A possible solution to everyone with a picky eating doodle

[Amanda and Wheatley]

Ok, so here's the scoop, once upon a time I had a doodle puppy that wouldn't eat ANYTHING except foods like chicken or pork or beef...you get the idea, any kind of meat just not kibble. As she grew older we implemented the "ok if you're not going to eat it then you can starve move" we tried it when she was a puppy, and she literally let herself starve so we gave up. Anyway, now it works, if she doesn't eat she doesn't get food until the next meal. We recently came across Fromm's Four Star Surf and Turf kibble and she loves it! It's the only kind of kibble she'll eat, but every now and again she'll get into her picky habits. So to kind of make a long story short, one day I was at Petsmart and a representative from Bill Jack was there promoting their food. She gave me the whole story of how they hand pick their chickens and bla bla bla, but after looking at the ingredients I knew better than to buy it (plus it got 1 star on dogfoodanalysis). She did however give me a free sample of it which I figured I'd either throw away or use as treats. Turns out, my doodle LOVES this stuff. I'm not even kidding, when she smells it she goes CRAZY. I thought, ok next time she turns away from her food, I'm going to sprinkle a few of these Bill Jack kibbles over the top, and what did she do? She ate every last bite of her food within minutes, I've never seen her eat like that before. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the smell or the taste..? So, all in all, to all you picky eaters, I hate promoting such a low-grade food, but maybe it's worth sprinkling a few in your doodle's food and seeing what happens?  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You could actually do this with any of the grocery store brands, too...dogs love garbage, lol. It is probably the smell...the crappy kibbles are sprayed with rancid fat, which is really attractive to dogs.

[Amanda and Wheatley]

See, I thought that too, when my dog was a puppy I tried all that garbage food and she still hated it. Even to this day she won't touch any of that stuff, but there's something about Bill Jack she loves. And according to the representative, they don't spray their kibble with fat... but who really knows haha

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

For me, the by-products & corn are enough to keep me away. Even for dogs that have no allergy issues, if they're on grain-free diets, that little bit of corn could be enough to upset their digestion.
Jack absolutely loves junk food; poor deprived doodle!

[Nella Krone]

Thanks so much Amanda. I had my golden Retriever on Bil Jac but that was back in the early 90's when it wasn't so easy to look up Dog Food Reviews on the internet. My Golden loved the stuff! Now, I wouldn't dare feed my goldendoodle that stuff and I often feel very guilty that I fed my golden such awful food :(  I will take your advicethough and sprinkle a bit on her food,it cant hurt right? I sure hope she goes for it, it would be nice to have her on a regular feeding schedule so she could have a regular bathroom schedule.

 

Many thanks again for your advice!!

nella

[Ozzy Bob and Leanna]

Thanks Amanda for telling about your picky eater and the Fromm's Four Star Surf & Turf.  Where do you get that food?  I've got a picky eater and would like to get some of it!!!!!! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Leanna, please check our Recommended Brands list. There is a link on the main page of the Food Group here, right at the top. For each food listed, there is a link to the manufacturer's website, and you can use the Store Locator to find the food in your area.

This is an old discussion, but Fromm is one of our favorite brands, and you will find many discussions here about it. Fromm makes a line of foods that is designed to be rotated among flavors. The Surf and Turf is one of the formulas in that line. Rotating formulas within the same brand helps keep your dog interested in the food. Lots of discussions here about rotating foods, too.

[Ozzy Bob and Leanna]

Thanks Karen, I'll check the link!  I feel like Ozzy isn't getting the proper nutrition he needs with me fixing him food like we eat!  He's got my number and has me wrapped around his 'lil paw! ha 

[Ozzy Bob and Leanna]

So you're saying that there's a food called "Bill Jack"?  What flavor did your dog like best?  I have a real picky eater that I'm getting tired of fixig human meals for.  Your reply will be greatly appreciated!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The food is called Bil-Jac, and it is NOT recommended. The ingredients are not good quality.

[Nella Krone]

Hi Leanna,

I must have replied at the wrong location, I am new at this site. It is called BilJac and it is not a great quality food but a bit mixed in with Ozzy's good quality food wont hurt. You can buy it at PetSmart. 

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I had a representative approach me at PetSmart too, regarding Bill Jack food. I took one look at the label and passed. I never would have thought to use it to get Lucy to eat, though. Lucy is on Fromm's grain-free Beef Fritatta (with a small portion of Fromm's Chicken a la Veg mixed in... to help avoid too hard of poos). She likes it okay, but unless she's starving she won't just dig into it. Her morning meal she has to be coaxed (I throw kibble at her to catch.. its just a game but it gets her primed for actually eating out of her bowl... silly doodle). About 60% of the time that doesn't work. She simply doesn't eat. I don't fret too much over it.

For her evening meal I mix about 1/4 cup of Fromm's canned Shredded Chicken into her kibble and she eats that right up... every time. So, there's another option to get your doodle to eat. Just mix a small amount of high quality canned food into the kibble (Fromm's Shredded Chicken is real shredded chicken, veggies and broth).

Fromm's can be ordered from petflow.com for regularly scheduled deliveries (often with no shipping costs if you get in with their monthly promotions). In our area there is only 1 store that carries Fromm's out of dozens upon dozens of pet supply stores. Of course that store is across town, so I opt for petflow, and make emergency runs to the local store if needed.