Kit running hot and is disinterested in his kibble
I'm sure I'm just over reacting and it's nothing but here's what I've noticed in the past couple of days.
Kit is no longer interested in sleeping on his bed or lounging on it. He sometimes takes a treat or toy onto it, but he's usually lounging or sleeping on the tiled kitchen floor. And most recently he's been sleeping by the front door, it has the coldest floors in the house due to the spacing between the front door and ground. He finished shedding (for the most part) recently. So could the mid 60s to low 70s house temp be too warm for him?
Another thing that started most recently was that he no longer dives for his food. A lil history. He's been on Iam's puppy formula before I got him at 4 months old. I switched him between some kibble foods and he started to have the runs (about a week after I got him). I then went to raw (Stella and Chewy Chicken) food which didn't really fix his stool problem (would sometimes get so bad he would make a mess in his crate). I then took him to the vet, got some powder to mix into his food, that didn't work. So he prescribed some pills (don't have it in front of me) and had me buy the Hill's Scientific Formula W/D (yep, i know it's bad, keep reading faithful...umm.. reader) so after browsing on here for a bit, i discovered how horrible the scientific formula is. After his stool hardened and there was no more messes in his crate or uncontrollable indoor messes, i stopped the pills and started to mix Hill's and Fromm and then later got Blue Buffalo puppy formula (since i couldn't make it out in time to the specialty store where i got Fromm).
At this point he was still chomping away at his food the second it came down, and by the time i finished putting everything away he'd be done with his meal. Then after he's been on the Hill's/Blue Buffalo mix for a week or two, he started to lose interest in his food and wouldn't touch it after I placed it down. He'd come back to it throughout the day and nibble at it, usually finishing 80-90% of his normal intake. I went back to a specialty dog boutique that sold the raw and Fromm food and has many other great products. I picked up the top of the shelf dog food they have their being Orijen and started to mix it with Hill's and Buffalo...still didn't really care for his food....then took out Hill's completely and now its a Blue Buffalo and Orijen mix... still... doesn't care about his food as much as he used to. Nothings really changed in regards to his behavior, he's still running around outside and being playful, but he's losing interest in his food. I'm feeding him twice a day, morning and dinner. He basically doesn't touch his morning food anymore, and then gets crated. When my friend comes in to take him out, I believe he eats up half of it, then when I come home and take him out, he comes back and eats the other half and then I fill the bowl back up with his dinner which he might have a few bites of and then progressively nibbles at it throughout the night leaving the bowl 10% full or empty by bed time. Sorry for the long long ramble, but just thought every detail matters.
Is he just getting bored with his kibble? Should I start mixing in some canned food with the kibble? What if he treats the kibble and canned food the same as just the kibble?
Your help is greatly appreciated, I'm worried about the lil guy.
Kit is no longer interested in sleeping on his bed or lounging on it. He sometimes takes a treat or toy onto it, but he's usually lounging or sleeping on the tiled kitchen floor. And most recently he's been sleeping by the front door, it has the coldest floors in the house due to the spacing between the front door and ground. He finished shedding (for the most part) recently. So could the mid 60s to low 70s house temp be too warm for him?
Another thing that started most recently was that he no longer dives for his food. A lil history. He's been on Iam's puppy formula before I got him at 4 months old. I switched him between some kibble foods and he started to have the runs (about a week after I got him). I then went to raw (Stella and Chewy Chicken) food which didn't really fix his stool problem (would sometimes get so bad he would make a mess in his crate). I then took him to the vet, got some powder to mix into his food, that didn't work. So he prescribed some pills (don't have it in front of me) and had me buy the Hill's Scientific Formula W/D (yep, i know it's bad, keep reading faithful...umm.. reader) so after browsing on here for a bit, i discovered how horrible the scientific formula is. After his stool hardened and there was no more messes in his crate or uncontrollable indoor messes, i stopped the pills and started to mix Hill's and Fromm and then later got Blue Buffalo puppy formula (since i couldn't make it out in time to the specialty store where i got Fromm).
