Oh Here comes Molly's Mom again!!! The Pet Stores and Feed Stores love me during this economic downward sprial!!!!

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

I read the whine section that Karen had started, commercial food pros and cons, etc. and thought I had resolved Molly's eating problems. I notice some of us have really picky eaters. We ought to have a picky eater section for new puppies. My frustration is I do not, I mean do not, know what to do about Molly's eating. I hand fed her last night...last resort and she ate a little from my hand. I have her on Innova and Evo mixed kibble and venison Evo canned (teaspoon added). I have tried Solid Gold, Wolf Brand, Chicken Soup Puppy Lover, Prairie, Instinct, and Merrick (which I stopped for personal reasons when researched) now think I might try Eagle and a couple of brands I don't even recall the names. I do not go to the grocery store and buy commercial there. I cautiously check every brand before I buy and attempt to feed Molly. I have given so much food to others and the rescue it isn't funny. I have researched and debated on adding a piece of raw rib...but I am afraid that once I start doing this or cooking for her I will be locked in forever and she will never touch a kibble at all. Of course, her bathroom breaks are not as firm as they should be due to the changes. Just getting her to eat is an daily ordeal. Yes, I follow the advice on timely feeding, length of time down, etc. She went several days w/o eating and finally ate a little. I just haven't hit on what she likes. Short of buying a pet food store.. I will go broke before I discover her appetitie button. I hope this difficult and costly problem resolves itself sooner than later. If it wasn't for this she would be the perfect puppy in every way.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, that's what I would be doing if Jackdoodle was normal; I just wasn't sure about the nutritional needs of a puppy. (Been 18 years since I had one of those around, lol)

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Hi Amanda, I did try free feeding type schedule of only dry kibble. She walks over, sniffs, and walks away. By the end of the second day...I gave in again. I think she is just not food motivated. I went to the store and bought some veggies and chicken and am boling them as I type. Thought I would try adding a little chicken and veggies to her kibble tonight. She has skipped dinner last night and her breakfast this morning...so we'll see. When I was reading all the different info raw, home cooked, etc. I wish I had the life style that accomodated the time to cook and allow for the raw feeding. My grandson is crawling right now and we had him this past weekend. I would be so scared to lay raw chicken or beef down. Believe me I am mad at myself.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There is no reason to be mad at yourself. Like all relationships, you and Molly have a partnership, and you both have needs. It's not as if you're just feeding her any cheap "dreck" from the grocery store. Don't be so hard on yourself! You are a good doodle mom!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here's how I'm dealing with this, Lizette; I realize that this will not be all that helpful to you, because Molly is a puppy and the need for her to eat is more crucial than it is for Jack, who was a little overweight to begin with. But it may help.
First, after careful research into the company, manufacturing practices, etc., I chose a high-quality kibble that Jack will eat when he is hungry, but doesn't "love." In the morning, he gets a cup & a half of it in his bowl. It is there all day for him to eat or not as he chooses.
At dinnertime, if he has not eaten the a.m. food, I add a small amount of egg (scrambled or boiled), tuna, salmon or other fish, or a small amount of cooked beef (if I have it handy) into the bowl & mix it in with the kibble. (Cooked chicken would work, too, we are slowly adding foods due to Jack's allergies.) Just a couple of spoonfuls is enough. If he has eaten some or all of the a.m. food, new food is put into the bowl to bring it up to 1 cup, and then the "goodies" are added. Jack will eat the whole bowl of food every time, and he does still eat the plain kibble during the day when he is hungry...it varies from day to day.
I know that Lynne gives her pack home-cooked meals every night, and they still do "graze" on their Innova during the day anyway. That's what gave me the courage to try this without being afraid that it would spoil him for plain kibble.
I also make it a point to add the "goodies" to his bowl completely separately and away from the human dinner table & food prep area, so that it is clear to him that he is not sharing "our" dinner...I don't want him begging at the dinner table, if that makes sense.
Hope some of the others can chime in with some help. Good Luck!

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Karen, I am taking your advice and will try this...adding a little extra at her afternoon meal if she has not eaten breakfast. I think the goodies in her meal need to be something other than Evo or Wellness canned food. I am going to try egg, tuna, and the boiled chicken. I so enjoy reading all the info and discussions that you and others have on this great site. I am going to try to cook and freeze some meals for Molly that I might just add in small portions to her dinner. I wrote down the stuff that Lynn and others include in their home cooked meals. Thanks a lot!!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It is my pleasure; it's why we started this group, so all of us could help each other!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

That's exactly what I do. I graze feed Innova Evo (or recently I've tried Taste of the Wild) and for their evening meal, I give my home cooked stew. They eat bites here and there all day long, but they are not thrilled with it. They subsist, I think, waiting for their "good meal."

[Leslie and Halas]

Halas is on Innova Evo kibble, and he doesn't gobble it down. I wouldn't necessarily call him a picky eater. He just seems to eat when he's hungry. If I feel like I want to get him to eat, I'll sometimes put a spoonful of plain yogurt on top of his food. That usually gets him to eat.

[Leslie and Halas]

Too bad snow doesn't have any nutritional value. Doodles seem to love eating snow.

[Trowby]

Hi Lizette
Sage is picky too. I am buying grain free kibble in smaller and smaller packages. Tonight I had a thought and added some hot water to her kibble and let it steep for 5 min or so. Just a bit of water to moisten it. She ate it all right away.
Hopefully that will continue.

Trowby

[Lake Girl, Lizette]

Thank you for your suggestion. I have tried w/wo warrm water and thought I had resolved her eating by adding a little Merrick turducken to it. One meal...she loved it...now we are back to trying another brand. I got some samples of Prairie and a can of Instinct (they didn't have any Instinct kibble to try). I also bit the bullet and bought a bag Nature's Variety raw meat to add to her kibble if need be. I have been contemplating switching between a raw and kibble diet. We'll see how it goes Sunday. Have a great weekend

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You have a great weekend too, Lizette. Hope things go well with Molly's eating, but don't drive yourself crazy. She WILL eat if she's hungry enough. Good luck!