Poor Strudel (and you!)... when Sophia had diarrhea, I couldn't tell who felt worse, her for having to deal with it, or me for having to clean it up since she couldn't make it outside
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I had some trouble getting Sophia to eat her food too, I used to have to mix it with water. We eventually ended up on Blue buffalo basics (she loves it!! and it's about the only thing that won't upset her stomach). Maybe Strudel might be more fond of a different brand/flavor of kibble?
I don't know anything about feeding them chicken and rice forever.. but Sophia has probiotics sprinkled on her meal at dinner. You can tell that she LOVES it (much more than without the probiotics)! So, maybe when/if you do go back to kibble, the probiotics might make it taste delicious and perhaps you can continue using them? I know Sophia has been on probiotics for months because of how much it benefits her.