Solvingthe

[Dee & Chappie]

I have been very frustrated with our 5 month old puppy's appetite, there just didn't seem to be a food that he loved.  Having a ravenous lab previously, this became a real challenge to me.

Today I went to PetSmart, they had a representative from Natural Balance.   I have read online the problems that company has had, but I was desperate, and was told that most dogs love the formula. 

I bought the canned food, three different flavors.  One of them,   turkey and tuna with green beans and pumpkin which I gave to him just now at 5:00 PM he  ate like he loved it, and looked for more.  Then I gave him some of the dry kibble, the Bison, and he ate that with gusto.   I bought a large bag of Sweet Potato and Fish that I will open and give to him in the morning.  She assured me I could return it if he didn't like it.  I will return and get more of the canned food, and  if that is the only thing he likes, I'll not feed kibble at all.  I have cooked chicken breast that I have had to top on everything I have tried, but didn't need to add it to either the canned or the kibble Natural Balance.   

My day is now complete and I can go out tonight and relax.  

The cooked chicken is good, maybe my husband and I will have chicken terriaki dinner Monday!!

Happy Days,  Dee

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dee, I can't remember if I gave you this link. It's my favorite discussion about picky eaters and moms trying to find foods they love. I really think it would be worth your while to read through it. 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

I also don't know if you have seen our recommended brands list here in The Food group. Natural Balance is no longer recommended because the company was sold several years back to Del Monte. In general, you don't want brands that are owned and made by multinational corporations, because the ingredients are often sourced from China and purchasing is handled by third party food brokers, so the supply chain and quality control are murky. But beyond all that, Natural Balance is basically a limited ingredient line that is designed for dogs with food allergies/sensitivities, and the protein content is too low on most of their formulas. When my jack was on it, I had to supplement the protein with homemade food.

Have you tried Fromm's Four Star line? It has 14 different formulas designed to be rotated from one bag to the next to help keep the dog interested. Most dogs here love the variety. They do also make a canned line that you could use as toppers. 

I'd also try not to feed so many different proteins at one time, especially with new foods he hasn't had before. You mention feeding a canned turkey and tuna with a dry bison formula, and then that you are going to try a whitefish formula tomorrow. The problem with this is that if something doesn't agree with him, you won't know which food that was. I'd stick with introducing one new food at a time if possible, and then change it up when you buy a new bag. You also don;t want to keep more than a month's worth of open kibble unless you can freeze it; since the better foods use natural preservatives, they go bad faster, and most dogs prefer fresh food, just like we do. I know my guy is always most interested in eating when a bag is newly opened. 
Hope this helps. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's a comment that was posted in one of the other two copies of this discussion:

Reply by BG and Gavin 38 minutes agoDelete

Enjoy your evening out. It is so discouraging when they don't eat well. Been there, done that. I hate to be a Negative Nellie but prepare yourself for the posibility that he turns up his nose in a week to what he likes today. I hope this isn't the case for your sake.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's a link to the Fromm Four Star line: https://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

With picky eaters, I firmly believe in limiting meals to 10 minutes. Feed twice a day, morning and evening. It's nice if the timing coincides with a time when you're eating breakfast and dinner, or at least can sit nearby while the dog eats. Keep all distractions to a minimum; it's preferable that there not be people coming in and out, kids playing nearby, loud voices, etc. Put the food in the dish, sit down with your coffee, breakfast, dinner, newspaper, etc., wait ten minutes, and then pick up the food and don't offer any again until the next scheduled mealtime. Limit treats to training rewards only.  

I know with Chappie, as with many others here, you need to give a small amount of food before bed to prevent him from bringing up bile in the early a.m. That's fine. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Bottom line, you are in charge of Chappie's diet.  If he is healthy and you want to feed him healthy food, you need to feed him what you think is best nutritionally for him.  It doesn't really matter if he loves his food - if he does, that's nice - but if he doesn't, and he is healthy, let him be a light eater - he will eat what he needs. The more you mess around with trying to please him, the more he will let you stand on your head trying to please him. :-}   Now, if you want to feed him the best nutritionally, you need to choose from the food group list, unless you are able to do the research which includes not only the best nutritional balance, but the sourcing - which I am not. :-}

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

Lincoln is pretty picky too.  I feed him Fromm gold adult and then I top it with Stella & Chewy raw bits.  I only crumble 4-5 pieces on top of his food.  so far he likes the beef and the turkey, but they have other flavors too.  

[Dee & Chappie]

thanks for your input.  I am now back to Wild Calling, chcken.   Chappie is growing just fine and does not need all the food everyone recommends he should have as a growing puppy.   I spoke with his breeder and he is just what his siblings are weight wise and eating much less than recommended.   Before I was trying too hard, now it is eat or wait and eat the next meal!