Hi everyone, just a quick question.... Indy has decided that he no longer wants to eat his kibble (dry food) nothing I do seems to make him want to eat it. I have tried soaking with water and with a bit of stock. Putting it into Kongs and freezing (which he leaves) someone recommended adding a little bit of chicken in and mixing it in. He picked out the chicken and left the rest. The food isn't stale so there is nothing wrong with the taste. I have tried leaving it down for only a limited time then taking it away to build up appetite. he went nearly 4 days on very little. He has no health problems and has grown lovely I just think he is bored of the food, I will buy a new flavour next time but I have half of a 15kg bag left and its expensive! He does have some treats but not enough to put him off food and very rarely has table bits, unless its bits of meat like chicken but I then use it in training sessions. As a last resort we bought some wet dog food in a tin. we were recommended Chappie however he just picks the wet out leaving the dry. So as a very last resort I have picked up some in Gravy he has 2 teaspoons mixed into his food and he eats the entire lot yaaay!!! new problem though it has made his tummy bad So, do we try a different brand, maybe the same as his dry food (James Well Be Loved) or do I continue with the one we have bought (recommend Tesco own from a friend who has a Lab) or stop completely and get some different dry James well be loved. It is now beginning to drive me mad!!! I fully believe Dogs are worse than children. Thanks Pippa
Oh what to feed? That's a common question. Dare I say not Tesco's own anything. Are his teeth ok? Maybe he has a sore mouth. Does he need a quick trip to the vet? I am using Millie's Wolfheart and they do sample sized bags. Mostly sold on line directly from them. I am sure you will get lots of other ideas shortly, from others on the forum. I would seriously consider checking teeth first.
His teeth are fine and well cared for, no problems there No Tesco right ok, it was actually the breeder we got him off who recommended that one! It is really doing my head in.... thanks
Well it's only my opinion about Trsco's own, I could be wrong. You could increase the raw food while you sort out what you want to do. Or you could stick to your kibble and mix in some plain live yoghurt (tablespoon) as that's good for the tummy and will make it more interesting.
I know absolutely nothing about the contents of Tesco own brand dog food.....but I wouldn't put money on it being the best. But you never know.... I think if I'm going to feed kibble, then my dog has to eat it (thankfully, that's not a problem around here). I'd try a different food, but if he still turns his nose up at it then you'll have to make a choice of whether you "wait him out" - he'll eat it when he gets hungry enough - or switch again.... I think I'd switch foods a couple of times, but then stick it out. I'm not sure that adding things to kibble is the way to go. It just sort of gives him the choice to pick out what he fancies. As as I say, if your decision is to feed kibble, then that's what your dog has to eat really.
I also don't have the problem of my dogs being fussy. I can't imagine a time they would ever turn their noses up at anything.... except a cabbage leaf. Shadow was not impressed and looked like I was trying to poison him. Willow happily munched through hers. Anyhow, it's entirely possible you have a bad batch - it happens sometimes, apparently. So, you could try buying a smaller bag of the same stuff and seeing if he eats it, in which case, you know it's an issue with that bag. I haven't looked into the contents of the food your feeding, but Tescos Own .... no, I wouldn't be rushing out to buy it for mine. It's never come up in any one of the (many) discussions we have on here about best foods. Breeders do often seem to feed less expensive foods, because they have a lot of mouths to feed and raising puppies is expensive; it doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best food. Having said that, who knows, I've not looked at it - it may be the biggest trick we're all missing and this time next year, we'll all be converts I agree that I wouldn't be messing around too much with his food to try to make it appetising to him. If he's genuinely fussy, then he has to learn to suck it up and eat what he's given. But, if there's a problem with that bag, or he simply doesn't like the food, then I think it could be an easy solve.
