My fussy 9month old

[yhb]

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Hello
I am after some advice.
My Maltipoo baby is 9month old.
She has been having many health struggles since she came to us
Every time she has some health issue she goes off food. It’s almost every month.
It happened again and wondering what to do.

She had her first season three months ago
She is acting pretty much the same when she had the heat. Stopped eating, needy , sensitive , squeaky and howling etc.

Went to a vet yesterday and she sees no issues with my baby’s health
She didn’t think the second season nor imaginary pregnancy

The baby ate high value treats happily from the vet but not dry biscuits treats just bing fussy

at home she sniffs and eats very little if she is desperate but not enough
She is eating half of calories she needs at most.

So started considering switching food for 6-7th time
But switching food doesn’t always work .

I know the recommended transition period, we did that many times but when my baby stops eating her food and decides she does not like it, the new food mixed with the old becomes part of the food she dislike and will not touch it.
When we change to a new food without transition period she happily eat the new food. Even if the food she refused few months ago because of the transition with other food.

The vet said we don’t need to concern too much at this stage as the baby does eat and otherwise healthy just keep an eye on her and any changes to her private parts and condition etc

my husband also thinks I should be stricter to my baby stop treating her like a princess that attitude of mine making her fussy and needy

But my heart breaks every time she doesn’t eat and squeak because she is unhappy

my baby doesn’t digest well so we don’t give her cooked food at home or cocked style food e.g. butternut box type no raw diet anymore

she is on canagan free run chicken wet she loved until recently
Twice a day with kibbles in between

I use calories calculation formula to know the calories she needs a day
The method worked well and she has been just right weight
I check her weight at least once a week to be sure she is ok

thank you for reading my posts

 

[excuseme]

I would suggest that at 9 months your puppy would manage quiet well on just 1 feed per day. It is possible that now her growth rate has just about finished she no longer needs as much food. You may be offering more than she requires, and she is making the adjustment !
I would stop all in between treats and just offer 1 meal per day.
What she dose not eat within 15-20 minutes should be removed and she should wait until her next feed time before any more food is offered.
A hungry puppy is a healthy puppy, there is no need to over fill the tummy. Some dogs have to learn to eat when food is given and not expect treats throughout the day either.
Changing and offering different foods is not a good Idea!

You have mentioned RAW, this is a highly nutritious food and a little goes a long way, it is also easy to digest.
Natures Menu produce a nice selection of convenient frozen meats. (our puppies did not like their puppy mixes, but adult food will be fine)
Please treat yourself to this little book "Honey's Natural Feeding Handbook for Dogs". This little book is easy to read and easy to understand. You can find it on "Amazon" for as little as 1p, and also on "Ebay" for a couple of £s.

.

.

 

[Hemlock]

Brilliant advice - I just want to add that, as a small dog, she has a very small stomach. It's easy to overestimate just how much food she needs.

What is her typical day like for exercise etc?

 

[yhb]

Thank you excuseme for the advice.

I use this Basic Calorie Calculator | Veterinary Medical Center
method as basic and reduce /add depending on her weight level
Currently she is perfect at 3.3kg
So I didn’t think I was over feeding her

I only give her treats when I do trainings
And the amount of calories I give through treats I took out from her meals.
Kibbles for lunch time is more for her brain stimulation and use feeding toys so I see it as a part of training and also good to keep her occupied when we have to leave her while we do house choirs and on a long video conferences

As my baby is a small breed I prefer to give her at least two meals a day
Maybe change to branch and dinner rather than morning and evening plus little kibbles in between

natures menu we tried and my baby had digestive issue
My vet advised raw not suitable for her
Boiled rice and chicken sweet potatoes and cod all didn’t work for her unfortunately


Hemlock
Thank you for your response
Typically
I walk her 10mins as soon as got up for toilet and breakfast
1 hour later take her for exercise at a nearby park she run around off lead play with other dogs for 30mins this is in addition to 10mins walk to there and back
Then I take her for 20mins before bedtime walk for last toilet

in total should be at least 1 hour

plus she does brain training which I believe 10mins equals about 30mins of exercise

for toy size Maltipoo hope it’s enough

 

[yhb]

Forgot to mention my baby acts like she is hungry and run to the food
But after she sees and sniffs she either eat a Lille or walk away making squeaking noise

so she is hungry?

