1 yr old and no appetite?

I rescued my corgi, Han about eleven months ago from a shelter. They weren't sure his exact age but he was definitely a puppy, probably only a few months. At the time, he was extremely skinny and you could easily poke your finger through his ribs. He's put on weight since then but he's still really boney. My vet doesn't seem to concerned about his weight and he has a clean bill of health. My biggest concern is that he really doesn't seem to care about food at all and every now and then he'll just skip meals in favor of playing or even lounging. He eat Benefuls puppy food, which is basically the only dog food he seems to like (when he likes food).

From what I've been reading, it sound like corgis normally have the opposite problem where they eat too much and are overweight. I'm wondering not so much about the weight of a year old corgi but about the "bulk" of one. Is it normal for them to still be noticeably boney? Or should he have more meat on him? Also has anyone ever dealt with a dog with a complete lack of interest in food (this is pretty new for me since my dogs have always been eating machines)?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on January 19, 2012 at 5:37pm

Hi Alisa, how much does Han weight? Corgis usually fill out by the age of 2.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on January 19, 2012 at 7:28pm

Also, depending on the age , Han, may be teething still and that can affect appetite. If he is then watering down his food may help a little. Also, a young dog will typically look thin and grow in spurts.

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Permalink Reply by Alisa Williams on January 20, 2012 at 8:54am

Actually, that makes a lot of sense. It seemed like he was really getting a handle on chewing/biting things up until a few weeks ago when he started up again, and I recently noticed he has a few more teeth coming in. I'll try watering down his food and see if his appetite picks up.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on January 20, 2012 at 9:15am

I agree with Sam. Sage was one of those Corgis...I added water to her food not just because she was teething but still do as she likes the warm water and doesn't seem to eat as well without it. She's on a grain free food so I actually added some rice to her food(1TBSP) each feeding. At 22 months she was finally filled out and at a perfect weight of 26#'s. Skinny is always better than overweight but he will fill out I am sure.

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Permalink Reply by Alisa Williams on January 21, 2012 at 12:54pm

It looks like the solution to this was to just add water to his food. He's already eaten 3 meals without taking a break to run around, play or just sit there and stare at his food.