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Should I consider changing foods Lately, my Yorkie isn't eating much of his Pro-Plan dog food. Now and then I put something on top of it to entice him to eat, but that hasn't helped much but a few nibbles. I had a sample of B.G. Chicken (Before Grain) by Merrick and he loved that, tho I had given numerous of nibbles to him as a treat while playing. Then I put some in his food and he loved it until he noticed it was food and not treats. He's a smart Yorkie. Anyways, do you all think he's tired of his Pro-Plan dog food~? I've switched so many times and too many to count because he wouldn't eat or eat much. He's been on this one for the longest and was suggested by a friend of mine who shows Yorkies. Anyways, any comments and suggestions are appreciated. |
We switch after each bag to get rid of boredom. |
You are making a picky dog. If you keep giving him a new food every time he stops eating, he's got YOU trained. I don't particularly like Pro Plan all that much but if it's working for your dog... that's what matters and I wouldn't go around switching if he's doing well on it. However, I do like to rotate after every bag or two so boredom doesn't sit in and he begins getting picky about his food... so I do like to rotate a bit. But that is up to you! |
I think anything with poultry by products that high up on the list of ingredients is gross. I would switch to a higher quality food. But I agree with Brit, you are making your dog even more picky. I had this problem with Uni when she was a pup. She wouldn't eat so I would change foods or put stuff on top, she got even pickier. Choose a food, put it down, take up the bowl after 15 mins whether he has eaten or not. No treats inbetween meals. He will eat when he is hungry. As long as it is not a very young puppy, I wouldn't really worry about it. |
I have tried a good quality of food numerous of times, but he either won't eat it or eventually sniffs and walks away. He wasn't interested in it at all. And for him to go 3 days without eating and taking him to the Vet telling me nothing is wrong with him and they were wanting to put him on their food. Recently, I got a dry raw food patty that I bought when in Florida to break and sprinkle on his food. He liked it for awhile and then didn't even want that on his Pro-Plan. He did the same with the small amount of canned Pro-Plan that I would mix in with his dry with. I even tried switching the brand of "Blue Buffalo" when we were on it, but he didn't like any of them and I bought numerous of bags. Sniffing and walking walk and not eating for 3 days worries me. |
Question??? SO trying different brands foods can make your dog picky, but rotating different brands of food doesnt? Please explain to me how this works?? To the op...find a food that your pup is willing to eat, does well on and stick with it..:).. |
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:thumbup: great advice!! |
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Rotating foods does not have the same effect because if the dog refuses a meal, you just pick it back up and offer it again at the next meal time. They are not getting a new food when they snub their nose. |
My babies all eat purina one puppy food and they all do well on it. Scooter has been snubbing it once in awhile but when he goes without a meal he quickly learns to eat it when I put it back down for him. |
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This is what I meant. Like, if Jackson suddenly decides to stop eating X brand of food one day and I immediately go "Oh no! He must not like it anymore!" and run out to the store and by Y bag of food and pour it down for him, he eats it for a few days, but snubs again. So I go out and switch it with Z bag of dog food. It's a never ending cycle. With rotating, he eats one type of food for at least a whole bag, sometimes two, before switching. If he decides he doesn't want to eat for the day, fine. But I'm not going out and buying him a new food. I like to rotate for other reasons as well. |
Ya'all Misunderstood I have never changed foods right when my dog wouldn't eat~! I changed his food like when he was 1/2-3/4's done with the bag, like 3-6 months or so~! |
I have to free feed Callie because she is a picker for the most part. She will go two or three days where she wont eat much but then all of a sudden one day it will be like oh my I have a little pet piggie and she will eat all of her food. If I get worried about Callie not eating I hand feed her and normally that will get her to eat whatever I hand her (my grandma thinks its funny because she can try handing her something and Callie will take it and spit it out but if I hand her the same thng she will eat it) if I cant get her to eat by just hand feeding her I make it a game like make her sit for one or make her catch it. I know that its babying her but it works for us :D. They also have puzzles you can put the dog food in so he is working for it and might eat it that way. Callie has a thing called a treat stick where you put a treat or food in it and when she rolls is around the food or treat comes out. TreatStik |
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Thanks for explaining..:)... |
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Do you still rotate now that he has been sick? I have Tucker on boiled rice/hamburg in the a.m..(he liked it so much that I continued this instead of the canned i/d) and he had has dry I/D down at all times. He is thriving, his coat looks good, no runny eyes, no gas, vomiting, itchness etc all issues he had on other foods.. so I wont mess with a good thing..:).. but I was just curious what you thought about it? |
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Bottom line, find a food your pup likes and does well on (you can get samples) and keep him on it.. he will eat when he is hungry..:) |
Is he rapidly losing weight because of not eating? If yes, then I'd talk to the vet about how long they want you to hold out for. Otherwise, one food and one food only. Put it down, pick it up. No treats or edible chews or he will just hold out for that. If he needs treats, then he can have pieces of the kibble that he isn't eating. I think it's better for the dog to hold out one time while they realize this is all they are getting rather than giving in over and over. In a case like that thye eat for a few days, then stop for a day while owner runs to the store like a good servant and gets something else. Then repeat over and over. They will lose weight this way and it's a concern that a dog is dictating what will and won't happen like that. Now if they don't eat for a certain number of days (determined by your vet) or only eat a little bit daily for weeks, then the vet needs to be involved and decide what is medically and nutritionally apropriate for the dog. Put the Pro Plan down with nothing on it and no treats of any kind and see what you get. |
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Pet Tabs don't balance homecooked meals and aren't needed for kibble fed dogs. Honestly, I wouldn't open my wallet for anything like that. You could just feed a very small amount of the homecooked daily or just give dry food which is absolutely fine or find a canned that he likes and can have (EN maybe?). |
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He's been eating fine today without any issues. I guess he just has days he doesn't want to eat, or eat much....like we do. |
Lucy gets bored with her food from time to time so I 'rotate' it after a couple of bags. She is right now loving Wellness Senior -Small Breed. The kibbles are tiny with the 'life bits' in them so she thinks she is getting the same food as Ringo - always a contest. She was sick as a puppy so I probably did create a picky eater. Some days, she just doesn't eat as much as others. She is a healthy weight so I try not to stress over it too much. Since we have Ringo, a much larger dog, we cannot free feed because he would eat all the food. They get their meals at set times. Good Luck! |
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The only thing I can add here is for you to google Merrick FDA before feeding any of their foods again. |
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Merrick scares me now! |
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