Hi wondering if anyone can help, I have a 14 week old pup and on vets advise changed her food to large breed (breeder had her on alpha sporting). I changed her over over a week introducing new food gradually, but she has got diarrhoea and it doesn't seem to be easing. Is there anything I can give her?
I`m a big believer in sticking to what suits them , as long as its a decent food . Wondering why your Vet would advise this in the first place ? She is only a baby yet , I would put her back onto her former food and change , if necessary , when she is a little older, better the devil you know
They recommend changing her because of the rate she is growing and that she would be better suited to large breed. I've put her on wainwrites puppy. This is the first Labrador I have had and worry when they say if they grow to fast they end up with joint problems
Hi and welcome to the forum. So sorry to hear your problems with the change of food with your pup. It certainly sounds as if the new food doesn't agree with her and I'm with Kate on changing foods without any real reason. If she was happy and contented and growing nicely with no tummy problems I think I would revert back to her original food. For me the right food is the one that doesn't cause upset tummies. Labrador puppies gain grow very quickly and some grow at a very steady rate so I wouldn't really worry about growth rate at the moment, as long as she doesn't become overweight. I'm not sure that there is a lot of scientific evidence to support fast growth rates leading to joint problems, all large breed puppies grow at a quite alarming rate
Thank you for your advise I'll put her back on the original, fingers crossed it doesn't take too long to sort itself
Hi, We had a similar problem. I was desperate to feed my puppy the best food I possibly could but every time we tried to change her food, no matter how slowly, her tummy would be runny and would not go back to normal until we switched back to just the original. After a couple attempts we decided to just leave it as she liked the food and was it still a good brand. I agree with the consensus, there is so much going on in their bodies and environment at this age- keep them on whatever keeps thier tummies happy We have now managed to change her (she's now 7 months) and this time we have had no problem. i don't know if it's a better suited food for her or if she's just a bit more developed now but for info it is Canagan, free run chicken. Good luck and I hope her tummy gets better soon
Thank you Tatti, going to put her back and leave her for a bit, hopefully it will all settle down again
Absolutely agree with everyone's comments..we have a young 14 week old labrador bitch, and she is growing very quickly, already bigger than average, weighed today at 13.8 kgs. She is on a good quality feed, just under the recommended guidelines in terms of amounts. Her poops are nice and firm, not too frequent. We manage her exercise carefully, she has a combination of loose lead walks, and lots of mental stimulation. No climbing stairs,jumping, or too much rough and tumble with her older brothers. She is active and well, and gaining about a kg a week. We expect this to tail off a bit as she matures. In summary, diet is important,and all pups vary in terms of growth, which is normal. It is important with large breed pups at that age to monitor their environment carefully, to limit the risk of joint strains, but also appropriate exercise is important to help with development.
Goes to show how different our puppies can be Juno used to gain around 0.5kg each week while Bramble @Beanwood 's girl is gaining twice that rate. I think it goes to show the importance of monitoring the body shape, not just the scales
Hi there, I was actually coming on here to have a read of peoples current problems and try and find out if anyone else has experienced their Lab puppy suddenly losing interest in food. My puppy, Huxley, is 15 weeks. He is growing really well and gaining just under a kilo a week, he is a good size, but not fat, and we take him for two short walks a day (15-20 mins) plus some training, but he has in the last few days totally lost interest in his food. We feed him what our vet and breeder recommended which is Eukanuba large breed puppy food, and is the highest quality you can get here in NZ. He is not sick, and is a very happy little chap, so it is not that he is anxious or worried. He just lost interest. We have tried both soaked and dry but basically he will leave his breakfast, eat it later, leave half his lunch, and just now has left half his dinner. I dont know if this is something I should worry about? Or if he seems happy and healthy just ignore it? Any advice appreciated
Hi there, I was actually coming on here to have a read of peoples current problems and try and find out if anyone else has experienced their Lab puppy suddenly losing interest in food. My puppy, Huxley, is 15 weeks. He is growing really well and gaining just under a kilo a week, he is a good size, but not fat, and we take him for two short walks a day (15-20 mins) plus some training, but he has in the last few days totally lost interest in his food. We feed him what our vet and breeder recommended which is Eukanuba large breed puppy food, and is the highest quality you can get here in NZ. He is not sick, and is a very happy little chap, so it is not that he is anxious or worried. He just lost interest. We have tried both soaked and dry but basically he will leave his breakfast, eat it later, leave half his lunch, and just now has left half his dinner. I dont know if this is something I should worry about? Or if he seems happy and healthy just ignore it? Any advice appreciated It seems very unlike a labrador! and certainly the other night when he got left over lamb and veges for dinner he gobbled that up!
