my pups become a fussy eater and becoming too skinny?

Question

she's a beagle pup of 5 months old, she has always been on the skinny side, but breeders / show people are saying that she is skinny and tiny for her age and needs to be plumped up, she has no puppy fat at all and never has, her back teeth have just come out and new ones coming in, i have changed her diet from pedigree puppy complete to royal canin in hope that she will enjoy a change, she would go a whole day without food and doesnt drink much either, i change her water throughout the day.. she does like however raw pet shop chicken wings and gravy bone, does anyone have any idea's?

sorry, i forgot to say.. i dont think at all that she is ill or dehydrated or have any deadly disease. she has loads of energy and is an active puppy, she does have a broken toe which is being treated by a vet, we are on our 3rd weekly bandaging treatment, the vet thinks she is fine, says she needs to be sedated for splint change because she is a wonderful boucy puppy. i would like to put some fat on her thats all, we dont and have never given her table scraps EVER and have changed her diet twice from pedigree professional to pedigree puppy and then to royal canin.

if she was a full grown dog, i would have no worries at all, because she would be ideal, but i have been told that puppies should have the puppy fat on them, its good for them as pups and they will loose it later on when they are adult.

Answer 1

Try giving her some raw meat from your butcher, a low graid mince with lots of fat in it, the more fat you can get her to eat the more weight she will put on.

I use this sort of thing to bring my animals into good condition.

Answer 2

My six month old westie is not fat nor has puppy fat, but as veterinary nurse I know she perfect in every way shape and size.
I would give treats only after she's has been offered fresh food. Beagles generally have excellant apetites, that said they are naturally lean dogs who are easily prone to obesity.
If you puppy is Bright Alert and Responsive, with nice pink gums and sparkly eyes. Try not to worry to much. If and where possible hand feed her if she'll let you.
And remember this your vet will not sedate an animal unless they are confident that the animal is healthy.
Your vet clinic may offer a free puppy nutritional consultation with a qualified veterinary nurse. Regular weighing at the vets will also give you an idea of weight gain (this should be free of charge) Royal canin is a good diet for your dog to be on as long as she's on a puppy formulation. My pup is currently on a switch over from Iams small breed puppy to James Wellbeloved Puppy/Junior.
Isn't being a puppy owner like being a mum, i worry about millie all the time.
Good Luck!

Answer 3

Yes. I would take her to a vet as others have stated on here. Especially if there is an unerlying medical problem. Give it a few days though... You're in charge and no dog will allow himself to starve. He may refuse something for a while, but eventually he will eat what he is given and be perfectly happy. I would try and get some high protein canned food that matches her current brand of dry food if you are concerned about his body structure and such. You said you are feeding Royal Canin right? Get the wet canned food and check the protein percentage on the back of the can. I would compare all the different formulas and pick the one with the highest percentage. I can tell you right now it needs to be the puppy formula. Puppies need to stay on puppy food until a least a year old. She is only 5 months old you said, so maybe you can get the canned food puppy formula with high protein formula which is usaully for growing bones and muscles or something along those lines. One note is that when you change brands of foods, you need to do it gradually as this can cause your puppy digestive upset\vomiting\and or gas. She has already became a picky eater which is another symptom. Don't over do it with the wet food as too much protein can make the dog fat. Start with a daily tablespoon full (or whatever the recommended amount is on the can) mixed in with the recommended amount of dry food really good. The label recommendations are a guideline and are based on caloric needs of what the manufacturer considers an 'average' dog with 'average' activity. In my opinion, many dogs will gain excess weight if fed what the manufacturers of dog foods suggest. I would always start at the low end of the suggested amount to feed and monitor my dog's weight for several weeks and adjust the amount fed accordingly. For my dogs I give my 75 ish pound year and a half female only 2 cups a day (the recommended is like 3 1\2 a day) and my puppy gets his 2 1\4 cups twice a day (recommended is like 5 cups! I know, sheesh! he'd be bouncing off the walls, lol) They also get a treat each to match their brand of food at night before bed and a few during the day so thats why they say to adjust accordingly) I am feeding Eukanuba Large Breed Adult, and the Large Breed Puppy in case you were wondering.

