recently our dog is being a very picky eater. When should we start to worry over his eating habits?

Question

We feed him a dog food called chicken soup for a dog lovers soul.
We feed him about 1/2 cup to 1 cup each time.
He is a 10 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
We put the food down at around 11pm then at 11 am and we leave it down for half an hour if he doesn't eat we pick the food back up. We just started doing this almost a week ago in an attempt to get him to eat when the food is out instead of waiting 3 hours and throwing the feeding cycle off.
I can't think of anything else that might help. Any answer will be welcomed.

Answer 1

That is what I feed my toy dogs along with Innova EVO. It is GREAT food. Sometimes they eat it, sometimes they don't. I feed them 2 times a day 1/2 cup each. Once in the morning and once at night. If they don't eat it within 10 minuets in the morning I put it back and feed them at night. If they don't eat it at night they have to wait until morning and so on.

Sometimes dogs that are used to eating good food get picky and want something else. Don't give in to them or they will think they are in charge and they will run your life.

My cats are the exact same way.

Answer 2

I will commend you for picking a good quality food

Recommended amount to feed a 10 to 20 pound pup 9 months to a year of CSFDLS 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 cups

I am not sure of the weight of your pup but guessing closer to the 10 lbs, it also is not an active breed so may only need a cup to 1 1/4 cups per day total, so if he is eating some but not all it may be your feeding too much, if you are feeding treats that also becomes part of the food total so maybe be cause him not to want to eat his food. It may be it is just going to take more time to get used to the idea that he has to eat when the food is put down.
My own pup that I got at almost 6 months old was free fed at the breeders, it took a while to learn to eat when a dish is put down or he would do without, I have 3 other dogs one is a glutton and can be food possessive, so it was a must learn lesson for the pup as there is no way I could leave food out for him, it took about 3 weeks for him to get the idea he had to eat all right away.

If he has gotten used to getting other foods when he does not eat, it could be he is holding out for the other foods instead and often a hard habit to break. No healthy dog will starve themselves to death, so sometimes you just need to be firm and not give in, so the dog learns that no other food is coming, that he has to eat what is set out and that holding out for something better is not going to work.

If you have changed recently from another food, it is possible that the other food contains sugars, molasses, corn syrup or salt, which is addictive in some dogs which is why it can be very difficult to try and change to better quality foods once you have fed, and this how many of the low quality food makers manage to keep pets eating their brand of food because they get the dogs hooked. For the owner to get the dog over to a better food it takes some perservence and not giving in.

Answer 3

I have 3 dogs that weigh about 50-60 pounds each (22-27k). I give them each 1 cup about 7 am, and 1 cup about 6 pm. They are not skinny by any means. 2 of them gobble the food up right away, the other will nibble on it. All dogs are not the same. So, you may be feeding too much. Is the pup getting snacks or other food during the day? Is the pup active, does it live outside or in. Did you change dog food brand? The one you are using is a good food, better than most, but not premium. Outside dogs will need a little more food, and may be more active. Has the pup had all his shots. Some illnesses will cause a lack of appetite, especially Parvo.

Answer 4

Wow, first off in my experience, you shouldnt feed your dog past 7pm unless you stay up all night to take him him out;otherwise youll be cleaning up messes.

Sounds to me like he's not used to the schedule yet. If he's used to being free-fed, then when you put the food down, he's thinking "I've got all day to get around to that." So give him some time to adjust to the schedule.

Did he eat well before you tried this? Has he been on this same food?

If both those answers are yes, then try adding a little bit of something to entice him to gobble it up. No, I dont recommend canned food unless he's been on it, because he'll get to the point where he'll only eat with canned food.

You can try putting fresh chicken, veggies, bouillion powder, or parmesan cheese on the food.

My dogs responded well to the parmesan cheese. I just shake a little bit on top of the food, and there it goes!

My dogs are both older now, and eating well, but every puppy will will give you a hard time every now and then.

However, if he just wont eat, take him to the vet. Not eating can be a alert to you that he's not feeling well.

Answer 5

I would worry now. If his habits have changed and he's not eating as he was...then I would take him to get him checked. If he seems healthy and isn't vomiting or lethargic then maybe he's going to start being a picky eater. I've seen a dog that only drinks water if it's poured from a bottle! If he is ill..take him to the Doc. Don't take the chance on your furry friends life.
Hopefully he's just going to be snooty. You could also try putting his food down when the family eats dinner. He'll know when to expect it and everyone else will be eating too...so he won't have to worry about missing anything with everyone in front of him.

Answer 6

I believe that you are taking appropriate measures to achieve the results you want, in the long run. I would not worry about him being picky about the food, especially if he used to eat it with no problem. If he is hungry, he will eat. I tried giving my dogs different choices when they became picky, but all it created was dirreah and a pain in the neck. I just stick to one all natural type of dog food and now they are finally at the point where they'll eat it, even though they would not at first.

Be careful, though. He may not be eating if he feels sick. A loss of appitite is a red flag for sickness.

Answer 7

I have two Cavaliers and my youngest was a picky eater for a long time. And, I couldn't keep the bowl down as the other Cavalier would eat her food. I tried a variety of sample products, mostly offered in specialty pet stores and eventually she settled on Beneful. But, it took a long time. I would also say, don't worry. When your Cavalier gets hungry, he WILL eat.

Answer 8

i wouldn't start worrying aboout it unless he starts losing a lot of weight. Something you might want to consider is changing his food. I did that w/ my dog. He is a Yellow Labrador, and he was starving himself. I switched his food to Alpo and he gained all the weight back and is fine now. If you are really concerned, then definately call your vet. Or try putting wet dog food on top of the other. Either way, i hope it works out for you.

Answer 9

If your dog has been eating this food happily and has suddenly changed, it's time to take him to the vet. Going off the food is typically a sign of illness in animals, especially if it is the same food they have been eating with no problems before.

Answer 10

don't worry he's probebley just going through a stage it shouldn't last much longer. if it does try mixing people food with his dog food so he will eat his food with a little bit of people food if he just picks at the people food and leave the dog food alone then mix more people food really good so there are like globs of people stuck to the dog food