Pickey about food-AGAIN!

[Ellie May]

I'm not into Royal Canin but some of their foods tend to be very palatable and it is better than malnutrition. You could also homecook.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

I'm not into Royal Canin but some of their foods tend to be very palatable and it is better than malnutrition. You could also homecook.

He was on Royal Canin when we brought him home and had severe itchiness and dry skin. Once we switched him over to innova it cleared up. A while ago I happen to give him some of another puppies food which was purina and ceasar...he liked it.

I had talked to my vet about homecooking at one point and she has a nutrionist if I should decide to go that route.

[viviansnickers]

Hello!! Just read through the thread and wanted to chime in to hopefully help your Hotty Rod!!! How sad, you must be so worried and not to mention exhausted!!! I feed Nature's Variety Raw as well as Evo and no, they are not the same. Evo is a dry kibble, which you already know of that does have high protein and is grainfree.

The raw I feed is a frozen, pre-made raw which you store in the freezer and defrost overnight and serve cold or room temp. They come in medallion sizes, so not much measuring is required. It is raw meat which is wet to the touch, so nothing like kibble at all. I can tell you, my Snickers was a pickybutt until the raw came along and now he is as happy as can be. If you go to the Nature's Variety website to try it (Welcome to Nature's Variety | Nature's Variety) you can register for a buy one get one coupon, or you can find a store near you and just get 1 bag and see if Hot Rod will like it. I feed it in the morning so I know Snickers has some food in his belly all day. HE JUMPS UP FOR IT!! Then we feed the Evo from 3pm onward (free feed.) Snickers LOVES the chicken raw. Alot of people worry about the bacteria etc, but it's too easy, we love it. Snickers does amazing on the high protein, but I understand your concern. Sadly, not many vet's are for raw for many reasons. They just don't know about it and some people say that it keeps vet bills down so vet's don't recommend, but I'm not sure about that.....I can tell you Snickers' teeth, breathe, agility, energy, coat, and look amazing!!!

Good luck to you!!!! I hope you find something he will eat consistently!!

[chloe n kaylee]

Originally Posted by Mom to Hot Rod

Okay, so I thought I'd found a food that Hot Rod and Maggie liked. Well, he's gotten tired of Natural Balance Rolls now. Maggie eats a little better than he does; she will eat when she's hungry where as he will go for 2 days without. *Sigh*.

He seems to like "gravy" on his food. What I mean is the juices from foods,not gravy with the flour added or anything like that. I've tried adding a few shredded pieces of chicken/fish and cheese and the little buggers will eat that out of their food and leave everything else.

I was looking at "vitagravy" at petsmart. Has anyone tried that? Or does anyone have any suggestions? Help!

Have you tried Merricks? Merricks kibbles are coated with gravy so if u add a little warm water on it, it turns the kibble into a gravy.

I know how u feel. My Maddie is very picky too. I found that adding water to the kibble sometimes works.

Good luck!!!!

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by viviansnickers

Hello!! Just read through the thread and wanted to chime in to hopefully help your Hotty Rod!!! How sad, you must be so worried and not to mention exhausted!!! I feed Nature's Variety Raw as well as Evo and no, they are not the same. Evo is a dry kibble, which you already know of that does have high protein and is grainfree.

The raw I feed is a frozen, pre-made raw which you store in the freezer and defrost overnight and serve cold or room temp. They come in medallion sizes, so not much measuring is required. It is raw meat which is wet to the touch, so nothing like kibble at all. I can tell you, my Snickers was a pickybutt until the raw came along and now he is as happy as can be. If you go to the Nature's Variety website to try it (Welcome to Nature's Variety | Nature's Variety) you can register for a buy one get one coupon, or you can find a store near you and just get 1 bag and see if Hot Rod will like it. I feed it in the morning so I know Snickers has some food in his belly all day. HE JUMPS UP FOR IT!! Then we feed the Evo from 3pm onward (free feed.) Snickers LOVES the chicken raw. Alot of people worry about the bacteria etc, but it's too easy, we love it. Snickers does amazing on the high protein, but I understand your concern. Sadly, not many vet's are for raw for many reasons. They just don't know about it and some people say that it keeps vet bills down so vet's don't recommend, but I'm not sure about that.....I can tell you Snickers' teeth, breathe, agility, energy, coat, and look amazing!!!