You can also split this ration in half as I do with my two. They aren't so full at night after eating it all at once, and they behave better when I leave the house because they are full. I also avoid bloat, a commin problem with large dogs where the stomach actually eventually twists on itself because of all the air trapped inside from eating big meals. After a week if your dog seems to be putting on weight, then go every other day with the canned food, then only one day on weekends. She gets slowly weaned off the wet food and only gets it as a treat once a week. My 2 get a tablespoon full on the weekends as a treat and a supplement to their normal diet. They are big dogs that like to run a lot so they definately can use a little extra protein in their diets. As far as people saying your dog is to skinny its their opinion, not yours! Read up on the facts before you let their comments get to you...

The American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club recognize two separate varieties of Beagle: the 13-inch for hounds less than 13 inches (330 mm), and the 15-inch for those between 13 and 15 inches (330 and 380 mm). The Kennel Club (UK) and FCI affiliated clubs recognize a single type, with a height of between 13 and 16 inches (330 and 400 mm). These standard dogs can reach 35 lb (16 kg) or more.
In Medieval times, there was a breed called a pocket beagle, which stood at 8 to 9 inches (200 to 230 mm). Small enough to fit in a "pocket" or saddlebag, they rode along on the hunt. The larger foxhounds would run the prey to ground, then the hunters would release the small beagles to continue the chase through underbrush into their burrows. Queen Elizabeth I often entertained guests at her royal table by letting her pocket beagles cavort amid their plates and cups. This genetic line is now nearly extinct.
The beagle can also be broken into English Beagle and American Beagle.

A good way to see how your dog is weightwise is to try these 4 simple steps:
STEP 1: Check that your dog's ribs are not visually noticeable but are easily felt. This indicates that your dog is at a desirable weight.
STEP 2: Look at your dog from above. Some indentation behind the rib cage, depicting an hourglass shape, indicates that your pet is at a desirable weight.
STEP 3: Feel your dog's hips. Anything more than light fleshiness indicates that your dog is above normal weight.
STEP 4: Check your dog for a trim abdomen.

Answer 4

I think you should take your dog to the vet, she can become dehydrated very easily. Also royal canin is very good, I feed my tiny yorkie the same kind of food. If it was just being picky at the food she would at least be drinking her water. She is very young and depending how small she is she can go downhill very quickly. So my advice to you is to call your vet and see what they say. Make sure you tell them she is teething, that could be a reason why as well. Oh one more thing it's okay to change your puppy's food as long as you do it gradually. Good luck hope all turns out well.

Answer 5

my basset hound is the same, he wouldn't eat for days on end when he was a puppy and I tried all sorts of different food to get him to eat. He is now on Bakers, which he will eat for breakfast, but not tea! So he has to have Pedigree pouches and a few James Wellbeloved biscuits on top for his 2nd meal. Believe me, I have tried all the tricks in the book to solve this problem and now he is 2 years old and still very fussy, but healthy if a bit too thin! Good luck.

Answer 6

My suggestion from personal experience with my large breed picky eater would be to stop giving your pup treats, and refine her food time to a certain time each day. If she doesn't eat it in 15 minutes pick it up and don't give her anymore until later when the next feeding time is.
If your pup is healthy and there is nothing medically wrong with her she will eventually eat once she realizes that she gets it only at certain times. I believe that dogs are alot like children, they thrive on structure and routine. so give it a try.
Don't feel bad thinking you are starving your pup, believe me, the vet has told me many times to do this and finally my pup has gotten it. Don't give up hope.

Answer 7

The reason she likes those things so much is probably because you give them to her a lot, so if you do try and cut down... also feeding dogs table scraps can realllly make their diet wack, and they will begin to refuse regular dog food-- so try not to feed her table scraps. Mix some cottage cheese into her food for now, eventually get rid of it slowly and she will be back to normal. Cottage fine is perfectly ok for dogs to eat as long as they aren't eating like a whole carton! This worked for our dog, it should yours =) good luck

Answer 8

It's sounds like a medical problem, and could be a number of things. The best thing to do is to have a vet take a look at her, and treat her.

Answer 9

don't keep changing food its bad for their digestive system and will make them be more fussy eaters.
take her to the vet they can give her a shot that will boost her appetite and get her to eat more and they can recommend a good food.

Also make sure she is checked for worms, Hook worms are the worst and could cause her not to gain weight.
hopefully the vet has already checked for this but incase get her checked.

Answer 10

it sounds like she might have parvo.... dogs stop drinking and eating when they have that, i don't remember any of the other symptoms but i would take her to the vet immediatly parvo can be really bad if you wait too long for it to be treated.