It's certainly unlike my Labradors! Several forum members have had the same thing, though. I can't comment from experience, but suggested things are: maybe he's just not hungry (wouldn't stop my two)? My sister's spaniel was like this; he had no interest in food, but she was following the package instructions and unwittingly overfeeding him. As soon as she cut his food down to the amount he actually needed rather than what was suggested, he started scoffing it down. Could this be the case? I think I've heard that Eukanuba is quite "rich", although, without looking at the ingredients myself, I couldn't quantify what people mean by this. But maybe it's sitting a bit too heavy on his tummy, and he'd benefit from a different brand. To be honest, I might try one different brand, but I would be careful not to chop and change, or try to entice him into eating, because I'd be afraid of making a fussy dog and a rod for my own back. If he's not losing any weight and seems fine in himself - toileting as normal, normal energy levels etc - I'd try just reducing the amount in his bowl each meal and see how he goes. People suggest putting the bowl on the floor and, if he's not eaten it after ten minutes, picking it up and not trying again until lunchtime etc. So he doesn't have free access to "graze" during the day. I'm sure someone who has gone through this and come out the other side will be along to offer some advice soon.
I think it is because their growth rate s slowing down, they aren't in competition anymore with their littermates and just need a little less food. However, always keep an eye out as a dog going off food is a sign of illness, but as your pup seems full of joy I wouldn't think being poorly is the problem
Sometimes as well if it's a large bag of food it loses it's appeal to a dog as it doesn't smell as appetising and their sense of smell is a lot superior to ours. Other than that if he is happy and full of life I would reduce the quantity if food and just remove what is eaten after 10 to 15 minutes.
Ok great thanks for all the advice. I was definitely wary of chopping and changing, or starting to offer him lots of different human foods as I didnt want him to start being fussy (my mother had an extremely fussy little Jack Russel and it was a nightmare just keeping her alive!), I have been previously putting his usual five scoops down, then encouraging him to eat, and if he didnt I have just left it and he has gone back to it later bit by bit. I will now offer it to him twice, and if he doesnt eat it I will take it up until the next meal time. It just seems so unlike a labrador! But yes he is definitely happy and full of life. Not too thing by any means, so I suppose just having a fussy phase.
I would certainly feed a Labrador a large breed, or an appropriate breed, puppy food. I do not believe this is marketing, and I think it is very important to feed a Labrador an appropriate puppy food, balanced for slow growth and with the right ratios of calories/calcium/phosphous - I think your vet gave you good advice. You could try a different food though, not all foods suits all puppies....
@GreenLady55 It does seem amazing but not all Labs are totally focussed on food As Huxley very happily demolished some lamb and vet there's not too much wrong with him. I think I would avoid giving him any extra tasty leftovers and just keep him on his kibble. They can be quite smart and hold out for some extra tasty morsels but they soon start eating with no fuss if there isn't any chance of anything else. @Kerrym forgot to check, but the alpha sporting that you are feeding is a 'puppy' food isn't it.
Ok thanks everyone for your help, I am perservering, and we are offering his breakfast a little later. We used to offer at 6 a.m when we get up, when he used to eat then we play and potter for an hour, then he goes back to sleep for an hour in his crate while I get things organised. To be honest he is so sleepy in the mornings and always so happy to pop back into his crate for that hour - he usually goes in himself. So I have started offering breakfast after that second sleep at around 8 when he has had some time to work up an appetite, this morning he ate about 3/4, and then walked away uninterested, so I have taken it away and he is happily playing with a chew toy. Haha, funny wee guy, I guess now he knows the joy of roast lamb dried biscuits dont cut it. Fair enough too.
