She won't eat the Natural Balance anymore! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

taje · 05-04-2005, 07:09 AM

I thought that this would be the answer! She loved it at first, I got her the beef roll, she loves when I first open a fresh roll but by the time we get to the middle she's trying to bury it! I've heated it, sprinkled cheese (3 different kinds) on it, wet it, cut it different and no luck, she'll eat it maybe the first time i mix something new with it but then she's nudging air over it with her nose trying to bury it!

So what now??? I was thinking maybe a Savory Sauce, if i get all 3 flavors just give a different one each time. Or should I try a different flavor Natural Balance roll? They aren't easy to get here and I refuse to buy the lamb one. I'm just not going to support the slaughtering of baby animals (personal opinion, no offense to anyone intended)

So please... what do i do now???

spydergurl · 05-04-2005, 09:39 AM

Boy, can I relate to everything you said! I feel the same way about the lamb thing...and that sure does limit our choices, doesn't it? Besides the post someone put on here about how Iams experiments on "discarded" dogs for their experiments and treats them inhumanely. So there goes Savory Sauce which my girls do like. But my girls are finiky, too. I have to keep changing their foods. They won't touch dry food anymore. I keep getting different canned foods, and the beef rolls. Then I give them deli meat....the best I can find that is no or low fat. Plus the pupcorn from Petsmart and greenies. And that's about it.

spydergurl · 05-04-2005, 09:58 AM

I was just re-reading your post and you said you can't get the beef rolls too easily....you can get them online at petco.com.

yorkipower · 05-04-2005, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taje

I thought that this would be the answer! She loved it at first, I got her the beef roll, she loves when I first open a fresh roll but by the time we get to the middle she's trying to bury it! I've heated it, sprinkled cheese (3 different kinds) on it, wet it, cut it different and no luck, she'll eat it maybe the first time i mix something new with it but then she's nudging air over it with her nose trying to bury it!

So what now??? I was thinking maybe a Savory Sauce, if i get all 3 flavors just give a different one each time. Or should I try a different flavor Natural Balance roll? They aren't easy to get here and I refuse to buy the lamb one. I'm just not going to support the slaughtering of baby animals (personal opinion, no offense to anyone intended)

So please... what do i do now???

If you like feeding rolls have you tried Artemis (sp?) and Red Barn. I feed Bun Artemis on Wends nights when we go to agility class and I don't have time to make him his usual "moosh" of wet food and supplements. He likes it so much I can actually feed it to him as a treat. I get it from petfooddirect.

Http://www.petfooddirect.com

diesel's mommy · 05-04-2005, 01:52 PM

I bought Diesel the Natural Balance Duck and Potato dry food. He loves it. The pieces are a little bigger than his old food (Eukanuba) but he can't wait to eat at meal time. I add a little water to his food to soften it up because he is losing his baby teeth but I have no problem making him eat. I also buy the beef rolls but mainly use them as a treat instead of a meal. Maybe you should try dry food.

Reagan

moonvalley · 05-06-2005, 09:43 AM

hi. Try the Merricks- I posted it's own thread at top- I have no vested interested in the food. I researched yorkies and found the breed was developed on beef & buffalo, so I tried the food, and it works wonderfully for Feliz as an added supplement.

Cheers,

deborah

taje · 05-06-2005, 11:36 AM

I'll have to try something new, It seems she gets bored with the same thing after awhile, I'm gonna do some research, I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks for your help everyone!

lickthestar · 05-06-2005, 07:06 PM

I used to think that Archie never ate, etc...

But you know what? He went to the bathroom when I took him out every day so he had to have been eating! Dogs don't starve themselves. I learned not to freak out about him "not" eating. I just started to leave food everyday and just walk away. it took a while but he started to eat what I gave him. Now, he eats both his wet food and dry food.

I also have a little routine. When he comes back from his walk at night, I give him his ball and he plays ball while he eats. He probably gets bored with the same food, but that's what he is going to eat. I still give him treats and stuff, but the dog food is what is substantial. I've tried every dog food on the planet and now, i just stick to the innova.

Also, I found that if I fed him a lot, it seemed more like he wouldn't eat because the dish would still have food left in it. So, I just feed him 1/4 can in the morning and 1/3 at night. And dry food is always there for him...just enough to cover the bottom of his bowl. he finishes both every time now.

As for merrick, i found that it was too rich for archie, and they also make low grade dog food on the side but don't advertise that...I like innova because i trust the company and the food is premium and comes in smaller cans so it's fresher and I don't have to refrigerate it for long periods of time. I feed him royal canin dry because he seems to like it, although he likes innova dry but the kibbles are kinda big.

irmi623 · 05-07-2005, 05:47 AM

Mojito was eating Eukanuba mixed with wet food when we got him -- he didn't seem to excited about. I joked that he had puppy ADD because he would start eating and then lose interest in about 15 seconds!

