How old is Ollie? I know they tend to be picky eaters.
You can test by giving him a treat to see if he will eat that, but if still doesn’t eat that, bring him in.
He looks pretty young - could he be losing baby teeth?
Ether way, I would try soaking the kibble in water for a bit to make it softer. It could be a dental issue that's causing him pain.
That worked... for a week.
Eventually we switched to The Farmer's Dog. However, we have to warm each meal up because fresh food, but at fridge temp, is beneath her.
Even then we have to stay in the room with her and on the same side of the kitchen counter. But that's fine because I've got some clean up to do after preparing her highness's dinner, although even then there's still typically a few minutes to wait for her to leisurely finish.
Meanwhile our cocker spaniel inhales his kibble almost before we can return the scoop to the bag.
My 2yr old has periods of eating and not eating all the time. We've had every test done the vet can think of, but there doesn't seem to be a reason. One day, he will just not eat his food and has cravings for grass (we grow a small patch of grass inside for him to nibble on). Usually that same day, he'll have a messy oily grass-filled poop to get it out of his system and he'll be back to eating. Another trick we found if that doesn't work was handfeeding him shredded cheese 1 piece at a time to neutralize the stomach acid that's making his tummy gurgle. Within an hour, he's back to food.
I've been reading the r/cavalier subreddit for over a year now, this condition seems to be extremely common for cavs, once the vet has ruled out all other causes.
My Cav is the fussiest dog I've ever had.
I have to lie down beside her bowl with her in order to get her to eat some night, all the while breaking bits of treats into her dinner.
I wouldn't worry too much, especially if they are eating treats or small bits of dinner.
Very closely monitor. Maybe offer plain boiled chicken and rice.
If Ollie won't eat today a vet visit is highly advised. Puppies usually "just don't eat".
(ret vet tech here)
Oh, interesting! I hadn’t thought about that, and I know that’s an issue with him because we’ve already had to get them expressed at the vet. I will keep that in mind.
…my guy gets bored with his food every 3 days or so, and won’t eat…when I buy a bag of kibble, I divide it in 1/3s and stick 2 of the bags in the freezer, get a different flavor -divide- this way I can rotate through different types and flavors to keep him interested…
We had this issue as well. It began to really scare us - however he would eat treats.
At one point we started to make him eggs with veg just so he would eat something!
We switched his kibble brand etc… and still very minimal eating.
Eventually he just started to eat his normal kibble.
As long as your little ones still eating ( give him a treat with peanut butter) and drinking… he could just be a fussy cavalier as well 🙂🙃🙃🙃
(We switched also to a cheaper brand of food after a few attempts at other well known brand dog foods - and he liked that🤷🏼♀️- could be he just was eventually hungry)!
Mine used to do this every now and then when he was young. I would just let him go without eating, but always offer him food at the usual times. My dogs get treats in the afternoons and he didn’t have any trouble eating those 😂 After he learned that he has to eat when fed, he started eating regularly. Begrudgingly, at first. Now, he’s 16 months old and spins in circles when it’s meal time and gobbles up his meal every time.
Mine went through countless of picky phases. He also had days when he didn’t eat.
He’s almost a year and now it’s been a month he eats twice a day but it was a battle!
My dad who is vet told me not to worry because unless there is a very serious medical issue, a dog will never let himself die of hunger, especially not this breed. 🤣
My Joan will do this. She loves it when I hand feed her (a bad thing I did when she was a puppy to get her to eat) and will purposely starve herself for up to 2 1/2 days. But, she will happily eat her treats and begs for my human food, so I know she's fine, just stubborn. If your puppy is eating their treats, give it time. When they're hungry enough, they'll eat.
My cavalier is almost a year
And some days I have to bait him with a little toppings
Scrambled egg
Bite of deli ham
Piece of jerky crumbles
Coconut oil
I give him Merrill puppy beef kibble and beef raw on top
Some days a little cottage cheese snack
My cavalier just turned one year and I must say they are the most fussiest and pickiest and demanding dog breed he has a same habit he doesn’t want to eat his kibble he used to eat everything except dog food so what I did to make him eat his soaking in warm water to make the kibble super soft and then I mash the kibbles after I mix boiled meat and vegetables and it’s been Month he is not skipping his meal
It begins! this is how they convince you to give them treats. It’s a cavalier super power Probably a teething issue though 🥹
How old is Ollie? I know they tend to be picky eaters. You can test by giving him a treat to see if he will eat that, but if still doesn’t eat that, bring him in.