At this point he was still chomping away at his food the second it came down, and by the time i finished putting everything away he'd be done with his meal. Then after he's been on the Hill's/Blue Buffalo mix for a week or two, he started to lose interest in his food and wouldn't touch it after I placed it down. He'd come back to it throughout the day and nibble at it, usually finishing 80-90% of his normal intake. I went back to a specialty dog boutique that sold the raw and Fromm food and has many other great products. I picked up the top of the shelf dog food they have their being Orijen and started to mix it with Hill's and Buffalo...still didn't really care for his food....then took out Hill's completely and now its a Blue Buffalo and Orijen mix... still... doesn't care about his food as much as he used to. Nothings really changed in regards to his behavior, he's still running around outside and being playful, but he's losing interest in his food. I'm feeding him twice a day, morning and dinner. He basically doesn't touch his morning food anymore, and then gets crated. When my friend comes in to take him out, I believe he eats up half of it, then when I come home and take him out, he comes back and eats the other half and then I fill the bowl back up with his dinner which he might have a few bites of and then progressively nibbles at it throughout the night leaving the bowl 10% full or empty by bed time. Sorry for the long long ramble, but just thought every detail matters.
Is he just getting bored with his kibble? Should I start mixing in some canned food with the kibble? What if he treats the kibble and canned food the same as just the kibble?
Your help is greatly appreciated, I'm worried about the lil guy.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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The Iams and the Hills are both coated in a layer of sprayed on fat making it super delicious, so when you switch to a high quality kibble (Blue Buff, Fromm, and Orijen are all great options- but the Orijen is definitely the best of the three) that isn't coated in fat, it could be less appealing. As the people who make our puppies' decisions, however, we have to pick what is healthy for them over what taste like dog "candy."
Both of my pups also went through periods of not caring to eat that much, I believe a lot of people on here will tell you the same thing. Also, when feeding twice a day, leave it down only for 10-15 minutes then pick it up. It comes back out again at the next scheduled feeding. I promise it won't kill him to not finish his bowls! =) My Lyla especially went through months where she would eat half a bowl one day, nothing the next, and then eat with gusto, only to not be hungry again a couple days later. But she was consistently gaining weight and never looked underfed so I never worried. Now she eats at every meal just like I would expect a Corgi to do. Puppies are just so funny sometimes! (Oh, and I would be careful about starting to mix in canned food or other "treats" or you'll create a spoiled puppy who will only eat when his food is "special." Also, if he has a sensitive digestive system, which it sounds like he does, the canned food might upset his system. My Aussie was a sensitive puppy and I once mixed in about 1/3 of a high quality canned food with his kibble.... awful diarrhea!!)
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Permalink Reply by Marius on
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Thanks for the advice. I'd like to switch to feeding him once a day, is that alright for a puppy? If i do switch him to once a day, should I gradually reduce food in the morning to more food in the evening? And when I do finally switch to just one meal a day, how long do I keep it on the ground for before taking it back?
Thanks once again!
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I've never gone to just one meal a day because my Aussie has the most delicate digestive system and will actually throw up if there is nothing in his stomach, lol. I would keep a puppy on two meals until at least 6 months, they are just too small weight wise before that. When you do switch over, yes, I would start gradually having more at one feeding and less at the other. I would still only leave the bowl on the ground for around 20 minutes though. Most puppies I know come around to eating pretty quickly and won't have a problem gulping it all down in 30 seconds eventually!
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Thank you, I'll see how it goes, he's 6 months now, but I'll switch him over to one feeding later one, perhaps when he's closer to 1 year
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Permalink Reply by Beauty and the Beast on
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Is it possible that your puppy is still teething? Should be done by 6 months, but I remember vividly how Shiro's last tooth came out a week before neutering (about 8 months) because he played tug too hard.
Try to add some warm water to the kibble. It will release pleasant smell (pleasant for the dog anyways) and soften up the hard pieces.
Changing foods frequently will affect stool. Shiro would usually have soft stool for at least a few days after changing food.