I tested both Nature's Balance and Merrick's by mixing a little into his regular food over the course of a few days and he still didn't seem too into it.

I took him to the vet for his first visit this week and they recommended a natural, raw diet. You can get it either frozen or dehydrated. I took it home and fed it to him the next morning and he didn't come up for air once!!! I've been doing some reading up on natural diets and folks seem to have pretty strong opinions both for and against it but it's been great for Mojito! (It's also helped to firm up his poop!)

Hope this helps!

Stitches29 · 05-07-2005, 02:04 PM

I'm like so many of you. I have tried so many things. Maggie wants something different at every meal. I have yet to find something that she will eat twice, unless its cheese scrambled egg with hamburger meat in it. I too have bought the Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls. Had to drive over an hour to get them. That didn't matter if she would eat them. I went ahead and got all the flavors just in case. Well, we started out with the turkey. I grated it and mixed it with her dry crushed puppy food and a little warm water. She ate it very well. This morning tried it again. Nope, No Way, Gag Gag, was her attitude. Now I just feed her whatever she wants, including hot dogs. I just make sure whatever she eats is also mixed with her dry dog food. At least she is getting her nutrition through the dry food and fixing her junk tooth at the same time.

What is this Natural/Raw Diet you were speaking of? I will try anything. This Short Order Cook doesn't pay well except for all the kisses. Guess it pays well afterall.

If anybody knows the secret to getting them to eat without snubbing their noses, let me know. Probably between all of us we could write a book on Fussy Eaters.

Good thing I have two heelers. They love it when Maggie turns her nose up at food. That just means they get to turn their noses down while they gobble up the leftovers.

irmi623 · 05-07-2005, 05:11 PM

The raw diet is actually raw, organic meat (chicken, beef or lamb) mixed with nutrients and fresh veggies. We buy it from the vet -- a local brand. It comes in frozen 1lb. bags and Mojito seems to eat a lot less than he did when he was on a canned food diet but his stool is definitely more firm and his breath smells great! It's actually pretty reasonable. I'd say the bag (1lb.) lasts 4-5 days and costs about 5 bucks/lb.

Mojito is almost 13 weeks old and eats about 2 tbsp. per meal. I should say that I mix in a small amount of shredded dehydrated natural food as well. (Wysong brand -- I also use as a training treat!) It's like a crumble that I mix in with the raw food and supposedly can be used when you travel because you can rehydrate it.

I've tried a little of the Prairie brand raw food (it comes in little patties) but he seems to like the stuff I get from the vet a lot more.

If you do find a store that sells raw food, check with your vet to make sure she/he feels good about the brand. You should also treat it the same way you would raw meat -- thaw what you plan to use within a couple of days and then separate the rest into 2-3 day portions.

Hope this helps and feel free to ask us any other questions!!!

Mojito & Irmi

StewiesMom · 05-07-2005, 06:19 PM

I agree with Lickthestar. Your dog will not starve himself. I was worried about Stewie eating, but after a while I realized he'll eat whatever I put in his bowl when I'm not around.

Stitches29 · 05-07-2005, 06:30 PM

Kristy,
Did you feed Stewie like that when he was a puppy? Maggie is still so little, I'm afraid it will hurt her if I don' t get her to eat. It's true she will eat when I leave the room. One day I had several dishes out of different food. I finally told her "Fine, Don't Eat" and left the room. I came back and ALL dishes were empty. She was waddling.

StewiesMom · 05-07-2005, 07:39 PM

I still consider him a puppy

I free feed him -- he has food available 24/7, but only eats twice a day. Once at night around 11PM and once in the afternoon (I think, since I'm not home). He has never wet the bed and sleeps through the night. Hope I helped.

lickthestar · 05-08-2005, 06:37 PM

Yeah, Archie gets fed in the morning and at night around 7 or 8. He hardly ever eats the food in the morning, but I do leave it out for him anyway because on some days, he has a lot of activity and gets hungry (like today). But he always eats right after I turn the lights out to go to bed. I can hear him crunching before he hops onto the bed with me.

Also, after his walk every night, he comes in, takes his ball and plays with it while he eats his dinner. He doesn't eat when I put the food down, but he does eat when he feels like it.

I give him less food in the morning than at night because I know he eats less in the morning. My rule of thumb is that there is always enough dry food to cover the bottom of the bowl. As for wet food, about 1/4 of the small innova can in the morning, and 1/3 at night.

I had talked to my vet about it at one point and she said, "Just give him the food, and he will eat. Stop freaking out about it. At first, it might seem like a couple of days go by, but just keep feeding him every day." The thing is, switching food, being nervous around it, making them try to eat it, etc. all negative behaviours that make your dog think that there's something WRONG with eating. They become very confused and picky eaters. Just give your dog the same food every day, the same amount, at the same time, and you will see the bowls clean. Alls you need is a bit of trust that your Yorkie knows how to take care of himself or herself!!

