Poodle Problem

I am posting this thread on behalf of my mum who does not have a pc. Any helpful info on Poodles would be gratefully received.

My mum is a first time dog owner to a minature poodle called Poppy. She has had Poppy since she was 9wks old and being new to dog ownership I think she is doing really well. However Poppy has never been a great eater and my mum is worring that she is doing something wrong.
I know some small dogs can be fussy eaters but my mum has never encourgaged special meals. she is fed on the royal canine poodle food. Poppy does not seem fussed with doggy treats or regularly drinking water.

Having never owned a small breed dog myself I am not sure if this is normal poodle behaviour. On top of this Poppy who is now 16 months has started being sick on a regular basis, not every day but at least once a week anytime of the day. It is always yellow bile. She has been to the vet who has said she is in good health and she has all her vaccinations/flea & worm control up to date. Vet seems to think it is all down to attention seeking.?? my mum lives alone & Poppy is her sole companion.

Hope someone can help.

I know lots of poodles and they all have great appetites, how many times a day does your mum feed your dog, once, twice, is it down all the time?

Poppy was fed twice a day (moring and early evening)and her bowl picked up each time if not eaten.
Then my mum started feeding her in the morning leaving the bowl down all day. With the bowl left down all day Poppy would approach it a few times but not eat anything until late evening before going to bed, all be it only a small amount.

I am amazed how Poppy can go all day with hardly any food?
Do you think this is more a behavioural problem rather than medical???

Perhaps.

Why the change in feeding arrangements?

It sounds as though it may be just bile generated from an empty stomach.

Why does she not HALVE the amount she normally feeds, and split it into two feeds 12 hours apart.

This will a) sharpen up the appetite and b) reduce the likelihood of the sickness if it is due to empty stomach.

I think she has tried that? Her morning food would still be sat there come early evening feedtime. Hence why she just leaves the bowl down.
She somethimes grazes on a few kibbles but not a lot.
I agree with you smokeybear I think the bile is due to her stomach being too empty.
Just wish we could get her to eat more.

IME you have to do what appears to be counterintuitive to work up an appetite.

If something is available at any time, then it loses its value.

If a dog only has a small appetite then sometimes you have to start feeding LESS in order for that appetite to be stimulated.

I think your mother sounds as though she has fed too much too often and is anxious which makes the dog LESS likely to eat.


This is, IME, what normally happens when people complain of their dog/cat/childs inappetance.

i own cresteds, and my first was a bit of a nightmare with food, she was fed royal canin mini. but she was really picky, and wouldnt eat hardly any. just pick at it, skip meals. i swapped the food. for the price of a bag, and my dog not wanting it, didnt think it was worth it. also i didnt think it was one of the better foods on the market. some dogs do well on it dont get m wrong, but mine really enjoy it and im glad i swapped over, as she now eats every meal, and never turns her nose up at it.

She has tried different brands of dog food in the past but to no avail.

I will pass on the comment about trying smaller amounts of food to start with then slowly increasing in the hope this will increase her appetite.

She has always weighed Poppy's food out & stuck to the manufacturers feeding guidelines per weight of the dog, sometimes it does look alot in the bowl.

Can anyone suggest a good quality dry food for a minature poodle in case she does decide to change the brand.

i switched to raw food

I've found yellow frothy bile usually occurs on occasions when they've gone too long with an empty stomach. One of mine used to do it regularly first thing in the morning - until i made sure he had something for supper.

You said that your mum weighed her dog and feeds her the required amount on the instructions - unfortunately, these instructins are very general and as they are written by the manufactuerers they tend to encourage you to feed more than they really need (it sells more food that way!)

If your mum's poodle is generally fit and healthy (and not lethargic, dull coated/eyed) I wouldn't worry too much - she's obviously getting enough nutrition (you didn't mention what treats and extras she gets).