11-Month Old Yellow Lab Losing Interest in Food

[mikerofone]

Our yellow lab Quinn has always been food motivated - eagerly pleading for his meals like clockwork. A couple of months ago he started becoming disinterested in his food and it's been a constant battle to try and find ways to get him to eat. Aside from his diminishing appetite, he is otherwise normal - normal energy (he walks 2-4 miles every day), normal sleep, etc.

When he first started losing interest in his kibble (N&D Ancient Grains Large Breed Puppy Lamb formula), we started sprinkling bits of salmon treats (which has always loved and still does) in his kibble. That worked for a while, then back to not eating much. Because he loves his salmon treats so much we decided to try a salmon kibble (Taste of the Wild Ancient Stream), an all life stages food. That rekindled his interest in eating - for a while. Then he started losing interest in that.

So next we started mixing in a bit of canned food with his kibble - not much, maybe 1/5 of a can per feeding - and that worked well for a while as he returned to his normal eating schedule (three times per day) and amounts. But now he is losing interest in that. He'll still eat something when he gets hungry enough but as an example, we'll put out his dinner and often he won't touch it until the next afternoon. Then we try to feed him again later in the day but he'll let that set until the next day.

I estimate for the past several days he's been consuming about 1/3 the amount of food the feeding guide suggests for his age and weight. But again normal in every other observable regard.

Has anyone else encountered this problem with their lab? I've thought about starting to make our own food for him as my wife and I are both retired and have the time and resources for it but I don't really know what a necessary/healthy mix of ingredients is or proper amounts. Or if that would even solve the problem. Any and all suggestions welcome.

Quinley is our second yellow lab we've had and we never encountered anything like this with our first lab.

[SunDance]

Hi...welcome to the board. It's really slow here on weekends so you may have to wait for people to chime in.

Two things: How is his weight? Is he maintaining a good weight on the food he's consuming? Food companies overestimate the amount to give the average dog...I have never fed even close to the amounts suggested and mine have always carried good weight. Earlier pleading for meals could have been due to the "growing puppy" metabolism that has now slowed a bit with age.

Probiotics might be a good idea. I've always used human grade and a low dose (none of my dogs, Labs/Akitas/mutts, could tolerate a higher dose of probiotics)....or a Tablespoon of plain non-fat yogurt for dogs who could tolerate dairy.

Have you discussed this with your vet at all?

We have members here who make their own food/feed raw....hopefully they'll be around in the next couple of days to offer some guidance there (I have no experience with that).

Good luck!

[smartrock]

Hi and welcome!

How much is he eating? At 11 months he wouldn't need to have 3 meals per day, 2 would be OK. I have 2 labs- an 8 year old 72 lb female who maintains her weight on 2 1/4 cups of Purina Pro Plan per day. My 2 year old 78 lb boy eats about 3 cups of the same food. He's much more active than his 8 year old sister and has not been neutered yet. But both are eating less than the bag suggests they "should" be eating. The female would eat all day long, she lives to eat. The boy, not so much. He eats but it's not the center of his existence like it is for Lark. Labs in general aren't known for being picky eaters but every dog is different. I looked up the TOTW Ancient Stream food. I don't know how much your boy weighs but I know my boy would not have wanted to eat 5-6 cups of food at 11 months. In fact, he never got above 4 cups of food per day. Our food is a little more calorie dense than yours but still, Henry gets about 1400 calories per day with his food, your boy eating 5-6 cups of the TOTW would be getting 2000-2400 calories. Maybe your pup is telling you he doesn't need as much to eat any more.

So, have you had him checked by his vet and does the vet have any thoughts on his appetite? I guess I'd make sure the vet agrees he is healthy in every observable aspect, that he's maintaining his weight, and there's nothing physical going on. Then I'd cut back on the amount you're expecting him to want to eat.

[mikerofone]

Yes, thanks, I'm beginning to conclude that he is simply exiting puppydom and entering adulthood and just doesn't need/want the same amount of food. He's eaten 2 cups of TOTW so far today with a bit of canned mixed in (canned food that is 95% lamb and nothing else except water) so maybe he'll eat one more cup tonight and that should be good.

He goes in to get fixed this week so the vet will get to see him.

[Berna]

Is he neutered? It's about time when they start losing their head (and appetite) for girls in heat.

[Snowshoe]

Ditto all above, how is his weight? Our breeder said to look for slowing of weight gain around 9 months or so, and consequentlly less need for food. I do support raw or home made food. It's nice if your Vet does too. But that's not to say there's necessarily anything wrong with the amounts he's eating now.

Re. neuter, take a look at our reading on the risks and benefits of neuter. Consider waiting till his joints are solid, at least, maybe around two years old.

https://www.lab-retriever.net/board/...cle-links.html