At my wits end and running out of food options

[Dizzy]

I'm no expert either, but this is what has worked for us. Coco is a picky eater and I've tried more raw, wet and dry food combinations that I can count. The thing that worked for us is crushing and sprinkling "Stella & Chewy's" Chewy's Chicken Dinner freeze dried patties on her Orijens dry puppy food. It's all natural, made with raw, cage free chicken with no added hormones or antibiotics, has fruits and veggies and no grains, glutens, artificial preservatives, sugar, salt or coloring. It's like magic - she absolutely loves it and is eating far more kibble than she used to. Give it a try - I'm interested in knowing if it works for you too!

[ShowGirlLola]

Thanks for the suggestion but Stella and Chewy's is raw.

My punk would probably eat around the kibble or say forget it, like she has with every other topper.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by ShowGirlLola

Variety is fine, but she takes it to an art form. Ziwipeak is raw, so no I haven't tried it.

I'll ask about her liver when I take her to the vet, but I don't think that's the problem. She seems to handle everything very well, food changes and shots. Every time she's gotten a shot it didn't phase her the slightest bit, the vet said it would make her tired and it didn't at all.

She's only had stomach problems once, when I gave her some HB egg as a puppy. She's never spit up bile either.

I don't think she isn't hungry. When I fix her food she stands against my leg and lets out the occasional cry, tries to get my mom's dinner, never lets us forget treat time, and gulps her food down if she wants it.
She's been gulping down the meat and eggs, she just won't eat the carbs.

THK is is dehydrated raw...but many raw feeders say it's not raw bc it's cooked/dehydrated @ a high temp (fm their faq's: around 140 to 1665F for meats & below 104F for most other ingredients) I wonder if they mean 165F, not 1665F?! So technically, it's not raw food.

Ziwipeak is air dried, so hard core raw feeders don't consider it real raw food, along w/Primal (some formulas), Nature's Variety & Stella & Chewy's bc they go through a process called HPP to kill all the bacteria, salmonella, ecoli, all the yucky stuff.

I understand the frustration of having 1 dog & all the unused food. @ least for me, if 1 won't eat something, another will & Momo eats anything!
I also did BAT's testing for all my guys, just for my peace of mind. My vet said it was unnecessary, but did it anyway. Momo's was the only one that was of concern. My vet spoke w/a specialist & the specialist advised to do the BATs test again 6 months later IF he has any symptoms. I opted not to bc he's a widdle piggie & my vet assured me that he's fine!

[Jayspee]

I feel for you, it's so worrying when they don't eat properly and it is no comfort at all when a well meaning friend says "they'll eat when they're hungry"!

Dolly will eat pasta when it's been cooked with chicken and has absorbed the chicken flavour from the water. Is that something you could try with rice too?

Last night we had a real breakthrough, she had ignored and refused all food and water all day and at 11.30pm I was really worried. So I caved in and offered her a favourite treat which has dried chicken fillet wound around each end of a chewy stick like a dumbbell. She leapt on it, chomped away and as soon as she'd finished she went for a big drink then ate her meal and some extra kibble and biscuits!

Too early to say but maybe she needs to kick start her appetite like this. Anyway, I will try again at lunchtime.....

[margiepickens]

I find this to be true with Lexi also. I can give her her breakfast and she will sniff it, but walk away. (Unless of course daddy has made it for her - she gobbles that right up, even though it's the same exact thing!) but if I give her a little bit of cooked egg, she will most times go back and eat what is in her bowl. Just a little to get her appetite going?

[Zoey Zendaya]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

I'm no expert either, but this is what has worked for us. Coco is a picky eater and I've tried more raw, wet and dry food combinations that I can count. The thing that worked for us is crushing and sprinkling "Stella & Chewy's" Chewy's Chicken Dinner freeze dried patties on her Orijens dry puppy food. It's all natural, made with raw, cage free chicken with no added hormones or antibiotics, has fruits and veggies and no grains, glutens, artificial preservatives, sugar, salt or coloring. It's like magic - she absolutely loves it and is eating far more kibble than she used to. Give it a try - I'm interested in knowing if it works for you too!

I do this too and it worked for a whole bag then she got sniffy again , so I switched to Pioneer Naturals grain free, and mixed it in and switch FLAVORS of Stella's and Chewy to the duck and shred that on top of moistened kibble. She likes it warmed too, sometimes I top with green beans or steamed carrot too.
I just think she likes variety! I have to get her interested too so I let her have a bite of topper first. She doesn't want to eat till late morning and bedtime!
You might want to try a glass dish or one that isn't too big or deep too..
She seemed a little intimidated by that at first too.
Sheesh....

