Toppers - just learning about it

[gigi d]

So I noticed that Graycie has been a little slow to eat in the morning (which won't be ideal when I go back to work in September)....this morning I mixed in greek yogurt & probiotic with her dry food and she finally ate!

Is that what is considered adding a "topper"?  Am I starting a bad habit or it's acceptable to do?

I just want her to eat and especially in the morning when time will be an issue until I get home from work at 3:30.

Does anyone find they add toppers to all their doods meals and what are good choices?  She does like white rice, can I mix that in at night? We always have white rice on hand so that would be easy for me....

At 9pm I give her any leftover dry food before bed because she's a bile vomiter in the AM and that she eats with no prob dry -- in fact she does so quite enthusiastically?!

Thanks for your thoughts! :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Anything you add to your dog's normal food as an enticement to eat is a "topper". It can be yogurt, a spoonful of canned dog food, chopped hard-boiled egg, some cut up meat or chicken, Ziwi Peak, just about anything. I would not add rice; many dogs don't do well with rice, many don't care for it, and if you are feeding a grain free diet, you wouldn't want to be adding rice (which is a grain). Toppers should ideally provide some nutritional value, and rice doesn't. 

The downside of adding toppers is that you will most likely have to add toppers for the rest of your dog's life. This can be a problem when your dog has to be boarded, or when you are traveling with your dog.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Also, be aware that just as the dog begins to turn up her nose at her regular food, that can happen with toppers, too. So say you're using yogurt; after a while, she may get tired of that and you'll have to look for another option. It can be a slippery slope. 

[VScott & Lloyd]

I'm watching my sister's 2 little dogs for the next couple of weeks. She mixes a spoonful of canned food with the dry and then crumbles a little Stella & Chewy chicken patty on top. She told me I had to make sure the all the kibble was wet or add a little water. I rolled my eyes (we're ok like that!). While I'm preparing these meals, the dogs are crazy excited and jumping/crying/whining, etc. Doing this also takes some time vs. simply dumping kibble in a bowl. This confirms I would never add a topper for my own dog unless medically necessary.

One of the little dogs was slow to eat as he was allowed to graze when he was the only dog. Now that my sister adopted a new dog and they're staying at our place, we had to make sure the other dogs did not eat his meal. The first day I just took away his bowl and didn't feed him until next feeding time. He didn't starve to death and still got treats during the day as usual. After that, he's been pretty good about finishing his meals within 5-10 minutes. If he lags, I let the other dogs stand there and stare at him and his bowl. A little pressure worked like a charm.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's really about controlling resources. Food and eating are emotional subjects for many people, but it helps to look upon food as just another resource that you, not the dog, control. 

[gigi d]

All very good points, thanks!

What do you recommend i do if she does not eat her breakfast and I have to leave for work, considering she has the hunger/bile vomiting issue will she be ok?  Give her a treat b4 leaving like a jerky or biscuit?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hopefully, this will not be a problem by September. If it is, you may have to give her a biscuit just before you leave for work. 

[debbie stevenson]

I went to a holistic pet specialty store. The person there was very knowledgable and they carry only high quality food like orijen and acana. He said that giving a tbsp of a wet food on top of kibble was good for them. He also suggested a probiotic  daily. it helps with general well being and gut issues. I started daisy on it it is just 1/4 tsp once a day mixed in food, she ate better than she ever has. I am switching her to Acana. The orijen had a lot with chicken and since I think she has a problem with chicken I am avoiding that. Acana seems like a high quality and since it is made by people that do Orijen I thought it was a better choice for her. of course we have been on Nutro since I did not know any better. making the switch slowly. just to be on the safe side.

[debbie stevenson]

oh I meant like a tsp of wet food as a matter of fact I use pumpkin sometimes too. just a smidge

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Okay, so there is only one formula of Orijen that has "a lot of chicken", and three formulas that don;t have any chicken. It's not necessary to change brands if one particular ingredient or formula doesn't agree with your dog; you can simply choose a different formula within the same brand. There are also Acana formulas that contain chicken, and others that don't. So if you think she has a problem with chicken, you can't just buy any Acana formula, you have to look at which animal proteins are in which formulas. 

Probiotics are very helpful for digestive issues, but I have yet to see any of the really good ones being sold OTC in a pet supply store, even a holistic pet supply store. Unless the probiotic contains more than 5 billion CFUs per dose, it's probably not going to do much good.

There's nothing wrong with adding spoonful of canned food added to each meal, as long as you are willing to continue to do that every time you feed her for the rest of her life, lol. Once a can is opened, it must be refrigerated. Will you always have access to a fridge everywhere you go with her? Will whatever boarding facility you may use in the future be willing to do this, too? 

What kind of canned food are you using? Champion doesn't make any canned foods, so I'm assuming it's a different brand with similar proteins to her kibble?