the amount of kibble you are using for treats. We measured the total amount for the day, then got our treats from what we had measured, then fed what was left in a bowl or a toy.

The triangle shape Innova puppy food is the regular one. Most places don't carry the large puppy. It is round.

[NRB]

You can never give too many treats. Just adjust the amount that you are feeding in the bowl for the amount of kibble you are using for treats. We measured the total amount for the day, then got our treats from what we had measured, then fed what was left in a bowl or a toy.

yeah I was doing a decent job of adjusting the meals to account for the treats but then my horse got injured, and now he's laid up with a suspensory tear and I seem to be at loose ends everywhere else. my brain must have quit working. The horse injury/stall rest is taking up more time and brain cells at the moment.

[IFG]

You have my sympathies on the horse. It gets difficult when you have too many balls in the air.

[NRB]

Switched pup to 1/4 cup kibble in am. And 3/4 cup in pm. So far so good. That gives me 1/2 cup to use as treats throughout the day. She was 20.5 lbs on the vets scale on Sept 1st. Yesterday On my scale at home she was @ 22-23 lbs. Will be interesting to see what she is on the vets scale tomorrow.