[ShowGirlLola]

Toppers and kick starting her appetite don't work.
Lola will pick out what she wants or say forget this and walk away (if it's mixed).

I've been giving her a plate of a protein, carb, and some veggies. She almost always eats all of the protein, completely snubs the carbs, and usually eats the veggies. I have to keep them separated, if I mix them she won't go near it.

My grandmom's like "well I wouldn't want to eat plain rice either!".
My response *glare* "It wouldn't be plain if she let me mix it together, AND I added broth!!"

My current plan is to try the honest kitchen stuff, at least the one I add meat to, and if she won't eat it I'll order balance it carnivore.

Originally Posted by mimimomo

THK is is dehydrated raw...but many raw feeders say it's not raw bc it's cooked/dehydrated @ a high temp (fm their faq's: around 140 to 1665F for meats & below 104F for most other ingredients) I wonder if they mean 165F, not 1665F?! So technically, it's not raw food.

Great, it would have been nice if they made it clearer or specifically called it raw or under cooked.
It's odd that they "taste test it" themselves if it's raw...

Originally Posted by Jayspee

Dolly will eat pasta when it's been cooked with chicken and has absorbed the chicken flavour from the water. Is that something you could try with rice too?

It's worth trying, thanks.

[mimimomo]

Originally Posted by ShowGirlLola

Great, it would have been nice if they made it clearer or specifically called it raw or under cooked.
It's odd that they "taste test it" themselves if it's raw...


It's worth trying, thanks.

Yeah, good point! I looked through their site again & see no wording of 'raw' anywhere. Maybe they changed it bc when I was feeding it, I could've sworn I read 'dehydrated raw'.
Will be anxiously awaiting how Chef Lola likes the THK.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by ShowGirlLola

Follow up to my Lola is driving me nuts thread.

I've tried quite a few wet foods, at best she'll eat it for a few days then snub it.
I've tried tons of dry, won't touch them.
I've tried eat it or starve, she eats just enough to stay alive but is too thin and lethargic.
I'm trying homecooking, she'll eat the meat but not the carbs.

She ate sweet potatos for a few days, the past few she wouldn't touch it. She completely snubs pasta, rice, and oatmeal.

Is balanceit carnivore really bad for them? I'm also thinking of ordering a sample of honest kitchen veggie mix.
I'm not willing to try raw or freeze dried.

I'm at my complete end between the pressure I'm putting on myself and the freaking out my family is doing I can't handle it.
They want me to feed her table scraps and mighty dog NO NO NO!!!

I've thought of taking her to the vet but I doubt he can do anything.
Her teeth and everything are fine.

I don't have tons of money, I can't keep throwing food out and I don't want to pay for a custom recipe from a nutritionist and have her not eat it.

Have you tried cooking some turkey or chicken with no seasoning. stay away from too much fruits and veg and I wouldn't be feeding oatmeal rice and pasta, that's all grains and indigestible to dogs, putting a strain on the digestive tract.
May I ask why you are against raw or dehydrated, because if your dog won't eat what you are currently providing to her, it may be a wise choice. If you want to feed her veg I suggest you puree them and mix them up with some boiled plain chopped up chicken and the water from the boiled chicken

[ShowGirlLola]

THK stuff came today, I'll try it soon.

Originally Posted by Teegy

Have you tried cooking some turkey or chicken with no seasoning. stay away from too much fruits and veg and I wouldn't be feeding oatmeal rice and pasta, that's all grains and indigestible to dogs, putting a strain on the digestive tract.
May I ask why you are against raw or dehydrated, because if your dog won't eat what you are currently providing to her, it may be a wise choice. If you want to feed her veg I suggest you puree them and mix them up with some boiled plain chopped up chicken and the water from the boiled chicken

She's been eatting chicken or turkey with no seasoning.

I tried feeding her the oatmeal, rice, and pasta because the balanceit recipes call for them.

I can try pureeing the veggies, but I don't think she'll eat them that way. She probably won't eat them mixed together either.

I'm against raw because I have medical problems that make me more susceptible to getting sick from the bacteria.

