Parmesan cheese
 

I've never used it before but after reading here, decided to sprinkle some on Noah and Allies food- they aren't eating well.

They are both acting crazy, running around the living room and rubbing their faces and chins all over the floor and scratching at their chins..... this normal?? I've never seen them act that way before.

Are you saying that they started doing this after you sprinkled the Parmesan cheese on the food? Did you sprinkle a lot? What kind was it? No that's not normal behavior.

I don't have experience because we never fed our babies parmesan cheese, but I sure hope Noah and Allie are going to be fine!! Will pray that they are perfectly fine!!

Yes, they started doing it after eating their food with Parmesan cheese on it. I used a block of Kraft cheese and grated some off, maybe 1/2 teaspoon.

They have since quit and seem to be fine.

Did they eat the food better with the cheese on it?

Yes but I don't want to feed it to them if it's going to cause problems.

Sprinkling parm or anything else on their food is just going to make them pickier. Trust me. Been there done that. Also Uni has pancreatitis so I can't add in more stuff anyway. But as far as cheeses go, parm is lower in cals than most other cheeses and has a more strong flavor.

Maybe they were doing the "whoop whoop whoop" move. Spreading the lovely cheese scent all over themselves and the rugs?

Was it like when they run around and rub themselves when they are wet and trying to dry off? Maybe they just had cheese stuck on their faces and were trying to rub it off. Iris does that after a wet meal if she gets some on her face while she's eating. Hopefully it wasn't anything more serious like an allergic reaction.

Great.... Now we'll have cheese everywhere.

It was kind of like the bath time boogie.....

Glad they are okay; I usually use the Kraft in the can, and have never had any reaction. Because of the strong smell, dogs are usually attracted to it, and very little is needed. It's a low fat item as far as cheeses go. I know they love the smell so maybe they were trying to rub it on themselves. :confused:

LOL, only you!

I agree, the pups were probably trying to spread the scent.

Teddy rubs his face whenever I use anything on him with a strong scent because he doesn't like it.

Both my boys love stinky Parmesan. They get a couple of tiny, tiny shreds whenever grandpa makes pizza. The pieces are so tiny that the appeal must be more about the scent. Dad had been giving them mozzarella and provolone until I educated him.

Ringo hates it - Lucy likes it. I only use it about every couple of weeks because even Lucy doesn't like it THAT much.

She would have carrots every day though!

Ellie does that with wet food. Tries to wipe it off her face.

We don't give cheese. There are so many other things that are much healthier and even safer for pups.

Like what?? Enlighten me please.
They were doing good with their food and now they've just stopped eating it. I didn't know if it might be because it's 108 degrees and they're just blah like people are (I don't eat as much in summer) or if they really just don't like their food anymore. I bought some other food, and I have some samples, but I don't want to switch them drastically- I figured the cheese might help, but I am open to other suggestions as well.
I've tried yogurt and they turned their noses. Although theyndo like the yogurt melts (gerber graduates) but I use those as treats and I break them into 4 pieces. They didn't care for green beans or sweet potato.

They don't like wet food. I've tried several.
Until recently, Noah was still on baby food, beef, on a baby spoon because it's what we were doing to ensure he ate at the vet and right after he came home. He would get it mixed in with his kibble (I would out the kibble in the baby food and he ate it that way) He's been back on straight kibble for about a week.

I am feeding them a mixture of purina pro plan (25%) and innova (75%) only because the breeder had them on the pro plan and I bought an 8 lb bag of it, not knowing it wasn't quality food-thanks to a member here, I got the innova and started transitioning them over. I didn't want to waste the pro plan, so they are still getting it.

Purina Pro Plan is not the worst thing in the world. I would not rely on toppings and additions to get your pups to eat. The harder you try and the more alternatives you offer, the more the dogs learn to hold out and train you to put something else in their bowls.

