Getting a Doodle to eat

[Marion Carmickle]

My Riley is 9 mos old and is the coolest dog but she is making me a wreck with eating. We finally got her off the Low Residue wet food (it had a bad preservative in it) and since that time she hasn't eaten as well. This may be because she is not growing as fast so isn't as ravenous, but every time I think I have transitioned to a new food and off the Iams, she quits eating it. She has great stamina and energy, doesn't seem sick at all and will eat her yogurt and treats when we are doing obedience class training. Any suggestions? Should I quit trying different foods (she is now on Merrick and hasn't had any stool problems...just won't eat very much of it anymore and I don't want to move from the sensitive stomach turducken until she is completely done with the transition...I could try a different flavor within the Merrick) and just do the food down 15-30 and pick up OR put her kibble in a dish and leave it down all day (she would have to be in her kennel when I am at work for a few hours so she wouldn't have access to it then)? I am so afraid she won't get the nutrients that she needs...her littermate (my sister's puppy) isn't a great eater either but she leaves Iams down all day and she eventually eats it all. I just don't want to feed her Iams anymore. HELP!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

It is not clear from your post if you give only kibble or do canned food. If you are giving only kibble, you might try adding some wet food or even better add some real food.

[Marion Carmickle]

I tried adding some wet food last night and she ate it but didn't go after it this morning...only ate 1/4 cup of the food with the wet added.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Marion, we had a discussion here in the Food Group not long ago about how they seem to love the junk foods but won't eat the higher quality foods, and Lynne gave us info about all the garbage they put in the crappy foods that entices them to eat them. (Like rancid fat, which apparently smells wonderful to them.) I have the same problems with Jack, Lizette has it with Molly...the foods that are good for them don't taste as good as the junk. (It's the same as with people, lol. Every kid would rather eat cookies than broccoli.)
I would try staying with the same foods and picking up the dish after 30 minutes. This has been recommended to me by a few people, and I do think it may encourage them to eat better if the food is not always available to them. I firmly believe a healthy dog will not starve herself.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I drizzle a little EVOO (olive oil) over the top sometimes when Ginger doesn't want to eat to simulate the crappy oily fat of crappy foods. This does the trick with her. A little gravy might work too. It takes awhile to get them used to real food and real flavors. I notice Ginger likes spices like fresh parsley or a little oregano also. I think plain, bland and boring is just that, boring. You try until you find what works.

[Mommy2Max]

Max wouldn't eat much at all in the beginning. I tried everything but, dog "formula".

Different kibble, different sizes, wet food, moistened kibble, cottage cheese/brown rice..... etc....

One day, I withheld food until evening to get him hungry and whamo - it worked.

He was about 9 weeks old at the time but he ate very small dry kibble after that without a problem. He only ate 2/3 cup daily plus a quality protein snack but, at least he was eating. Previous to me, he was free fed.

He now eats larger sized puppy kibble and he is up to 1 cup daily (split into two meals) plus a protein snack midday. It's not a lot but, the vet doesn't seem to find him underweight and he is a mini doodle so, his appetite may be smaller. I also switched to a no grain food.

~Danielle