VERY fussy eater!

Hi Guys,

My 1 year old Jackie called Biscuit has recently become a very fussy eater. She refuses to eat her kibble, and i've tried various different wet foods (Almo, Nature Diet, Natures Harvest, JWB, Applaws) and she will eat this for a few days, but then goes off it all together and wont entertain the idea of eating it!

She'll quite happily have any treats she is given, and is also quite happy with her Kong.

She also once had some cheap supermarket food (as a result of leaving her with my mother in law!) Which she apparently gobbled up?

Any ideas on anything I can try and/or do?

Cheers

Joe

This sounds like how Jess was on kibble, which is why I changed her to raw. That's the best move I've ever made with regards to her food.

Hi

When you say this fussiness has become a recent thing, how recent are we talking? did she eat everything that was given to her prior to this?

You say she liked the cheap supermarket stuff...that is because they pack it full of rubbish (artificial colours/flavours/preservatives) to make it more appealing to dogs. Definitely don't think about trying her on it full time.

You say she likes her Kong. What do you put in her Kong? have you considered trying to feed her meals in a Kong? you could stuff it with a bit of the treats she likes AND her wet food, then freeze it. You could even sneak a bit of kibble in there and hope that she doesn't notice.

Another idea is to warm up her food. Wet foods like Naturediet can be lightly warmed up in the microwave, which is what I do for my Yorkie. Heating it up brings out both the smell and flavour to make it more appealing. You can do the same for dry food, only you let soak in hot water (make sure it is cool before serving) until it becomes a mush.

Another alternative would be to go down the raw or home cooked route, although obviously you'd have to do a lot of research into the subject.

Theres absolutely no way that my dog will eat kibble either and the only wet he will eat is natures menu canned . He has been raw fed for 7 months and I've never looked back. After all, this is what they eat in the wild so it has to be better than processed rubbish.

Technically speaking I guess raw is better, but that doesn't mean to say that a dog will do better on raw over kibble. I didn't see any differences in mine and I've fed both ways. Plus, domestic dogs are a heck of a long way removed from their wild ancestors, so what they ate in the wild is kind of irrelevant.

Millions of dogs do just fine on "processed rubbish", so I'm not really a fan of the idea that anyone who feeds dog food to their dog is doing them a disservice by feeding them 'rubbish'.

I wonder if you have hit the nail on the head with your title "Fussy" eater?

Sometimes a dog will cotton on to the fact that if he/she refuses a certain food, something else will be offered! Fussy eating can escalate until the dog is eating nothing but the best steak or chicken.........extreme I know, but it can happen.

Try putting down her food (soaked or warmed as has been suggested) and if it is not eaten within ten mins or so then remove it. Give treats as normal but don't overdo them. Next mealtime put the food down again, but again remove it after ten mins if not eaten. Obviously, if this goes on for too long then you will have to change to a different food and try again

hi
i agree with the above post,except for the treat thing...i wouldnt give any treats at all at the mo,i have always used the 10 minute rule(even if the dog starts eating at 9 mins)
with some dogs food is just not that high on their list of priorities(like my flea)
is your dog underweight?

Actually, yes Tupacs.......giving treats may not be such a good idea! I did wonder about putting that

Hi-our first dog was like this-he was a Cairn terrier and he refused to eat most dog foods. It ended up that he would only eat cooked chicken! Then we rehomed my Sister's Cairn to live with us and he ate anything when there was the 2 of them! After this I decided that I wouldn't pander to fussy eaters anymore! I guess I am not saying get another dog but just don't worry and I agree with the 10 minute rule too. If he's hungry he will eat eventually.

Lily's kitchen (online-free delivery if spend over £20) do a good range of tasty (well my dogs thought so!) and quality dog food-both dry and canned/pouches. It is too expensive for larger dogs like my 2 but if you only have a small dog may not work out too dear.

......mind you after 3 years of trying and Flea being underweight,ive found the only way is a raw meal of turkey neck or turkey wing then he has appetite for a good quality kibble(kinda kickstarts him,and suits his belly) he put 4 kilos on in a month,and hes still not overweight(thats how skinny he was,and stubborn!!
mind u 3 years was definitely not me giving into him