Feeding...Should I try a new kibble or no?

[xoxodoglover89]

Lately, I've been feeding Sasha dry food with a little bit of canned. After awhile though, she gets tired of the canned, so when I found out about Merrick's canned food, I figured I'd give it a try. She absolutely loved it! The only downside was that after a few days, she began to get very runny poos. I gave her some pumpkin when I first noticed this happening and she ate it right up and was fine for the next day or so. Unfortunately, the runny poos started up again, so I offered her some pumpkin, but this time she turned her nose up at it. What started making things worse was she began just eating all of the canned food and leaving the dry. I have since then eliminated the canned food from her diet and am just free feeding her kibble all day. I'd prefer just to give her plain old kibble and not have to add anything to it. She is hardly touching it though. I know I've heard many times people say just to leave the food out and they'll eat when they're hungry, but it just seems like she's eating so little and it's kind of worrying me, but then again, I could just be overreacting. She's currently eating Merrick's Campfire Trout dry kibble. I also have a bag of NV Prairie formula, but she didn't really care for that too much. Of course, I don't expect her to eat all of the kibble at once, but if she would even just pick at it through the day I'd be happy. She goes almost all day without eating, sometimes all night as well. Should I look at other options of dry food and if so, what does everyone recommend? I'm sorry this is so long, I just wish she could eat a little bit more. Thank you!

[MaddiesMommie]

Sounds like your baby is testing you.. Since she is eating, even though it is little, i wouldn't worry about it unless she stops entirely. Good luck with your baby, these picky little boogers sure can keep us worried.

[mimimomo]

Mimi does the same thing. I worry too when she doesn't eat...& she'll vomit yellow bile cuz her stomach will be empty. So I end up mixing stuff in her kibble. She'll eat it for a week or two, then if I don't change the menu...she won't eat or pick at her kibble.
I've mixed very small amounts of: salmon oil, green beans, chicken w/white or brown rice, scrambled eggs, sweet potato, cottage cheese, whatever dogs can eat.
I also changed the kibble coupe of times. She seems to like Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison, they only have it in regular bites though.

You might need to change her kibble (gradually) & find the one she'll like & mix it up if you want, or shall I say...if she wants. lol

[Sharly4]

Wow she is a picky bugger. Mine too. I don't feed canned at all though unless my girls are preggers. They get canned, yogurt, cottage cheese, cooked liver, and natural balance rolls. Other than that they get Canidae ALS dry all the time. I free feed and it seems they only want to eat if I am standing right next to them. My daughter and I also hand feed them. B/c they are my babies.

[mimimomo]

I feed NB Rolls too in the menu. I also have to sit there & supervise when they're eating, or Momo will gulp his down (he's not picky at all...he'll eat anything) & go for Mimi's food.

[xoxodoglover89]

Originally Posted by mimimomo

Mimi does the same thing. I worry too when she doesn't eat...& she'll vomit yellow bile cuz her stomach will be empty. So I end up mixing stuff in her kibble. She'll eat it for a week or two, then if I don't change the menu...she won't eat or pick at her kibble.
I've mixed very small amounts of: salmon oil, green beans, chicken w/white or brown rice, scrambled eggs, sweet potato, cottage cheese, whatever dogs can eat.
I also changed the kibble coupe of times. She seems to like Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison, they only have it in regular bites though.

You might need to change her kibble (gradually) & find the one she'll like & mix it up if you want, or shall I say...if she wants. lol

Lol it's unbelievable what I go through to get her to eat. Sometimes I do try mixing in little things like that, but then sometimes she'll just pick that stuff out and leave all the kibble!
She can be such a little brat, but I love her all the same!

[Wylie's Mom]

Boy, this is a tough one, I feel for ya. I mean, you could play hardball and she *will* eventually eat - that's one route. Or, you could attempt to try some samples and see if there is something that really excites her. Another option - pick 3 foods and rotate through them -- of course, you always want to save some novel proteins in case of allergies, so remember that part.

Have you tried sprinkling Parmesan cheese on her food? Again, you may be getting into permanently doing that, if she loves it, but that wouldn't be the end of the world either if it works for her.

You could also try rotating a higher carb food w/ a higher protein food...have you ever tried Orijen? And/or a fish kibble?

