5 Month Old Ralph Not Eating Properly

Tuesday123

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Jul 2, 2012
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Ralph
Hi,

I hope someone can help.

Our 5 month old bulldog puppy, Ralph, has never really eaten a whole bowl of food but all of a sudden he is hardly eating anything. We were feeding him James Wellbeloved Puppy Lamb & Rice as this is what our breeder told us to feed him on, mixed with either mince or chicken. We were then told to switch him to Junior food (same brand etc) as he is of the correct weight.

For a few days now he hasn't been eating his food, he eats a few mouthfulls but then loses interest and wanders off. He still eats his treats and other bits of food he is given or finds, but doesn't act particularly hungry. He is still as active as ever and is constantly begging to go for a walk or to play. He's always playful and appears to be extremely happy. We suspected he might possibly have worms as he is constantly eating the grass near our house, but I'm not sure whether this would cause the change in appetite as have given him tablets to cure the worms problem.

After a recent look at his paws I also noticed what looked like a small black scab between his pads on his front right paw which he has been licking quite a lot for the past few days. I was wondering if this could be part of the issue but I don't really understand how this would affect how much he eats...

I really hope someone can help!
 

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RiiSi

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I've been there and probably will be again. My Usko is not interested in food. He has been like that since he was a puppy. I feed raw now and he eats that a lot better than he ever did kibble, but still sometimes he drives me nuts. He had quite a few antibiotic treatments when he was about one year old and that could of upset his digestion even more. He had also started to lick his paws occasionally. About a week ago I started to give him probiotics, prebiotics, Garlic-Fenugreek tablets and Slippery Elm. And he has been eating really well for that time.
 
OP
Tuesday123

Tuesday123

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At what age can you feed a bulldog a raw diet? I think Ralph would probably prefer that as he eats the mince around the kibble occasionally but shows no interest whatsoever in the kibble itself.

Usko is absolutely beautiful!!
 

RiiSi

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Thank you! Ralph is juts too cute and it seems like a smart boy too:yes:
You can feed raw from the very beginning. Dogs don't need kibble at any age. It's not quite the same as feeding an adult, but you can start when ever. Some adjustment needs to done for puppies. We started at around 7 months.
Dr. Ian Billinghurst is "the father" of raw feeding and there is a good book by him: Grow your pup with bones. And there is a lot of information in the internet too. Google UK raw meaty bones.
 

sweetpeasmom2008

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To me it sounds like since he was eating the puppy kibble and now wont eat the junior kibble since you moved him to that I would say he doesnt like the new food. Their must be something different in the formula and doesnt taste as well so you could either go back to the puppy formula for a while or find a new food thats what I would do! Hope this helps and :welcome3:
 
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Tuesday123

Tuesday123

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Thanks for all of the advice! We've bought a different flavour of the James Wellbeloved and are considering the raw diet for him in a few months. Just need to read up on it now!! :)
 

cowsmom

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he either doesnt like the kibble or maybe he has an upset stomach. sarah gets an upset tummy sometimes. maybe a pepcid just to see if thats the problem. my boston would not eat well for a long time and i believe it was due to allergies as i watched his coat turn brown and he lost hair on his tail and now i have him on the right food he cleans his bowl every time.
 
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Tuesday123

Tuesday123

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He doesn't appear to like a different flavour of the kibble either. Instead now he's eating everything else in the bowl minus the kibble, which is an improvement on not eating anything but not really all that great either as he won't be getting all of his nutrients will he?
 

cowsmom

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He doesn't appear to like a different flavour of the kibble either. Instead now he's eating everything else in the bowl minus the kibble, which is an improvement on not eating anything but not really all that great either as he won't be getting all of his nutrients will he?
well maybe you can give him a vitamin till he starts eating his kibble. i gave sarah one when she was just on canned food and didnt think she was getting all she needs. can you maybe pour some beef broth or something on the kibble to make it taste better to him.
 
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Tuesday123

Tuesday123

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well maybe you can give him a vitamin till he starts eating his kibble. i gave sarah one when she was just on canned food and didnt think she was getting all she needs. can you maybe pour some beef broth or something on the kibble to make it taste better to him.

I'll try the broth idea with his tea and let you know how that goes. I've never thought about putting that in with his food. Thanks for the idea! :)
 

Texas Carol

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Sorry if you said this but do you warm his food just slightly?

We've rehomed an adult dog and he wouldn't eat until I added hot filtered water
to his dry kibble or microwave about 2o seconds, they smell it better and respond.
You can add warmed beef broth too.

If he doesn't have dairy allergies, add just a sprinkling of sharp cheddar bits or
a dollup of plain, greek yogurt.

Handsome boy!
 
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Tuesday123

Tuesday123

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We finally found a food that he'll eat!!! Burns seems to be the no. 1 option with little Ralph - although he isn't quite so little anymore haha!!

Thanks for everyone's help!! All the suggestions have been great!
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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We finally found a food that he'll eat!!! Burns seems to be the no. 1 option with little Ralph - although he isn't quite so little anymore haha!!

Thanks for everyone's help!! All the suggestions have been great!

Glad to hear you found a food for him... good luck and keep us posted
 

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