Good luck to you!!!! I hope you find something he will eat consistently!!

Thanks for clearing it up for me. I didn't know what it was exactly. I guess I should talk with my vet and see what she thinks. She was the one that actually told me that they do not need to have dry kibble so long as I watch their dental. I have been trying to brush at least 3x a week although that didn't happen during his recovery period from surgery (6-7 weeks) Now it's like starting all over and getting him used to it again.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by chloe n kaylee

Have you tried Merricks? Merricks kibbles are coated with gravy so if u add a little warm water on it, it turns the kibble into a gravy.

I know how u feel. My Maddie is very picky too. I found that adding water to the kibble sometimes works.

Good luck!!!!

Yes, I did try it and they did eat it for a short while so I got a couple of the other flavors (small sample bags for $1.99). Unfortunately they started licking their paws while they were on it.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Well tonight I gave them the ground up stuff from the morning with a bit of shredded cheddar in it. Maggie ate a bit of it as she was soooo hungry. Hot Rod picked the cheese out and ate a couple of bites of it.

I then squeeze some fish oil from a capsule on the food and the little booger gobbled it up! I had been giving it to them a while ago (per the vet) and he got tired of it so I stopped. I'm going to keep this up and see how long this will last. I've got almost 2 full rolls of the lamb and beef flavored NB Rolls in the freezer so I'm hoping that this will help with him eating it! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions!

[QuickSilver]

Originally Posted by Mom to Hot Rod

I do treat when we come in from a walk, but it is a very small treat...the size of a zukes. And if I do give a zukes treat, I split the treat in half and that's what they get. I thought the same thing so I have actually been phasing out treats over the past several weeks. He had surgery the end of March and was starting to gain weight from lack of physical activity so I've cut back quite a bit.

I will try to do the 2x day with different foods. That may be my option for the time being. I'm trying to find some type of liquid that he likes so it will soak into his food. I've mashed the NB roll up with chicken broth and he ate it for a few days. I don't think he cared for plain broth all that much though so I've got to add some flavorings to it. lol. I've even tried mashed potatoes with chicken broth making it a soupy consistency and puting over his food...the little booger sucked it off! and spit out the floor!

I had heard that they should eat after "we" eat but that's not a viable solution as hubby gets home later than I would like to feed them.

Is he still over his normal weight? I've come to the conclusion that Thor is just a naturally skinny dog. I would like him to be slightly heavier; I can easily feel his hip bones and the vertebrae between them. Sometimes when I'm feeding him richer food that usual (like rice with chicken for an upset tummy), he will bulk up slightly, but it doesn't last. I wonder if Hot Rod is just returning to his natural set weight point?

Thor will suck on his kibble and then spit it out too.

Also, not to alarm you, but I've heard that poor appetite can be a sign of liver shunt... they realize that the food is causing their distress and stop eating it. Any chance that could be it?

[oktech05]

I feel I have lived your story but its all in the past for me. Dax never ate good until I started feeding a raw diet..its not all protein unless you feed prey model it has vegetables in it too. you can try a premade mix or I use a mix called dr harveys canine good health...you pour warm water over it let it sit for ten minutes then mix protein (meat, eggs, cottage cheese, or yogurt) plus a few drops of olive oil. Dax dances for his supper every night and laps it up in a matter of minutes. he loves it and I know what im feeding him is fresh and not full of preserves.

[melissa912]

you dont know how comforting it is to come across this thread as i have a7month old puppy that has given me heart ache from day1 because he wont eat. He likes food for a few days and he wont eat them again. I am also looking for a solution and maybe save myself from gray hair Princeton weighs 4.5 lbs. and i feed him merrick dry and wet. I am now putting parmesian cheese on top as a new solution but he also just licks it off and spits out the food hypoglycemia is one of main concerns when he doesnt eat so i am considering trying the Natures Variety? or one of those premade raw foods. Should I be seeking out a vet's advice before trying the raw food? (raw is my last option)

[oktech05]

