Keightley turned three months the 1st of March. She started out on Iams large breed puppy food and was very picky about eating it... I switched her food to Purina One puppy chow... She are it like crazy for the first week and doesn't want much to do with it now... I thought at first she was just tired of Iams but now I'm wondering if she isn't just going to be a picky eater??? She went to the vet for her shots and another check up yesterday... The vet didn't say anything about her being too thin but I can see her ribs! Yesterday she weighed 23.9 lbs. Should I be concerned? Is this typical? What can I do to fatten her up a bit? She doesn't get anything but dry dog food and a few soft treats a day...

Try to moisten her food with some warm water, let it sit for awhile. There are lots of tricks, but I'm willing to bet this one works. You can also mix in some wet food--a tiny bit. Some weims will also mess with you to get their way and you don't want to start that cycle. Yes, even at this young age. Has it been worse after her vaccinations?

Do you feed at set times or free reign? Free feeding can cause pickiness and you can't monitor if she's getting the proper amounts when she needs. She needs to learn that when it's time to eat, she has 15-20 minutes before you take away her food. I know it sounds a little Mommie Dearest, but that's the way it is. Pickiness comes from getting her way. We (me and DH) suggest a pinch of grated cheese or a drop or 2 of salmon oil for a little flavor. Also, those are not the best foods (imo) anyway, have you tried something with a litle better ingredients and less filler/grain? Once you find the one she likes and try the Mommie Dearest method, she should be fine... A few times of takingaway her food she's snubbing and she'll realize this is it. She WILL NOT STARVE.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Hello Weimamama!
It's me again... I used to wet her food at the beginning but have stopped... I will try doing that again... I also would like to know what a good food is that u recommend to feed her. I only want the best for my baby and am still leaning about the food... I am having a hard time deciding which one to go with. I just want her to be completely healthy! I was taking her food away after 15 or 20 min but when she became picky I stooped hoping she would eventually eat it... I will start that schedule again! Thanks for such great advice!!! I luv this website... So glad I found it!

Versatilek9... Thank you too!!! Great advice!

When Charlie was 3 months she was only 25lbs or so...and I have always been able to see some or most ribs. Now she is 7 months and around 54 lbs

JanelleAmberCharlie and CherrystoneWeims,
I'm going to try Euk and see how that goes... Thanks for letting me know how much ur pups weigh, I feel better about it now... I have already taken her food away until dinner at 6:00

I would go with a better quality, meat based food like orijen/acana provincial, I think Taste of the Wild is also an ALS food which is ok for pups.
Heres something you may want to read:
http://www.4shared.com/file/104457243/796254f/Complete_and_Final.html

ETA: After taking another look, Taste of the Wild, is actually NOT approprite for large breed pups

Thanks so much for link above!!! Wow did I learn a lot!!! I had no idea about all the BAD dog food out there! I never imagined that some of the name brand, advertised dog food I have used in the past were so bad in so many different ways... I never really gave it much thought. I will sure pay attention now! Thanks for all the help!

Idaviruma: What a great link to that article. I've been researching grain-free foods for the past 1.5 weeks and decided to switch my boys from Nutro Ultra to Acana. I've never had a real problem with Nutro Ultra, just disappointed to see the corn gluten meal is the #3 ingredient. That is a likely cause for my boys' poops being huge and grainy. After reading that link, I realize there are a lot of other "yucky' things in Nutro as well!

I wish everyone cared enough for their dogs to (a) read that article and (b) try to feed them the most nutritional food possible. Thanks for sharing, I cant wait to get my shipment of Acana in the mail and start transitioning my boys!

Actually the high protein myth has been debunked with recent studies. As long as the dog has plenty of access to water, its not an issue when the dog is fed approprite ammount of food and calcium/phos. levels are balanced to suit large breed pups.
http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/Myths_of_High_Protein.pdf

http://www.orijen.ca/orijen/ORIJEN_White_paper.pdf

Schmitty0705- Its definitely a great guide written by 2 very caring dog owners, I reccomend it to everyone I know and if or when questions come up, I print it off and hand it to people who want to learn more. Hope your pup likes acana, its good food


Keightley- I'm glad you found it informative, most pet owners arent aware of those things because theyre fooled by flashy advertisement on tv, such as beneful, which show real chunks of meat, whole grains and fresh veggies.. they got the veggie part right, its mostly made of corn and sugar. Another issue is that most vets are highly misinformed when it comes to nutrition. They get kickbacks from major food companies like hills/purina to push their products, even though they do not have the facts to back up their claims, its basically regurgitated information thats been fed to them by sales reps.

Its sorta like an equivalent of you going to a general physician and inquiring about nutrition/losing weight and instead of offering productive advice, he'd hand you diet pills. Same way with vets, theyre great for the things that they specialize in, but unfortunately, at least for now, they are not required to learn about proper diet outside the vet school in order to get their license.