Is it normal for my 3-month puppy to be clingy and picky about food?

What a cute puppy! With him being 7 months old and a small breed dog, I think that Lucas is slowing down on his growing. This can cause a reduction in his appetite. I find that the more that we change a dog's food- the more pickier they become. I would stick with one brand, offer 1/3 of slightly less than the daily recommended amount (they sell dog food, so the more he eats the more you buy) three times daily. Give him a set amount of time and then pick up the bowl. This will create some urgency. He will eat if he is hungry. The more we change and add things, the more he will wait to eat to see what good stuff will be added. I would keep track of his body condition score- you should be able to feel his ribs with a little bit of fat cover, but not see them. As long as he is in good body condition, I would not worry. Some dogs are not food motivated and will just eat what they need. If you have any questions about his weight or body condition score, you can ask your veterinarian. I don't think that grain free food are necessary. Dogs are omnivores.

Dogs are lucky in that if they don't eat for a day or two there's no harm done. Cats will suffer liver damage after a few days, dogs just get hungry. As long as she is otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry about it too much if she has a picky day here or there. Keep an eye on the behavior, to be safe, and see if there seems to be anything that seems to trigger the event, so you can keep your vet informed. If you do decide to change her food, don't do it abruptly. Make sure you have enough of the old food for about a week. You can change her over a couple of different ways. One method is to mix the two foods, 75% old, 25% new in a single bowl for 23 days, then 50% of each for a few days, then 25% old food, 75% new for 2-3 days or until you run out of the old food. Alternatively, you can offer two bowls of food, old food in one, new in the other. Gradually decrease the amount of new food until she is completely transitioned onto the new food. This will minimize and hopefully prevent any intestinal upset because of the new food. Feed the best food you can afford to as this will support optimal health which will, in turn, lead to fewer health problems later in life.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is very abnormal for a 7month old puppy to vomit that much. I recommend taking her to the vet with a fresh stool sample to rule out intestinal parasites first. She may also need X-rays to rule out an obstruction. I would stop feeding her the human foods as she is likely to hold out for those vs eating her puppy food diet. You can try adding canned puppy food to her dry food to get her more intested. As long as there are no health concerns she will eat when she's hungry. Right now, you are caving to her before she caves and eats and is therefore promoting a picky behavior. If she's healthy, I would get tough about what you offer her. She won't starve. Good luck and kisses to Daisy!

As long as she eats and is not losing weight, don't stress out over it. It is true that smaller breeds can be a bit more finicky. Switching foods would not be recommended as it can lead to gastrointestinal upset and reinforce her finicky nature. Instead, try mixing in a bit of warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate the appetite.

I see that Willow is a puppy, and she is the right age for teething. That could be why she is acting picky about her food. Try soaking her puppy food in water warm or gently warmed low sodium beef or chicken broth to soften it up. Also make sure that you don't give her any human food at all or any treats. The only food she should get is her puppy food; if you give her anything else, that will make her pickiness worse. Should softening the food not help, then she may not be picky but may be ill, and at this point, I recommend a trip to the vet. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Good Evening! As long as this is not a brand new problem, Bleu is of normal weight (not underweight where his ribs, back bone or pelvis are showing through his skin...) drinking well, bright, alert, not experiencing any other signs such as vomiting, loose stools, it sounds to me as though you may have a dog who simply is not very "food motivated", and you may have a "picky eater." on your hands! The good news about picky eaters is that they indeed WILL eat when they are hungry. If this is a new condition for Bleu, if he is underweight, or experiencing any other signs of illness, please consider visiting your veterinarian for a check up.

This is a common problem in small breed dogs. They can be stubborn when it comes to dry food. I would stop offering her milk as this can upset her tummy. You could mix in some canned food or boiled chicken with her dry food to see if this helps to entice her to eat. If so, slowly start to decrease the canned food until she is just on dry food. And you may have to just be more stubborn than her. If she is continuously refusing the eat or not acting right then I would take her to your vet to ensure everything is okay. If she is skipping meals and she weighs less than 5 pounds then I would supplement her with nutrical (high calorie vitamin supplement) to help prevent her blood sugar from becoming too low. I hope this helps!