Cry for help... Ready to give up....

[QuickSilver]

This is a long shot, but dogs often don't eat when they are stressed. Is everything else in her life good? Does she get regular exercise, attention, etc?

[IsabelsMama]

Try mixing her dry food with some jar baby food. Either chicken, lamb, or turkey or try using all at different feedings. I have heard that will help. I have a 8 week old who eats Wellness, the all natural kind. She loves it, but I also have a 10 month old who eats Science Diet for puppies. Sometimes when I'm not paying attention they eat each other's food. I don't think it hurts them and the 10 month old is only at my house every few weeks as she lives at college with her mom.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by IsabelsMama

Try mixing her dry food with some jar baby food. Either chicken, lamb, or turkey or try using all at different feedings. I have heard that will help. I have a 8 week old who eats Wellness, the all natural kind. She loves it, but I also have a 10 month old who eats Science Diet for puppies. Sometimes when I'm not paying attention they eat each other's food. I don't think it hurts them and the 10 month old is only at my house every few weeks as she lives at college with her mom.

Personally, I believe the more you fuss, the fussier they will be.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Well I think that maybe you and I have the 2 pickyist yorkies around! Hot Rod has done the same thing as your little one forever. I could have opened up a feed store with all the bags and cans that I had! As a matter of fact, I finally took all the bags to the local shelter not too long ago.

It is easy to say, but like a lot people suggested...cut out the human food (we are guilty of that!) I just responded to another thread the other day about doing the tough love thing. It worked, they have both gobbled up their food that last 3 feedings! I pick their food up after so long (which may have 3/4 pieces of kibble left). What I have been giving that they seem to really like is the natural balance roll and mashed carrots or baby food carrots. I nuke the natural balance, carrots and water and make a gravy and then put their kibble in to soak it up. Sometimes they eat the kibble other times they suck the "gravy" off and spit the kibble out. Either way, I know that they are getting nutrition from the natural balance.

I also talked with the vet about portion, she suggested cutting back to 1/3 cup a day. Well, I actually wound up cutting to 1/4 c (and actually a little bit less because of the gravy) day cause they were not eating it all. Once again, they are getting the natural balance. For treats, we give zukes, yorkie yummies, carrots and other veggies. We still sneak in a kibble size of chicken or beef (after our dinner). from time to time but for the most part, carrots.

It boils down to tough love. I don't know how many times I have said to hubby and the where I get my food from that "he will eat it for 3 days and then is done!" She said to to me one day, "what would your hubby do if you feed him the same thing for 3 days?" Think about it, what would you do? I feel for you, I am right there with you and am waiting for some samples of wellness as we speak. I don't think innova is one of their favorites.

[LDandPasquale]

I agree . I think your dog is being finicky. I say pick the food she ate the MOST. Then stick to that. She'll eventually eat. And make sure you cut out ALL human food.

Just think of it this way...if it was you ..and you had your own personally chef...and you weren't really in the mood for what was being served..but knew something else would come along after it...Yeah you'd be finicky too!!

My husband once told me a story that when he was little..he didnt finish his veggies for dinner. His mom said nothing. Excused him from the table. And then the next morning when he got up...she served him the veggies for breakfast.

[rebecca127]

I must say, I think each and everyone of you for all your responses and your selflessness when it comes to help.. I do truly appreciate it...

Since Saturday, she has NOT had an ppl food, any snack or treats and absolutely no food from Grandma and Grandpa. I have written a sign on the fridge, "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANYONE GIVE ABBY EVEN HALF A CHEERIO, NO FOOD AT ALL UNTIL I GET HOME FROM WORK"

And since I have done that, she has hardly ate food. She will ahve 2 or three bites of food and walk away. Plus I wanther to know that food will not be out there all day and she must eat in the morning an evening. Because when I do leave it for the whole day she doesnt eat it anyway.

And as per her environment she is fine and it has been normal as usual... My little bros come from school at 3 and they play with her. I hardly go out afterwork like i used to and spend time with her....

I play with her for hours after work and I take her out ith me to my friends house and she enjoys herself over there. It is too cold out here for me too walk her. But as soon as the weather gets better I walk her twice a day and my neigbor walks her in the middle of the day. She gets constants attention for my whole family when I am not there. I would say on average she spends 6 hours a day on her own...

