Im giving up...I cannot get my dogs to eat dog food
 

I should have never started people food. All 3 of mine were picky eaters prior to that but last year I made the mistake of switching them to home coooking after several problems with allergies and upset stomachs. It only lasted a few months and then I realized I couldnt keep it up. I was spending more time cooking for my dogs then I was for my family. Plus, when I am gone, I cant expect anyone else to cook for them. So I switched back to dog food....I have tried several good brands, Merrick, Innova, Canidae, Blue, Wellness,. I always added a little bit of people food thinking this would make the transition easier. Unfortunately all they do is pick out the people food. If I dont put people food in it, they dont touch it and then are up and restless a night, because, I guess they are hungry. I have wasted so much money...its pathetic. I have also tried different dry foods and finally seem to find one they tolerate. I give them the dry in the morning and they eat a little of it. I feel the wet food about 5 each day. The thing is when one of them is sick, I feed them boiled chicken, broth and rice and they completely clean their plates. I might as well switch back to people food. Its just that I made pertty simple food and dont think they were gettin all that they needed Im so frustrated.

I hear your frustration. I guess it depends on what you would like to do. If you want to switch them to a certain food, just do it and don't give them anything else. I promise they will eat when they get hungry enough. Most people say it takes a couple of days, but they will eat when they get hungry. After that, they seem to love the new food. Is there a food that you would like to feed them, that they ate before, and you know doesn't cause upset?

I agree with the previous post, dogs are so smart and they know how to get what they want, especially when mom is changing their food everytime they turn their nose to it. "They will eat when they are hungry", they will hold out for what they want but if you don't give in they will have to eat what is put out for them. Charlie did this to me, he went 3 days without eating, but I didn't give in, I didn't even give treats, trust me he got hungry, and now he loves his food and eats it all up, he hasn't missed a meal since. I meet so many people that say their dogs won't eat, or they eat their food for a few days then seem to be tired of it, then they go and buy them something else, and the cycle repeats and never ends, they end up wasting food and money, you just have to put your foot down, because they are controlling the situation at this point. Just my opinion but it worked for me, I didn't want to start a bad habit, so I nipped it in the butt.

im having a similar problem... and she also has to be handfed or she wont eat. she is just too spoiled! ive created a little monster!

the problem is i feel like i cant put my foot down/let her starve for three days until she eats the dog food, because she is so small.. i fear she will go into hypoglycemic shock :(

I feel your pain.
 

I have a nine week-old puppy named Paddington who is super picky! I worry myself do death about what he eats. He is only one and a half pounds and will only eat boiled chicken and rice. He eats very little of that. He seems healthy and energetic, but I worry that he will not get the nutrients he needs. The vet gave me neutrical but he hates that too. Any ideas? I cannot wait a day or two with a puppy that small. Is that normal? My other dogs have never had these problems.

I just watched something on this on "It's me or the Dog." I can't remember if it was on Online videos: From home videos to premium internet television content | Veoh Video Network (where I looked it up) or late one night last week on TV. Uhm...try looking there for the shows. If all else fails, you can do what my furbaby's Godmother does for her malteses. I should say her husband. He cooks a large amount one day a week. Freezes the rest to distribute throughout the week. Before they go out of town he makes a huge pot of chicken and rice...freezes it in little bags or containers; and leaves instructions for whoever to warm it in the microwave for 30-45secs. Just enough to warm it but not make it to hot.

Good Luck!

I think raw and homecooked is so much better for your dog anyway. When I was homecooking I just made enough for my 5 dogs for the whole week to 10 days. I'm a flight attendant so I am gone some of the time but it was easy for my husband to just grab the premade mix out of the tupperware. You might want to add a vitamin supplement to the homecooking. Good luck!

I feel your pain!LOL! :D My furbabies are picky too but I have to agree that homecooking for us is the only way to go. However, having said that, they still go on strike every once and awhile and want the hand fed treatment, and like the good servant that I am, I oblige :eek:. They have me wrapped tightly around their little paws!:woof:

Well said. Ditto! I add a vitamin supplement, bone meal, potassium and fish oil for omega 3 to a well balanced rice/raw diet. I cook up 2-4 batches at a time and freeze in small tupperware containers. Good luck!

