Need some opinions/advice on Oscar's food issues

Oscar started to have issues with not eating a couple of months ago and while I think I know the solution to the problem, I think I need a fresh pair of eyes on the subject if anything just to be sure I'm not missing anything. I apologise in advance as this is going to be a long one!

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Oscar has always been a picky dog and never the sort of dog who lives to eat, more the sort of dog who eats to live. He's been raw fed from being a puppy and has had various little "issues" with eating over this period, although nothing that has caused his mealtimes to be a serious problem.

The first was an issue (about 18 months ago) with eating anything that was "sloppy", so I stopped defrosting his food over night and zapped in the microwave in the morning. This solved the problem.

He often has issues with new meat sources, being reluctant to eat them at first but once offered them a few times eventually comes round and will eat as normal once he gets used to it. One of the ways I used to get him to eat was to say "Isla will eat it" at which point he would make an effort as he obviously doesn't want his food to get eaten by someone else. "Isla will eat it" no longer works very often, he simply doesn't seem to care.

Basically it's always felt like an effort to get him to eat, but I think that might just be because Isla is at the opposite end of the scale as she inhales anything put in front of her.

Anyway, a couple of months ago Oscar gradually started to refuse Minced Beef. I had started this on trial as I was trying to find out if he was allergic to any particular meat sources, I assumed that perhaps he didn't want to eat it because he knew it was bad for him if he was allergic. He then started to refuse turkey mince and gradually has become picky with RMB and tripe. The only thing he eats with gusto is the minced lamb which I recently re ordered to replace the minced beef.

When I put his food down he stares at it, then back at me, then back at the food and so it continues. Giving him encouragement doesn't seem to help anymore. Sometimes he shakes like he's terrified, it's almost like he's too scared to eat. Yet when given minced lamb he'll eat normally???

I gave him tripe and oily fish for breakfast one morning, it was a real effort to get him to eat and he refused to eat what was stuffed in his kong. I put the kong back in the fridge and when it came to teatime meal I put the kong in his bowl with his tea and he ate the contents with no problem???? What is that all about? Surely if he genuinely didn't like what I was offering him he wouldn't eat it at all?
For this reason I do wonder if there's something psychological going on. Is he so insecure that he's trying to control his environment by refusing to eat sometimes?

There are two incidents that might be contributing factors: he's had a hard time lately with dogs attacking him, however this has only happened in the last couple of weeks and the faddy eating started a couple of months ago. I also, without thinking, shooed the cat away from him while he was trying to eat (clapping my hands and raising my voice), but again this was several weeks before he started being faddy.

I have considered changing him on to dry food, but I honestly don't think it's about not liking the food, I think he's just barking mad!

I'm considering two possible plans of action:

To only feed him once a day to try and keep him hungry.

To leave his food down for 15 minutes, take it up if it's not eaten and then continue to re offer it until he eats it.

The main reason I haven't properly tried the second one is partly because I'm too soft, but also because I don't think my Mother will stick to it. It's likely she'll offer her something in place of it, which I know will make the problem 10 times worse.

He ate most of his tripe this morning (refusing his kong again) and ignored the turkey mince I put down for him at teatime. As a result I've put it back in the freezer and he won't get anything else until breakfast. I do think this is the only way to solve this problem, but I'd be grateful for any opinions. And well done for getting this far!

Oh, one last thing: holier than thou attitudes need not apply.

Thanks.

if i was in your shoes i'd maybe tryyyyy dry food just to see what happens?
Sweep is a fussy ******
We tried the leaving food down and taking it away and honestly, he would go alarming periods without eating, so we just changed tack and decided to find something hed actually eat.

i can't really offer any further suggestions either, but can sympathise as going through the exact same thing with my 18 month old toddler !!!! its a nightmare

Given that he will sometimes eat the food normally with no problems, whilst at other times won't I don't think it's a case of disliking the food. If he genuinely didn't like it then surely he would just never eat it? He's been on raw from the same supplier for 2 and a half years so it's not like the food has changed either. I'm more inclined, judging by his behaviour, to believe it's a psychological problem tbh.

Ha ha ha, that made me laugh! Sorry!

well i was laughing at the possible psychological problems my daughter has got - but i think she is just an extremely stubborn little get !! LOL

Yeah I think Oscar might have that trait too!

I would halve his rations, and put down and walk away. Pick up and remove after 15 mins and give nothing until next meal.

It sounds as though he is picking up on YOUR anxiety so he spends a lot of time in conflict.

Like with kids if you make it an issue it becomes one.

Give him a bit of time to eat it, don't watch him, don't try and encourage him.

Then pick it up. I might also try a dried food to see if it goes down better, in the same way I might try raw if I had problems with dried food.

rune

Aww I had a big issue with Ben, I know what it like
I did notice that he really prefers just having food once a day - in the evening

and now i dont really fuss at all, food goes down, he gets his chance to eat it, if not Mia gets it (and he has cleared every bowl for the last 18 months - so it is working)