No response to my question in the Health and Diet Thread

[P-Nut Mom]

Originally Posted by R-Teddy

I wish dog food companies would make little trial packs you could by for this very purpose. to find out if your dog will like it and eat it. You go through an awful lot of money buying even the smallest bags just to have them not eat it. then on to the next expensive bag, hoping the same thing wont happen with that. By the time you find the right one for time, you could end up with several opened bags of expensive food they wont eat and your bank account empty.

If there are any reps of dog food companies sneaking in the mist out there reading this....please consider this suggestion. Dog lovers will love you. "TRAIL PACKS"

Many companies do just that. We get sample bags at our local Petco Unleashed. We tried a variety of kibble that way, including Wellness and Natural Balance, when we were looking for a food P-Nut would eat. The sample bags are actually a decent size, too.

[R-Teddy]

I have to feed all my dogs seperately. I have a 12 year old mix breed taht has to be on senior food, canned, as she can no longer manage the kibble. poor old girl.

then I have a 14 month old Shih Tzu who eats a good balanced adult dog food.

I have to m ix kibble with can for him. just a little bit of can beause he wont eat the k ibble unless it is mixed with can.

then I have my new yorkie pup, 7 weeks old today, who has to et a high quality puppy food . Right ow its canned, Wellness core grain free until her teeth come full in. then I will switch her over to the wellness smallbreed super5mix just for puppies. I have already started giving her some of this. I just break the pieces in half so if she doesnt chew it, she wont choke on it. she likes it. But for main feeding she gets canned still.

In any case, it never fails, all of my dogs want to eat the other dogs food, not their own. So I feed old girl first, then the 14 month old, then the puppy. Course the puppy eats far more often then the other two.

[IDPiper]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Please be VERY careful w/store bought broth! Check the ingredients, most have onion in it...onion is toxic to dogs in any form!

You can make your own broth @ home w/beef or chicken bones...no added spices or salt or anything, just the bones & water.

I didn't think about that! I always make my own bone broth with chickens that I raise so I know what goes into it. Sorry.

I have several sample bags that I got from Artimis and Evenger's that I would give you but they are adult formula.

[R-Teddy]

Originally Posted by P-Nut Mom

Many companies do just that. We get sample bags at our local Petco Unleashed. We tried a variety of kibble that way, including Wellness and Natural Balance, when we were looking for a food P-Nut would eat. The sample bags are actually a decent size, too.

oh ok. well maybe i need to check out some different stores. the one I go to "petsmart" doesnt have these. I dont know if we have a petco in my city. ill check.

[gracielove]

Young pups really shouldn't have treats of any kind (including chicken sticks). They best way to reward him is with a piece of his own food. Now that he has a taste for baby food you are going to have to do it cold turkey. No chicken sticks!

Make sure you are feeding him the healthiest food possible and stick to it. Check out your ingredient lists and decide if you think those things are healthy for him.

Pet food manufacturers have found that they can make just about anything "nutritionally balanced" by adding a bunch of synthetic vitamins to the mix so use your common sense when looking at what the food is made of and how it was processed.

Sometimes it helps if you don't feed him when you have people food out or have been cooking. If they smell you food it often gives them the idea that yours would be better than theirs. Maybe try feeding him in the morning before the smell of other foods hit his sensitive nose.

[My lil friend]

Originally Posted by R-Teddy

I have to feed all my dogs seperately. I have a 12 year old mix breed taht has to be on senior food, canned, as she can no longer manage the kibble. poor old girl.

then I have a 14 month old Shih Tzu who eats a good balanced adult dog food.

I have to m ix kibble with can for him. just a little bit of can beause he wont eat the k ibble unless it is mixed with can.

then I have my new yorkie pup, 7 weeks old today, who has to et a high quality puppy food . Right ow its canned, Wellness core grain free until her teeth come full in. then I will switch her over to the wellness smallbreed super5mix just for puppies. I have already started giving her some of this. I just break the pieces in half so if she doesnt chew it, she wont choke on it. she likes it. But for main feeding she gets canned still.

In any case, it never fails, all of my dogs want to eat the other dogs food, not their own. So I feed old girl first, then the 14 month old, then the puppy. Course the puppy eats far more often then the other two.

Just a suggestion: There are several companys that make a full life cycle food (puppy to senior). As for to hard for the puppy or senior,add warm water and let it soften. You can still add canned to it if you wish.
I feed 5 soon to be 6 dogs: ages 12 yrs to 8 months and a new pup in April. I use glass custard cups for the little guy that has a hard time with the kibble so I can add water. Everyone else eats on paper plates. Both meals involve wet food mixed with kibble. Two of my dogs are allergic to fish anything ,that means no fish oil either ,one is allergic to chicken and no one handles grain very well. Choosing a food was a bit of a challenge.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by IDPiper

I didn't think about that! I always make my own bone broth with chickens that I raise so I know what goes into it. Sorry.

I have several sample bags that I got from Artimis and Evenger's that I would give you but they are adult formula.

No prob How neat, you raise your own chickens!

Originally Posted by R-Teddy

oh ok. well maybe i need to check out some different stores. the one I go to "petsmart" doesnt have these. I dont know if we have a petco in my city. ill check.

You can always email the company & ask for samples. Most of the premium pet foods that are made in the USA & Canada are in specialty pet stores, feed stores or boutiques. The stores should have samples too.

