Food issuses?

[Taylor & Huff]

Okay, so I think most all of you guys know that Huff gets home cooked meals. I think any dog would die over what he gets: meat (or chicken), sweet potato, kale, green beans, and the broth it has been cooked in (or rice). Pretty much every night he has to be dragged over to his plate and spoon fed to finish his dinner. When we first put it down he might take a bite (if you are lucky) and walk away or go to the cookie cabinet and beg for a cookie (he stares at the cabinet and sometimes whines, I don't know why he does this because we never gave him cookies when he does that). We don't even give him many treats (maybe like 3 or 4 through the day before his dinner). So last night I got him to wake up from sleeping and we gave him some kibble and he ate it! I know you are saying don't spoon feed him but even when we spoon fed him, he was acting like the food was disgusting refusing to put it in his mouth. I don't get him! He is so frustrating sometimes! I just think maybe he wants to eat kibble? He didn't used to like it though... I have never even heard of a dog being so picky and I am around dogs everyday! What would you do?

 

 

[Taylor & Huff]

He dosen't see when you put it away he is always asleep.

[Camilla and Darwin]

The point isn't that he sees you put it away. The point is that because you take it away and he doesn't have access, he will be hungry enough to eat it the next time you put it out for him.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

One of the reasons why dogs love the garbage foods and kibble is because they spray a fat on it, which makes it appetizing to dogs. With homecooking, many times, the fat is not there and the dogs don't want it. Try drizzling a little olive oil on it before serving and see if this makes a difference. I have one of those dogs and I will use olive oil, or sometimes the water from a can of tuna will work, too. What we believe is healthy, sometimes the dogs don't. If he likes the kibble, you can mix some of it into his homecooking, too. I have been homecooking since the 2007 recalls. IMO (and it might be my Italian upbringing) it's not good for them to eat nothing all day. The yellow bile spit up is associated with an empty stomach and over time, can cause it's own problems.

[Taylor & Huff]

He dosen't get any treats but his vitamins before dinner. If we put kibble Hown he will eat it (before dinner). We feed him a good kibble (canine caviar- chicken and pearl millet). Maybe we will try olive oil. Or maybe we can just feed him kibble from now on.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

You shouldn't forgo real food, altogether. It is healthier over time.

[Adina P]

If sanitation is a concern then you can make sure his bowl is washed dailly and just like humans can refrigerate leftover cooked food so we can do for dogs.  There's no reason he can't eat his leftovers LATER.

[Taylor & Huff]

He always has his bowls washed daily. I see but my grandma is very finnicky she thinks that dog saliva smells like rotten eggs (I think that is a little bit of an over exaggeration, Huff's breath is not even stinky... usually). Actually one time I poured his used water down the sink (it was the bathroom sink- not kitchen) and she had to sanitize it with bleach. Gotta love her though!:)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Huff may be the kind of dog who just doesn't like vegetables; there are a lot of dogs like that, mine included. I can tell you that no matter what kind of meat you cooked, if there was kale in the bowl,  no way would Jack touch it. I'm not even sure he'd touch it with the sweet potatoes and green beans, but the kale would be the deal-breaker for sure. Cooked kale has a bitter taste, even many humans are not crazy about it.

[Adina P]

Good point Karen.  Kale may be nutritious, but it is an acquired taste for even people--only the most health conscious folks I know actually even dare try it unless they've grown up with it.  I don't know too many who regularly include it in their diets.  (I love it, but it took some work to get Clark used to it--I did succeed with THREE different recipes, though!)  Anyway, maybe try just meat and rice for a bit and then try meat and sweet potatoes and don't add in any green stuff for a bit.  Then if/when you DO add it you'll know if it is THAT or not.

[Taylor & Huff]

Thanks Adina, that is a good idea, we might try that.:)

[Taylor & Huff]

hahaha that is funny:) Huff is not crazy about vegetables either but he seems to really like kale. He doesn't like green beans or carrots or peas though. Weird haha:)

[Dori & Rua]

Rua is not a big eater at all.  There are days when her breakfast is still there in the evening.  I feed her kibble, though, so it doesn't matter that it is sitting out.  I figure that just like a kid, when she gets hungry, she'll eat.  She only has access to her food when we are home, so I just let her free feed (if that is the right word for it).

 

I agree with the "don't spoon feed".  I was tempted to feed Rua to get her to eat, but my bright DH told me that if I started that, I was going to create a habit I wouldn't want to have to continue.

 

Being the lazy person I am, I would get some of those jumbo 2.5 gallon ziplock bags and put the whole darn bowl in one and put that in the fridge!