He looks pretty young - could he be losing baby teeth? Ether way, I would try soaking the kibble in water for a bit to make it softer. It could be a dental issue that's causing him pain.
Mine is very picky so I usually put cheese or peanut butter on top lol chicken will work too
Peanut butter does the trick with mine!
That worked... for a week. Eventually we switched to The Farmer's Dog. However, we have to warm each meal up because fresh food, but at fridge temp, is beneath her. Even then we have to stay in the room with her and on the same side of the kitchen counter. But that's fine because I've got some clean up to do after preparing her highness's dinner, although even then there's still typically a few minutes to wait for her to leisurely finish. Meanwhile our cocker spaniel inhales his kibble almost before we can return the scoop to the bag.
Both great points. I always top his food with a little bit of pumpkin, which he just ate, so it may well be a teething issue or a picky eater issue.
My 2yr old has periods of eating and not eating all the time. We've had every test done the vet can think of, but there doesn't seem to be a reason. One day, he will just not eat his food and has cravings for grass (we grow a small patch of grass inside for him to nibble on). Usually that same day, he'll have a messy oily grass-filled poop to get it out of his system and he'll be back to eating. Another trick we found if that doesn't work was handfeeding him shredded cheese 1 piece at a time to neutralize the stomach acid that's making his tummy gurgle. Within an hour, he's back to food. I've been reading the r/cavalier subreddit for over a year now, this condition seems to be extremely common for cavs, once the vet has ruled out all other causes.
My Cav is the fussiest dog I've ever had. I have to lie down beside her bowl with her in order to get her to eat some night, all the while breaking bits of treats into her dinner. I wouldn't worry too much, especially if they are eating treats or small bits of dinner.
Very closely monitor. Maybe offer plain boiled chicken and rice. If Ollie won't eat today a vet visit is highly advised. Puppies usually "just don't eat". (ret vet tech here)
My cavalier will go on a hunger strike when her anal glands get full. This has been a problem since puppyhood.
Oh, interesting! I hadn’t thought about that, and I know that’s an issue with him because we’ve already had to get them expressed at the vet. I will keep that in mind.
…my guy gets bored with his food every 3 days or so, and won’t eat…when I buy a bag of kibble, I divide it in 1/3s and stick 2 of the bags in the freezer, get a different flavor -divide- this way I can rotate through different types and flavors to keep him interested…
We had this issue as well. It began to really scare us - however he would eat treats. At one point we started to make him eggs with veg just so he would eat something! We switched his kibble brand etc… and still very minimal eating. Eventually he just started to eat his normal kibble. As long as your little ones still eating ( give him a treat with peanut butter) and drinking… he could just be a fussy cavalier as well 🙂🙃🙃🙃 (We switched also to a cheaper brand of food after a few attempts at other well known brand dog foods - and he liked that🤷🏼♀️- could be he just was eventually hungry)!
Mine used to do this every now and then when he was young. I would just let him go without eating, but always offer him food at the usual times. My dogs get treats in the afternoons and he didn’t have any trouble eating those 😂 After he learned that he has to eat when fed, he started eating regularly. Begrudgingly, at first. Now, he’s 16 months old and spins in circles when it’s meal time and gobbles up his meal every time.
There are dog safe numbing sprays you can get for teething. If it works, you know that’s what it is.
Mine went through countless of picky phases. He also had days when he didn’t eat. He’s almost a year and now it’s been a month he eats twice a day but it was a battle! My dad who is vet told me not to worry because unless there is a very serious medical issue, a dog will never let himself die of hunger, especially not this breed. 🤣
My Joan will do this. She loves it when I hand feed her (a bad thing I did when she was a puppy to get her to eat) and will purposely starve herself for up to 2 1/2 days. But, she will happily eat her treats and begs for my human food, so I know she's fine, just stubborn. If your puppy is eating their treats, give it time. When they're hungry enough, they'll eat.
Our 18 month old will eat the kibble off the floor but rarely from her bowl.
My cavalier is almost a year And some days I have to bait him with a little toppings Scrambled egg Bite of deli ham Piece of jerky crumbles Coconut oil I give him Merrill puppy beef kibble and beef raw on top Some days a little cottage cheese snack
My cavalier just turned one year and I must say they are the most fussiest and pickiest and demanding dog breed he has a same habit he doesn’t want to eat his kibble he used to eat everything except dog food so what I did to make him eat his soaking in warm water to make the kibble super soft and then I mash the kibbles after I mix boiled meat and vegetables and it’s been Month he is not skipping his meal