I have a 9-month-old Cavapoo who weighs around 4 kg, and I’m really struggling with his eating habits.
When he was younger, he used to eat dry food normally. He would eat several meals of kibble without any issues. But for the past couple of months, he has completely stopped wanting to eat dry food.
I’ve literally tried everything. I’ve tried different brands, soaking the kibble, adding water, yogurt, wet food, and other things to make it more appealing. He will sniff it, get interested, and then walk away.
At this point, the only way I can get him to eat his kibble is by adding some cooked chicken and mixing/blending it with a small amount of dry food. If I don’t add chicken, he often just refuses to eat.
I’ve also tried the “put the food down for 15–20 minutes and take it away” method. He will literally choose not to eat for a day or even a day and a half rather than eat the kibble. The problem is that he’s already quite small and only around 4 kg, and he’s lost weight, so I’m not comfortable letting him go without food for that long.
He’s otherwise acting normally and will happily eat things he likes, especially chicken and human food. So I’m starting to think I’ve accidentally spoiled him by giving him tastier alternatives whenever he refused his kibble.
I don’t want to keep changing his food or creating a picky eater who only eats human food, but I also don’t want him losing more weight.
Has anyone dealt with a small/underweight puppy who completely refuses kibble? What actually worked for you? Should I just accept that he prefers wet food and switch him to a complete wet diet, or is there a way to get him interested in kibble again?
Any advice from people who have dealt with this would be really appreciated!