macbryant54 Posted March 3, 2008 Report Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hey all. Nova is now 9 months old. A couple of days ago she is starting to eat less. She is still eating but not as much as she used to. She will always eat a treat or anything i give her it is just her dog food. Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated. I also got a pic of her and her fav toy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afrancis Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 What and how much is she eating now? Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbryant54 Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 What and how much is she eating now?Ailsa she is eating beneful orignal and probaly about a plastic cup full. Not sure the actual amount. It is probaly 2 cups or so. It is a 12 oz cup i think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afrancis Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 About 2 cups of Beneful Original once a day? Is this puppy or adult food? Is she turning her nose up perhaps because she's getting more treats? Has she been eating this food all her 9 months or have you changed recently? I know others have many opinions re: puppy vs. adult food for a dog her age. I think I changed Skye from puppy to adult food at about 1 year -- and decreased her calorie intake. I now give her 1/2 cup of dry food (Fromme fish) in the morning and 1/3 cup dry with some Fromme wet at supper -- but she's far from being a puppy (5 3/4). Ailsa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 You could just have a picky eater. I've posted this before somewhere, but I bet you I went through easily a dozen types of food before I got Daisy gaining weight. Is she going to the bathroom normal still? Is she acting lethargic or anything? Basically are there and warning signals that make you think it's not the food? Are her gums nice and pink? If she's fine health wise, she could just be picky. I had to free feed Daisy until she was almost 2 because I couldn't find anything that she would eat. Now we are strict rations around here! I've had to cut her down to 1.25 cups of ACANA kibble a day split into two meals (holiday weight ) If you can afford it, I would try a better quality of food, if not you could try a million things. I think if you searched in Health and Genetics there is a similar post. But I use a bit of warm water sometimes, just to get that layer of whatever it is they put on kibble warm and gravy like. She really goes for that. Others use various dairy products or a bit of canned food or pure pumpkin... julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I don't know enough about Beneful to offer a value judgment as to whether it is good or not. My vet tends to recommend as commercially-available brands Chicken Soup, Innova, or Merrick dry foods (although due to sensitive digestive systems both of our dogs are actually on IVD Intestinal HE). Both of our dogs are picky eaters. We found that the optimum balance for our dogs was 3/4 cup of dry food mixed with 1/4 cup Merrick canned and some watered-down low-sodium beef or chicken broth (for moisture and flavor), twice per day; the dogs LOVE the flavors of the Merrick moist foods, and finish all of their food. (During the winter, if the dogs are not getting as much exercise, we cut Annie back to 1/2 cup per meal, but resume 3/4 cup as soon as she starts back on her normal routine.) In the evening, we also usually mix in some baked chicken with the food; in outdoor grilling weather, when we have steak, we will also grill up a steak for them and mix that in with their evening fare over the next couple of nights. Another point: If you keep an open can of moist food in the refrigerator, try microwaving it (in a microwaveable dish, NOT the can) for 15 to 20 seconds before mixing it in with the food (let it set for a couple of minutes before feeding the dog); our dogs seem to also prefer warmed moist food over cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxgloveBC Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I am by no means meaning this to be rude or anything, but Beneful is not a very good quality food. It is actually graded really low (one of the lowest out of all the dog foods). I would definitely try another food! My Sheltie is a picky eater (when I got him as a puppy he had been on Beneful, but I quickly switched him as he was not very interested in the food) and we tried a few different kinds before we found one that he normally will eat decently. I also discovered that the higher quality food we got, the more enthusiastic he was about his food. He is on Innova Evo red meat. It is VERY expensive I know, but we feed less of it, he maintains better weight, his energy level boosted, and he got a lot of shine to his coat. My 5 month old BC is on regular Innova until she gets about a year old, then we will bump her up to the Innova Evo red meat as well. Here is a link to a list of foods with grades on them, I know it is on a blog but it was copied from a website that had a grading system. Maybe you can find a better quality food that might be more appealing to your dog! Good luck! http://roxysruffhouse.blogspot.com/2007/05...ood-grades.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samson Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I'd recommend either Purina One Adult Food - Beef or Chicken or Eukenuba adult dog food for medium size dogs. My pup loves both of them and was having similar issues when I tried feeding him other food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esox Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I tried several different foods with Alex. She did well on the Purina One Puppy, but can't eat the adult because it has yogurt and she is lactose intolerant. Tried Iams, Beneful, and a couple others. Mealtime was always a trial even with a little can mixed in. I switched her to Nutro Ultra and I mix a tablespoon of Nutro or Innova can in. She has yet to skip a meal after a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aBC4me Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 If you search throughout you will find all kinds of topics on this board regarding food. Please take the time to look at teh different quality levels so that you can make an informed judgement on foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 My BC, River reduced her food intake around a year old on her own, eating 2 cups a day, I think she was on Canidae kibble at the time and would often skip meals. Due to her sensitive stomach, I've switch brands a few times and she is currently eats EVO kibble which is higher in protein and happens to be grain free. She's currently eating 2 cups a day (1 cup at each feeding) of EVO and hasn't skipped a meal since. She is still a lean dog. As far a quality of food, you should feed your dog the best you can afford - and definitely make informed decisions about your choices. I