[HappyB]

One of my pups, who is eleven weeks old today, is an extremely picky eater. I actually stayed home from work Friday to be with him because he was sluggish when I got up. The one thing I've been able to get him to eat a little of is baby meat. I know he must eat some puppy food kibble with his mom, but not enough to show.
Friday night, I was sitting here at the computer, eating a sandwich. I dropped some of the crust to those sitting at my feet, and he ran up to see what all the fuss was about. Next, I dropped kibble in the pile, and he went to eating. So, for the past two days, he's had kibble dropped in the floor and a bowl of kibble in my bed. Maybe it's not what you feed, but where you feed for some of these spoiled babies.

 

[miko's mommy]

That's so funny!! Miko is kind of like that too. I have yet to see him eating out of the bowl but he can't resist a kibble accidently dropped to the floor. My husband also lines up the kibble in a line on the floor (or makes a circle with the line) and that seems appealing to him as well!

 

[Scoobydoo]

Scooby is exactly the same, but unless you are prepared to continue feeding your puppy like this you may need to try to get him to eat in a set place.
We have found that Scooby has trained us to feed him on hubby's recliner and on our bed and they are the only places he will eat a meal. The problem with this is that if we ever have to go away somewhere and can't take Scooby he is going to be very difficult to look after for someone who is not prepared to do the same.
It works great for us but I would be worried that he won't eat for anyone else.

 

[k/c mom]

Oh, that's great that he's eating now. It's definitely an "up" when a formerly non-eating Malt is now eating... I imagine you feel a lot of relief.

Maltese pups are definitely picky. The only way Kallie would eat (besides my hand feeding her) was to serve her food on a plate, rather than a bowl and I had to put it in the doorway of the kitchen, not in the room itself. We did that until she was older and now at 3 she gobbles up food wherever I put it.

 

[puppymom]

I am ashamed to admit that at 6 months Ty still does most of his best eating "by hand". It really isn't a problem and he will eat from a bowl when really hungry but he prefers to eat sitting on my lap being hand fed

I guess that makes him spoiled but to tell you the truth I kind of enjoy sitting with him while he eats. when we eat dinner he sits on the floor by my chair and i keep a little bowl of kibble on the table and feed him kibble while we eat (never table food). I guess I've gone soft in my old age because I would never have done that with other dogs that we have had but something about this fluffy ball of fur just begs to be pampered and adored. It works for us.

My kids are grown and gone, he's my "empty nest baby" (Lucy you are the Psychologist-you analyze it

) so I guess it's my own darn fault!!

 

[k/c mom]

Originally posted by puppymom@Sep 11 2005, 03:08 PM
I am ashamed to admit that at 6 months Ty still does most of his best eating "by hand".  It really isn't a problem and he will eat from a bowl when really hungry but he prefers to eat sitting on my lap being hand fed 

  I guess that makes him spoiled but to tell you the truth I kind of enjoy sitting with him while he eats.  when we eat dinner he sits on the floor by my chair and i keep a little bowl of kibble on the table and feed him kibble while we eat (never table food).  I guess I've gone soft in my old age because I would never have done that with other dogs that we have had but something about this fluffy ball of fur just begs to be pampered and adored.  It works for us.

My kids are grown and gone, he's my "empty nest baby" (Lucy you are the Psychologist-you analyze it

) so I guess it's my own darn fault!!
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I think what you're doing is great!! I loved feeding mine by hand... it was so nice feeling their little furry noses in my hand. It's a great bonding experience, too. Enjoy this wonderful puppy time while it lasts!!

 

[AJ]

So glad you found a way for the pup to eat!

Rosie is an exeption, she is a little piggy

She loooves her food and has recently started eating most of her dry food also. When ever I mention the word chicken, her eyes are on me. When the refrigerator opens, shes the first one to it.

 

[Matilda's mommy]

Originally posted by puppymom@Sep 11 2005, 03:08 PM
I am ashamed to admit that at 6 months Ty still does most of his best eating "by hand".  It really isn't a problem and he will eat from a bowl when really hungry but he prefers to eat sitting on my lap being hand fed 

  I guess that makes him spoiled but to tell you the truth I kind of enjoy sitting with him while he eats.  when we eat dinner he sits on the floor by my chair and i keep a little bowl of kibble on the table and feed him kibble while we eat (never table food).  I guess I've gone soft in my old age because I would never have done that with other dogs that we have had but something about this fluffy ball of fur just begs to be pampered and adored.  It works for us.

My kids are grown and gone, he's my "empty nest baby" (Lucy you are the Psychologist-you analyze it

) so I guess it's my own darn fault!!
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Matilda is alot like Ty. We have always fed our furbabies by hand. People usually roll their eyes or have a snide reply,

we just laugh and continue to feed them.

