PLEASE HELP!!
My 3 yr old pomeranian Teddy won't eat his food. At first I was feeding him Pedigree dry food. He was ok with that for awhile, but then it looked like he was having a hard time chewing it. So, I bought Scientific Diet which has larger pieces. "He was okay with that for about 3 days and then he stopped eating it. So now I bought the Purina moist and chewy morsels. He was ok with that for a couple of days, but now won't eat that either. Right now the only way I can get him to eat is if I pretend I'm eating it and then he will eat out of my hands. During all of this there were times he would go 2 days without eating. I did make the mistake during all this, I mixed people food in with his dog food. Of course he only picked the people food out. I don't know what else to do and I don't want him to starve. PLEASE HELP ME!!
Fedding Problem
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
I hope this won't start some of the same debates about dog food that I've seen on other pet forums-- but none of the foods you've mentioned were very good foods.
If you use a higher quality dog food with a little bit of tasty human food mixed in (and vary the food) then your dog will probably not reject the food. Some dogs are fussy eaters, but generally dogs don't want to eat things that they know will make them uncomfortable or sick.
Pedigree has all sorts of fillers in it of bad to debatable content for dogs. Corn and wheat are common dog allergens. If you don't want to spend a whole lot of money on food then you could try a brand like Diamond (same food as Costco's Kirkland brand, about the same price different packaging and kibble shape) mixed up with a little bit of meat puree (or meat baby food) or a splash of broth.
Less filler does mean you feed less (and there's less poop to scoop) but it does take a little bit of time to get your dog adjusted to eating less.
Try http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ to get started comparing foods.
If you use a higher quality dog food with a little bit of tasty human food mixed in (and vary the food) then your dog will probably not reject the food. Some dogs are fussy eaters, but generally dogs don't want to eat things that they know will make them uncomfortable or sick.
Pedigree has all sorts of fillers in it of bad to debatable content for dogs. Corn and wheat are common dog allergens. If you don't want to spend a whole lot of money on food then you could try a brand like Diamond (same food as Costco's Kirkland brand, about the same price different packaging and kibble shape) mixed up with a little bit of meat puree (or meat baby food) or a splash of broth.
Less filler does mean you feed less (and there's less poop to scoop) but it does take a little bit of time to get your dog adjusted to eating less.
Try http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ to get started comparing foods.
I know from other forums that dog foods can be a real passionate subject where if you feed the wrong food well lets just say the flames for that bonfire are real high.
When selecting a food one primary concern is budget. Its not one talked about but if one can only afford to spend $50/month on dog food, recommending a diet which is more costly IMO does not help.
I find that finding the best quality food for what someone can afford is much easier.
For instance, many people feed foods like science diet. SD uses a lot of corn nd by-products in their foods which I do not like to feed. For about the same price one could feed say Nutro and have better quality ingredients and still be able to maintain the same budget. Telling that same person they should be feeding EVO, Orijen or other foods that are well beyond what they can afford does not help the poster.
When I was working with my first dog, the super hyper aggressive one, I put a lot of time and research into different foods. I also have a cat now that is showing early sign of chronic renal failure. Diet is something very important to me.
When I look at a food I want to understand what the ingredients are. Naturapet.com (Innanova, EVO, California Natural) has a wonderful ingredients wizard on their site that explains most of the ingredients commonly found in pet foods.
My criteria when looking at a food:
The number of quality meat sources in the first 5 ingredients
No artifical colors, preservative, or flavors
No non-specific sources of meat...Animal meal or animal by-product
No wheat cluten
No Corn or Soy
No Rice gluten
Meat sources and veggies are Human Grade
Organic is nice, but not always possible for all ingredients.
I also apply the same criteria when looking for treats as in many cases their treats become their meals when we have a training class.
The only exception is the occasional frosty paws (purina makes a frozen doggie ice cream with wheat gluten). Chloe gets 1 cup on each therapy visit.
For those on a budget looking at super premium foods. One thing to realize is that a 30lb bag of super premium food will last as long or perhaps longer than a 40-50lb bag of a typical grocery dog food because you will feed less of the good stuff.
Apollo weighs 67 lbs. Purina serving suggestions say around 4 cups per day of purina 1......Orijen he gets 2-2 1/4 cups per day. Just about half of purina 1.
