what to give a fussy eater
 

hi there im a new mummy to a 8 week old little girl mazie i got mazie at 6 and a half week old my vet told me to use royal cain on her but she dnt really like it i dnt kno what to give her for breakfast my vet said i have to give mazie time to get used to it but she needs to eat i just dnt kno what to give her that she likes iv tryed chick and rice but my vet said the more of our food i gave her the more time it`ll take mazie to get used of her own food she not right keen on chick and rice either she had her first shot yest could it be that she just dnt want ought just yet please advice on what i could give her to eat thanks :aimeeyork

Royal Canin isn't the best food, but it isn't the worst either. Your vet shouldn't be pushing a food which your dog doesn't want to eat though. I've learnt that if they don't want to eat it, there's usually a very good reason: especially for puppies.

One very important thing you have to remember is to stick to one food per meal. If you decide to give her RC and she doesn't want to eat it, you pick it up and give it to her again at the next mealtime. Don't start dishing up better food - she will learn to wait for the good stuff and then you will have your hands full cooking for her!

From personal experience, I've found that my dogs prefer raw food over anything else. They took about 2 weeks to get used to it (it is so much different from kibble) and now they love it. I've never had issues with them not eating again. Alternatively, you can try and find some samples of all the available foods in your area and try them out one by one until you find one she likes.

How many meals are you giving her? A puppy of 8 weeks should be getting 3 to 4 meals a day and more if she is especially small.

Hope that helps!

im trying to give her 3 meals a day but she wont eat she nibbles at her food and if i put the food in my hands she eat a bit of it but that about it she weiged 1.25 kg yest :animal-pa

Okay, at 8 weeks she isn't too small. That's great - it makes everything so much easier, I think.

I struggled for more than 2 years with my first yorkie, trying to get him to eat his kibble. My vet had told me that I should feed him Science Plan and I did. But he didn't pick up weight, his coat was terrible and he had gross breath. Because we don't have a better kibble option than Royal Canin (although Orijen is being launching here in September:thumbup:) in South Africa, I was sort of forced into trying home cooking.

The home cooking with loads of rice was gross to feed them and it caused loose stools, so I tried something else: the BARF diet. This system is based on how dogs would eat in the wild: eating the stomach of the prey first, moving onto the organs and finishing off the carcass by pulling it apart. The dogs would then chew on the meaty bones for hours.

So, BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) consists of raw meats (lean muscle meats, organs, etc.) and various pureed veggies and fruits. The more variety there is, the better. While anything you make for your dog is better than low and medium-grade kibble, it is always helpful to get prepackaged meals from a local supplier.
We either pick up our monthly batch or they deliver it. Maybe there is someone in your area? Just check that their diet is balanced.

Try to find something she likes, but don't offer it after she refused other food. If she doesn't want to eat, pick up the bowl after 15 minutes and feed her something else at the next meal interval. Do this until you find something she will eat. And remember not to feed her too many treats in between meals, otherwise you will ruin her appetite.

Good luck!

When I first got my puppies, they were 10 weeks old. I would put the kibble (which I now use Holistic Healthcare Extension - which is made for puppies and adults) in a dish, add a little water, squirt some honey and microwave it - just a little. It would be a little mushy - but then I would add in some more kibble. In the beginning just to entice them a little better, I would add a little chicken (baby food) and slowly weaned them off of that. Slowly, slowly, I would wean them and now - they are on only dry kibble. Your puppy is still a baby and needs to learn to start using its teeth - Hahaha!

hiii!!! i got my Baby Hazel the Monday before last and she is now 9 weeks. i've learned SOO much! first thing i could suggest to you is get her some Nutri-Cal puppy if you think she isn't eating as much as she should be. its like vitamins for dogs. its sweet and tasty for the puppies and they will lick it right off of your finger. give a pea sized portion every day.

Hazel came from the breeder eating Cesar Puppy food [the wet food with the white dog on it] she eats this stuff like its her last meal! and even licks the containers clean. i decided to feed her the Iams food for small breed puppies. at first she didn't eat it at all. so i mixed some in with her wet food... she would eat EVERYTHING but the pieces of kibble. but now she eats a good mixture of the 2 everyday completely.

the Cesar food is about 75 cents per container. i don't think thats expensive, but some people might. it was just worth my buying because i knew it was something she would definitely eat. Good luck!

thanks for the messages i think this site is great :animal-pa

Do you give her some everyday? I have some for Poppy incase she gets ill or does not want to eat. I dont give it to her everyday as i heard to ONLY give it when its needed and by the sounds of it your Hazel is eating fine, and is not ill? Just wondering xxx

[quote=Hazelzmibaybee;3246566] get her some Nutri-Cal puppy if you think she isn't eating as much as she should be. its like vitamins for dogs. its sweet and tasty for the puppies and they will lick it right off of your finger. give a pea sized portion every day.


Natasha,
I think Hazel was saying to give a pea sized portion every day if she didn't think she was eating as much as she should be:)