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Feeding multiple dogs

643 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  LostLakeLua 
#1 ·
Hello! I have a question about feeding. I thought I had the plan all figured out beforehand but it's not going that direction so I wanted some feedback. This weekend I adopted a 2nd dog, and it's different food from Maya's (maya is on Blue buffalo puppy blend and we got a grain free adult blend for the new girl). Maya already had a crate with all her belongings in it, and that's where she gets fed. The other one has food in her crate where she can eat. Well she does not eat fast at all. In fact she'll eat a couple pieces and want out. What do i do? I thought if I leave her in there til she eats it ALL that will show her what she needs to do but we haven't got anywhere near that point yet. Maybe she doesn't like the food? She will eat it, it just takes all day. That, or Maya is HAPPY to eat it for her. lol... Suggestions?
 
#2 ·
Could it be that she is not comfortable/does not feel safe/relaxed in her crate?
Considering her history it's possible that it's not a fun place for her.
Have you tried feeding her outside of the crate?


My four are all fed at once, I ask them to sit and then serve them their meals,
twice per day, no snacks in between to ruin appetites. If one decides to not eat
then he or she has to wait until the next meal. I don't baby them.


If your new girl is not stressed out, and is in good health, then you can easily
let her skip one meal when she's being picky.
 
#3 ·
Leave the food in there w/her for 15 minutes & take it up. Repeat for dinner. She WILL learn to eat & where she is older/bigger you don't have to worry about hypoglycemia. This is what we had to do with our newest addition. I was going to attempt to free feed her because she is small but she wasn't eating at all. Offereng her food 3 time a day for 10 minutes at a time solved the problem. :)

Once they realize it's not there when they want it...they will eat when offered. So I'd try that. Use a strict schedule & she'll come around. :)
 
#4 ·
Thats what I was thinking, skipping a meal. I just didn't know if I should cut her some slack, like you said I am sure she's still stressed and not comfortable yet. I didn't want to close her in the crate either, but I had to try it once she made it clear she wasn't going to eat unless I did. I think she must have been crate trained at one point, she knows what it is, she knows she can sleep in there. It's kind of cool! Totally different from having to teach Maya everything hehe. Anyway maybe tomorrow I will try skipping the meal to show her.
 
#6 ·
Hypoglycaemia is where their blood sugar levels are low. They can have low blood sugar if they haven't fed for a long time. It's often a problem in small and young chihuahua puppies due to their size, so you have to make sure they eat little and often to keep their sugars stable. There are various signs but things like being uncoordinated, sleepy, stumbling can be an indication. Usually once they're older or bigger it's not something you have to worry about too much. There's a sticky on here about it if you do a search that will give you much more detailed information.
 
#7 ·
LS, Heather and Melissa all gave great advice!! Sometimes it just takes a little tough love until they adapt to their schedules. We don't give treats often, so they always have an excellent appetite. Since we feed raw, we do so outside, and they finish their meals and go potty before coming back in. A strict schedule where you only offer the food a few times a day (and pick it up afterwards, so it's not out all the time for her to take for granted) will likely help! Once she's adapted to eating each meal on time, it'll be easier for you also to monitor how she's feeling as one of the first signs of a dog not feeling well is lack of appetite; and if she's used to eating regularly it'll be apparent when she isn't. Good luck! =)
 
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