[Sunnydayz]

I had issues with Gizmo, where he was getting tired of his kibble, so I started feeding him this Freshpet Vital Dog Food | Review and Rating , he loves the bison beef one. I give him it in the morning and at night, and I leave down a bowl of royal canine yorkie kibble to snack on at all times. He does snack on it, but his main meals are the refrigerated food. I also use treats that are really healthy for training (thank god he is food driven) and I use salmon treats that are high in omegas .

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by Maximo

This is a serious issue especially for a developing pup. Sounds like he has already learned to hold out for the chicken stix.

You are going to have to entice him to eat a balanced food. You can add enticements on top of the food, but they shouldn't exceed 15 - 20% of total daily intake.

I had to hand feed Max his first year and play games with him. I had to get him excited to eat. He performed tricks and I gave him kibble as rewards like they were gold nuggets. I had to praise him for eating.

When you offer food, be sure to be really excited about it. If you are anxious about whether he will eat, and if you start offering alternatives, he will think something is wrong with the food you are offering.

I know you have the added concern of hypoglycemia, especially because he is so small. But work at encouraging him to eat what he should be eating.

I agree - also try different ways to serve it - I had a cocker that couldn't eat due to an overbite - I fed her by hand and also boiled chicken at night - one day the dog food bowl was soaking in the sink - I put some food on a PAPER PLATE and my 8 year old hand fed doggie started crunching away!

I think all those years she just didn't like the dog food bowl - but her vet had told me I would have to hand feed her when she was young - she just got spoiled lol


I do offer chicken to my 4 at night but they have dog food down 24/7

maybe try different places to feed also? It is not good what he is eating now

All the best !

[R-Teddy]

Originally Posted by My lil friend

Just a suggestion: There are several companys that make a full life cycle food (puppy to senior). As for to hard for the puppy or senior,add warm water and let it soften. You can still add canned to it if you wish.
I feed 5 soon to be 6 dogs: ages 12 yrs to 8 months and a new pup in April. I use glass custard cups for the little guy that has a hard time with the kibble so I can add water. Everyone else eats on paper plates. Both meals involve wet food mixed with kibble. Two of my dogs are allergic to fish anything ,that means no fish oil either ,one is allergic to chicken and no one handles grain very well. Choosing a food was a bit of a challenge.

Thats a good suggestion. Ill check into that. it is getting quite expensive buying three kinds of food. well 4 including the canned that gets mixed with kibble.

[Schooby]

If it's the Gerber chicken sticks be really careful. I would never feed my adult yorkies these just because of the onion and garlic powder. Here's the ingredients


INGREDIENTS: GROUND CHICKEN, WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE (FROM MILK), SALT, CANOLA OIL, SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR, ONION AND GARLIC POWDERS.

[broodizt]

Thanks so much for your feedback. It is soooo helpful!!! I bought 24 jars of Gerber chicken sticks at the breeders advice. YIKES!!! I read the label and WOW-they are all going back to WINCO in the morning-and I also read the ingredients on Swansons chicken broth and yes there is onion in that too, so I'm only going to use that for me. Thank you all soo much for all your input-it was really great!!!

Good NEWS!!!
Milo ate his Halshans 3 meals in a row today PLUS some of his kibble tonight for supper!! YAY!!! He has one more meal to go so I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed that he will eat it. What I did was I warmed the Halshans in another dish under the one the food was in with hot water, then I added a smidgeon of dried chicken liver sprinkled on the food and a smidgeon (few grains) of Parmesan cheese. Boy did he go at it. I was thrilled!!!

Wish me luck. I think this one might stick (I hope!)

Thanks again to all of you from the bottom of my heart. I so appreciate you and all your wise input!
Namaste!!!
Shellie

[Britster]

Try Weruva wet food. We have a VERY picky dog (my dads dog)... she really likes it, and it's about the only thing she does.

[ShowGirlLola]

Good luck, I have a pain in the butt eater too.

Originally Posted by R-Teddy

I wish dog food companies would make little trial packs you could by for this very purpose.

Email the companies and ask for samples, a lot of them will send you something.
Also, most pet stores allow you to return opened food, I hate doing it but I can't afford to keep throwing out $4 cans of food.

Originally Posted by red98vett

I agree - also try different ways to serve it - I had a cocker that couldn't eat due to an overbite - I fed her by hand and also boiled chicken at night - one day the dog food bowl was soaking in the sink - I put some food on a PAPER PLATE and my 8 year old hand fed doggie started crunching away!

I agree with trying different ways to serve it, Lola likes her kibble on the floor by the cushion she uses to jump on the couch. Silly pup.

[GuinnessStout]

Originally Posted by red98vett

I agree - also try different ways to serve it - I had a cocker that couldn't eat due to an overbite - I fed her by hand and also boiled chicken at night - one day the dog food bowl was soaking in the sink - I put some food on a PAPER PLATE and my 8 year old hand fed doggie started crunching away!

I think all those years she just didn't like the dog food bowl - but her vet had told me I would have to hand feed her when she was young - she just got spoiled lol


I do offer chicken to my 4 at night but they have dog food down 24/7

maybe try different places to feed also? It is not good what he is eating now

All the best !

Guinness will only eat if his bowl is in one certain part of the kitchen and if you move it he will kick and push it back where it goes OR will get a mouth full of food and walk over to where he thinks his food should be and spit it on the floor repeating till he has a pile and then will eat it.