How can I get my baby to eat dry food?
 

My baby, Sydney, seems to hate every dry food I have tried. She came to me a couple of months ago (she is 3 yrs). Was told she ate Royal Cannine but wouldn't once she got here. I have tried Chicken Soup for the dog lovers soul, Eukanaba Yorkshire blend, Science Diet. My husband went out and got her some Purina moist and meaty. She wouldn't eat any of it. didn't eat for days when we first got her. I started buying Fromm Family canned after I checked out the grading scale for foods. Best one I could find within an hours drive. It's getting quite expensive driving that far every couple weeks and the cans are almost $3.00 each.

Any suggestions on how I can get her to eat dry? She won't eat the canned if I mix any dry with it. She's a bit stubborn! lol

ok please don't feed her Eukanuba, SD or Purina.. all pure crap. If you are set on kibble try adding something like yogurt, or scrambled egg, grated cheddar cheese.. if you aren't set on kibble you should try home cooking. .many picky eaters have done really well on it.

On odd thing you might try that I tried when changing Coby's food after seeing it on the Dog Whisperer....... run your hands through the food so that it picks up your scent. Cesar says it's a sign of "affection". Don't really know if it's that or if they feel you've "approved" the food or what. But it did really work.

Good Luck!!

Welcome to yt. Glad to have you here. Have you tried holding her on your lap and hand feeding her. I did that with my last 2 dogs until they got used to everything.

Can you use a different canned food that is good but cheaper? I think $3 a can is way too much to pay for dog food...even premium. How about homecooking?

Tricksie is picky, does not like just dry, we buy canned veggies with no salt, sometimes use frozen, and I put a teas. of Pedigree, (in the pouches) with the veggies and kibble, heat in the micro for 10 sec. then mix it up. She loves it.

why not just feed "real" food instead of trying to find ways to camouflage an inferrior product?
Canned veggies are not good for dogs or people since they are extremely high in sodium.

the canned veggies I buy have no salt, no sodium.

Thank you
 

Thanks for these sugestions. I have tried the hand in food thing that was on dog whisperer. She doesn't really like anyone but my husband and he isn't any help with her so i don't know if thats why that didn't work.

What's home cooking? :confused: Where can I find info on it? I hate to cook but if it'll help with the dog food bill --I'll try anything.

She LOVES veggies. There are potatoes, peas, and carrots in the food she eats.

I wish there was a place to get better food closer to our small town.

Have you looked for a local feed store? That is where I found Chicken Soup, Nature's Variety and several others.
Just do a search by the name of the dog food you want to try and they usually have a store locater section. That's how I found the food at the feed store. I totally understand what you are going through. We have been through at least 5 different types of dry food and 4 or 5 canned trying to find something Topper will eat. I even tried home cooking chicken with rice and veggies, he wouldn't touch it. He would only eat the chicken if it was by itself. He is worse than my daughter was at this age!!!!

The puppy is how old? Find a food and stick with it..I used to put a little water in with my dry food and sometimes a little scrambled egg or teaspoon of cottage cheese..once they started eating it well, I quit putting the other stuff in it. Mine are all doing well on the nutro ultra now, even the little 7 mo old is eating the same food as the others...

Homecooking is just that. Cooking food for your dog and adding supplements. You can use the search at the top of the screen to find out how to do it.

How to switch your dog's food
 

Hi,

Are you trying to get your Yorkie to switch to dry food for better dental hygiene/easier dispensing&storage/cost?

If you really want to eat dry food, you can mix a little chicken broth or water into the dry food. Let it stand for a few minutes and it will become moist. Once your Yorkie is eating this regularly, mix a little less chicken broth or water into the dry food week by week until you are comfortable with the consistency. On another note: you're going to have to mix whatever you're giving your Yorkie now with what ever dry food you want to start giving her for a while also, because you don't want to make abrupt changes in the diet. That could cause your Yorkie to have digestive problems.

So in short: 1st week

1. start with 3/4 of whatever moist food you use
2. add 1/4 of the new dry food that you will add chicken broth or water


2nd week

1. 1/2 whatever moist food
2. 1/2 dry food mixed with chicken broth or water

3rd week

1. 3/4 dry food mixed with chicken broth/water
2. 1/4 whatever moist food

4th week

1. all dry food mixed with chicken broth/water

5th week and so on adding less and less chicken broth/water

This is tedious yes, but if your Yorkie is picky like you say, the pooch won't fall for anything unless it's subtle.:aimeeyork

Chicken broth is salty, I just add water and let it sit out for about 20 minutes, that will soften it...you can scramble an egg in the microwave and put a little bit of that in with it also

You can boil a skinless, boneless chicken breast and use that broth.