Pup - not eating his 'breakfast'

Beau, my 5 month old beagle pup (give or take a few days) is currently being fed 3 dry food (soaked) meals per day. When he was a younger pup he used to wolf all his meals down in a matter of seconds but now he really takes his time over eating (which I have been told is a good thing because it means he realises that there is no competition in the house for food!)

For the last couple of weeks when I put his breakfast down Beau will come and have a sniff anf then wonder away and not eat it. Sometimes he'll have a little nibble but most of the time he just leaves it. I leave it down for up to 40 mins and then take it away again (I prefer Beau to have a routine with walks, toileting etc so I can't let him 'choose' what time to eat if that makes sense). He is eating his lunch and evening meal but again he's not too interested in the food and will eat quite slowly, but still clears his bowl.

Beau is on Simpson's premium and when he came to us he was having Royal Canin mixed in with it. I stopped the Royal Canin a while ago but I was wondering if he'd got bored of his food so I've started to mix in a little James Wellbeloved in with the Simpsons. It's not made any difference!

Beau is healthy and happy in himself and I was wondering whether it means it's time to reduce his meals down to 2 per day? I asked the veteranary nurse when he went for his flea/worming treatment a couple of weeks ago but she said that given his age he should still be on 3 meals as puppies can get hypoglycemic!?

Beau has lost a few teeth recently so I don't know whether that might be bothering him but that said, he'll still happily eat treats if offered them

Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi i have 2 beagles and if they ever turn their noses up at any food more than once its off to the vets! My youngest dog had meningitus{spelling}? and could hardly walk but still managed to eat!! Saying that i have spoken to other owners who say that their beagle isn;t greedy! my 2 would eat themselves to death and have come close to it How much food are you giving at each meal? could Beau be having too much and then not bothered or is there any chance he/she is getting food from elsewhere ie;catfood, fruitbowl , vegetable rack,bird seed,even his own food when you aren't about or someone ie kids are giving lots of treats? If he/seems well and is eating something and growing i wouln't worry too much perhaps try a different flavour food fish or duck if all else fails and you're concerned, im afraid its off to the vets which could rule out any problems.Good luck.

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Beau is a little monkey for eating stuff in the garden, plants, sticks, plant pots, leaves etc.....you name it!! lol. I'm fairly sure he's not getting food from anywhere else tho, and we are careful not to give Beau too many treats (he has a few per day as we are trying to teach him to sit, recall, toileting etc).

I wonder if he's just getting enough with the 2 meals per day if I'm honest, and although he's not too interested in his food he'd gladly eat ours given half the chance (he's always in the dishwasher licking dirty plates etc!!). Plus he's still 'going' regularly and he seems perfectly healthy. I'll keep offering him the food and mention it to the vets when I next take him for his Advocate in a couple of weeks. He's certainly not ill tho! lol.

My Boxer pup is just over 5 months old, and she only seems to need 2 meals a day....

I am quick to run to the vet with a none eating Lab too. At 5 months his rate of growth could be slowing and he needs less. You need to know your dog. If a dog that normally has a good appetite suddenly quits eating, it needs to see a vet. Something is wrong, and the vet can tell what it is and prescribe an effective remedy. Even an older dog may have something that will respond to treatment. At 12 years old, when my Lab, Aster, failed to eat one morning, I took her to the vet. It was pneumonia, which quickly yielded to antibiotics and she was soon her old self.

If the dog never did eat very well, and has seen the vet since the problem existed, you may be over feeding it. A vet check still won't hurt. Many dogs will wolf down more than is good for them and look for more. Others refuse to eat more than than they need. Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. You may want the vet to confirm your judgment. Adjust the dogs food and exercise as needed to reach its ideal body condition. Some German Shepherds and other breeds may refuse to eat enough to completely hid their ribs. As long as you are feeding a concentrated, meat based chow, the best thing is to accept it.

The worst thing you can do is to bribe a dog with rich foods into eating more than it needs. Instead, Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.

Thanks Labman.

Beau was weighed 2 weeks ago and is perfect for his age. He's growing and is fit and healthy. Like you say, I think I might be putting too much in his dish 3 times a day so he's eating 2 of the meals and this is enough for him. I might try and give him 3 smaller meals and see if this makes a difference.

We're back at the vets in 2 weeks for Advocate so I'll mention it then. If I thought he was ill in the meantime I'd be straight there.

Hi Vics Beau will be ready to go on to two meals a day at six months, maybe cut him to two meals a day a couple of weeks early particularly if you are using treats through the day to train.

It sounds as though he is fit and healthy in other ways and happy to eat other food.

I think kibble is very unappetising to dogs, it doesn't have much smell and it is smell that attracts dogs to food not the taste.

I would try adding something a little strong smelling to his kibble, a small amount of sardines (in oil not brine) grated cheese or meat to make it more appetising. Also moistening it with a little hot water can help to release the smell.

Hi Vics

Sorry to hear Beau hasn't been eating properly, does sound a littlle strange seeing as he is beagle afterall lol!!

I agree with Minihaha though on adding something extra, Monty is fed on James Wellbeloved kibble but he normally has a small amount of wet food mixed in - normally nature's harvest or nature diet - literally just a large spoonful with each meal, therefore it seems a lot more appealing to him than his ordinary kibble!! He seems to eat it all a lot quicker when he has some wet mixed in!!

Least you know he is well, as he is still eating in the evening and of course the good old treats!

Thanks for all the replies.

I think Beau is just fussy and doesn't like kibble! I think he thinks he's human and therfore should eat like one! There's nothing wrong with his appetite when he's begging for table scraps or eating my plants in the garden!

I've bought some wet food this week and mixed a little in with his dry food which seems to be helping. He's definately not ill, just fussy which is odd as he'll happily devour most things, edible or not! And you should see him when I open the 'treat' cupboard!

Hi,
Just to say, my little dog stopped eating in the morning when she was about 8 months old. She rarely eats before lunchtime now (she's nearly 2), and then has another meal at dinner time. I've found that the more exercise she gets, the better her appetite. Good luck - I've been there