My 8 month old puppy won't eat.

[Michelle Higgins]

My 8 month old puppy won't eat his food lately and we don't know why. We have him wormed and we have tried a variety of nuts. We don't feed him cans because they don't seem to agree with him. He likes to eat our own food but just won't eat his own. Why is this? How can I get him to eat and is there a reason why he may not be eating?

[Deb Bouttell]

If he's drinking loads after his exercise, it may be taking the edge off his hunger. Maybe restrict how much he drinks (just so it's not excessive), shut him away a while to sleep than feed him when he is calm---maybe 2 hours later.
Actually he'll probably just regain his appetite... and you won't know why!
Incidently, absolutely agree about the raw food.

[Michelle Higgins]

In relation to Deb Bouttell's reply- Did you say to feed him when he is calm? Because I never really thought about that. My Ogie is a very hyper and active puppy and it takes him a while to settle down. Whenever I go out to give him his food he get's very excited about seeing me and instead of going for his food, he goes for a play-toy so I will play with him. Is this why he doesn't eat?

[Michelle Higgins]

Hi all, he has started eating again! We started mixing his food well with canned food (without gravy) and it's like magic! We tried him on canned food before but they had gravy and they just weren't good for him. But then I read someone's comment that said cans with gravy aren't very good so I tried some without it and...Voila! He eats 2 meals a day now instead of hardly eating one. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions :-)))

[Caroline Black]

Michelle, i see you are in Galway, me too, fancy a meet up ? My poor fella is mad to play but the dogs around here are not so friendly!!

[Michelle Higgins]

Thats exactly what my guy's like too!i think he scares them with his excitement to play :D

[Adriana van der Mark - de Jonge]

Hello Michelle,

We have the same thing with our little Irish dragon. He will only eat cookies and treats. At first we tried to encourage him to eat. We consulted our vet. The dog is perfectly helathy. Just two weeks ago we met the breeder of our puppy's father. He told us that our dog probably has inherited the problem from his father. The good news is, that after three years hios father statred eating normally. So in short our adviice is: present him his regular food. You decide wehen you feed him, not your puppy.Remove the leftovers after twenty minutes. If you have a healthy dog, he wil start eating in a couple of days.

[Kate]

Ruby went through a stage just before her first season.

Shes on the raw diet n gets a light brecky of chicken wing n biscuits then for tea when shes had a long walk she gets her meat with veg-fuller meal 

 

Maybe he jus full(if having large meals) or nt hungry, jus like us wen we gt sick of having the same thing every day.

has your setter been sick or loose? sleeping alot and quiet?

 

Maybe worth vetcheck jus for peace of mind.

 

 

Kate and Ruby

[Paige P]

Dash is 22 months and his appetite varies from ravenous to totally not interested. Some days, he won't eat his food, but he'll eat treats you offer. Other days, he wolfs down his food, our smaller dog's food and anything he can snitch from the counters and table - and still wants more. I remember when he was younger he went through a fussy stage - and just during this past summer, after a well-meaning friend fed him salmon from our grill, he wanted only fish for a while. So glad that phase has passed. Based on my experience, if your pup seems otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry too much. 

[Michelle Higgins]

Hi everyone, Ogie's appetite is perfectly fine. We brought him to the vet and he has a sensitive stomach, so everything we gave him, he would just throw up. Apparently it's common in Irish Setters. We have a special food for him now and he LOVES it. Thanks for all your comments :)

[silvia]

hi michelle ! great to hear that Ogie's found his loved diet :) Oberon also became a picky eater at 9 months now, and we are trying so many different diets. probably he's got a stomach sensitivity,  luckely all tests are excluding any major desease. so its just a matter to find the right food, and maybe he has to pass this age :)

may i ask you which food worked for ogie?  oberon is now in a mixture of naturediet, ID food, and meat+rice and yougurth in the evening, but what works one day doesnt work the day after ;)

cheers

s