picky eater

[Rebecca bratter]

My aussie doodle Madiba does not like her kibble.  She will only eat it when she is starving and desperate.  We give her treats as part of her training class and she gets puppy ice cream when it is really hot out but she always wants our food and won't eat her own.  If we give her the wet dog food and mix the dry kibble in, she will eat it.  We are using Wellness brand and also Call of the Wild.  When we first got her she couldn't get enough, now she barely touches it.  Any suggestions on a dry kibble that doodles can't resist.  Also, is it ok to give her the wet dog food with kibble mixed in?  She is a 4.5 month old puppy, we are feeding her wellness puppy food.  Is the wet food nutritionally equivalent to the dry?

[Sally Lehman]

You could top it with a spoonful or two of plain nonfat yogurt. My dog loves it!

[Rebecca bratter]

Great Idea! I will try it. 

[Sally Lehman]

Just make sure it is PLAIN and nonfat is best so they aren't getting added calories.

[Sally Lehman]

It's great for their digestive system!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Put her food down for 15 minutes, if she doesn't eat it... take it away and try again in a few hours!

If you start adding things to her food then you will likely end up with a picky eater as an adult.

We rotate the flavors of Luna's kibble every bag, but that's about it.  

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

My girls are on TOTW and they are picky too so I mix it up every meal; whipped egg, nonfat plain yogurt, lowfat cottage cheese, butternut squash or pumpkin (baked), chicken stock (from scratch).  Usually once a week they get (no sodium) green beans.  Most of the time I take one egg (whip it up) then pour it over their food, my daughter likes to add a little water to it when she does it.  I find these items to be cheaper than wet dog food and most likely better for them?  Hope this helps. 

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

There are many people on DK who know so much more than I do about dog food, so I'll let them answer about the nutritional values, etc.

My "specialty" is/was turning dogs INTO picky eaters. Here is how I created these demanding dogs- I changed food 6-7 times in the last 4 years and added toppings that ranged from yogurt, eggs, gravy, cereal (many kinds), cottage cheese, crackers, water, canneddog food, there were more but I can't remember everything. I did all this food changing because "Fozzie didn't like his food", and I was afraid he would lose weight and become sick. When I asked the same type of question you are asking now, this is, in short, the response I got...IF YOUR DOG IS HEALTHY HE WILL NOT STARVE HIMSELF and IF YOU WERE FED (the same) BROWNIES EVERY DAY YOU WOULD GET TIRED OF THEM TOO.

THE NEW ME- Now I use ONE brand of food, BB, and change flavors within BB. I also use grain free due to it's richer smell/flavor. If they don't eat the food within 15-20 minutes it gets picked up for the next feeding. Rarely now, Fozzie still won't eat all his food in one seting but his weight is good and he's healthy!!

Good luck finding what works for you and Madiba!

[Rita and Fazzy]

Oh gosh Cathy.....you sound JUST LIKE ME!!!  I sooo made the monster that my 3 dogs turned into.  OY!!!!

[Rebecca bratter]

We are headed this way, we are not adding toppings but we are just letting her eat the wet food instead of her kibble because she doesn't like it or she is just spoiled and will only eat it when desperate.  Now she is sick with diarrhea so we have to feed her chicken and white rice for a while, she eats all the chicken and leaves the rice.  Even when we mix the kibble with the wet food she'll hide the kibble in her mouth and spit it out.  What is BB?  Where do you find it?

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Sorry, BB is Blue Buffalo found at most pet supply stores. I can't help wih the poo problem. My boys haven't had diarrhea problems in a very long time. If anything Fozzie's is sometimes a bit dry.

[Rebecca bratter]

Ok, we'll give BB a try.  We just found out Madiba has giardia so that explains the other situation.  I can't keep her from eating and drinking everything on the ground when we are on a walk or when she is playing in dog park.  It finally got her.  She's on meds and no dog interaction for a week. 

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Rebecca, I've had good luck with BB and it's on the DK approved food list. It's my opinion that BB is kinda of in the middle of the pack of quality dog food. I've heard some dogs won't eat the small life source bits that contain the vitamins and minerals which are important. I picked this brand because of the quality, it's easy to find, and the medium price point. Even though I like BB, you may want to check into some of the other brands for comparison.
Be careful about changing foods while on meds any dealing with Giardia. That's a lot for a system to handle all at once and if she continues to have diarrhea it would be hard for you to determine if it's from food, or meds, or the Guardia. I hope Madiba is feeling better soon, I've heard Giardia is nasty and can be difficult to get rid of. Good Luck!!!