Zen is a little over 3 months
We have had him about a month

I cant seem to find a food he really seems to love (for more then a day or 2 anway)

when we got him he had giardia, so his stomach was a mess for a good 2 weeks

he started to eat california natural chicken & rice. He devoured it the first few days, with wet food, dry, with pumpkin... he ate it no matter what

so we go out and get the big bag, thinking we were set.

a few days into the big bag, and he just looses interest in the dry food.
no excitement over food, and not wanted the kibble as a reward even. he would just pick out the wet food, and then walk away.

this weekend I decided to try some options
we got a small bag of innova puppy, and some canned innova
we also got a bag of orijen adult formular

I took out a few kibbles of each and offered him them in my hand, he went for the orijen.

so I gave him a bowl full and he sniffed at it and walked away then I rememonded we got him some yogurt to try (since he has been on antibiotics for his cold, & giardia on an off since we got him) he loved licking it off my finger, so I mixed some in with with the orijen and he devoured it.. YAY!!

last night come dinner time, I tried the same thing and we just sniffed at and took a few bites ans walked away. I mixed in a little of the canned Calfironia natural I had left, since he like that, but he just took a few mouthfuls and walked away

this morning I decided to try an experiement

I made him a bowl of innova with some wet innova as well as a bowl of the orijen and put them side by side.

he chowed donw on the innova and aite most of it all up before I had to take him out and get him in his crate to go to work

I left the remaining food in his crate just to get him to eat.

he seems very happy, and active.
the last 2 days on both the orijen and now innova his poops where phenominal, so he seems healthy, but he is not eating as much as he should, and he looks thin

he is going to the vet for his last shot today, so I paln on having him tested for giardia again, just to be safe.

should I just stick with the one food?? even though he shows not interest in it after a meal or two??\

We have tried 3 meals a day, 4 small meals a day, and now two meals a day just to get him to get excited over food

is it possible he just likes to eat slowly over time??

I'm not sure/ I think back to the vet is a good idea. Maybe if nothing keeps working try some of the fish formulas? When my girl stopped eating for a while I got her eagle pack fish formula... it smelled so strongly of fish it was disgusting but she started eating again with gusto. Are there any good fish puppy formulas anyone?

you could also try adding a little bit of water to the kibble to help increase the smell factor and make it more appealing.

It is unusual for a healthy Lab puppy not to eat more than it needs and look for more. Yes, let the vet check him carefully. Also have the vet confirm your judgment from http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx Many puppies come from the breeder pudgy and cute.

The worst thing you can do is to bribe a dog with rich foods into eating more than it needs. Instead, Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.

At 3 months, few puppies need more than 3 cups a day of chow.

i think he's now trained you.
i'd check out everything with the vet, buy a food, not add more than water and maybe a scoop of non fat yogurt and then let him get used to it.

Yep, try adding some water. But if he is still picky, and the vet says he's healthy, I'd suggest just giving him his kibble (no water) for 15 minutes. Whatever he hasn't eaten after 15 minutes, pick it up and save for later. Give it again at the next mealtime. The pup won't starve himself. He'll eat when he gets hungry enough.

labman, thanks for your usually good advice
I am concerned that he is a bit thin for a puppy, based on that link you often reference.

:confused: maybe he'd like to try a fish formula. Natural Balance makes a limited ingredeint diet that is fish and sweet potato. Ask your vet about that.

How are you storing the food as well? If it's not being kept properly stored/left exposed instead of kept in an airtight sealed container, some dogs get super fussy about it going 'off' too. If you live in a particularly hot climate as well, that may be affecting his appetite. My Bailey went through a phase around 3-3 1/2 months right as it started getting warmer here where he didn't really care to eat. That passed quickly enough, though and we never changed what he was eating!

After ensuring he has no health problems with the vet, I agree with the suggestions of just adding a little warm water to the kibble to increase the smell, and to stop trying to please him by giving him a constant variety and change. Give him 15-30 minutes to eat, and whatever is left after that, pick it up and throw it out and then don't feed him again until his next meal time.

I wouldn't think that the food had gone "off" in the short time you've had him, so I would suspect he's either a picky eater or a grazer by nature... At this point I wouldn't switch foods any more. If the vet found him to be a healthy weight, then I agree with Nobite's method.

the food is kept in a airtight container so I know that is not the issue

pending the vet visit tonight
I am going to stick with the innova and give it a week or two and see if he responds

I just wanted to add that we went through Giardia with our puppy, and the first time he wound up reinfecting himself because we didn't know that we not only had to scoop the poop right away but that we also had to wash the area where he went. It turns out they do not necessarily have to eat the poop to reinfect themselves but also just walking on it and then licking their paws can do it. I hope everything works out with the food. Another trick to get them to eat all of it is to put it down give them a certain amount of time to eat it if they do not take it away and then wait until the next feeding the puppy will catch on quick that it is you, not him, who is in charge of food schedules. I see that has been suggested in the above post, it works well.

You are on the road to creating one heck of a picky eater!!

Yep, try adding some water. But if he is still picky, and the vet says he's healthy, I'd suggest just giving him his kibble (no water) for 15 minutes. Whatever he hasn't eaten after 15 minutes, pick it up and save for later. Give it again at the next mealtime. The pup won't starve himself. He'll eat when he gets hungry enough.

This is exactly what I'd recommend too.

I think getting him re-tested for giardia is a great idea. During Sophie's second bout of giardia she was skipping meals. She would eat some treats or a bit or two of food but was skipping full meals often. No other signs but skipping meals. Took her to the vet along with a fecal sample and we got a giardia positive. Once she was on the meds her appetite came right back.

I agree having him retested for giardia is a good idea. Everything I have read suggests it may be very difficult to eradicate.

If he's reluctant to eat and is thin/losing weight, I would hesitate to label him "picky", "spoiled", etc. and I certainly would not accuse you of "ruining" him.

If he's suffered with giardia off and on, it could very well be that he's developed a sore, sensitive stomach. Antibiotic treatment alone can cause stomach upset and discomfort. Dogs, as a rule, take great pleasure in eating and those few who do not may have no other way of telling us that what we have chosen for them does not agree with them in some way other than to refuse eating it, or to eat it because they have to.

I see no reason not to add healthy enticements (good quality canned food, yogurt, etc.) to a reluctant eater's meals, particularly if they are already thin and losing weight. Get him stable, and then worry about whether or not you need to use enticements long term.

well the vet gave him a clean bill of health, he said his wait was fine, and gave similar advice to what was said here about getting him to just deal with what we give him.

he said it was not worth re-testing him for giardia this soon, sinc the results would be inconclusive, he said we could but him back on anti-biotic to be safe, but suggested giving it another week or so before considering that

this morning gave him the innova with some canned food, he scarfed just about all of it down, before wanting to play outside

so I take that as a possitive, and will hope the trend continues

Glad to hear the good news, and fingers crossed that it continues! :)