 

[HappyB]

Originally posted by puppymom@Sep 11 2005, 02:08 PM
I am ashamed to admit that at 6 months Ty still does most of his best eating "by hand".  It really isn't a problem and he will eat from a bowl when really hungry but he prefers to eat sitting on my lap being hand fed 

  I guess that makes him spoiled but to tell you the truth I kind of enjoy sitting with him while he eats.  when we eat dinner he sits on the floor by my chair and i keep a little bowl of kibble on the table and feed him kibble while we eat (never table food).  I guess I've gone soft in my old age because I would never have done that with other dogs that we have had but something about this fluffy ball of fur just begs to be pampered and adored.  It works for us.

My kids are grown and gone, he's my "empty nest baby" (Lucy you are the Psychologist-you analyze it

) so I guess it's my own darn fault!!
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[/QUOTE]


You are asking the wrong person to analyze the situation. I tell my patients that I own the title "crazy". They can be sad, depressed, anxious, or compulsive, but I want to be the crazy one. It usually gets a laugh at a tense time, but there is really a lot of truth to the statement. I, too, am faced with an empty nest, and I think having Maltese has been one of the best things for me. My kids are very supportive of my dogs, as they know how much they mean to me.
Next step with the littel dickens who is so picky is to put food in the bowl in the same place where I've been scattering it out for him to eat. If my friend and handler didn't treat hers just like I do mine, she wouldn't put up with mine when they go to live with her for showing. Although, she is trying to talk me into showing some of my own soon since I have several getting ready for the ring. Funny, but I can get up an lecture to hundreds without giving it a thought, but I'm not sure I'm ready to walk a dog around the ring yet.

 

[Maxismom]

Originally posted by LucyLou@Sep 11 2005, 01:26 PM
One of my pups, who is eleven weeks old today, is an extremely picky eater.  I actually stayed home from work Friday to be with him because he was sluggish when I got up.  The one thing I've been able to get him to eat a little of is baby meat.  I know he must eat some puppy food kibble with his mom, but not enough to show. 
Friday night, I was sitting here at the computer, eating a sandwich.  I dropped some of the crust to those sitting at my feet, and he ran up to see what all the fuss was about.  Next, I dropped kibble in the pile, and he went to eating.  So, for the past two days, he's had kibble dropped in the floor and a bowl of kibble in my bed.  Maybe it's not what you feed, but where you feed for some of these spoiled babies.
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maxi was a terrible eater from 10 weeks until about 14 weeks i gave him scrambled eggs in the morning with syrup and i got him to eat that (now he wont even look at a scrambled eggs) i also gave him nutri cal 3 times a day to keep him from getting sluggish finally he started eating better because i put broiled chicken pieces on top of the lamb and rice every day and thats what he eats now but his favorite is iams kibble
remember one thing malteses are known for there sugar levels dropping so keep the nutri cal around at all times

 

[Laceys mom]

Lacey did the same when she was a puppy. Now she eats great out of her bowl in the kitchen. I have noticed that she eats the best in the middle of the night. Don't know why but I figure as long as she is eating I am not going to change it.

 

[MalteseJane]

This might sound

but Alex never has had Nutrical in his 8 years of life.
If he does not want to eat so be it. He will eat when he is hungry. That does not mean that I am not as

as you all are. He gets to be hand feed at the table and even eats with a fork. But when that little bugger is not hungry he won't accept food not even from your hand.

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

Lexi was like that when she was little. She refused to eat out of bowls. She would eat off a plate but only after eating some off the floor. She loved eating the food off the floor.

 

[Scoobydoo]

Scooby is exactly the same, if he isn't hungry he will not eat and there is nothing we can do that make him. I just think they like to take a day off once in a while and perhaps I could take a lesson from him because his weight is very even.

 

[MalteseJane]

Originally posted by Scoobydoo@Sep 11 2005, 06:25 PM
Scooby is exactly the same, if he isn't hungry he will not eat and there is nothing we can do that make him. I just think they like to take a day off once in a while and perhaps I could take a lesson from him because his weight is very even.

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I should take a lesson from him too

 

[HappyB]

I'm dealing with a pup under two pounds, so I would never take the chance on not having him eat. I've witnessed enough hypoglycemic attacks in the last five years to know I don't want to chance one. One of the problems with too much Nutri Cal is that it will give them loose stools, and it will raise their glucose level high, only to have it drop. I prefer to use as little of that as possible and to push more protein for my little ones to keep them more on a level keel. I will boil some eggs tonight and mix some of that in my formula of baby food, rice cereal, and a dab of vanilla pudding cup, which helps entice them to eat, or I might let him share some of my chicken, as I'm eating Kentucky Fried Chicken tonight (hate to cook).

 

[TuckersMom]

Tucker will eat from almost anywhere now, but he didn't always like to eat from his bowl either. I think it was because the bowl is in the kitchen and if I'm not in the kitchen, then he is gonna be wherever I am. I started filling his kong toy with kibble and bringing it to whatever room I was in. And he would almost always eat it all. It's a small kong, so I refill it several times. I still do this for him now. He just seems more excited about the kibble if it's in his toy or on the floor.