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Maltipoo Question & Answer Blog
About this Q&A blog: In this blog section, the PetMaltipoo Team answers Maltipoo questions. You can leave comments and offer your thoughts and advice. Questions can range from quite serious to lighthearted ones in which you just want to receive some feedback. Have a question of your own? Great, we'd love to hear from you!
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Post #15 Maltipoo puppy is not gaining weight, should she be free-fed?
- By The Team
- •
- 19 Aug, 2016
- •
A 6 month old Maltipoo puppy has stopped gaining, the breeder recommended free feeding
Question:
My Maltipoo is 6 months. She weighs 7.lbs and has not gained any weight this month but she was spayed and would that account for no gain?
The breeder said she is a "muncher", that is I should leave her kibble down and she will take from it what she wants. However, I notice that you recommend 3 meals a day. She seems to be a picky eater and does not seem to 'take" very much. I have gotten her on to Kangaroo can food as of today and she is lapping it up.
The breeder also said she is lactose intolerant. I did not ask how she knew this. Is this common with this breed?
Judy, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Answer:
Hi Judy,
1. Spaying should not directly cause a pause in weight gain, however due to some discomfort felt after the procedure, your Maltipoo may have had a decreased appetite. Also, if she is going to be on the small end of the weight range for the breed, her growth will slow down considerably from now to the 9 or 10 month mark. So, a bit of decreased eating after being spayed, along with slowed growth may cause no gain for the month. Important, is that she did not lose any weight.
2. The breeder was wrong to label your Maltipoo as a 'muncher'. All dogs graze if allowed to. This is most commonly referred to free-feeding, when food is left out all day, for the dog to eat as he wishes. We do not recommend this sort of unstructured feeding. We would suggest transitioning to 3 meals per day plus small treats used to reward good behavior such as following housebreaking rules or listening to a command.
To reinforce proper hierarchy, we also recommend that the Maltipoo listens to a 'Sit' command before the dish is placed down.
3. Kangaroo is can be a healthy alternative for dogs that do not tolerate other meats. This said, some brands will be better than others. We would suggest checking on the Dog Food Advisor website to see what star rating your chosen brand has.
4. All Maltipoos and all dogs for that matter, are lactose intolerant. The canine digestive system cannot process many milk products as (most) humans can. You'll want to avoid giving your Maltipoo whole milk and cheese. However, quality commercial treats with cheese flavor is just fine. Most Maltipoos can also have some cottage cheese, whole white yogurt (very good for the digestive tract) and for a special treat now and then, a small amount of whole ice cream.
My Maltipoo is 6 months. She weighs 7.lbs and has not gained any weight this month but she was spayed and would that account for no gain?
The breeder said she is a "muncher", that is I should leave her kibble down and she will take from it what she wants. However, I notice that you recommend 3 meals a day. She seems to be a picky eater and does not seem to 'take" very much. I have gotten her on to Kangaroo can food as of today and she is lapping it up.
The breeder also said she is lactose intolerant. I did not ask how she knew this. Is this common with this breed?
Judy, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Answer:
Hi Judy,
1. Spaying should not directly cause a pause in weight gain, however due to some discomfort felt after the procedure, your Maltipoo may have had a decreased appetite. Also, if she is going to be on the small end of the weight range for the breed, her growth will slow down considerably from now to the 9 or 10 month mark. So, a bit of decreased eating after being spayed, along with slowed growth may cause no gain for the month. Important, is that she did not lose any weight.
2. The breeder was wrong to label your Maltipoo as a 'muncher'. All dogs graze if allowed to. This is most commonly referred to free-feeding, when food is left out all day, for the dog to eat as he wishes. We do not recommend this sort of unstructured feeding. We would suggest transitioning to 3 meals per day plus small treats used to reward good behavior such as following housebreaking rules or listening to a command.
To reinforce proper hierarchy, we also recommend that the Maltipoo listens to a 'Sit' command before the dish is placed down.
3. Kangaroo is can be a healthy alternative for dogs that do not tolerate other meats. This said, some brands will be better than others. We would suggest checking on the Dog Food Advisor website to see what star rating your chosen brand has.
4. All Maltipoos and all dogs for that matter, are lactose intolerant. The canine digestive system cannot process many milk products as (most) humans can. You'll want to avoid giving your Maltipoo whole milk and cheese. However, quality commercial treats with cheese flavor is just fine. Most Maltipoos can also have some cottage cheese, whole white yogurt (very good for the digestive tract) and for a special treat now and then, a small amount of whole ice cream.
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Do you have a Maltipoo question?
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