Skipping Meals

[psychosid77]

I have a 13 month old puppy. Over the past month, he is skipping meals every now and then. Is this something that needs no concern? Other than this, he is his usual self.....kinda hyper.....lots of energy.

Additional Info:
He gets fed innova (green bag) twice a day.
He is fed about 2.5 cups to 2.75 cups a day in total.
He only gets a few treats per day.
He gets 2 walks a day that add up to about 50 minutes (give or take a few minutes).
He has been on innova for just over a month (about). He grew up on Canidae als for the most part, and then the formula changed, and orijen didn't agree with him. he gets the occassional lose stool, but not too often. Before the food switch, he never had a loose stool.
I had his stool checked about a month ago, and all was fine.

[moz205]

Sounds like more food then needed. My 2 yo male who gets loads of exercise running around our yard playing ball 4 cups of Innova daily. He's exercised 2-2 1/2 hrs daily between running, training, walking. Buddy is lean and very muscular. If he's overfed he gets loose stool.

[psychosid77]

So you think I should cut back on the food to perhaps....1.25 cups twice a day, so 2.5 cups as a maximum? or are you saying cut back to even 2 cups a day as a total?

[moz205]

I would think around 3 cups a day. I like my dogs more on the lean side. My guy was probably eating 3 cups a day at 13 mths, 1.5 cups twice a day. I would give him an approximately 4-6 inc marrow bone once a week and of course treats daily.
I know it doesn't seem like enough but with a good food there's no need to feed a lot.
If you think your dog is losing weight up the amount and if gaining, cut back. At first I was overfeeding and he was getting loose stools. After researching on here, I cut back and he immediately improved. Keep your dog on the lean side, it's so much healthier!

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by psychosid77

So you think I should cut back on the food to perhaps....1.25 cups twice a day, so 2.5 cups as a maximum? or are you saying cut back to even 2 cups a day as a total?

I think you are feeding him enough food. Innova is very high in calories 556 calories per cup. He may just not be needing the food on the days he skips a meal. I would not be too worried if he is only doing it at odd times. If he frequently starts skipping then I would have things checked out. He may go though another growth spurt and start cleaning up all his meals.

Gina

[vale]

My puppy started skipping meals when he was given Canidae (at the end of the 40-lb bag only). I had to sit next to him and handfeed him to make sure he'd eat, otherwise he just wouldn't touch the food. I switched him to Orijen and his appetite came back right away. I figured there was something in Canidae that he didn't want anymore for some reason. Maybe you should try another food, too?

[KatarinasMom]

My last girl was a very picky eater. I actually think she would get bored with her food I would rotate foods every few bags to give her a variety and that seemed to help. If we were at the end of a bag when she decided she didn't want to eat it anymore I would add a couple tablespoons of cottage cheese or canned dog food to get her to eat it

If your boy is not losing weight and acting normal otherwise I wouldn't worry too much about a skipped meal every now and then. You may just have a picky eater like I did. If it becomes a more common occurrence I would definitely have him checked by a vet.