# Appetite decrease



## LunaBelle (May 7, 2015)

Hello! My 11 week old pup is experiencing a lack of appetite. The first couple weeks she was with us her appetite was ferocious. I couldn't set her bowl down fast enough and her food was gone in seconds. Of course we worked on sitting during her food preparation and she waits for the command to go to the bowl. But, for the last week she is not even that interested in her food. She eats about half of her bowl and sometimes goes back in a few minutes to eat a bit more, but not always. She gets about 2 cups of Natures variety instint grain free beef and lamb (dry formula) right now with a little bone broth to moisten it (split over 3 meLs). I'd say she's eating about 2/3 of it. She also does not appeR to be under weight, although she has dropped a little bit of weight. She was actually starting to get a bit round. 

We have increased her treats lately since we began training and are also working on positive association with our kids (that includes treats). I'm thinking she is either not as interested in meals because she knows treats are coming (and likes them better or she is getting full on treats (probably both). If that's the case, should I not worry about her waning appetite or decrease the treats. Tbh I'd prefer not to decrease the treats. Behavior training has been so much more successful since she seems to be food driven. I'd love thoughts or suggestions. Thanks.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

Maybe use her food as training treats. If she won't take it maybe she doesn't care for the food. You might need to change. We sometimes decrease Chloe's meals a little because we have used her food to train during the day.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Puppies go through growth spurts. When they are growing, they can be ravenous. When their growth slows down, they eat less. I wouldn't worry about it. If she gets plump, increase her activity level and/or cut back her food. If she gets too thin, increase her food.

And yeah, the treats are probably filling her up, like your kids when they snack. Plus, she knows that if she doesn't eat all of her food, she'll get yummy treats later anyway.


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## Anon-2130948gsoni (Apr 12, 2014)

The first six weeks Griffey was home he rarely finished his meals, and he was offered about 3/4 cup three times a day. Then he really started to grow...and now he hoovers down three cups a day plus training treats and would gladly eat more.

Having a puppy who adjusts her consumption to what she needs instead of just eating everything in sight is a good thing! It will be easier to keep her lean later on.


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## LunaBelle (May 7, 2015)

So, today she barely ate half her breakfast and turned her nose up and walked away from her lunch. I have been using the freshpet Vital Chicken, Beef, Salmon & Egg complete meals (little chunks of meat) as training treats, but instead gave her a serving of it which she gobbled up. So, I'm pretty sure she does not like her food. I wasn't planning on feeding her this as a meal since it's on the expensive side. 

Any recommendations on a grain free kibble?


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

It might not be that she doesn't like her food but she likes the treats better 

Also, if she is teething, you may want to soften her food before giving it to her.

If you want to switch her food, look for a good LBP food.

I'm not big on grain free. I feed my puppies Nutrsource LBP, and sometimes Fromm LBP.


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## LunaBelle (May 7, 2015)

Thank you. Our food is for LB, but is grain free. Also, I always moisten it with bone broth, which she has always loved. I will start doing some research on other foods. 

Can you tell me why you don't prefer grain free? I'd love to hear your thoughts 


Tahnee GR said:


> It might not be that she doesn't like her food but she likes the treats better
> 
> Also, if she is teething, you may want to soften her food before giving it to her.
> 
> ...


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I just tend to see grain free as more of a fad. I do believe in a good quality food, whether the carbs come from potatoes or grains.

What Is Grain Free Pet Food, Really? | petMD

Blog – The Grain Controversy- Are Grain-Free Dog Foods The Answer? - Dr. Harvey's


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

You are feeding her too much, with the treats and diet and that is why she does not want to finish her food. Some Goldens self limit.


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## LunaBelle (May 7, 2015)

We switched her food to Taste of the Wild Puppy, Pacific smoked Salmon and she LOVES it! We also cut back on treats a bit, as well as the timing of treats. She's a happy pup


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