 

[JudyN]

My vet advised raw not suitable for her

Did they say why? Vets' training on nutrition is minimal, and often given by commercial pet food companies. And what happens when you feed something like Butternut Box?

However, you do say that she has health issues so there may be a good reason why raw isn't best for her.

If she's a perfect weight, I really wouldn't worry - regardless of what the calorie calculator says, she must be getting the right amount for her.

 

[Suzette]

I can only add that I was once told by a very wise person here to "watch the dog, not the bowl". In other words, it doesn't matter if "they" say my dog should have, say, 1 cup of food a day for her size, breed, etc. if she gets on fine with 3/4 cup a day. So I took that advice and lo and behold, my dog did (and continues to do) great with less than the charts, calculators and formula's say she should get. Once i started watching her and seeing what amount kept her at a good weight and in good health, it all worked out nicely.
Wishing you all the best with your cute little furry friend.

 

[Hemlock]

Her day sounds great, and she is a lucky dog to have such a caring owner. If she is the perfect weight for her size, you have the quantity right.

As for walking away squeaking - I can see why you find this upsetting, but it may simply be that there is something she doesn't like in her bowl. Worth checking if it's the bowl itself, ceramic being the most acceptable as plastic smells bad to dogs and metal reflects light, which some dogs find disturbing. If her ID tag knocks against the bowl, this can upset a sensitive dog. But overall, it does sound as if she is getting what she needs.

 

[yhb]

JudyN
Thank you for your comments.
She had few different issues, food come out undigested, diarrhoea and vomit.
she has very sensitive tummy so I was suggested to stick with standard food
After returned to standard food all symptoms went away quickly
So I don’t think raw and butternut style food are not for my baby


Suzette

Thank you for the comments
That’s very true
I monitor baby’s weight at least once a week so long as she is at the right weight and she is otherwise well I should not need to worry too much
I’ll continue to check her weight maybe couple times a week for a while

Hemlock
Thank you for another comments
I’m trying to be and want to be a good mum to her.

I usually use lick mat type for her wet food. When she stopped eating we tried different bowels and human plates we use ourselves
Nothing did any trick
I usually put her plate on a raised table suitable to her size
I tried to put on the floor , different part of the room nothing worked

I’ll check her ID tug at next meal time if it is disturbing her thank you for the tip

I’ll keep an eye on her and her weight for now rather than switching food again

thank you again all of your help!

 

[niamh123]

I did a food calculator a few weeks ago for my large breed 13 month old pup.After some really bad tummy issues he was put back onto raw with great results For Ron's weight he should be having between 700g-1200g per day he is currently on the 1200g per day as he lost quite a bit of condition with his tummy issues.When I did the dog food calculator on line I was surprised to see it recommended 1890g per day if I hadn't been feeding raw for over 20yrs I probably would of fed him this amount trusting the dog food calculator,so I would take the amount of food needed with the dog food calculator with a pinch of salt

 

[Inka]

Sounds like your dog is training you very well...6-7 food changes in as many months as you have had her ( from 2 months old) so for the age she is now, 9 month old...so when your dog decides it doesn't fancy what you have given, it turns its nose up, cries/whines and you run around and find something tastier...sorry but you are causing this issue, which until you research and decide what one food you are feeding her and stick to it as NO healthy dog will starve itself...if not you are looking forward to a lifetime of upset guts and a fussy dog

I agree with JudyN Vets are NOT animal nutrition trained, they don't sell raw/bone so they have no reason to 'recommend' what they don't know about are not trained/qualified in and are not getting commission for... that is like going to an plumber and asking professional advice about electrics.

 

[yhb]

thank you everyone who gave me kind advice.

my baby kept loosing her appetite for about three weeks. As she didn’t eat enough she lost weight quite a bit in the end unfortunately

After three weeks she gradually started eating again everyday eat a little more than the day before

phantom pregnancy and hormones look like was the cause
Now she is more normal herself and started eating hopefully she will continue to eat

 

[Hemlock]

That's good news and thank you for updating us.