Blue Buffalo sucks, it's not as good as it used to be. Switch him completely to Orijen (it's OK to go cold turkey with high quality food).
How much do you feed him? Shouldn't be more than 2 cups a day for a puppy corgi and 1 cup for adult.
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Permalink Reply by Meredith and Paisley on
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Does Blue Buffalo really suck?? I have Paisley on it, the Lamb and Rice puppy formula, because so far it is the only thing that doesn't upset her tummy. I really want her on a high quality food but it seems that if I go too high quality, it is too rich for her... This dog food stuff can be kind of confusing... I wish there was one right answer.
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Blue Buffalo is really not all that bad. No, it's not the absolute top of the line, but it's is a food I would feel comfortable feeding my dogs (which is saying a lot because I am super duper picky about what I feed them). I try to keep up with the companies, and the company that makes Blue Buffalo, so far, has not sold out to any of the major companies. Canidae, for example, used to be a great human-grade food. They recently sold out to Diamond, changed their formula, and now Diamond makes the food and slaps the Canidae name on it (they also had to take "human-grade" off of their food, hmm, wonder why). I refuse to buy Canidae anymore. To my knowledge, Blue Buffalo hasn't done anything like this, so I think it's still a safe choice.
As for the higher quality foods being too rich, they can sometimes, but you also have to make sure you're not over feeding. The super premium foods are meant to be fed a lot less because they are very concentrated nutrition. If you are really concerned, I know Innova makes a good Lamb and Rice food that is not quite as rich as their Evo line.
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I think he's pretty much done teething, I'm no dentist, but his teeth do look different from the first time i got him. But I'll try adding water to his food, thanks for the advice! And yeah, I'm feeding about 2 cups a day. I'm guessing I should switch him to 1 cup a day when he turns 1?
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Oh, and as for sleeping on the tile, my Aussie does this too. I think some dogs just prefer the coolness. My Sky does not even care to be on the sofa or my bed, he would rather be on the floor. He has a nice big comfy dog bed too, and he only uses it when 1) I make him lay on it to eat a raw bone or 2) he is playing with a puzzler toy and the bed makes it easier to manipulate than the hardwood floors.
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Hoping he gets comfy with the temperature, I'd like him to cuddle up...but since i got him...he's always taken either the middle of the couch or the opposite end I'm sitting on...and when going to bed, he used to sleep by my feet... and now he just jumps off and sleeps on the ground... he better be lucky he's cute and a funny character or I wouldn't be spoiling him so much with toys and food (just kidding)
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Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
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Here in Seattle, there's a company called Darwin's ("...it's a natural selection....", ha ha) that delivers frozen bricks of raw meat to our door. I don't even want to know what we're paying for this. It all started because of our first dog's skin problems -- chewed raw sores in her skin -- which were possibly due to corn or grain allergy.
On the raw meat, they have firm, nearly odorless turds that are easy to pick up. We add just a few bits of Wellness kibble (sweet potato/whitefish)to soften the stool just a wee bit. Their meals are gone in under 60 sec. every time. They get a lot of Wellness kibble on hiking trips, and the difference in the stool is dramatic: big, soft, smelly.
Kit's a puppy? I've heard that you basically cannot over-feed a puppy. Is it possible he simply has plenty of food and isn't hungry?
With adults like ours, you have the problem of restricting their diet so they don't get overweight, so they're always hungry (and will make us pay on Judgement Day) and eat like shop-vacs.
Old Bizarro cartoon: a lawyer at the back door, gesturing to dog bowl, speaks to owner as doggo looks on, "...as Blackie's attorney, let me call your attention to this disgusting slop you so disingenuously refer to as "Healthy Dog Perky Bits with Gravy..." :-)
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Lea & Sydney on
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I actually just had a nice long conversation with the folks at Darwin's yesterday and will be getting my first order on Thursday. Their pricing is actually really good compared to some other packaged raw diets, depending on the type of meat you buy. They stayed on the phone with me for nearly an hour and answered all of my questions thoroughly. I think it's a great option to explore.
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