Feeding Frustrations
We are having the most difficult time getting Alwyn to eat. He is nearly 7 months now and this has been going on since we had him at 8 weeks. It’s almost as if he has no great interest in food in general, which is just plain strange to me. Let me begin by saying that he’ll gobble down pieces of chicken and treats without hesitation. He’ll enthusiastically chew on a pig’s ear while sitting in between us. However, when it comes to feeding time he could care less. He’s tried several different dog food brands and nothing has changed his mind. He’s eating Merrick so it’s not as if we’re feeding him something that’s not healthy for him. There are even treats he won’t love - I made him Frosty Paws and although he loved it the first two times he turned his nose up any other time I offered it to him. He loved peanut butter when I put it in his Kong the first two times but afterwards he wouldn’t even go near it. I’ve tried raw carrots and after much coaxing and playing with them, he ate a couple then refused although he ate some when I steamed them then it was back to refusing.
I have tried feeding him plain kibble. I have tried mixing his food with a tablespoon of yogurt, a tablespoon or two of wet food (Merrick canned), warm water, small pieces of Zukes treats, small pieces of broiled chicken (he’ll pick out the chicken and eat only a little bit of kibble), tablespoon of Linatone, chicken stock, beef stock. I even bought a balancing egg weeble like container that he can paw around and kibble comes out in small increments. It makes food time fun and he can work for it. He liked it for a few days then after that he batted it around a few times then got bored. He’ll go crazy over his meal the first time he eats it, maybe the second time. After that he couldn’t care less. We’ve tried sitting down next to him to give him extra company while he eats and that helps only for a few bites. We’ve tried putting his food down for 20 minutes and then taking it away and repeating later on. This behavior remains the same no matter his activity level. Most days he’ll eat anywhere between 1/2 - 2/3 cup IF we’re lucky. He urinates and poops daily.
Although he is approximately 26 pounds, he doesn’t appear it. His shoulders are broad like his dad’s but his waist is lean. Looking at him something just tells me that he appears small. My fear is that this behavior around his food is affecting his growth. I know he’s still under a year and he is growing because he is eating SOME but I wonder if his not wanting to eat is stunting his growth. Has anyone else encountered this with their corgis? Any insight? Is he just extremely picky? Am I just being overly worried? It’s frustrating when he shows hardly any interest in food no matter what we try to do for our little man.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Betts on
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My little guy is 7 months and he also is lean at the waist. I remember my older corgi looking the same at that age, so I think it's normal. He weighs 22 lbs and is an absolute pig with his food, so if your guy is 26, he's getting enough calories. I call kids that grow even if they don't eat well air ferns, and it may be that you've got an air fern corgi. In fact, if he ate really well he might end up being obese. It sounds like he likes variety in his food, so I'd buy a bunch of different kinds of foods and rotate them, but not worry about the amount he's eating.
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Permalink Reply by Jessie & Alwyn on
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Air ferns - I really like that analogy! I think you have the right idea on how he's growing because I can't come up with any other solution. Unless he has some stash in his kennel that I can't find. ;)
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Most corgis don't "fill out" until the age of 2. Current weight at 26lbs is well within standard, it's better to be lean than overweight, which contribute to joint problems later in life. You got nothing to worry about, consider it a blessing :) Check out the pics on my blog - 10 lbs difference between my rescues and my own pack.
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Thank you Sam! What a great slide show and what a difference between your rescues and your own pack! I appreciate your input.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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My 5 year old only weighs 29# in tip top shape so your pup is plenty heavy. Are you making sure he is eating his good food before the treats? Sometimes dogs will hold out for the treats (imagine that...) instead. You may have to back off on the treats and just be tough for a few days and give him his food. Corgis do well at training us humans! Dogs are probably better at knowing when they need food than us humans also.
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Permalink Reply by Vee Luther on
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I also think the weight is OK but I will share that all of my corgis have gone through a phase where they just wont' eat or eat very, very slowly. Walk around, take a bite, come back, etc. I have found that taking the food out of the dish for some reason makes my guys eat it . Don't know what that says about the bowls (kind of standard, aluminum bowls) but it does work when nothing else will.
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I've taken food out of the bowls also!
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Thank you Vee, I'll give that a try!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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I think most picky eaters are made not born. I just put the food down for max 20 minutes and pick it up until next time twice a day. As they grow, most pups will go through stages where they eat more or less depending on growth spurts etc. As long as his weight is good and it sounds like it is and you are offering a healthy diet it really doesn't matter how much he eats. If you play with different ways to feed and offer too many treats it will just make him picky. If there is a health problem or he is not keeping the weight on then you can cater to him a little more. Mine all eat at the speed of light and do not care what they are eating but they all have had various times when they were younger where they cut back for brief time periods.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Payerl on
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He may be picking up on your willingness to feed him treats instead of his food. A dog, even a puppy will not suffer horribly from missing a meal or two. You said you put his meal out for ten or 15 minutes, then pick it up and don't put it down again until his next scheduled feeding. Do you give him treats in between? If he's eating enough treats to be putting on weight, he's probably getting enough calories (but not necessarily the right nutrients). You may want to call the vet and see what he/she has to say. Be careful about mixing different types of food too much --- puppies can get upset tummies / diarrhea from frequent changes in diet. Have you tried different types of kibble? There may be something in the one that your using that doesn't agree with him. You say he urinates and poops daily; are his stools firm? If not, check with your vet; maybe he has a food allergy. He may just be a smaller corgi than his dad.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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If he's 7 months and 26 pounds he's plenty big enough. He might just have a slow metabolism. When Jack was our only dog, he needed just 2/3 of a cup a food a day to maintain weight as an adult. He gets about a cup now that we have another dog.
Also watch treats. Some can have lots of calories. If you're feeding Merrick puppy formula, it's about 360 cal/cup. For some comparison, a Dentastix large sized treat is about 70 calories. Lots of normal "biscuit-sized" treats are 25 to 35 calories. Some of those big bones are over 100 calories. If he's getting just a few treats a day, that will seriously cut into how much food he eats. I have switched over all treats to things like Zuke's Mini Naturals or Charlie Bears that are two or three calories a treat. I also get the soft Wellness treats and tear them into about 6 pieces each. They get one large treat once or twice a week for something to do, and that's it.
It sounds like you may have (at least for now) a self-regulating dog. It's not so common among Corgis, but my parents' hunting dog is more or less free-fed because she often doesn't finish what is in her bowl.
I agree that I would put his bowl down for 15 minutes, and if it's not gone pick it up and don't put it down again. Try going one week with no treats (offer kibble for training rewards) and see if he eats more eagerly. Put it down, don't mix in anything special, and walk away and ignore him. If he gets hungry, he'll eat.
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Permalink Reply by Pat Piotrowski on
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Sam, I looked at your blog, love th comment about surround sound!
My Katie is 23 LBS and fit according to the vet, although I think her waistline could be a tiny bit slimmer, she is a smaller corgi. she has gone thru periods in her life that she was picky. It seemed that when I was trying new foods its when she got picky.
To prevent overweight, since she loves to beg, I give her only fresh veggies for treats. It keeps the calories down, and she loves them. She loves carrots, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, you name it.
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