[Sweet Bella]

Wow this is exactly how Bella is with her Kibble. I have started adding 1 teaspoon of wet NB salmon and sweet potato to her kibble in the morning and in the evening she gets yogurt mixed in her kibble..she will eat the whole bowl but if i just leave the dry kibble she will just pick and not really eat anything. I am goin go start giving her some biscuits treats to help with the cleaning of teeth since she has the wet food. Will the teaspoon make a huge difference? and the teaspoon of wet is once a day.

[KJLive]

Sophie's going through the same stage. I am feeding her Merrick's Puppy Plate...this is after the RC, which is what she started on. But Merrick's is wearing thin. I posted on a thread a few weeks ago that I went to my local Pet Value and got sample bags of several different higher end dog foods and flavors. Right now I am mixing in a little Taste of the Wild. It's the one with Bison/Venison in it. It's a higher protein 38% (not sure how I feel about that) but she is loving it.
Like you I too was adding things to Sophie's RC kibble to get her to eat it. With this particular TOTW she's actually going to the bowl and eating ALL of her food. That's a first in her 10 months of life!
PS: She also likes the NV treat bones that are Salmon & Sweet Potatoe. Good luck.

[chachi]

I leave dry down all day but give mine a little bit of canned in the morning

[xoxodoglover89]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Boy, this is a tough one, I feel for ya. I mean, you could play hardball and she *will* eventually eat - that's one route. Or, you could attempt to try some samples and see if there is something that really excites her. Another option - pick 3 foods and rotate through them -- of course, you always want to save some novel proteins in case of allergies, so remember that part.

Have you tried sprinkling Parmesan cheese on her food? Again, you may be getting into permanently doing that, if she loves it, but that wouldn't be the end of the world either if it works for her.

You could also try rotating a higher carb food w/ a higher protein food...have you ever tried Orijen? And/or a fish kibble?

Yes I have tried the Parmesan cheese. She licked it off all the kibbles or she'd put the kibbles it her mouth until the parmesan cheese was off and she'd spit the kibbles out. I was considering rotating between different brands. I have free samples of Eagle Pack and Taste of the Wild being mailed to me within the next few days. I'll look into Orijen!

[angelakc]

I leave dry food down all day but I do feed them treats... Pixie has a very sensitive stomach and cant eat to much stuff, so I keep the same dry food, I never switch. Have you thought about the raw food?

[xoxodoglover89]

Originally Posted by KJLive

Sophie's going through the same stage. I am feeding her Merrick's Puppy Plate...this is after the RC, which is what she started on. But Merrick's is wearing thin. I posted on a thread a few weeks ago that I went to my local Pet Value and got sample bags of several different higher end dog foods and flavors. Right now I am mixing in a little Taste of the Wild. It's the one with Bison/Venison in it. It's a higher protein 38% (not sure how I feel about that) but she is loving it.
Like you I too was adding things to Sophie's RC kibble to get her to eat it. With this particular TOTW she's actually going to the bowl and eating ALL of her food. That's a first in her 10 months of life!
PS: She also likes the NV treat bones that are Salmon & Sweet Potatoe. Good luck.

I e-mailed TOTW and they're sending me some free samples to try out. I really hope she likes them. I'm also gonna try Eagle Pack and another member recommended trying Orijen. I to am wondering if a higher protein food would be better.

[xoxodoglover89]

Originally Posted by angelakc

I leave dry food down all day but I do feed them treats... Pixie has a very sensitive stomach and cant eat to much stuff, so I keep the same dry food, I never switch. Have you thought about the raw food?

She used to eat NV raw medallions in the morning and then I offered her kibble in the evening. The raw worked great for 2 months and then she began turning her nose up at it when I offered it to her! I even tried giving her a different flavor, but she still refused which shocked me because she inhaled it the first time I gave it to her.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by xoxodoglover89

Yes I have tried the Parmesan cheese. She licked it off all the kibbles or she'd put the kibbles it her mouth until the parmesan cheese was off and she'd spit the kibbles out. I was considering rotating between different brands. I have free samples of Eagle Pack and Taste of the Wild being mailed to me within the next few days. I'll look into Orijen!

That stinker. She reminds me of Yorkiepuppie's Milu . They might be sisters.