Switched puppy food. now she wont eat :(

[Grannycar]

Ok i was feeding my 18 week old pup Purina Pro plan large breed focus food. from what i noticed she liked it but her BM were always soft and runny. did about a week of switching and followed merricks transition recommendation to merrick grain free puppy recipe. the mixing went pleasant. her stools started hardening almost immeditaly. but now after the week transition, im at day 10, so 3 days full merrick. Now my dog was always a graizer while eating. pulls it out of the bowl drops a mouth ful, eats it off the floor. but with the merrick its about 10 times worse. i know i can be a little more strict on how long i keep her food out maybe and hour. Do you think i should just keep at it or is it she just does not like it at all?

[beth101509]

I have always read that a healthy dog won't starve themselves. Maybe she is holding out for treats and knows that if she doesn't eat her food, she will still get "better" food in the form of treats? Maybe try putting the food down, leaving it for about 30 minutes, if she doesn't eat it, pick it up until the next meal, and then try again. In the meantime, don't give her any treats and see if that is what she is holding out for.

I did this with my Yorkie when she got weird about eating. After a few missed meals and no treats, she ate like normal with no issues.

[Grannycar]

thanks yea im going to try that

[Annette47]

Also, is she teething? It's been a while since I had a pup, so I can't remember how old they are when they go through that, but it can make their gums tender and cause them to be less interested in hard, dry kibble for a while.

[BeataK]

Try to soak her food as she's probably changing her teeth to adult ones. Apart form that be strict - leave food for 20 minutes, if she doesn't eat take it & wait till next meal time. She has to see that she'll be hungry if she doesn't eat in her meal times.

[Grannycar]

yes she def is full blown teething right now. upper and lower front teeth are becoming adults now. as i have been putting some warm water in with her food as well

[Meeps83]

Also if she's getting too much food that might be why her stools are soft and why she's being picky.

[Georgia]

Personally, I wouldn't have switched foods to begin with. I raised Sam on Pro Plan Focus large breed puppy and never had any issues. Too much food can cause loose stools. If you're doing a lot of training and giving treats, take into consideration how many treats you give during the day and adjust the amount of food you feed. Teething can also cause some eating issues. When Sam was teething, his toys would have blood spots on them so I imagine his mouth was sore. We used to wet a washcloth and freeze it and then let Sam chew on it (under supervision because he could swallow a washcloth in the blink of an eye). I hope things get better soon!

[Woofie]

Neither one of my dogs would eat dry food alone while they were teething - and in this case, I don't believe in the theory the dog will eat when it gets hungry enough.

Try adding warm water, letting it sit 20min or so before feeding; if that doesn't work, I see no harm in adding some scrambled eggs to the dry food with warm water as well.

Those teething phases are real hard on them; the puppy I have now, wouldn't eat anything and would sleep heavily.

[Maxx&Emma]

I agree that changing food may have not been the best idea. Teething can cause loose stool and "off" eating as well. Did you talk to your breeder about switching food? Starting the "food rollercoaster" is a scary thought.