Silly question but...
 

When you say "boiled" chicken - Do you mean a chicken breast cooked in boiling water? Like I would noodles? If so, how long do you boil a chicken breast? Speaking of noodles, can our little guys eat noodles?

When you say "frozen" green beans - Do you mean "thawed" first?

My little man will not eat his %&^# kibble! He's on RC Puppy - I have tried everything suggested - softened with water/chicken broth/mixed in parmasean(?) cheese, mixed in wet food, changed bowls, hand fed him.

He likes cottege cheese, yogurt & every fruit and veggie imaginable, but eats 3 kernals of kibble.

I'm nervous he's not getting enough of puppy vitamins :confused:

Not a silly question at all...

Boiled as in boiled like pasta, yes. I boil a boneless breast for about 12 minutes & then let it sit in the water for another 15. I actually think that's technically called "poaching".

And yes, they can eat pasta. For dinner last night, mine had mini farfalle with diced chicken tossed in their Omega oil supplement.

I give my pups frozen green beans - as in frozen hard from the freezer - to chew on. They like them. I get the long ones. They also like frozen peas.

Have you tried mixing cottage cheese with the kibble? Just enough to coat the kibble. Mine eat it like that sometimes. You can do that with yogurt too. If he likes fruit, try applesauce instead. If he likes veggies, you can try mixing the kibble with a veggie baby food. Been there. Done that. ;)

I have a crazy finicky eater & it took me about a year to figure out how to feed him. He still gives me hard time, but he isn't as bad as when he was a puppy.

If you're fed up with trying to get him to eat kibble, you can cook for him with a supplement. I used BalanceIt. You can generate free recipes on their website. I veer from the exact recipe, although you aren't really supposed to. But I like to cook & those recipes are boring. The'yre good for measurement guides though. BalanceIt smells odorless to me, so it works for the picky eaters. It does add a little bit of a grainy texture though. I've also heard good things about Dr. Pitcairn's Healthy Powder. It's just really important to use a supplement if youre feeding more than 1/3 human food, especially for puppies.

I feel your pain!!!! I hope I answered your questions! Good luck!

[QUOTE=Teresiana;4243679]Not a silly question at all...

Boiled as in boiled like pasta, yes. I boil a boneless breast for about 12 minutes & then let it sit in the water for another 15. I actually think that's technically called "poaching".

Oh my goodness then I guess I way over cook. I boil mine for almost an hour. I want to make good and sure it cooked all the way thru. If it has any pink to it, there is no way I would eat it nor will I give it to the girls with any pink.
I'm real funny about meat that is under cooked. LOL

I did not think about it. But we have a garden and we are hoping for green beans. I am going to freeze some for Galen. I still have peas from last year lol

[quote=TxVicki;4243691]No, no...it's definitely not pink. But I poach chicken for myself, so I do it for them too. I like the way it stays together when I dice it up when it's poached. It also stays juicy. I also use the diced chicken for training treats. Maybe the breasts I buy are just thin. Lol. They also eat fall apart soft chicken that I cook in the slow cooker with yams. The go nuts over that mini farfalle though! It must be the texture. They'll eat anything I mix with it :p

I have strawberries from my garden & my pups wouldn't eat them!! :( Oh well, more for me!

Careful with wheat
 

Hi Teresa. I would like to respectfully disagree with the pasta (though I love that you are tossing it in the Omega supplement!). Wheat, whole grain or not, is a great allergen for dogs. Even is your dog doesn't have grain allergies, wheat will absorb nutrients and "toss" them out. Also, it's a simple carb, high in the glycemic index. Try substituting the pasta for julienned or diced sweet potato or pumpkin. These are complex carbs, have minerals and vitamins, are high in antioxidants and being a good source of prebiotic fiber, will help with digestion.

Cheers!

Giulio Ferrari
Clinical Nutritionist

Well coming from a nutrionist, I suppose I should take your advice ;) Thank you! I am aware that pasta is high in the glycemic index, but I didn't realize that it would "absorb" the other nutrients. That's good to know. Would you say that there is any starchy carb suitable for a canine diet? Or is it better to stick with a vegetable? I'm curious because I know that a lot of dog specific recipes call for rice. I would imagine that rice, whether it white or brown, would work the same way pasta does in a dog's digestive system. Or is it only wheat that tosses out the other nutrients?

Big dog Texas
 

Good to have you here on YT with such helpful professional advice. Thank you! :-))

:thumbup::thumbup: I agree welcome to YT!

Just a little FYI: I do consults with a veterinary nutritionist. I have three pups on home cooked diets. One of them has PLN and is on a tilapia and pasta diet and doing very well.
She has a website but it is new and does not have a lot of information on it; but if you really want good information from a VET nutritionist, I highly recommend the website of Dr. Rebecca Remillard. To see her credentials:

http://www.petdiets.com/userfiles/fi...bbrev%20CV.pdf

The main site is PetDiets - VNC putting pets' health first! and if you go to the FAQs page you can ask her questions.

I also have consulted Dr. Remillard. I have used her diets to prepare meals for all of my pets. Most of the recipes I have from her contain rice or pasta. That's why I was curious about the way wheat or starchy carbs work in a dog's digestive system. The recipes from BalanceIt also include rice and pasta.

Yep...and I would NOT worry about it! If it works, don't fix it! :)

This is quite a controversial subject. As with many hypothesis, there are several schools of thought on it, but no absolute truth. My rational comes from my scientific research with probiotics (our group comprised of four vets, all PhD's, one nutritionist and one biochemist). We noticed, in lab, that 80%+ (I can give you exact numbers later) dogs on a wheat or corn diet, had less absorption of probiotics. When we checked the stools, the CFU count as well as mineral count were much higher than dogs on grain free (or at least wheat and corn free) diets, which leads us to conclude that they were absorbing less of it.
Clinically I also see that probably about 20% (rough estimate, not empirical) of dogs do OK with wheat, but an overwhelming amount do better without.
The other reason I'm not a fan is the lack of actual nutritious value. As 90% of the dog's immune system is in the gut, and YT's have only 6" - 12" of intestinal track (versus 26' in humans), which doesn't give much time for nutrients to get absorbed. In nature, canines don't eat anything that isn't necessary. All they ingest has a reason, a purpose. That's why I believe even treats should have a purpose.
I hope that clarifies my views.

Giulio Ferrari, MS

I fed Enzo chicken, rice and green beans for supper tonite and he licked the bowl clean! Looked up at me as if to say FINALLY woman! Oh and a sweet potato fry for dessert ;)