[Teresiana]

I went through the same thing with my Yoshi. He's still stubborn & feeding him is still a battle...just not as bad as when I first got him 3 years ago. I think that's because my attitude about feeding him has changed somewhat. Sometimes he eats. Sometimes he doesn't. But he knows when meal time is & where I leave his kibble during the day. Now that I have 2 other pups, I really don't have the time to give into his quirks like I did when he was an "only child". But he's always offered high-quality food at mealtime. And if he's eaten it once, I figure he likes it enough to eat it again. Eventually. I do feed him raw twice a day. That's really the only thing he'll eat on a consistent basis. He won't even eat cooked chicken consistently...like Lola. He also gets a small plate of kibble to nibble on throughout the day - and share with his 2 sisters. Although he very rarely touches that.

Would dehydrated raw be an option for you? You don't add water. It's served out of the bag. It would seem to me that bacteria wouldn't transfer as easily with this option. But you probably know more about that than I do. If it might work, there's a food that Yoshi will eat that is air-dried raw meat. It's hard, but not crumbly like kibble. It's more like a jerky. Somewhat chewy. It's called Real Meat Pet Food. You can order a 3-pack trial package directly from them here: Introduction Dog Food Trial 3 Pack This food saved my life (and my pocketbook) a few years ago when I had already tried every single other product out there. Yoshi's favorite is the beef.

Also, last week I emailed Nature's Logic (Nature's Logic) to request some samples. They just came today & Yoshi just gobbled up both the chicken & the rabbit I offered him. I was seriously impressed.

The only other kibble/kibble-type foods that he'll eat are Performatrin Ultra Grain Free Small Bites (Performatrin) & Vital Essentials Beef Nibblets (Vital Essentials Beef Entree Nibblets Freeze-Dried Dog Food). The beef nibblets are freeze-dried raw in the shape of bite sized nuggets...but I cut them in half with scissors because they're made for larger mouths. Vital Essentials suggests adding water to rehydrate them. But I serve them dry like kibble. Not sure if the Vital Essentials will work for you, but I figured I'd throw it out there.

Anyway, I know how frustrated you are. Been there. Good luck!!

[Giantyorkie]

People think if a dog his hungry they will eat it no matter what but this could harm your dog. Your dog needs to eat and have a set time every day. Starving a dog for a day or 2 until she eats will be damaging to her health. I used to feed my dogs boiled chicken, sweet potatoe, rice and broccoli and they loved it. The only problem was getting the time to cook. Now my dogs on Royal canine as he has a fatty liver. Try mixing dog food with home cooked food for a week so she gets used to the dog food

[Teegy]

Please do not mix kibble and home cooked food together. Kibble takes up to 24 to process in the dogs system and homemade about half the time. This can cause very bad stomach upset and sometimes bloat.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Please do not mix kibble and home cooked food together. Kibble takes up to 24 to process in the dogs system and homemade about half the time. This can cause very bad stomach upset and sometimes bloat.

Where in the world did you hear this??

I mix chicken, ground beef, etc, with Jackson's food often. It's not any different than mixing canned food with kibble.

I've heard about raw processing differently, but I still don't think it's a bad thing to feed both in one day. But I've never heard of feeding people food and dog food causing issues in my life.

[ShowGirlLola]

Lola licked some of the water off the THK stuff but that was it. I'm kinda glad she didn't like it, the alfalfa smell made me sick.

She's been eating a sample of solid gold wee bit fairly well, we'll see if that continues.
Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit Adult Small Breed (Bison) Dry Dog Food | PetFoodDirect

Originally Posted by Teresiana

Would dehydrated raw be an option for you?

I'm sorry you have a difficult yorkie too.
No, I'm not willing to do dehydrated raw, it's just not worth the risk to me.

Originally Posted by Giantyorkie

People think if a dog his hungry they will eat it no matter what but this could harm your dog. Your dog needs to eat and have a set time every day. Starving a dog for a day or 2 until she eats will be damaging to her health. I used to feed my dogs boiled chicken, sweet potatoe, rice and broccoli and they loved it. The only problem was getting the time to cook. Now my dogs on Royal canine as he has a fatty liver. Try mixing dog food with home cooked food for a week so she gets used to the dog food

I agree going days without eating on a regular basis isn't good, but once in awhile won't hurt (but isn't ideal).
Feeding just chicken, sweet potato, rice and broccoli isn't a balanced diet, over time it would be harmful to the dog. Lola wouldn't eat the potato or rice anyway.
Mixing food doesn't work with her, she either eats what she wants or says forget this and walks away.