My dogs were always picky eaters when they were fed kibble. I switched to raw and they enjoy eating so much now! It makes me happy just because of that aspect. Not to mention how much better my 11 year old collies teeth look now after only about a month and a half. Feeding raw is much easier than home cooking. Maybe it would be worth it to research that?

Just out of curiosity, what constitutes a raw meal?

My baby was picky and wouldn't eat. I took her to the vet for a check up just to make sure nothing was wrong. He said I was giving her too many different things to eat. He told me to just stick with her dry kibble, one type of treat, and nutrical. Three times a day, I put a pea sized dab of nutrical in about 1/8 cup of kibble in her crate. She eats most of it every time. I didn't like what he told me, but it seems to be working a little. She is eating more than she was. Still not what they recommend but she gained 3.5 ounces in 10 days, which is good for a 9 week old. I also think before I was filling her up on treats too much too.

diet
 

What I know...if you decide on dry..put out the food, give them the option to eat or starve. I have never had a Yorkie starve to death..look them in the eye and tell them eating or not eating is their decision...and forget about it. Of course, they do not understand your words, but they know when you do not care if they eat or not...and since they are not going to starve, you do not care.

Mine eat lots of people food mixed with dry...you can cook up large batches of human food and freeze in small packs...a friend makes enough for a month for her Yorkies...if you mince chicken and veggies, mix with a bit of water and dry, they can not pick out the people food..add some cottage cheese to dry and a few spoons of beef buillion if you are in a hurry..mine eat alll the dry if I do that...best wishes

I know how you feel. I thought dog food what the way to go in beginning. Quick, Simple, Easy.....

Well, I guess Roxy and TJ didn't get that memo :p

So like you, I tried numerus different brand, dry and wet, had to sprinkle cheese on top or a liver treat and it was still like pulling teeth to get them to eat. Then I start to mix home cooked with smashed up kibble, this worked better than just plain kibble, but it was still work and there were many times that I still had to add a *topper* to get them to eat.

After a little research in the RAW feeding, I decided to give it a try. I bought the Nature's Variety Frozen Medallions. WOW - it was gone so fast I wasn't sure if they ate it or if it magically vanished :D (Mine liked them still a bit frozen, so I would place the portions on a piece of clear wrap on the granite counter top for about 7 mins. just thawed enough for me to cut them up into little bit size pieces. This also was good b/c they had to chew it and it was kinda cleaning their teeth)

Anyway, I honestly do believe that RAW is the BEST for them, however, if your dogs has liver issues (like mine, that's why I am back to home cooking) than it's not good for their livers to digest that type of protein and organs.

Best of Luck.

You can go to the Nature's Variety website and read about the RAW frozen food ;)

I made the same mistake last year with my chihuahuas, in the end i stopped cooking their food and just left kibble down, they left it for a short while but when they realsied they wernt getting anything else they finally ate the kibble and its back to normal now.

If you homecook, then just do it once every two weeks or once a month...Make a large batch of it and freeze in two day portions. I only cook once a month for my dogs :)

is chicken or beef and rice a balanced meal? I dont get the feeling that it is?... what else can you add to it to make ti more balanced, besides nutrical?

AMEN! My little Monster wont eat either.... and I just keep giving in... hehe

d

You know what, when I was on vacation last year, I froze the home cooked food into little bags like you suggested...but they didnt like that as well as when it is cooked fresh. Part of the other reason I stopped was because of what someone else said...I love my dogs, but if I am going to have to add all of those other things to make sure they are getting the proper nutrition, then it is too much work. I should not be spending more time on cooking for my dogs than my family...thats just my opinion.
I also would like to know if giving just chicken and rice by itself is healthy enough or does it have to have other things added to it?
I have also tried the tough love approach but that ended up with sleepless nights for me as they still wouldnt eat and were up and down all night, restless I guess because they were hungry.

Homecooked has to be supplemented.
Chicken and rice is not balanced.
It should only take 3 or 4 hours a month to cook but if you don't want to cook, that is understandable.

