My puppy is a picky eater and gags after drinking. Is this normal?

Oli may be eating to fast. You can try purchasing a puzzle feeder dish (they are available on Amazon.com) with ridges in it that slow down eating and drinking if used as food and water bowls. If this doesn’t resolve the coughing/gagging, and he coughs/gags with canned puppy food as well, it is possible that he may have a condition called megaesophagus where the food doesn’t move down his esophagus normally. Your vet can take X-rays of his neck/chest to diagnose this if slowing down his eating/feeding him small amounts at a time or trying canned food as well does not help. Good luck! He must be adorable!!!

Some puppies can make noises while they eat, which can be normal, and if Bojangles is eating too quickly he could be choking a little which is causing the gag. Trying to get him to slow down in his eating and drinking with a slow-down bowl (or placing a few tennis balls in the bowl) or feeding smaller meals more frequently may help. If he is choking a lot, acting like he can't breathe or is painful, is vomiting or can't keep anything down, or seems in distress from it, a vet visit to rule out anything is always best.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. Based on the description you have provided, I am not too concerned since she seems to eat anything but her kibble. Many times, this is a preference problem. Some dogs like kibble and some like canned food. Some dogs prefer home cooked food over canned or dry dog food. Flavor can also be a factor and size of the kibble. I would suggest by switching to a different sized kibble and see how she does. If she still won't eat, then I would recommend switching to a different flavored kibble. If you are still unable to get her to eat the dry food, then I would recommend you switch to a canned diet and see if Luna will eat the canned food. If you are still not able to get her to eat her food, I would recommend adding a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora to the food as this makes food more palatable in addition to providing good bacteria to help aid in digestion. If you are still unable to get her to eat dog food, then I would recommend home cooked meals. I recommend using the following website: www . balanceit.com and use the free autobalancer along with purchasing a vitamin and mineral supplement through the website. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

I am happy Luna is feeling better but a picky eater can be very frustrating. In my experience most dogs will not starve themselves. Changing foods often or back and forth Luna is learning if she does not eat she will get a better or different food. If the vet told you she is healthy I would start some touch love on her. I would get a food you want to feed and put it out for her. If she does not eat for 1-2 days than I would not be concerned. Typically once Luna realizes she is not getting anything else she will eat. Also if LUna is holding her body weight I do not get overly concerned. My own dogs will eat fast one day and slow or not at all the next. I think dogs will sometimes change there eating habits and this is okay as long as they are maintain weight and are still happy and healthy. I hope that helps

Poor Luna! Is she underweight? If not, I wouldn't be overly stressed about how much she is eating. Also some dogs are simply scared of eating from dog bowls. I would just feed her from the floor or in a paper plate. If she is underweight, I would talk to your vet about doing a GI panel. It is a blood test that checks for Vitamin B12, folate, and two different pancreatic enzymes. Sometimes this will guide the vet to what she may be deficient in and once you fix that, their appetite will increase. You could also talk to them about just putting her on an appetite stimulant if you want to try a more conservative method first. Finally, if all of this is normal, I would consider finding a holistic veterinarian who specializes in acupuncture and Chinese herbs. There are some great things with alternative medicine to help with appetite. I hope this helps!

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.

No, this isn't normal. It could be a symptom of megaesophagus, which is when the esophagus is enlarged and there is decreased motility of food leading to regurgitation. Penelope could be swallowing back down her food. Megaesophagus can lead to aspiration pneumonia. She could also be eating too fast, causing her to vomit back up her food. I would have Peneople seen by a vet for this on Monday. The vet can diagnose what is causing this behavior and can discuss treatment options with you.