Originally Posted by melissa912

you dont know how comforting it is to come across this thread as i have a7month old puppy that has given me heart ache from day1 because he wont eat. He likes food for a few days and he wont eat them again. I am also looking for a solution and maybe save myself from gray hair Princeton weighs 4.5 lbs. and i feed him merrick dry and wet. I am now putting parmesian cheese on top as a new solution but he also just licks it off and spits out the food hypoglycemia is one of main concerns when he doesnt eat so i am considering trying the Natures Variety? or one of those premade raw foods. Should I be seeking out a vet's advice before trying the raw food? (raw is my last option)

You should consult your vet if you feel the need...but most vets will discourage a raw diet in my opinion #1 because they want you to buy whatever food they sell, and #2 its healthier for the dog so you will be using less vet care (i have personally seen this with my Dax)...I used to have him at vet every couple of months now only for shots or checks. I suggest you do research..lots of it.. and talk to others who feed raw it could be the best thing to ever happen to your dog.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

Is he still over his normal weight? I've come to the conclusion that Thor is just a naturally skinny dog. I would like him to be slightly heavier; I can easily feel his hip bones and the vertebrae between them. Sometimes when I'm feeding him richer food that usual (like rice with chicken for an upset tummy), he will bulk up slightly, but it doesn't last. I wonder if Hot Rod is just returning to his natural set weight point?

Thor will suck on his kibble and then spit it out too.

Also, not to alarm you, but I've heard that poor appetite can be a sign of liver shunt... they realize that the food is causing their distress and stop eating it. Any chance that could be it?

Well, at his last visit I asked the vet if he should lose some weight and she said maybe a couple of ounces. Doesn't sound like a lot but he's tiny...4 lbs. I think he was 4.2 or 3 then. Well, I think we lost some as you could see the curve between his ribs and hips. While he was recouperating he rounded out a bit. Last week I took him to get his nails done and he was 4.2 so I think he's losing again. He is very muscular.

I don't think he's having any eating issues as he comes running when I call him, he'll sniff and turn his nose up.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by oktech05

I feel I have lived your story but its all in the past for me. Dax never ate good until I started feeding a raw diet..its not all protein unless you feed prey model it has vegetables in it too. you can try a premade mix or I use a mix called dr harveys canine good health...you pour warm water over it let it sit for ten minutes then mix protein (meat, eggs, cottage cheese, or yogurt) plus a few drops of olive oil. Dax dances for his supper every night and laps it up in a matter of minutes. he loves it and I know what im feeding him is fresh and not full of preserves.

Thanks, sounds like I need to do a lot of research on raw as I always thought it was mainly protein. There are no issues about his health, I had just seen some cons on feeding a high protein diet and shyed away from it.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by melissa912

you dont know how comforting it is to come across this thread as i have a7month old puppy that has given me heart ache from day1 because he wont eat. He likes food for a few days and he wont eat them again. I am also looking for a solution and maybe save myself from gray hair Princeton weighs 4.5 lbs. and i feed him merrick dry and wet. I am now putting parmesian cheese on top as a new solution but he also just licks it off and spits out the food hypoglycemia is one of main concerns when he doesnt eat so i am considering trying the Natures Variety? or one of those premade raw foods. Should I be seeking out a vet's advice before trying the raw food? (raw is my last option)

Yeah, I did the parmesan cheese sprinkle until they got tired of that. They've graduated to shredded cheddar cheese. We give them their pills in cheese. I plan on asking my vet before switching.

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by oktech05

You should consult your vet if you feel the need...but most vets will discourage a raw diet in my opinion #1 because they want you to buy whatever food they sell, and #2 its healthier for the dog so you will be using less vet care (i have personally seen this with my Dax)...I used to have him at vet every couple of months now only for shots or checks. I suggest you do research..lots of it.. and talk to others who feed raw it could be the best thing to ever happen to your dog.

I really appreciate your input. I still think that I am going to talk with my vet. I really like her and she's very straightforward.

I definitely need to learn more about raw so I can figure out what questions to ask. As I said , the only info I have on it is what I've read on here.

How much does Dax weigh and how old is he? Hot Rod is 21 mos and Maggie is 1 year.