Lincoln not liking his food.

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

Lincoln (16 mos old) was always a food hound.  when he got Pano in his legs he would not eat at all.  Once he got better, we had to change his food ( Verus to Fromm).  Not sure if he associated it with being sick or his meds.  

So we switched to Fromm gold puppy and then transitioned to Adult.  He loved it.  Then about a month ago, the store was out of the adult gold, so we got large breed adult gold .  Same brand, same ingredients, only difference was the shape.  He would not eat it.  We went back to the regular adult gold and he still is not eating very well.  No other issues, poo is Ok, so I don' t think it is an allergy.  Of course, if we put something on it ( sweet potato, meat) he will gobble it up. 

I don't want to keep changing foods.  We got some samples from our pet store of other Fromm formulas and if we put that on top of his food some flavors he will eat, sometimes not. I don't want to buy different bags and then he won;t eat them either.  

also, for awhile now, he will only eat at dinner, not during the day.  

Any suggestions about his food?   i know he will eat eventually and not starve, but want him to be happy.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Mary Ann, we have a very large, very active group here on Doodle Kisses called the Food Group, where we have lots of discussions about the topic of picky eaters and dogs not liking their food. Please join us. I prefer to discuss and recommend foods in The Food Group.

In the meantime, here's the best discussion and advice you will find on this exact topic, and the slippery slope you may be approaching. It's pretty funny, but it's also very helpful: 

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/an-ode-...

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

sorry, I thought this was the food group.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I will make one suggestion. Try the Fromm Four Star line, which is designed to be rotated with each new bag to keep the dog interested. 

[Christine & Shelby]

Can't agree with Karen more... My Shelby (after some trial and error) landed on Fromm Puppy and then Fromm Adult... Which she became a bit bored with. I now feed her the four star line and she is doing great.... She loves when we get a new bag and transitioning flavors is a breeze... My girl has a sensitive system and I can change her with no transition and have zero issues!

[dal]

Yes, we do the same - Fromm Four Star Line.  Cooper has been on the chicken a la veg for a few months and I actually just started a bag of the duck and sweet potato and he loves it.  Cooper eventually gets bored with his food too.  He also has a sensitive tummy but has no issues with the Four Star line so far.

[Leslie J]

Just a word of advice... don't start using "toppers" like sweet potatoes or meat! My husband started doing this because he thought Cocoa was too skinny- now she expects toppers on her kibble twice a day. It makes feeding lots of extra work, and if she doesn't finish the food we have to throw it out because of the toppers.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, good advice. 

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

thanks for all of the advice.  I will try the 4 star line with our next bag.  

[Richard Crowe]

Breast meat chicken (boneless and skinless) is often available in my locality at very reasonable prices.  When it is on sale, often at around $1.69 per pound, I buy a quantity of it.  I will bake it in the oven and then cool it in the fridge.  Then I will grind it in our Cuisinart food processor (cooling the meat makes it grind better) and freeze it in plastic zip-lock bags.

We defrost a bag at a time and put a tablespoon of this ground chicken on every bowl of kibble we serve; Holly gets two tablespoons on her bowl because she is a big girl.

Our dogs love it and it is a healthy flavorful addition with relatively few calories. It is surprising how many of our rescue dogs, who dislike plain kibble, will gobble down their meals if we put a bit of ground chicken on it!