But I will say that after reading all these posts... I think I have been the cause of this problem from the beginning. I was just afraid she would be rail thin and she would hypoglycemic. I have even cut the Nutrical from her because I feel she is just toying with me... and I must add she is VERY smart and knows what she is doing.

ahhhhhhhhh LOL I know I will be home in 2 hours and it will be the same drama about her not eating.... I just wish there was an easier solution....

[jim n]

Firt off, Don't Give Her Away!!! You'll hate yourself if you do.
Do you leave food out all day?
If you do try this, feed her at her regular scheduled time in the morning. Leave the food down for 15 minutes. If she doesn't eat put it away until the next meal. Do the same for every meal for as long as it takes until she decides she's going to eat. I never heard of a well dog starving themselves...good luck, and Don't Give Her Away!!

[rebecca127]

Originally Posted by YoRkiE Te aMo

we have been successful with homecooking..our little one eats what we eat ..when we eat...real food ...no preservatives, fresh foods...several times a day...and there is no begging going on, as he is buzy eating too...they like variation and it is good as per the nutrients they need...
he gets a little of this and that it adds up to about half a cup of food a day..
snax are fruits...blueberrie, cherrie, apple, orange, tangerine..not alot just a little ...
yogurt and cheese but not processed cheese ...
even a little milk is better than an empty stomach on these little ones...

morning : a one inch peice of precooked beef chopped up with a small spoon of yogurt and a couple of blueberries..

lunch : half inch peice of riccota cheese or a boccincini cheese ball with a one inch square of bran bread

dinner :
chicken breast, beef (no fat) very lean ground meat (nothing fried)fish,tuna,salmon and a shrimp or two...

rice or pasta or potatoes or yams..
ours can not tolerate potatoe ( many are allergic to them )

veggies: tomatoes, broccoli, kale,snow peas, green beans, red cabbage, bok choy,zuccini, peas.

herbs: Parsley(great for nice white teeth) oregano, sage, rosemary .just a touch of some or each (we only use the rosemary occassionally) but the others daily..

the ratio is one third of each... for dinner depending on the size of ur little one ..about one eighth to a quarter cup of the mix...

for digestive problems and the best poops ..home style bran bread is great make little squares as a treat with a dap of butter..
a friend had a dog with colitis and needed meds..well those were replaced with the bran bread treats and he did great..better than the meds and no side effects

i was given this information by a vet in France ...
In Italy the dog food is a bag of pasta with the meat sauce dried and u add water and cook it and voila ! the dogs love it ...

now that is what our dog eats and he loves it and is healthy at 11 years and we also eat this...we cook for us and he gets too...
who could look at a bag of dry kibble and think that is edible?
so why would u think ur little one would !

Originally Posted by LDandPasquale

I agree . I think your dog is being finicky. I say pick the food she ate the MOST. Then stick to that. She'll eventually eat. And make sure you cut out ALL human food.

Just think of it this way...if it was you ..and you had your own personally chef...and you weren't really in the mood for what was being served..but knew something else would come along after it...Yeah you'd be finicky too!!

My husband once told me a story that when he was little..he didnt finish his veggies for dinner. His mom said nothing. Excused him from the table. And then the next morning when he got up...she served him the veggies for breakfast.

**The food she ate the most is Stella and Chewys Freeze Dried Raw, Canine Caviar, Merricks Wingaling. The only thing is I cannot afford the freeze dried raw because it is too expensive...

I mean she is so skinny right now and I absolutely hate it!!! I guess I am gonna have to just stick to the no human food and notleaving the food out all day... I must say for a small little dog she has the will of a GIANT!!!!!

[Monday]

rather than repeat what I wrote a while ago ... go to this link http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...ml#post2437795

I had such a problem and THE HONEST KITCHEN food saved my dog's life.
I recommend it highly you can get some samples size on ebay (so you do not have to lay out too much money) and find what Abby may like.

It is a dehydrated raw diet in different flavors. All you do is ate hot water. My girls like FORCE.

or try this site to get a sample size.
Click here: THE HONEST KITCHEN DOG FOOD - FORCE 1 OZ SAMPLE~ TRY IT
if this does not work, use the link on the site I sent you to originally.

