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gracielove · 08-07-2012, 10:38 AM

I did all the things you mentioned with Gracie when she was a puppy. She refused all kibble. When I cooked for her she would eat it the first time but walk away from it the next time I tried to get her to eat it. Did the hand feeding, too. I actually found YT when I was searching online for some info on how to make a healthy food for a small dog.

I tried the starvation thing as a last resort. Yes, they may eat after having nothing for a long period of time but it seemed to me that there was something wrong if I had to starve my puppy to get it to eat. I read an article about using sweet potatoes instead of grain in her food so I tried it. She ate like you would expect a starving dog to eat. She even ate it the next day. Leftovers for the first time! So I found a way to get her to eat home cooked food but I really wanted her on a balanced commercial food.

Finally I tried Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw. She loves the stuff! Some people say it is too high in fat and protein but that is because it is freeze dried. The process of freeze dried takes all the moisture out and that changes the percentage rates. It is a concentrated food. I usually rehydrate it with water or sodium free broth. She still loves it. I actually buy the frozen Stella & Chewy's now. The percentages are in an excellent range simply because it is not dehydrated. I sometimes mix some of the freeze dried into her thawed frozen food just because she loves it so much. I also use it as a treat but she loves their all meat freeze dried treats as well.

I realize that there is a lot of controversy in some circles about feeding raw but Gracie has done wonderfully on it. We are careful to always wash hands and surfaces after preparing it just as we are with all meat. She has never been sick and loves her food now. Dogs never ate kibble until the 1950's so I think they can exist very well without it. Gracie sure wanted nothing to do with kibble or grain for that matter. I fed my dogs kibble for many years without ever looking at a label. It took this little fur ball to get me to look into what I had been feeding my animals.

I hope you find something that works for you. I know how desperate you can get when your puppy won't eat. They are supposed to be forming all the organs and bones they will use all their lives. I know it really scared me.

08-07-2012, 10:38 AM	#19
gracielove YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: NY Posts: 6,582	I did all the things you mentioned with Gracie when she was a puppy. She refused all kibble. When I cooked for her she would eat it the first time but walk away from it the next time I tried to get her to eat it. Did the hand feeding, too. I actually found YT when I was searching online for some info on how to make a healthy food for a small dog. I tried the starvation thing as a last resort. Yes, they may eat after having nothing for a long period of time but it seemed to me that there was something wrong if I had to starve my puppy to get it to eat. I read an article about using sweet potatoes instead of grain in her food so I tried it. She ate like you would expect a starving dog to eat. She even ate it the next day. Leftovers for the first time! So I found a way to get her to eat home cooked food but I really wanted her on a balanced commercial food. Finally I tried Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw. She loves the stuff! Some people say it is too high in fat and protein but that is because it is freeze dried. The process of freeze dried takes all the moisture out and that changes the percentage rates. It is a concentrated food. I usually rehydrate it with water or sodium free broth. She still loves it. I actually buy the frozen Stella & Chewy's now. The percentages are in an excellent range simply because it is not dehydrated. I sometimes mix some of the freeze dried into her thawed frozen food just because she loves it so much. I also use it as a treat but she loves their all meat freeze dried treats as well. I realize that there is a lot of controversy in some circles about feeding raw but Gracie has done wonderfully on it. We are careful to always wash hands and surfaces after preparing it just as we are with all meat. She has never been sick and loves her food now. Dogs never ate kibble until the 1950's so I think they can exist very well without it. Gracie sure wanted nothing to do with kibble or grain for that matter. I fed my dogs kibble for many years without ever looking at a label. It took this little fur ball to get me to look into what I had been feeding my animals. I hope you find something that works for you. I know how desperate you can get when your puppy won't eat. They are supposed to be forming all the organs and bones they will use all their lives. I know it really scared me.