I learnt the hard way with my old lab. He was a fussy eater although with hindsight I was probably over feeding although he didn't put weight on because he was so active. Check your not feeding too much his bowel movements should be firm and wrinkly especially the first of the day. I used to add stuff to his food to get him to eat it and it really is making a rod for your own back I'm afraid. However if he likes gravy but it's not agreeing with him CSJ do a dog gravy for fussy eaters. Of course no guarantee he will like it. I feed CSJ CP21 and they will send you free samples if you want to give them a try. Hope you are able to get Indy eating soon I know how frustrating it is. http://www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=98&idcategory=3
I have a fussy eater and I've tried half a dozen different brands from middle of the road up to one of the most highly regarded (and expensive) and eventually Riley turns his nose up at them all. I've settled on what I think is a decent food at a reasonable price and I do add stuff to it. Usually between some defrosted tripe mince or a small amount of decent wet food(easier if we're not at home) Riley doesn't pick out the good stuff though he eats it all. Very occasionally he still won't eat but that's usually just a morning or evening. I don't add anything more I just pick it up. It's not ideal but I think I've got it down to two or three easy to feed components and after that he goes without. If he won't eat a bit of cheese as a treat I know there's something actually wrong with him! Due to what seemed to be a repeating dickie tummy we also did some tests with the vet for some less usual parasites which were clear. If we wanted to continue to investigate it would be blood tests next but he's been settled for a while so I think he's just sensitive rather than having something wrong. Good luck I hope you find something that works
If you are quite sure that he isn't unwell and nothing wrong with his teeth, then I would halve the amount of food you give him, if he doesn't eat it, just pick it up, say nothing and then either prepare fresh for the next meal, or use the same food. It is quite a good idea to get some free flow frozen tripe and mix a tablespoon of that in it, really stir it around, so that he cannot pick out the bits. On half rations he should eventually get hungry and eat anything!
Thanks everyone, I am going to leave the Tesco stuff and put that down to bad advice and just stuck it out with his dry food, I shall get a smaller bag of the same brand but a different favour and see how we go. I am of the attitude that he eats what he is given lol but it's difficult after a few days. He eats everything else he is given like it's his last meal so for now I shall half his portions, take it away after a certain amount of time and see how we go. Thank you x
I'm sure this is really frustrating. But making your dog deliberately hungry by halving meals wouldn't be my preferred option. I wouldn't get children to eat by deliberately starving them and so I wouldn't do it to my dog either. I'd guess that he just does not like the food or it's a bad batch, as others have suggested. What are the kinds of foods that he does like?
Harley had a lot of problems with her tummy when she was younger. We tried a few kibbles and eventually found one she was settled on. After a few months she just stopped eating it. I persisted for 3 days, no treats or any other food offered. On the fourth day I went out and brought pre packed raw and she gobbled it down. Next meal I tried kibble - refused to eat again. I decided to make the switch and put her on Natures Menu BARF. Best decision I have made. Tummy is completely settled, her coat is really soft and shiny and she is the healthiest she has ever been. I think some dogs just aren't keen on kibble
Oberon, I am not advocating starving the dog! Just in the meantime to get his appetite up. Some dogs will hold out for 'something' better and then it is the downward path! I also said it is important to make sure the dog is not ill or his teeth hurting. Maybe he is just full up like we get if we have overdone it!
He is on chicken and rice at the moment to settle his tummy and I would definitely never starve my dog! I don't think anyone on this site would do that. the whole point of my post was because he wouldn't eat it. He eats everything put in front of him usually just having a stubborn tantrum I reckon.
I think it's fair enough if some dogs just don't like kibble. I'm in favour of making a bit of an effort to provide something your dog enjoys, even if that involves switching from the convenience of kibble. I know no-one is advocating starvation as in 'letting your dog get thin'. People were advocating letting their dog get hungry by deliberately and dramatically under feeding (cutting food by half), and I objected to that as I think that is a welfare issue.
Oberon, isn't a welfare issue to let a dog overeat! Not that the OP's dog is I hasten to add! If a dog isn't eating, it is either ill or full up. If it was sufficiently hungry it would eat anything. I suggested reducing the food so that the dog would look forward to eating kibble again. I can also understand that dogs get bored with eating the same old kibble, that is why I always add something a little interesting, a wee bit of tinned food, free flow tripe, chicken stock from boiling the bones and the residual meat. Once the dog's appetite is back, then put the amount back up, you should only need to reduce the amount for a couple of days. I
I tend to believe that no healthy dog will actually starve itself. So I side with Stacia in that I would give your dog five minutes to eat his food, then pick it up and take it away until the next meal is due. By all means add some nice tidbits in to make it more palatable for him. At the moment, as long as there is nothing physically wrong with him, he is just not hungry enough to make that kibble appetizing. And I do sympathise, as one of my previous dogs was a very fussy eater when young. He became quite portly later in life though! That said, I wouldn't want to eat kibble each and every day, and try hard to provide a balanced and interesting mainly raw diet for Poppy (who however wouldn't care at all if she had kibble every meal of her life). It's a minefield, for sure...
Bella stopped wanting her James Wellbeloved dry food a few months aog, so I got some well beloved toppers for it and she ate the lot, this went on for a few months but was costly at 80p a pouch! so we are now back to 'just' James well beloved kibble , with occasional veg or an egg for tea and she has no problem eating it dry anymore. They are fussy!!!