Giving up
 

This can certainly happen, then you could never forgive yourself, with these little guys you just can't hold out. I don't mind cooking for my furbabies because spending time and effort is the reason I have mine, they give me back twice the love.:aimeeyork:rolleyes:

First, nutrical isn't a nutritional supplement! its basically sugar and corn syrup and its meant for use by owners of tiny breeds as they have a tendancy towards hypoglycemia as puppies. Once a dog reaches between 8-12 months old, the nutrical should be stopped.

It shouldn't be fed to adults because it rots teeth and has no nutritional value. I use it only in emergencies, when my little one has not eaten in a few hours and if her eyes get glazed or she gets shaky. (Symptoms of hypoglycemia) One a dog reaches adulthood, they don't tend to get hypoglycemic because as adults, they are able to maintain even blood sugar levels throughout the day.

Second, no dog will starve themselves. Its against their survival instinct - so don't feel like the pup will die! They wont. If you leave out their bowl for 15 -20 minutes and then take it away, whether they eat or not, they'll get the idea. Do not fill them up during the day with treats or other goodies. Within a day or two, your dog will be eating out of a bowl.

There are good products you can use to stimulate appetite and be healthy - I like canned Tripe. Solid Gold makes one called Green Cow, although my favorite is by a brand called Tripett. Tripe is a natural appetite stimulant and is one of the healthiest things you can offer your pooch.

Homecooking is fine - the concept is that each meal needs not be complete and balanced - its how humans eat, we eat complete and balanced meals over the course of each week, giving our bodies the fuel to survive. Using a multivitamin is helpful to ensure your growing pet is getting the vitamins and minerals she needs. I recommend you get some books from the bookstore that have recipes and recommendations for home feeding.

You have taught them to hold out. Is there a time for you that you could do this, that sleep deprivation won't be too upsetting? You know, actually setting aside a certain day to start this, and be committed. I would also suggest giving them lots of exercise during that period, with lots of walks, the more tired and hungrier they are, the better. I've been reading quite a bit about this, and have never read of any going over 3 days. I wouldn't do this with a puppy, but for a healthy dog with no hypoglycemic issues, there shouldn't be a problem.

I think part of the problem may be you feel a little guilty about not giving them human food, but there are plenty of dog foods out there that have been shown to be more than adequate in meeting their needs. I really think unless you take the time to really study canine nutrition, home cooking can be much worse for them, than dog food. There seems to be so many experts, and so few of them agree on anything, sifting out the truth from the garbage, is not an easy process.

Oh yes, cupofdog is correct about the nutri-cal.

Home cooking cannot be beat. It's cheaper, healthier and you know exactly what they are eating. I make up a batch to last 4 or 5 weeks. I also boil up about 8 eggs, leave the shells on and keep in the ref. I buy Goodmorning brand veggie burgers that I can just pop in the toaster, I buy the same brand breakfast bites. Home cooking is difficult. It's safe!!

TRAIN THEM TO EAT ;) My vet said you can train a dog to eat by giving him his favorite treat after he eats some of his kibble. Just like potty training! Encourage them to eat a little, then go crazy with the praise and give their favorite treat! Repeat until they learn to eat when they are fed. OK, the theory is good, but I don't know if it works because Boomer is a good eater :rolleyes:

I meant to say home cooking "isn't" difficult!

Could it have been a Freudian slip? :D

Couldn't agree more!

^^^^This is absolouteley correct Nancy hit it right on the nose. If they get hungry enough THEY WILL EAT don't offer them something for a day and give up if they don't eat it. Keep offer whatever food you choose to feed them and stick to it don't offer them anything else, trust me once their hunger kicks in they won't really care about the flavor:)

Freudian.............a mistake made in speaking that, it is thought, inadvertently reveals unconscious motives, desires, etc. ?????? I can't find my motive or desire.........:confuse8:

homecooking recipes
 

I don't know how to bump a thread, but this one was filled with lots of great recipes and tips for homecooking, it is under Health & Diet and the thread title was Homemade Yorkie Recipes (Food & Treats) dated 4/12/07 , thought you might like to check it out if you haven't already seen it.