Eating has slowed down

I have an 8th month old Jack Russell/Beagle Mix. He would always eat his food AS SOON as I would put it in his bowl for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Over the last week it has been taking him over an hour to eat his food or I will have to give him some in my hand then he will start eating some of out of the bowl but not finish it right away.

Could it be that he is done growing and isn't as hungry or could it be as he is getting older he doesn't like his food anymore?

S

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Jun 17, 2009
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My experience
by: Stefanie

My dogs did slow down a lot when they got closer to one year. Actually, after the 5th/6th month, there was a big difference. Puppies usually eat 4 or 5 meals a day but the older they get, the less they have to eat because their metabolism has slowed down. Have you noticed that he's not growing as quickly? It could be that he just doesn't need the calories, so he is slowing down. I know he's half beagle, so he probably likes to eat. However, my JRT is pretty blase about food. Maybe that side is showing though.

I feed them a home made diet so I feed them once in the late morning and once at night. Some people only feed their dogs once a day but I think my dogs wouldn't like that. The idea is that because dogs have accordian stomochs, they actually digest food better with a full stomach. However, if you're feeding your dog dry kibble, this might not be so good because when he drinks water, his stomach could overextend (but you should look into feeding a raw or homemade diet for some of his meals...I feed one raw/homemade meal and one meal of Innova Evo per day).

Also, I have noticed that their eating slows way down in the summer. Sometimes, my smaller dog will wait until it starts to cool down in the evening before she feels like eating. She'll eat watermelon during the day though! I guess it's actually a good things for dogs to have one fasting day so if he skips a meal or two, don't worry. That's what the vet told me. (Also, if he has diarrhea, fasting for a day is the quickest fix. It allows their digestive track to take a rest and reserve as much fluids as possible. If there is both diarrhea and vomiting, you should go to the vet though.)

I hope this bit of random information helps. However, if you're still worried, you should take him in for a check up. :) It's always best. :)

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