Food Issues

[Patrick Windsor II]

Hello, I have a 18 month male golden doodle, and we have had problems with finding a dry food he will eat. We started him on Blue Buffalo when he was a puppy and he "tolerated" it, then he got a bought of Giardia and we had to give him medicine and then put him on a diet of sweet potato's and chicken (blended up into a paste). He LOVED that, he went nuts when I would go to feed him and ever since then has not seemed to like anything.I have tried different flavors in the Blue Buffalo and also transitioned him to other brands (all grain free). I have even added a 1/2 can of canned food and he just licks the that up and leaves the dry food. 

Not sure what to do at this point. I was told by the vet that he should have dry food as its better for his teeth, and to be honest, it would be bloody expensive to give him canned food only (I will do it as a last resort if I need to)

[Cyndi, The Boys & Callie]

We have 4 doodles and two were termed "picky eaters" before we got them.  They have all been on Acana Wild Praire or Ranchlands for years now and clean their bowls every time.  No picky eaters in our house.  Acana is more expensive but you feed a little less and the company (in Canada) is excellent.  Would not feed ours anything else.  If you buy from Chewy.com they have free shipping over $49, no tax (except FL & PA) and it's cheaper than local.  Helps on the cost being a little higher.   Good luck

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna loves her Acana.  She gets either Grasslands, Ranchlands or Pacifica and we rotate flavors every bag.

She does lose interest towards the end of the bag but I don't worry because she doesn't get "picky" for more than a day or so before she resumes eating regularly.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A normal healthy dog will not starve himself to death. "Picky eaters" are made, not born. The more you try to find something the dog will like, or add toppers and extras, the more you teach the dog that if he holds out long enough, he might get something better. It's natural to feel anxious when a dog doesn't seem to be eating enough to get the nutrients he needs, but if he's active and energetic and at a good body weight, he's eating enough. 

It's important to limit the amount of time that the dog has access to food, which means that if you are free-feeding, stop now. When food is available any time the dog feels like having a mouthful, he takes it for granted. When he knows that food is only available at certain times he will quickly learn that if he wants to eat, he'll have to do it then or wait til the next mealtime. Put the food in the bowl at breakfast and dinner, give him 10 minutes during which you must stay in the immediate area and keep distractions to a minimum (no kids running through the room, no loud playing nearby, etc), and then pick up the bowl regardless of how much he has eaten and do not offer food again until the next scheduled feeding. 

Regarding specific foods, I could give you many suggestions, but the problem is that until you implement the above suggestions, changing foods won't help. He may be excited about a new food, but he will quickly revert to his old picky ways when he gets tired of it.

That said, Blue Buffalo is no longer a recommended brand here, and there are a lot of better choices that might appeal to him more. A rotation diet, in which you change formulas within the same line of food with each new bag often helps keep the dog interested. Cyndi's suggestion of Acana is a good one. Orijen would be another good brand, and since it is very calorie dense and you feed less, it works well for dogs who are not big eaters. Many people here have had success with the Fromm Four Star line, which offers more than a dozen choices, all designed to be rotated. Most dogs love it.

BTW, your vet is misinformed about dry food being better for dogs' teeth than wet food. That's an old idea that has since been disproved with clinical studies. 

Here's my favorite discussion on the topic of picky eaters and owners trying to find a food the dog will eat. It's worth reading. It will make you laugh, but you might also learn a thing or two, lol. http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

And if you plan at any time in the near future to bring a second dog into your home, that in itself will take care of this whole issue, as the author of the above discussion learned. :) 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Exactly what Karen said!  Some dogs are not really 'foodies' and don't always eat two meals a day, each and every day. This is okay too.

[Patrick Windsor II]

Karen,

I am not sure you  monitor the other forums, but I had put another post about JJ being lethargic, I did bring him the the vet today and she said that JJ is fine (she did blood work and a bunch of tests). While there I mentioned that he is a finicky eater and is not eating his dry food and was not sure if him being lethargic was related (the finicky eating has been going on for months). I actually showed her your response and she completely agreed with you and said follow your advise, however she also gave me script for mirtazapine to help with his appetite, I am hesitant to do that though... I would be curious about what you think of that.. He is not underweight or dehydrated per the vet.

---EDIT---

I guess you do monitor the other forums.. Thank you for your advise!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, you're welcome! 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Mirtazapine is in humans a very sedating antidepressant. I don't know how it acts in dogs but it certainly might increase appetite. I son't think it is a good idea.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Murphy was on 15 mg of mirtazapine every 24 hours for a couple of weeks to stimulate his appetite and help with nausea.  This was when he was at his worst with an IBD flare and it helped him a lot.  I still keep some in the house and I wouldn't hesitate to use it again at the first signs of a flare.  It seemed to take the sick feeling away so he wanted to eat.  He was on multiple other drugs at this time but I think it was the mirtazapine that got him back to eating. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, but Murphy was very ill, with a serious gastrointestinal disease. Patrick's dog is perfectly healthy, and is just being picky about food. I think drugs are warranted when health is at stake, but that doesn;t seem to be the case here.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Yes....but to jump start his appetite if it were me I would try it for a few days.  I certainly wouldn't use it continually, but with Murph it had no side effects and it did make him hungry enough to want to eat.  It's definitely an individual choice and the larger issue of finding a food that he likes still must be resolved. I would just give it a try.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It makes me feel good that I found a food that Ned actually loves and is eager to eat, but in truth, I don't really and truly care if he loves his food as long as it is nutritious, he eats enough to maintain a proper weight and contributes to his overall health.  I don't really get those of you who jump from food to food, trying to entice your healthy dogs to eat with brand changes and toppers, thus promoting over-eating which can lead to obesity. Why go there?

Personally, I wish I was more bored with my food so only ate what was 'enough!'

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree, and I always was (and still am) a believer that most dogs don't starve themselves.  That said, I'm one of those people who gets concerned when either of my guys skip more than one meal.  They often skip breakfast, and that's not great because it usually means they will throw up bile at some point during the day and that is a pain to get out of the carpet.  If they skip multiple meals in a row that is a problem for either of them due to the IBS and IBD.  Even if they were healthy though I'd get a bit concerned with skipping several meals.  Murphy is very bored with his hydrolyzed food...it just doesn't taste good.  I've now found a topper that is only a novel protein and for now that has enticed him to eat.  Eventually he'll get sick of that too and I'll be back to trying to find something to get him to eat.