Another consideration is the foods available in one's locale. Foods in the US may not be available say in the UK and vice vera.
This info applies to both canned and dry foods.
While you are comparing and looking for which dog food will work best for your dog, some things you can do with the food you currently have:
crack an egg over it and mix it in...shell is optional but is an excellent source of calcium.
Add cottage cheese
Add plain yogurt
These 3 things not only will make their current food a bit more appetizing they are all very healthy for your dog to eat.
You may also want to try adding the all meat baby foods...lamb, veal, turkey...just look at the ingredients and make sure there is no onion powder.
When selecting a food one primary concern is budget. Its not one talked about but if one can only afford to spend $50/month on dog food, recommending a diet which is more costly IMO does not help.
I find that finding the best quality food for what someone can afford is much easier.
For instance, many people feed foods like science diet. SD uses a lot of corn nd by-products in their foods which I do not like to feed. For about the same price one could feed say Nutro and have better quality ingredients and still be able to maintain the same budget. Telling that same person they should be feeding EVO, Orijen or other foods that are well beyond what they can afford does not help the poster.
When I was working with my first dog, the super hyper aggressive one, I put a lot of time and research into different foods. I also have a cat now that is showing early sign of chronic renal failure. Diet is something very important to me.
When I look at a food I want to understand what the ingredients are. Naturapet.com (Innanova, EVO, California Natural) has a wonderful ingredients wizard on their site that explains most of the ingredients commonly found in pet foods.
My criteria when looking at a food:
The number of quality meat sources in the first 5 ingredients
No artifical colors, preservative, or flavors
No non-specific sources of meat...Animal meal or animal by-product
No wheat cluten
No Corn or Soy
No Rice gluten
Meat sources and veggies are Human Grade
Organic is nice, but not always possible for all ingredients.
I also apply the same criteria when looking for treats as in many cases their treats become their meals when we have a training class.
The only exception is the occasional frosty paws (purina makes a frozen doggie ice cream with wheat gluten). Chloe gets 1 cup on each therapy visit.
For those on a budget looking at super premium foods. One thing to realize is that a 30lb bag of super premium food will last as long or perhaps longer than a 40-50lb bag of a typical grocery dog food because you will feed less of the good stuff.
Apollo weighs 67 lbs. Purina serving suggestions say around 4 cups per day of purina 1......Orijen he gets 2-2 1/4 cups per day. Just about half of purina 1.
Another consideration is the foods available in one's locale. Foods in the US may not be available say in the UK and vice vera.
This info applies to both canned and dry foods.
While you are comparing and looking for which dog food will work best for your dog, some things you can do with the food you currently have:
crack an egg over it and mix it in...shell is optional but is an excellent source of calcium.
Add cottage cheese
Add plain yogurt
These 3 things not only will make their current food a bit more appetizing they are all very healthy for your dog to eat.
You may also want to try adding the all meat baby foods...lamb, veal, turkey...just look at the ingredients and make sure there is no onion powder.
How long has Teddy been off his food? Was he a good eater previously? Does he get titbits?
If this is recent, a health check from a vet is needed.
If he has always been a reluctant feeder, then remember that this is not a struggle to 'win' or 'lose', and that we don't eat what we don't like either. Remember too that he has a tiny stomach and you may simply be offering him too much. Our terriers get a heaped tablespoonful of food a day. That's it. That's all they usually need, but if they start to look thin, they get more, and if they start to look porky they get less.
Is he very thin? If not, then he is getting enough food.
If he gets titbits, these may be quite enough to fill his stomach.
Processed food, while keeping to the same main ingredients, does get changed according to what is cheap and available, and this 'recipe change' may be quite enough for your dog to dislike it.
Everybody please note how nobly I have resisted saying anything about feeding fresh raw natural food
If this is recent, a health check from a vet is needed.
If he has always been a reluctant feeder, then remember that this is not a struggle to 'win' or 'lose', and that we don't eat what we don't like either. Remember too that he has a tiny stomach and you may simply be offering him too much. Our terriers get a heaped tablespoonful of food a day. That's it. That's all they usually need, but if they start to look thin, they get more, and if they start to look porky they get less.
