Hungry puppy - Page 2

Thanks for all the comments. Lot of info to take in. Im going to try adding some appetising meat to his kibble without water and if that dosnt work then a trip to the vet. JUST A NOTE for all those that think I have been serving the food just after pouring over boiling water: NEVER. Lets have some common sense. THANKS TO ALL.

Ive tried Jades suggestion and mixed cottage cheese with dry kibble and its worked a treat. I dont think he even looked up to get a breath of fresh air. THANKS. Just one point though, alot of breeders and nutrioinists say that milk or milk based products cause a lactose intolerance dogs find dairy products hard to digest: Any comments on this would help as I would also like to serve small portion of cows milk.

Milk is generally not a good choice for animals, even cats contrary to all the fairy tale pictures you see.... Plain yogurt and cottage cheese most often have good bacteria in them, active cultures called lactobacillus and acidopholus. These are very good for the gut and in helping to correct the level of bacteria in the gut. I use either/or with my puppies and their mother. It is often recommended with rice or bland meat in cases of diarrhea. My dogs get yogurt everyday But milk, it can cause GI upsets..

Cottage cheese and yogurt are fermented milk products, meaning that the milk sugar (lactose) has already been consumed by the bacteria that started the fermentation process. So stay away from actual milk - which will likely cause a reaction. But you can give chottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, and occasionally buttermilk. And yes, the lactobacilli in these products are very beneficial. Small amounts of hard cheese as a treat is ok too. Works great for tracking etc, or when you want to use food as a reward coming directly from your mouth (attention and eye contact). More pleasant than keeping dog biscits or kibble in the mouth anyways. Just make sure you bring enough. I always end up eating half the cheese treats myself ;o). One more thing - stay away from soy products. So no soy milk or the like if you are looking for milk alternatives. Dogs love tofu, but very limited please. Soy can affect a dogs thyroid negatively and can bring on symptoms of hypothyroidism. Some dogs are also sensitive to it and react with gas and bloating.

If you feel a real need to give milk...then goat's milk is about the best...the fresher the better...of course sometimes it's very hard to find fresh...you can always find canned goat's milk in the grocery store...this is also a very good substitute for mother's milk...Good Luck!

Can I ask who the pup is out of? I have heard of this exact same sitution (although it could be TOTALLY unrelated!!!) with 2 pups/dogs out of one sire. It was like it actually 'hurt' the pup/dog to eat. There would be times it would eat O.K. but it was always a struggle. Owner went to numerous vets, had numerous test and they could not find anything conclusive. When the dog was shown at a seiger show (was just under a year of age) judge told owner, dog is sick and full of worms and went on to lecture them. Course..it was not true. Everything was done to help....but nothing did. Now, again..this could be totally unrelated. YOu could just have a picky eater. (another trait I find very frustrating and would think twice about breeding to a dog with this trait).