My Dog the Fussy (and underweight?) Eater

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So, you’re the proud owner of a seemingly healthy, young dog that gets LOTS of exercise, right? And she’s maintained a consistent weight, despite being a finicky eater. Yet because her ribs are clearly visible, some may think you don’t feed her and you find yourself worrying! You know she's given lots of choice for food but sometimes she eats, sometimes not.

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, so her appropriate weight and appearance will depend on her breed, frame and size; that yours seems active and happy are signs of good health. Vets have checked her, so the next best place to start is with a feeding adjustment.

Try following a strict regime of what kind of food you offer and when, and stick strictly to this. It might be that your persnickety pet simply needs to learn when to eat in order to fully eat what you're offering - unless she is genuinely ill, she won’t choose to starve herself, so don't worry. If you find she’s still not eating consistently, try different types of mealtime food; everyone appreciates variety, even your dog! 

Give this a chance for at least a few days, if not longer; if no results, you may need to revisit your vet.

TASTY TIDBITS 

• Set two mealtimes a day – try to do it at the same time, just not right after exercise!
• Offer only one choice of food – dry or dry with wet. Nope, nothing else!
• Leave food out for 20-30 minutes max  - then remove the bowl.
• Don’t give anything else - at all - until the next mealtime.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING! 

Christmas is coming?? That's right! And believe it or not, if you haven't booked boarding space yet, you better get on it! We've been just about booked out for some time now and we suspect that other boarding facilities are too. You want to get away for that vacation, don't you?