05-04-2005, 07:09 AM	#1
taje Pita Power!! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 982	She won't eat the Natural Balance anymore! I thought that this would be the answer! She loved it at first, I got her the beef roll, she loves when I first open a fresh roll but by the time we get to the middle she's trying to bury it! I've heated it, sprinkled cheese (3 different kinds) on it, wet it, cut it different and no luck, she'll eat it maybe the first time i mix something new with it but then she's nudging air over it with her nose trying to bury it! So what now??? I was thinking maybe a Savory Sauce, if i get all 3 flavors just give a different one each time. Or should I try a different flavor Natural Balance roll? They aren't easy to get here and I refuse to buy the lamb one. I'm just not going to support the slaughtering of baby animals (personal opinion, no offense to anyone intended) So please... what do i do now???

05-04-2005, 09:39 AM	#2
spydergurl YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 516	. Boy, can I relate to everything you said! I feel the same way about the lamb thing...and that sure does limit our choices, doesn't it? Besides the post someone put on here about how Iams experiments on "discarded" dogs for their experiments and treats them inhumanely. So there goes Savory Sauce which my girls do like. But my girls are finiky, too. I have to keep changing their foods. They won't touch dry food anymore. I keep getting different canned foods, and the beef rolls. Then I give them deli meat....the best I can find that is no or low fat. Plus the pupcorn from Petsmart and greenies. And that's about it.

05-07-2005, 05:11 PM	#11
irmi623 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 60	Natural/raw diet The raw diet is actually raw, organic meat (chicken, beef or lamb) mixed with nutrients and fresh veggies. We buy it from the vet -- a local brand. It comes in frozen 1lb. bags and Mojito seems to eat a lot less than he did when he was on a canned food diet but his stool is definitely more firm and his breath smells great! It's actually pretty reasonable. I'd say the bag (1lb.) lasts 4-5 days and costs about 5 bucks/lb. Mojito is almost 13 weeks old and eats about 2 tbsp. per meal. I should say that I mix in a small amount of shredded dehydrated natural food as well. (Wysong brand -- I also use as a training treat!) It's like a crumble that I mix in with the raw food and supposedly can be used when you travel because you can rehydrate it. I've tried a little of the Prairie brand raw food (it comes in little patties) but he seems to like the stuff I get from the vet a lot more. If you do find a store that sells raw food, check with your vet to make sure she/he feels good about the brand. You should also treat it the same way you would raw meat -- thaw what you plan to use within a couple of days and then separate the rest into 2-3 day portions. Hope this helps and feel free to ask us any other questions!!! Mojito & Irmi

05-07-2005, 06:19 PM	#12
StewiesMom Stewie Rox the Sox Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 6,306	I agree with Lickthestar. Your dog will not starve himself. I was worried about Stewie eating, but after a while I realized he'll eat whatever I put in his bowl when I'm not around. __________________ Kristy & Stewie

05-07-2005, 07:39 PM	#14
StewiesMom Stewie Rox the Sox Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 6,306	I still consider him a puppy I free feed him -- he has food available 24/7, but only eats twice a day. Once at night around 11PM and once in the afternoon (I think, since I'm not home). He has never wet the bed and sleeps through the night. Hope I helped. __________________ Kristy & Stewie

05-04-2005, 09:58 AM	#3
spydergurl YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: California Posts: 516	I was just re-reading your post and you said you can't get the beef rolls too easily....you can get them online at petco.com.

05-04-2005, 01:52 PM	#5
diesel's mommy Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 68	I bought Diesel the Natural Balance Duck and Potato dry food. He loves it. The pieces are a little bigger than his old food (Eukanuba) but he can't wait to eat at meal time. I add a little water to his food to soften it up because he is losing his baby teeth but I have no problem making him eat. I also buy the beef rolls but mainly use them as a treat instead of a meal. Maybe you should try dry food. Reagan

05-06-2005, 09:43 AM	#6
moonvalley Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Ojai Posts: 88	hi. Try the Merricks- I posted it's own thread at top- I have no vested interested in the food. I researched yorkies and found the breed was developed on beef & buffalo, so I tried the food, and it works wonderfully for Feliz as an added supplement. Cheers, deborah

05-06-2005, 11:36 AM	#7
taje Pita Power!! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Port St Lucie, FL Posts: 982	I'll have to try something new, It seems she gets bored with the same thing after awhile, I'm gonna do some research, I'll let you know how it goes! Thanks for your help everyone!