[shackelfmd]

I didn't get to read everything that everyone wrote so I'm not sure if what I'm saying has been said yet or not. My dog still does this to some extent. He really likes a new kind of dog food for the first few days and then doesn't want to touch it anymore after that. We were feeding him at meal time but it wasn't working so we left it out all day. He'll eat a couple of bites throughout the day until around 9 p.m. for some reason, then he'll go in and finish off his day's worth of food. You might try that. Also a couple of times I just had to mix rice or yogurt or something like that in with it and stir it up good so he's having to eat the dog food with it. He still comes and begs for food whenever anyone goes to the kitchen and he'll occasionally get a snack (he loves tomatoes for some reason). Just try leaving it out, and when you run out of a bag go and get a different one, but use the whole bag first.

[rebecca127]

Hey Monday:

I have tried the freeze dried raw by Stella and Chewys... She was eating that for months.. beef, lamb and chicken... and she had all the treats too.. she just didnt want anything to do with it anymore.

I just feel that the freeze dried raw is way more expensive than anything else....

I hope you guys do not feel that I am making excuses but I just REALLY have tried everything and nothing helps..

I am getting that Halo shipment soon hopefully and see what happens...

[ksmoss]

I know this is going to sound silly but do you only have the one dog? I have a little picky eater that used to drive me crazy. All of my other dogs (yes I am a massocist and have 5 of the little buggers) will eat out of their bowls throughout the day as they get hungry. What got her to eat and stop being particular was when I got the last 2 of my dogs a year ago. They are similar in size and age to her so they are the perfect playmates, but they best part is that she doesn't want them to have something she can't have so she tends to eat more. Don't get me wrong she is still 3 1/2 lbs and won't ever get much bigger. I say she has bird bones she is so tiny. I have to tell you though she is in there getting fed with the rest of the come feeding and snack time and I can visibly see she is eating and not losing any weight so that is a load off of my mind.

[Cynderz]

I know this sounds a little weird but have you tried a spoonful of cottage cheese, mixed in. Molly loves it.

[chattiesmom]

I have worked hard to get all of my kids eating what I offer. They weren't always good eaters, but with some work, and time and patience it happened. Presently all 9 of my guys are good eaters - I home cook for some and some get Nature's Recipe kibble.

From reading your posts, I can feel your frustration. It sounds like you are doing your absolute best and trying your hardest to find a solution. Here are a couple of ideas:

1) My first suggestion is always home cooking. You can use a process of trial and error and elimination to find what she likes and doesn't like and build a nutritious dogie dinner that will work for you.

2) What works for me when one of my guys gets finicky is to give them a small amount (about the size of an English Pea) of NutriCal. A small amount will stimulate the appetite while a bit too much will raise the glucose level enough to take appetite away.

3) Sometimes not eating becomes habit - after not eating or eating very little for long periods of time they can just lose interest in food. You might try increasing her activity level and see if that helps her natural hunger kick in and jump start her appetite.

4) This last suggestion might sound really bizzare, but here goes. See if you can "borrow" a good eater for a while. Sometimes having competition for food helps teach a finicky eater important lessons that simply taking up the food can't.

It does sound like she is playing games, however the game is a very serious one. If she isn't eating and doesn't have enough body fat to convert to energy, then hypoglocemia becomes a concern. You have had some excellent suggestions from many members - I hope you find a solution that works for you.

[Potter]

Originally Posted by ksmoss

I know this is going to sound silly but do you only have the one dog? I have a little picky eater that used to drive me crazy. All of my other dogs (yes I am a massocist and have 5 of the little buggers) will eat out of their bowls throughout the day as they get hungry. What got her to eat and stop being particular was when I got the last 2 of my dogs a year ago. They are similar in size and age to her so they are the perfect playmates, but they best part is that she doesn't want them to have something she can't have so she tends to eat more. Don't get me wrong she is still 3 1/2 lbs and won't ever get much bigger. I say she has bird bones she is so tiny. I have to tell you though she is in there getting fed with the rest of the come feeding and snack time and I can visibly see she is eating and not losing any weight so that is a load off of my mind.

It is true what you mentioned. When we have other doggies here for boarding, Pao will eat more and he'll have the tendency to see what others are eating and act a little more interested in food, not much more interested but a little more lol.