Matt1983  Offline
early riser
Joined: Jan 04, 2012
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Posts: 6
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108 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 1
Lab Names: Nala
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 Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:56 am Post subject: Hello and Help! |
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Hi,
I've had my yellow lab (Nala) for nearly two weeks now but I'm struggling to get her to eat three meals a day. I'm feeding her Eukanuba which is what the breeder was feeding her and provided me with a 1kg bag of to get her started. At first I tried mixing in a tea spoon of canned meat to encourage her (as advised by the breeder) but she simply ate the meat and a couple of biscuits. I'm not keen on feeding her meat at this stage, she's now 11 weeks old. I then started to moisten the biscuits with warm water and at breakfast she manages to eat nearly 80g of biscuit, but then barely anything for the rest of the day. I thought yesterday was going to be a new milestone when she ate 60g at breakfast and then the best part of 60g at lunch, we then went to the vets for her 2nd vaccination and she didnt eat last night and this morning she just had a few biscuits and walked away. The vet said she has worms and gave me a course of tablets which I begun when I got home, I suspect this may contribute to her lack of appetite. She's full of joys during the day, she plays a lot, poops and wee's almost always outside now and sleeps a lot too, which I believe is perfectly normal for a puppy her age! I'm just concerned about the eating, she weighed 4.7kg yesterday and you can see she needs to eat a bit more. I'm hoping that once I can start walking her and the worming tablets take effect she'll build up more of an appetite.
Any suggestions in the meantime would be most welcome!
Matt
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_Jules_ Offline
And the Girls
Joined: Sep 27, 2005
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Posts: 33574
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242523 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 2
Lab Names: Mojo, Pickle, Pood And Twoee
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Location: Essex
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| Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:24 am Post subject: |
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I hate to say it, but at her age and especially her weight, she should be on 4 meals a day not 3. Little and often is the way with these tiny pups, as too much in one go and they don't digest it properly.
I know others are different, but if I have a pup who won't eat what I'm giving them, then I change their food to one they will eat, as I think it's vital to get enough nutrition into them at this stage of rapid growth.
I had one pup come to me on Beta and she was like your Nala, would just pick at it if I was lucky, so she was swiftly changed onto a different kibble with raw tripe mixed in. I know some folk will tell you if you pander to them, it'll make them fussy, but honestly, I've had three picky pups, who've turn into dogs who'll eat ANYTHING, even though I took the soft approach while they were growing.
Worms usually make them ravenously hungry, not lose their appetite, so I doubt that's the problem here. It's more likely she only ate the Eukanuba at the breeders because there was so much competition. Now she is on her own, she is telling you it's "Yuck". 
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Jules, Mojo, Pickle, Pood and Twoee.
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Matt1983 Offline
early riser
Joined: Jan 04, 2012
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Posts: 6
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108 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 1
Lab Names: Nala
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Gender:
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Items
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| Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:03 am Post subject: |
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Thank you for your reply. My vet did give me a puppy pack as a new member and this contained some different biscuits which I shall try. Should I continue to moisten it with water or leave it completely dry? Any recommendations on what tripe I should give her?
Thanks
Matt
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asatylerluca Offline
puppy walker
Joined: Jun 25, 2011
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Posts: 789
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4636 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 1
Lab Names: Teddy
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Location: Salford
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| Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:26 am Post subject: |
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Hi Matt,not got much advice as my lab Ted practically inhales his food,always has but i moistened his food from bringing him home at 9weeks and still do sometimes.Im sure she'll settle eventually and start enjoying mealtimes.Keep us posted x
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Emma n Teddy Bear xx |
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_Jules_ Offline
And the Girls
Joined: Sep 27, 2005
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Posts: 33574
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242523 LabPounds
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No.of Labs: 2
Lab Names: Mojo, Pickle, Pood And Twoee
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Location: Essex
Gender:
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| Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:32 am Post subject: |
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I would continue to moisten her kibble in warm water, as at least then it smells more appealing. As for which kibble you should try, well I'd just offer her a few and see which one's she's most interested in. Usually the one's with the strongest meaty/fishy smell are most appetising.
Tripe. I buy it frozen in blocks. You want the green stuff, not the bleached, white stuff. It does stink, but you get used to it and it is pretty much a complete meal in itself and what's more, most dogs will kill for it.
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Jules, Mojo, Pickle, Pood and Twoee.
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