Picky Eater
by admin ~ March 25th, 2008Q: My 4 month old mastiff puppy is a picky eater. Any suggestions?
A: The first step is to ask your vet how many calories your puppy should be getting each day based on her weight and age. Once you’ve established this, you can check your dog food bag to see how many calories are in each cup, and determine how much your pup should be eating. Often times we think they should be eating more than they actually should.
If you’re having trouble getting your puppy to eat enough food, it could be anything from illness to pickiness, so if your puppy is acting lethargic other has any other symptoms of illness, you should see your vet immediately. If you’ve ruled out illness, it may just be that your puppy doesn’t like that particular food. You may want to try out a new brand and see if your puppy’s appetite improves. If you want to stick with the same food, you can try adding a small amount of chopped veggies or fruit to the food, or a teaspoon of plain low-fat yogurt or low-sodium chicken broth. Sometimes just adding some fresh scents will help to jump start the appetite. You can also try working on a new trick like “sit” or “shake” and use the food as a reward during training.
