My Cav wont eat

Hello

We have our new Cav a week now and she is a very poor eater. She is 10 weeks old. She hardly eats anything during the day and I have bought 3 different dog foods already. Does she not like the foods or is this normal for new pup? I am really worried about her.

Can anyone offer any advice?

Caroline

Hi,
When we first got Leo he stopped eating after about a week, like you I was really worried. We tried putting the food down for 10 minutes then picking it up again so he knew he didnt have free access to food all day.
Eventually he started to eat and now there's no stopping him:lol:
If you're really worried maybe visit your vet, there might be something going on with him as to why he wont eat.

Good luck

Mel

We went through that with ours too for quite a while. Until we started feeding a raw diet (we use the commercial made kind like Bravo, Nature's Variety, ZiWiPeak, etc) Now she happily eats it. But she HATES kibble, always has

The same happended to us with maggie. We changed her food to Royal Canine from the vet as the pellets were smaller and softer as she is teething. Also dont free feed her lie Meljoy suggests - maggies now actually gets excited when we put food down as she knows that it wont be there for long!

i got my new cav just a few weeks ago too, at age 10 weeks. she is 14 weeks now. she ate all her food up without a problem - most dogs and puppies eat anything you put down so there may be another issue. don't change her food so often - if you have already gone through three different brands that might be the problem. feed your pup exactly what the breeder was feeding for at least a week or two and then transition to something else. i have also been feeding my pup with a treat/food ball so her food dispenses through a toy and she gets some exercise and a mental challenge. if you are really concerned you can also try mixing in some wet food - i haven't met a dog yet that wouldn't eat wet food.

Very important point on transitioning food slowly

You do have to transition foods very very slowly. She should eat exactly what the breeder gave her. I think it is a good plan to get with a vet to rule out anything else that may be going on but sometimes they do take longer to adjust to being gone from their mom and original home.

Gracie did not eat the best when we first got her home either. I think the change of home is pretty traumatic and the breeder did not have her on a good food for a puppy. But we had to take it very slow to new food so it would not give her a bad case of colitis.

My Cav Won't Eat

My 13 month has a terrible appetite. I've tried dozens of high quality kibble and canned foods. Thank goodness she rejected canned food! It was so messy and time-consuming. The kibble she prefers is Evanger's - the Pheasant & Brown Rice (for all life stages) and I mix bits of meat leftovers to get her interested and then if she's hungry she'll finish a half cup. Mixing cheese or treats (Zukes z-Filets chicken strips that crumble easily) also helps since she like variety.

Walking her a long distance or playing hard will rev up her appetite. It also makes a difference where we put the dish. Recently it's worked to have it in the cage we keep her in when we're gone, but it's only in the cage when we're home so she doesn't associate food with our absence. Her cage is in a room where there is nothing distracting her from eating. She loves activity, and any activity trumps eating. I am concerned about ever having to leave her for any length of time. I have a feeling the treat program that began in puppy class may spoil her appetite so I've been trying to cut back, but we have an older cat that gets them regularly.

Marsha

My Cav Won't Eat

My thirteen month also has a terrible appetite. I did a taste test with dozens of high quality foods and she prefers Evanger's - the Pheasant & Brown Rice for all life stages. She loves meat and it is first and second in the ingredient list. I mix it with bits of meat leftovers, or cheese, or Zukes Z-Filets (a chicken strip that crumbles easily) and this helps to get her started. Once she begins eating she'll usually finish a half cup if she's hungry. It helps a lot to rev up her appetite with a long walk or hard playing. I also tried lots of canned food and she wasn't at all interested. Thank goodness! It was a mess and a hassle.

It's also made a difference to change where she's fed. Any activity trumps eating, so it's important to minimize the distractions so she can focus. I recently put her food in her cage (but not when I'm gone) and for the first time she's been going there to eat.

Her puppy school trainer was an advocate of treats and I am trying to wean her in case they spoil her appetite. She now only gets them after she eats kibble.

Marsha

my sunshine refused to eat the first couple days we got her as well. I fed her chicken broth and offered her food. The next day I added chicken broth into her food. I did that for a couple weeks until her appetite grew. She was a timid little thing so I guess she just had to get comfortable first. She was a very healthy eater after that. My new boy is a different story...loved to eat as a young pup but when he hit 7 months he became a picky eater.

Our boy gets 2 bowls a day, one in the morning and one at night. He's refused to eat some meals here and there, but when he eventually gets too hungry even he can't say no when we put the bowl down. With cavs you just gotta be disciplined, don't give in to those persuasive eyes for a human treat!

Been there and done that with Maddie (now aged 6 years and finally eating properly.:lol

Don't keep changing the food - it will just make your pup more fussy (voice of experience). Get her checked out by the vet to make sure that there is nothing health wise, then get firm with her. Choose which food you want her to eat, and leave each meal down for a maximum of 20 minutes. If she doesn't eat then pick it up and don't give her anything till the next meal time. A healthy puppy wont starve itself.

Good luck and I hope it wont take you as long as us to get a dog that likes its food. (Maddie's special, she'll even refuse treats and our food when she's in anorexic mode.)

I agree with Debra. Only after Nalu made a choice did I change her food and I made a slow transition over at least a week. Afraid of her not getting necessary nutritional requirements for healthy growth, I was frantic to get her to eat 1/2 a cup in the am and in the pm. I also sprinkle a healthy doggie nutritional powder on her food that she likes. She will only eat and drink from ceramic, even if she's really thirsty. I'm going to check on whether all of this is behavioral. She's very shy - not at all an alpha type personality.
Marsha