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)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Jane, Murphy and Guinness have problems - I am not talking about dogs who must eat and must eat special diets that taste yucky, yet you have to get them to eat.  I am talking about your run-of-the-mill guys like mine.  Clancy would eat anything, anytime, anywhere so we really have to watch his portions.  Ned used to skip meals all of the time, and still does when we are in the RV, however he doesn't throw up bile.  I feel he is self-monitoring his weight.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

OH , picky eaters! Not surprising that your doodle wants his chicken and sweet potato back! I laughed at that old discussion Karen!  I think a lot of us can relate :)  Once we found Acana, I said "enough. I told Finn -- Karen says it's a great food and it's YOUR food. We're DONE switching…except between the Lamb & Apple or Pacifica. I put it down and pick it up after 20 minutes.  The vet advised us to throw away the canned food as a topper. I believe that was part of the problem…it gave him the runs and possibly made him nauseous so then he wouldn't eat. It was a vicious cycle. Now he gets 1/2 to a tablespoon of cooked shredded chicken, grass fed ground beef, or in a pinch, cheese (which he tolerates well) -- all cheaper than canned food, and not hard to keep on hand. He eats pretty much on schedule.  If he occasionally misses breakfast, I pick it up and he'll eat well at dinner. He can hold out for 2 days against plain kibble -- unless he sees another dog eat it lol. He's also picky about treats.  Sigh. It's become a competition between the ladies in the office at school to see who's treat Finn will eat. What a character!  Don't stress, your doodle won't starve.    

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've had a lot of success with chopped hardboiled eggs as a topper when I have to get a dog to eat. It's easy to have hardboiled eggs on hand and if you mix the chopped egg into the kibble well, the dog can't really pick out the egg. Plus the strong smell of hardboiled eggs is very appealing to most dogs. 

Canned pet food makes me gag, lol.