10 mo Lab not eating as much

[LundExplorer]

I have a 10 mo male yellow "Jed" who up until about 3 weeks ago was a freak about food. Fill his dish and he'd be jumping for joy, run over, and wolf the thing down right away. We fed him 2x daily, 2 cups per serving

As of late he has been finicky about food. Now, just 2 cups will last more than a day. He will eat, but just a few bites a time, sometimes needing coaxing to eat.

He's had a few experiences over the past few weeks:

- stayed a weekend with my sister (new place) and her 2 daschunds (yippy little buggers)

- been on oral antibiotics for an ear infection and acne skin condition

- a lot of physical exercise at the lake - in the water, running, chasing squirrels, ducks,... was tired for a few days afterwards.

He is happy and playful and good tempered, but his eating is off. My theory is that his growth has leveled off and so his food intake. Any thoughts? Should I be concerned?

[captkev]

Have you changed brands of food or go to a higher protein in the same brand...? My 7 year old GSP eats one heaping cup of pro-plan a day, and she is still a bit over weight. Good dog food costs a bit more, but in the long run I think the dog is getting more from it. and poo's alot less as well

[PikeBayCommanche]

I have found that my lab also eats less when it is hot outside this could have something to do with it. In the winter it seems they need the energy to help them stay warm.

If you haven't noticed any other changes in his behavior I would not be to worried about it.

[LundExplorer]

Thanks guys for the quick replies.

No changes to his food - using Eagle Pack Large breed puppy food although he did get into the weenie dogs food once or twice. He has had a few runny poo poos lately and has been eating grass.

[Blaze]

Lund - keep an eye on him to see if there's anything "negative" behaviors showing up, but otherwise don't worry about it. If everything else seems fine, just enjoy the reduction in dog piles. Heat and lots of exercise will reduce their appetite - if the food's available and he's not hungry, no big deal. Believe me, he'll start eating again when the growth kicks in.

[wallmounter]

I've noticed the same thing with my almost 9 mo. old lab. Her spirits seem to be the same and her tail is always waggin so I just attribute it to a phase in her growing. I fill her dish no more than I did before and she eats when she wants. It is kinda nice not having to watch her inhale her food in less than a minute and have to watch to see if she chokes or something.

[Bobby Bass]

Getting towards that magic year old mark they don't eat like a teenager any more also the warm weather slows them down also. Wait till fall and he will start feeding again. Might be at the age when you can go ahead and just feed him once a day to. I see you are down to two a day feedings. He will just do fine with one meal a day. As long as he is going to water he will be ok . the water thing is one of the biggest indicator for problems with animals. If they stop drinking you can have a real problem in less the 24 hrs.