My 9 month old lab seems to be off his food.?

Question

He normally eats everything & everything (or tries to) & when I put his fulll foodbowl infornt of him he doesn't normally even come up for air! But recently he hasn't seemed interested in his food. He either wont start eating it straight away or he will leave most of it & walk away. I've tried making his meals more interesting but it hasn't seemed to make any difference. Why do you think he is being like this?

Answer 1

Well, it isn't normal for a 9 month old Lab to resist food! He should be eating you outta house n home right now.. He needs checked for worms, or teeth problems..Or a blockage in his gut..

Answer 2

When dogs are young they go through stages of gobbling everything up and then go off their food according to how they are growing. At this stage in his growth he is starting to slow down and won't need so many calories. Also, labradors are very finicky eaters so this is a trait you need to anticipate for and act to control or live forever with a very difficult dog!
First thing to do is a health check - is he in good condition with an even covering of fat over his ribs so that you can feel them but not see them? Are his poos normal? Have his adult teeth come through with no problems? Is he perky and playing as normal? If he is underweight, having trouble pooing or has the runs, if his gums look sore and he has double sets of teeth or is depressed and out of sorts, take him to the vet as he may have a problem in one of those areas.
However, if as I suspect, all those areas are absolutely fine, the reason for his sudden disinterest is that he is growing into a typical food fussy lab. The remedy for his disinterest is as follows:
Don't bother trying to make his meals more interesting. When a dog is hungry he will eat what you give him, pets have a constant supply of food and so we tend to forget this rule.
If you supply too much variety at mealtime, he will learn to control what you feed him and eventually when you feed him and then you will have a problem with a dog that is asserting him self over your in the pecking order and all the associated problems.
Decide what brand of wet/dry food you will regularly feed him. Measure his daily allowance out (typically, you may find that this is much less than the manufacturers recommendation - you;ll have to judge by what he eats and his weight over the course of a few weeks) and give him 2 meals a day. At this age this is what he needs. 3 meals will be too much and 1 too little. Put half his daily allowance down for him, leave it there for 10 minutes so he can eat his fill and them remove the bowl. Even if he hasn't eaten any or half or whatever, take the bowl away. If he was hungry he would have eaten it.
In the evening, give him his second portion, again leaving it for 10 mins and then removing it.
If he refuses food for a few meals, do not worry. He is simply challenging you.
When he is hungry, he will eat and you will have taken back control over meal times.
Don't feel guilty about his diet being bland. Dogs taste far less than we do and hardly chew their food anyway. The place for more exciting food is during training when you can use treats and bits of chicken or cheese.

Answer 3

Well...your 9 month old lab is not eating food, i am sure you are anxious, but just don't be.....its all normal. This advise is coming to you from some one who has 5 Labs.
- Especially for a growing puppy , they have eating patterns while growing up, he is possibly on lower cycle right now. His body is undergoing certain changes and he is just a little uncomfortable but will be fine soon.
- There might be a sudden shange in weather or temperature , that has probably kept him off from food, just ensure that he drinks a lot of fluids and Water.
- Doggies demostrate peculiar eating behaviour , they will carry on eating as long as you feed them though they do not require to eat much, he is probably content right now.
- Is there a female dog on heat, most male doggies stop eating because they get love sick.
- Besides if your doggie is still active just do not worry, just make sure he gets all the excercise and tender Loving Care. Labs are Known to be big sulkers and attention seekers and sometimes require a little coaxing.
- If his condition still worries you then do take him to a vet so that all your fears might be clarified.

All the best, do let me know how he shapes up.

Answer 4

Labs have a tendancy to eat stones and wood, so it could be he has eaten something he should not have done causing him a blockage. So get him checked out by a vet.

On the other hand, we all go through stages where we can't face eating yet another meal that is the same. Dogs get bored too. Maybe a different product may tempt him. Lace his food with cod liver oil too for a nice coat.

Answer 5

Hiya
It could be that your feeding him to much, That's why he could be leaving some food, as a puppy you should be giving him puppy food still, Ring your vet just to be on the safe side

Answer 6

Puppies are just weird! He'll eat when he gets hungry. Don't give him any other kind of food. When he's not getting any kind of treats or anything he's going to eventually learn that he has a full bowl and he'll take advantage. I promise! ;)
Good luck!

Answer 7

he is probably teething and as his mouth is sore it will put him off his food try rubbing some teething gel on his gums ...carpol liquid can be given ...its a pain killer for children...also if he is snuffly a vapour rub one used for children is best rub some on his throat it will help him breathe properly....give him plenty of toys to chew on a real hard rubber toy i wouldnt suggest a ball as his mouth may slip on it but you can get toys from the pet shop or you can wet a flannel and put it in the freezer which when he chews it will cool his mouth down.....

Answer 8

when dogs get older their appitite slows down...unless he stops eating all together don't worry about it.

Answer 9

get him checked out by your vet

Answer 10

check with you vet