Is he very thin? If not, then he is getting enough food.
If he gets titbits, these may be quite enough to fill his stomach.
Processed food, while keeping to the same main ingredients, does get changed according to what is cheap and available, and this 'recipe change' may be quite enough for your dog to dislike it.
Everybody please note how nobly I have resisted saying anything about feeding fresh raw natural food
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Duly noted *click and treat* for you!
I really must buy a sample of Orijen and see how that is, I love the idea of it (Nettle its dry food but totally grain freeeeeeeeee) but not sure how that pans out in reality.
Anyway I feed raw so thats really all I can discuss - because ive got four dogs i have a chest freezer as well as the fridgefreezer for people... so I can buy in bulk and that saves me money.
Raw food suits the majority of dogs, but not all.. but the benefits it gives I think make it worth a try. It can be as cheap or as expensive really as you want it to be - if you want to feed expensive venison and duck, or you want to feed cheaper chicken/turkey/fish - buy in bulk and save, hunt around for butchers who will give you things for free.... or take the easier route but pay more.
As for quality, much better and much easier to guauge this for yourself... would you eat this meat? yes.. then its probably good quality (unless you eat just burgers and sausages...). If anyone wants to know more ask me or Nettle.
I really must buy a sample of Orijen and see how that is, I love the idea of it (Nettle its dry food but totally grain freeeeeeeeee) but not sure how that pans out in reality.
Anyway I feed raw so thats really all I can discuss - because ive got four dogs i have a chest freezer as well as the fridgefreezer for people... so I can buy in bulk and that saves me money.
Raw food suits the majority of dogs, but not all.. but the benefits it gives I think make it worth a try. It can be as cheap or as expensive really as you want it to be - if you want to feed expensive venison and duck, or you want to feed cheaper chicken/turkey/fish - buy in bulk and save, hunt around for butchers who will give you things for free.... or take the easier route but pay more.
As for quality, much better and much easier to guauge this for yourself... would you eat this meat? yes.. then its probably good quality (unless you eat just burgers and sausages...). If anyone wants to know more ask me or Nettle.
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Lis & Addy
- Posts: 204
- Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2007 2:27 pm
Sometimes for small dogs, the size of the meal is a problem, and more frequent, smaller meals work better. Addy gets three small meals a day, with the third one served in a Kong treat ball rather than a bowl. She eats all three happily, is maintaining a good weight, and is pretty sure that third meal is a game she always wins.
Lis
Lis
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wolfgirl333
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:40 am
Problem eating... Sensitive teeth maybe..
If your dog doesnt eat his food maybe he just has a case of sensitive teeth, a lot of small dogs have sensitive teeth depending on the size of the dog food and the age also goes into that category aswell. Unless your dog is just plain picky then the size of the food shouldnt be a problem. Sometimes we get that problem with our dogs when we feed them canned dog food the next few days they dont want to eat anything else so we dont feed them canned dog food unless we give it to them as a treat but mixed with their dry food. So if your dog is picky just try mixing dry dog food with melasses or veg. or olive oil (olive or canola oil is always healthier then veg oil though but its still good for them) or even mixed with a raw egg dogs just love it. And if your dog just has sensitive teeth just take about 1/2 to 3/4 of the amount of food you would normally feed your dog put it in a bowl and but warm water in the bowl about an inch past the food and let it sit there for a bit. The dry dog food will absorb the water and expand. It will also make the food softer for your dog's sensitive mouth and wheither your pets picky or not he will eat it. I have a 16 years old mini poodle mix and as hyper and healthy as he may be he cant eat hard food because he lacks in teeth lol although that doesnt stop him from eating a few kibbles of dry food from time to time but softening the dry food with water does help a lot. And even though its the same food dry dog food as all our other dogs eat they all prefer his (mixed with water). Sometimes when the other ones are in the house I have to put my poodle in the bathroom and close the door so he gets to eat. If not the girls steal his food lol and he cant really get it back.. I mean a mini poodle vs 3 female shepherd mixes.. lol it is really funny to see him get mad at them when he really is hungry lol But anyways I hope this helps you a little if not then I really dont know what you can do except go to a vets and get him checked.
