how do I change the pups diet

[srzoe]

My 11 week old pup is finicky; as I was feeding him Artemis dry food he would pick at it, but not eat very much in a sitting. I added some Wellness canned food- only about a quarter of a cup mixed with a good amount of dry food and he loved it, eating every last bit. But he now has diarrhea. Should I just ride it out? Will he adjust and the diarrhea will go away? Is there any other way to adjust the diet without causing stomach problems. Thanx

[mjfish]

How much is a "good amount" of dry food? It's probably just too much food at once. How long has he been on the Artemis? Do you free feed (leave the bowl out all day)? You could continue to mix a little bit of wet in with the dry or try a different dry kibble. You can add in some plain canned pumpkin with the kibble, that should help firm things up and add a bit of incentive to eat -- my dogs go crazy for the stuff!

[brunie's mom]

You really should be measuring out the amount of food at each feeding. Feed three times per day till about 18-20 weeks...then down to two meals per day.

Measure out the dry food (probably 3/4 cup or so per meal?) and add a tablespoon of canned food...mix it all in so he cannot pick it out. Put food down....give him 10 minutes to eat...then pick up bowl till next meal.

When you have set feeding times it's much easier to house train and it also helps with obedience training.

You may just be feeding too much food? or too much canned food. Some pups/dogs do get the runs from too much canned.

I agree a tablespoon of canned pumpkin may get things right...if the diarrhea continues, please get him to the vet.

Gina

[srzoe]

Originally Posted by mjfish

How much is a "good amount" of dry food? It's probably just too much food at once. How long has he been on the Artemis? Do you free feed (leave the bowl out all day)? You could continue to mix a little bit of wet in with the dry or try a different dry kibble. You can add in some plain canned pumpkin with the kibble, that should help firm things up and add a bit of incentive to eat -- my dogs go crazy for the stuff!

A "good amount" is 1.25 cups dry with about a tablespoon of wet food. I even just switched to evangers 100% beef wet food to entice him. The vet said he was just a little underweight, but that was better than over. I even sent a stool sample to the vet's lab and the ELISA did not show anything.

[srzoe]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

You really should be measuring out the amount of food at each feeding. Feed three times per day till about 18-20 weeks...then down to two meals per day.

Measure out the dry food (probably 3/4 cup or so per meal?) and add a tablespoon of canned food...mix it all in so he cannot pick it out. Put food down....give him 10 minutes to eat...then pick up bowl till next meal.

When you have set feeding times it's much easier to house train and it also helps with obedience training.

You may just be feeding too much food? or too much canned food. Some pups/dogs do get the runs from too much canned.

I agree a tablespoon of canned pumpkin may get things right...if the diarrhea continues, please get him to the vet.

Gina

I do measure it out based on the back of the bag(artimis large breed) and that is about 1.25 cups three times a day with wet food thoroughly mixed in. One thing I do is leave the food down and even put it in the crate if I leave. I just think he should be eating more. I did send a stool sample to the vet and she said the ELISA was negative. He seemed to have liked the purina pro plan large breed he was fed from the breeder.

[mjfish]

Originally Posted by srzoe

I do measure it out based on the back of the bag(artimis large breed) and that is about 1.25 cups three times a day with wet food thoroughly mixed in. One thing I do is leave the food down and even put it in the crate if I leave. I just think he should be eating more. I did send a stool sample to the vet and she said the ELISA was negative. He seemed to have liked the purina pro plan large breed he was fed from the breeder.

So, you're feeding almost 3.75 cups of dry food a day, plus wet? I think that's a bit much for an 11 week old puppy! Why do you want him to eat more -- how much does he weigh?

I would cut back on the dry food to maybe 1 cup per feeding, and add in the wet. The back of the bag is just a guideline and typically recommends that you feed more than what is needed or appropriate. The faster you go through it, the faster you'll buy another bag, the more money the company makes...get it? Too much food = diarrhea.

Also, I would switch to putting the food down for 10-15 minutes, letting him eat or not, and then picking it up until next meal time. Don't add any more in for the next meal if he didn't eat the previous one. Pretty soon he'll get the hang of eating on a schedule when offered.

[AngelBunny]

I'm with brunie's mom and mjfish. You're feeding too much--too much kibble and too much wet food.

Think about cutting back to a measured 3/4 of a cup of food/meal. Leave the bowl down for 10-15 minutes before picking it up. Then, no more food til the next meal.

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by srzoe

A "good amount" is 1.25 cups dry with about a tablespoon of wet food. I even just switched to evangers 100% beef wet food to entice him. The vet said he was just a little underweight, but that was better than over. I even sent a stool sample to the vet's lab and the ELISA did not show anything.

I agree with the others...he's not finicky....he's full!
You are feeding way too much food to an 11 week old puppy. 3/4 cup of food per meal with a teaspoon of a good canned food is more than enough.

Gina

[srzoe]

Originally Posted by mjfish

So, you're feeding almost 3.75 cups of dry food a day, plus wet? I think that's a bit much for an 11 week old puppy! Why do you want him to eat more -- how much does he weigh?

I would cut back on the dry food to maybe 1 cup per feeding, and add in the wet. The back of the bag is just a guideline and typically recommends that you feed more than what is needed or appropriate. The faster you go through it, the faster you'll buy another bag, the more money the company makes...get it? Too much food = diarrhea.

Also, I would switch to putting the food down for 10-15 minutes, letting him eat or not, and then picking it up until next meal time. Don't add any more in for the next meal if he didn't eat the previous one. Pretty soon he'll get the hang of eating on a schedule when offered.

Well, today he weighed 29.5 pounds and is 12 and 1/2 weeks old. I used the bag as a guideline, but what got me to post was in his previous vet appt. the vet said he was a little on the thin side.

[brunie's mom]

30 lbs for a 12 week old male is PERFECT!
Please do not try to add weight on him...a lean puppy is great. Far better for him to be lean...and growing and gaining weight slowly....it will save him from developing bone and joint problems in the future.

Feed less...and if he's not finishing it...take it away...and give it to him the next meal.

Gina

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by srzoe

...today he weighed 29.5 pounds and is 12 and 1/2 weeks old. I used the bag as a guideline, but what got me to post was in his previous vet appt. the vet said he was a little on the thin side.

Better on the lean side than the fatter side!

Do you know what his sire and dam looked like in terms of their builds?

[srzoe]

They both were stocky - well muscled, big boned. His dad is Tough Vom Hause Neubrand. Both parents are beautiful.