05-06-2005, 07:06 PM	#8
lickthestar YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NY Posts: 360	I used to think that Archie never ate, etc... But you know what? He went to the bathroom when I took him out every day so he had to have been eating! Dogs don't starve themselves. I learned not to freak out about him "not" eating. I just started to leave food everyday and just walk away. it took a while but he started to eat what I gave him. Now, he eats both his wet food and dry food. I also have a little routine. When he comes back from his walk at night, I give him his ball and he plays ball while he eats. He probably gets bored with the same food, but that's what he is going to eat. I still give him treats and stuff, but the dog food is what is substantial. I've tried every dog food on the planet and now, i just stick to the innova. Also, I found that if I fed him a lot, it seemed more like he wouldn't eat because the dish would still have food left in it. So, I just feed him 1/4 can in the morning and 1/3 at night. And dry food is always there for him...just enough to cover the bottom of his bowl. he finishes both every time now. As for merrick, i found that it was too rich for archie, and they also make low grade dog food on the side but don't advertise that...I like innova because i trust the company and the food is premium and comes in smaller cans so it's fresher and I don't have to refrigerate it for long periods of time. I feed him royal canin dry because he seems to like it, although he likes innova dry but the kibbles are kinda big.

05-07-2005, 05:47 AM	#9
irmi623 Yorkie Yakker Join Date: May 2005 Location: NYC Posts: 60	Mojito was eating Eukanuba mixed with wet food when we got him -- he didn't seem to excited about. I joked that he had puppy ADD because he would start eating and then lose interest in about 15 seconds! I tested both Nature's Balance and Merrick's by mixing a little into his regular food over the course of a few days and he still didn't seem too into it. I took him to the vet for his first visit this week and they recommended a natural, raw diet. You can get it either frozen or dehydrated. I took it home and fed it to him the next morning and he didn't come up for air once!!! I've been doing some reading up on natural diets and folks seem to have pretty strong opinions both for and against it but it's been great for Mojito! (It's also helped to firm up his poop!) Hope this helps!

05-07-2005, 02:04 PM	#10
Stitches29 My Little Magwad Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,739	I'm like so many of you. I have tried so many things. Maggie wants something different at every meal. I have yet to find something that she will eat twice, unless its cheese scrambled egg with hamburger meat in it. I too have bought the Natural Balance Dog Food Rolls. Had to drive over an hour to get them. That didn't matter if she would eat them. I went ahead and got all the flavors just in case. Well, we started out with the turkey. I grated it and mixed it with her dry crushed puppy food and a little warm water. She ate it very well. This morning tried it again. Nope, No Way, Gag Gag, was her attitude. Now I just feed her whatever she wants, including hot dogs. I just make sure whatever she eats is also mixed with her dry dog food. At least she is getting her nutrition through the dry food and fixing her junk tooth at the same time. What is this Natural/Raw Diet you were speaking of? I will try anything. This Short Order Cook doesn't pay well except for all the kisses. Guess it pays well afterall. If anybody knows the secret to getting them to eat without snubbing their noses, let me know. Probably between all of us we could write a book on Fussy Eaters. Good thing I have two heelers. They love it when Maggie turns her nose up at food. That just means they get to turn their noses down while they gobble up the leftovers.

05-07-2005, 06:30 PM	#13
Stitches29 My Little Magwad Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,739	Kristy, Did you feed Stewie like that when he was a puppy? Maggie is still so little, I'm afraid it will hurt her if I don' t get her to eat. It's true she will eat when I leave the room. One day I had several dishes out of different food. I finally told her "Fine, Don't Eat" and left the room. I came back and ALL dishes were empty. She was waddling.

05-08-2005, 06:37 PM	#15
lickthestar YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NY Posts: 360	Yeah, Archie gets fed in the morning and at night around 7 or 8. He hardly ever eats the food in the morning, but I do leave it out for him anyway because on some days, he has a lot of activity and gets hungry (like today). But he always eats right after I turn the lights out to go to bed. I can hear him crunching before he hops onto the bed with me. Also, after his walk every night, he comes in, takes his ball and plays with it while he eats his dinner. He doesn't eat when I put the food down, but he does eat when he feels like it. I give him less food in the morning than at night because I know he eats less in the morning. My rule of thumb is that there is always enough dry food to cover the bottom of the bowl. As for wet food, about 1/4 of the small innova can in the morning, and 1/3 at night. I had talked to my vet about it at one point and she said, "Just give him the food, and he will eat. Stop freaking out about it. At first, it might seem like a couple of days go by, but just keep feeding him every day." The thing is, switching food, being nervous around it, making them try to eat it, etc. all negative behaviours that make your dog think that there's something WRONG with eating. They become very confused and picky eaters. Just give your dog the same food every day, the same amount, at the same time, and you will see the bowls clean. Alls you need is a bit of trust that your Yorkie knows how to take care of himself or herself!!