If you make kibble seem really desirable, your dogs will catch on. I always used kibble for training treats and I made a big deal when I presented them. We also have a kibble can, a food holder that has a button in the middle to release the top. I believe the can has almost had the same effect as clicker training. The boys get excited when they hear the sound.

Do scheduled mealtimes and put the bowls down for 20 minutes and then pick them up. It is very rare that a dog will purposely starve themselves. You can also try training during mealtimes and take kibble from the bowl to present as rewards. With my oldest boy, I think I hand fed the majority of his kibble this way the first year. :D Now he eats on his own.

Good or bad - I add stuff to Lucy's food all the time. I got in the habit when I switched her to NB Vegetarian - which she only halfway liked.

Here are some things I rotate: parm cheese; canned carrots; green beans; plain, unflavored yogurt, egg noodles; scrambled egg; and I put canned food on her kibble every evening. Wellness 99% meat.

Good Luck!

I have them on a 4x a day feeding schedule, because Noah was having problems with his blood sugar and I wanted to insure he was eating enough throughout the day. He's been home a month now, and had no problems, so I was thinking about cutting back to 3x a day anyway. They will not eat the kibble by hand-only Noah will if it's in the spoon of baby food. Do I need to just try some other kibble to see which one they will take and then transition over to that? I have some samples I was sent from some companies that I can try. One or two pieces shouldn't affect their bowels, right?

I am getting a new pup in about 4-5 weeks, and his breeder has asked me to continue to feed him life's abundance. I tried to get Noah and Allie to eat it and they won't touch it-I want all 3 pups eating the same thing, so I'm really struggling to find a solution before Westley comes to join us.

So you have to hand feed even with baby food?

I'd be much more concerned about Noah and the hypo issue. Is Allie an adult? How long have you just put the food down, left it for 20 minutes, picked it back up, twice per day, etc. for her? How long has she held out?

Lots of people give cheese. Really, it's what you are comfortable with. IMO, most of it is fatty and/or too rich for my dogs. I've seen, read about, and personally dealt with enough cases of pancreatitis to sufficiently scare me out of giving anything questionable for the most part.

I agree with Crystal that Noah's blood sugar problems are top priority. What else does Noah eat during the course of the day? Any treats or supplements?

I give Jovi a little sprinkle of Parm. cheese usually in the morning and she does the happy dance - runs around and rubs her face - I didn't think anything of it cause if I eat grated Parm cheese my nose itches too.... :p

Noah was 8 weeks old when I got him, I had him 2-3 weeks and took him for shots and we ended up having seizures from hypoglycemia and tested positive for parvo. He spent 11 days at the vet, and didn't get to come home when they originally told me he could because his blood sugar would be fine during the day, but drop overnight. I was spending my days at the vet hand feeding him, and then when they closed, they would put the food in the dish and leave it and he wasn't eating for 10-12 hours, so his blood sugar would drop. Once he came home, I continued the hand feeding to insure he ate, because I didn't want any blood sugar issues. He hasn't had any since-I do the 4x a day feeding schedule to make sure he is eating every 4-5 hours. He gets a few treats throughout the day for good potty, and then at night before bedtime.
I have been picking up allies food from the beginning, since I got her. (she is almost 7 months, Noah is almost 4 months). To begin with she was eating almost all of it, now she picks and won't eat much-maybe 10-12 pieces and then leaves it. I put her food down when I'm hand feeding him, so she's on the same feeding schedule of 4x a day with treats for good potty and then before bedtime. I pick it up when im done feeding him, so 15-20 minutes. They eat their treats with no problem, and used to eat the kibble with no problems. Even if I put his kibble in the baby food, he licks the baby food off and spits out the kibble. I've even tried crushing the yogurt melts and breaking up the liver treats and hiding it in with the kibble and they just search it out and leave the kibble.
They aren't starving, as they are clearly eating some, and poops are normal, bit they aren't eating their "recommended amount".

Thanks for all the feedback and help.