Picky Eater

[Amanda and Wheatley]

I know there are discussions on this but I haven't found one quite like mine. So here's the scoop, my dog has been picky since day 1. At first she refused to eat dry kibble all together, now she'll eat it but she really only like Purina Pro Plan Adult food (it's what our roommate's dog eats) and it's pretty much the only food she'll eat! We've tried every food under the sun, TOTW, Orijen, Acana, Evo, Innova, Wellness, you name it (and before you scream at me for introducing to them to her too fast, no I introduced them to her slowly to make sure they wouldn't upset her stomach. Anywho, she'll eat them sometimes, but usually for a week or two, and then she gets sick of them and we'll never touch them again. I've tried the timed meals, I've tried the "a starving dog will not go hungry" approach, I've tried it all. She will go on strike until she gets what she wants, how spoiled! Also, yes, I have added rice, chicken, salmon, parmesan cheese, chicken brother, everything to the kibble, she picks it out. Any advice?? Thanks!

[Adina P]

No help here...I have three chow hounds who would eat a bowl full of apple seeds if that's what I gave them. Sorry you're having so much trouble. How long did you let her go on 'strike' in the past before giving her the food she likes?

[Amanda and Wheatley]

A good day or two!

[Adina P]

Could you stand to go longer? It's just so hard to wrap my mind around the notion of dogs as picky eaters. I know they exist...but I can't fathom it. If she's at a decent weight...then stick it out for 5 days. She what she does, if you can keep her from the other foods you don't really want to feed her.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amanda, we do have lots of discussions about this in the Food Group, but you've pretty much covered everything I know to do. Unless you want to start homecooking, you're going to have to go with "a healthy dog won't starve himself". And even then, there are some dogs that will still be picky; Lynne's Ginger refuses to eat homecooked food unless she's hand-fed with a fork!
How is Madden's weight?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Hand fed with a fork! I really think that's a bit much and would go back to "a healthy dog won't starve himself" or herself in this case. Tell Lynne I'll eat the food, her dog recipes always sound quite good, no one homecooks for me but me, and I'll feed myself to boot.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I really feel your pain...I have a picky eater also. I guess I'm lucky though, because when he's in a super picky mood, he'll eat the kibble if it's mixed with something really yummy and I mix it through so the flavor is actually on the kibble (like yogurt or cottage cheese). If it doesn't mix well (like chicken) he spits out the kibble and just goes for the meat. Other times he'll eat his kibble, but we have to keep rotating among the brands. I keep three or four bags and each day he gets a new kind. You think that would bother his stomach, but it doesn't.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

This is how my chihuahua used to be until we switched to Fromm...have you tried that? Actually had him weighed today and he has gained 6 oz. (that is a lot for him) since we switched to that 6 weeks ago.
Otherwise, I had to go with the starving dog approach....

[Lee Seidman]

Try going to the net and look for a receipe for "Satin Balls " We have the pickiest eater that ever existed. A friend started us on satin balls mixed with some kibble..............she has been eating pretty good since then. The ingredients are strange, but we make ten pounds at a time, put into small portions and give her a meatball size with meals. Seems extremely healthy as a supplement too.

We also learned that liver is doodle addictive.............we buy liver in the market, microwave for two minutes and cut into treat size pieces. She is crazy for it. Lexi is still only 39 pounds for her 14 months but is healthy .

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am a fan of a healthy dog won't starve himself and though I worry (can't stop doing that) I just feed Ned kibble in the suggested lowest amount for his weight. Once in a while I might add yogurt or cottage cheese - but not often because then I have spoiled food. Ned eats about every other day on the average and he is healthy - he ranges from once a day to 2 1/2 day span, although food is offered twice a day. When we are home and not camping, I leave his food down. His preferred choice mealtime is later in the evening or during the night. I refuse to hand feed or anything else - except as a recovering from surgery technique.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That's funny, Luca likes eating during the night too. He's kind of put himself on a schedule of eating some dinner and then eating more during the night. Usually he won't eat unless I'm home, either. I give the dogs "condiments" of what I'm eating sometimes if I'm home, e.g. a few bites of chicken or meat but they rely upon this.

[Melissa, Samson & Shelby]

I have two picky eaters. I have found that rotating their foods helps a lot. We also buy freeze dried liver. When you crush it between your fingers, it forms a powder and we sprinkle that on their food. We don't use much liver that way, and they can't pick it out. I learned to relax about their food and that made it easier.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Have you tried rotating flavors within the same brand? For the high quality foods, you can rotate from bag-to-bag. I have done Salmon Fromm, now am on Duck, next time may try the Pork. It keeps Peri and Taquito interested PLUS it has yet to upset their digestion. Just a thought.