Food question - yet again!

[diane silver]

I'm now at my wit's end regarding Emma's food.  I bought Bravo frozen patties (chicken flavor) thinking that she'd inhale that, and she just puts her nose into the bowl and walks away!  I also bought a bag of Fromm's Surf and Turf kibble and was feeling somewhat optimistic when she ate some out of my hand and came back for more, but again, she isn't interested in that either!  The only thing she eats willingly are the dehydrated chicken strips that she's eaten since puppyhood - she'll eat a few in the morning.  I think in her two years of life, I've tried every premium food on the market - Orijen, Petcurean Now, CN grain-free lamb, etc., etc., and I still can't get her to really "eat" with any interest.  Her weight is fine, she's active and seemingly healthy, but her stools are never really firm, which drives me crazy.  Could she have Giardia?  Do I try sprinkling Metamucil on her food?  Do I only feed chicken and rice??  I'm so confused . . . . . help!!!

[Tammy & Gracie]

You have had her checked out by the vet? She is just not an eater (my opinion). She eats to live, not live to eat! Since her weight is good I would select one good quality food and serve that. Period. I would probably buy smaller bags and rotate among flavors for interest. Maybe add a little chicken and rice with lots of broth to soak into the kibble? Homecooking often solves the poor eating habits, but it is a lot more involved than chicken and rice. Lots of us do it successfully though! Karen willo probably have more solutions.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree with Tammy. I think the first step is to get the Vet to check a stool sample to rule out any parasites. I was able to solve Guinness's soft stool and eating problems by moving to primarily home cooking (with about 25% Acana added), but it is more complicated than just the chicken and rice. If you do end up deciding that's your answer, there's lots of info here on the Food Group, and several of us to help you through it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I totally agree with what Tammy has said. Emma has managed to live two years without starving to death, so she is clearly eating enough. She is not a food motivated dog, and she is never going to be as interested in food as you would like her to be. This is actually a good thing, for both people and dogs. People and dogs who look to food for pleasure, comfort, or entertainment are the ones who are susceptible to weight problems.
If the vet says her weight is healthy and a stool specimen checks out (although I sincerely doubt she has giardia), I would pick a good food and stick to it. I think Fromm would be a good choice and the rotation Tammy suggested is a good idea. If you simply must feel that she is "enjoying" her food, try sprinkling some chopped hard-boiled egg over it.

[Kim]

I would have told you 2 months ago that my Allie was the pickiest eater in the whole entire world. I would put things on top to entice her, but she would only eat the people food on top and leave her food. I decided a couple of months ago to put chicken in my food processor and seriously blend it as small as Parmesan cheese so that she couldn't eat around it!!!!! It worked! She doesn't miss a meal now! But before you try to entice her to eat, make sure you have had her checked by the Vet to make sure she is "just a picky eater."

[Linda Lynch]

Karen- You may want to comment on this but I bought a couple of cans of wellness in turkey, lamb and chicken and mix just a small amount on Orijen and the kids are not picky anymore. They eat everything. What do you think?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think this is also a fine way to get a dog to eat; just make sure you are adjusting the amount of Orijen to reflect the additional calories in the canned food. It isn't a lot, but that little extra bit of food at every meal does add up. I learned this the hard way with JD.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I add veggies and sometimes some cheese to Taquito's food because he is picky. I then add to Peri's because I don't want her to feel slighted - I give slightly less kibble based on the amount of topping I add.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Why do you keep changing? Does she have digestion issues? If not, she will eat what you give her if you let her get hungry. Some dogs are not big eaters and don't gobble their food while others could eat all day and still act hungry. Ned is not a big eater - he actually likes privacy when eating so he usually waits until the others have eaten or in the middle of the night. He does not eat twice a day every day. He may eat each meal for several days and then skip meals and eat once every third meal. If I must get him to eat because we are having the dog cousins over and I don't want any food around, then I might spike his kibble with yogurt, cottage cheese or a few small treats. Otherwise, I just ignore whether he eats or not.

[Diana Erhart]

I feel for you Diane. My Charlie is like this too. He would rather go hungry (as I can tell by his grumbling stomach) than eat some days. I still haven't found that "magic" food that he will eat all the time but after trying many things it seems he likes the raw lamb nuggets the best. I think it is Nature's Variety frozen lamb that I get. Still most nights it is difficult to get him to eat. I have found however that if I take a little bit of fresh beef or beef liver and just sear it in the skillet, then cut it up and pour it over the raw food he will eat it a bit. He seems to like the bloody juices on his food (YUK!). Also, he won't usually eat any dry food but I have found that if I swirl the dry food in bacon grease after I have cooked breakfast he will sometimes eat that too. Good luck!