personally no longer buy dog food at chain petstores (Petco, Petsmart) since I have learned more about ingredients and the needs of my sensitive tummy BC, but buy from 'natural' local petstores that carry the premium brands that range from $35-$55 for a 28-40lb bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aBC4me Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 since I have learned more about ingredients and the needs of my sensitive tummy BC Mine TOO!!! This is ONE OF the main reasons that I am so picky about what he eats. I am even overly cautious with the treats that friends have at their house that they want to give him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 In our endless quest to prevent endless diarrhea and gas, we have again switched Popcorn and Pepper's food. We have been doing this for almost a year. Both are allergic to wheat, corn, soy, and other grains. So this time they are on Grain Free Dick Van Patten's Venison and Sweet Potato. The gas is almost all gone. So I think we are going to stick with that. Finally! A food that keeps weight on, a soft coat, and no constiptation(Popcorn)diarrhea or gas(Pepper). It can take awhile to find the right food but so worth it when you do. Among others we have tried, they have been on: Nutro Lamb and Rice Pinnacle(A few different ones) (And now) Dick Van Patten's Venison and Sweet Potato formula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyler Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 I agree with the others that Beneful is not good food. It is possible that she is also developing an alergy to something within the food or it just plain isnt agreeing with her anymore. There is also the possible issue of a health problem (could just be an upset stomach) or just a picky eater. My personal recommendation for food would be Eagle Pack. For the money there is no better food on the market that I know of. I think around a 20 lbs bag of regular Eagle Pack is about $19. My little Koda has an allergy to corn that caused dry flaky skin so I switched him to Eagle Pack Holistic which is $27 a 20lbs bag. Its extremely good food and his flaky skin went away within 4 days of switching over. Regardless if it is the food itself or not I would get her off of any retail store bought brand. Most stores specific to pets have higher quality foods available. Don't be fooled by the likes of Iaims or Science Diet either - both are pretty crummy regardless of the advertising. Getting your pup on a really good food could litterally add years to their life so its more than worth the extra cost IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate40541 Posted March 8, 2008 Report Share Posted March 8, 2008 There are some dogs that just don't have much interest in eating, we have one who went for a week without eating anything but her bedtime biscuit; I personally can't understand this attitude. She does eat now but it's a time-consuming, one of us still sits with her to make sure she eats and they get something like meat, hard-boiled eggs, canned green tripe, or vegetables and fruit, etc too. We're feeding Fromm right now but are switching back to Eagle pack soon, Canidae is a good one and not as expensive as some. If it goes on too long think about taking her to the vet to make sure there's not a medical reason she's not eating. Suzanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsnrs Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 We also have pickey eaters. We usually buy chicken when on sale and cook it in a broth. Then mix the dry food with that. It usually lasts for several days feeding 4 dogs twice a day. N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyler Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 We also have pickey eaters. We usually buy chicken when on sale and cook it in a broth. Then mix the dry food with that. It usually lasts for several days feeding 4 dogs twice a day. N Im coming to your house!!! Get to lay around all day, play with dogs, get scratches and served chicken soup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted March 9, 2008 Report Share Posted March 9, 2008 Our 2 eat EVO RF along with a 'vitamin' gravy I created because, according to the vet, they have allergies but to be honest with you, I would not feed my dogs any dog food created by a food company. Why?? Simple. It's my personal belief, the only reason a food company would make dog food is because they had 'leftovers' that weren't fit for human comsumption. And if it's not good enough for me, it's not good enough for my dogs. In her own way, maybe Nova is trying to tell you something. If I were you, I would switch dog food. Maybe try a higher quality dog food??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrayburn Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 I would switch her food, Beneful just isn't that good even compared to some of the other grocery store brands. I feed Purina One and feel that if you have to buy grocery store dog food, it's the best one out there. Since it is an hour drive to a pet store for me, that's what my dogs eat and they do very nicely on it. My Ben came as a picky eater with stomach issues and did well on the Purina One Sensitive Systems. Now I feed either the Beef and Rice or Lamb and Rice depending on what they have in the biggest bag. I do feel that changing the food too frequently will reinforce a picky eater so if you do switch to another food, make the switch and stick with it for a while instead of bouncing off to something else. Ben eats his food well if there is chicken broth or a little bacon grease on it. Since he has a hard time keeping weight on we do that a lot but it's not fool-proof. If she's holding weight well, switch her to a higher quality food, put her on a schedule and don't worry about. If she's getting too thin, switch the food and add something to make it a little more palatable. Whatever you do, be consistent and don't let her get into the habit of "holding out" until you up the ante and offer her something better than what's in her bowl right now. My girls (who are VERY food motivated and have no problem holding weight!) will even turn up their noses if I feed them dry kibble after they've been fed by my friend who puts all sorts of things in their food and thinks that they can't eat dry kibble without stock and shredded cheese and I don't want to know what all else. When they do that, I just keep offering them dry food and after a day or three they get over the hunger strike and eat (or wait until they spend the day at John's house again). Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haleigh Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Orijen scores as a 124 A+....that's what Joy's on, and its great. Our extremely picky bichon eats it, Joy's staying on a good weight, but it's a tad expensive. The big bag is 70 bucks here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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