Feeding problem
Hi guys! I have a problem with my Pem 1 year old. He has never been fond of eating kibble food, however I have gotten him through his first year eating mostly Wellness & Merrick kibble. I feed him in the morning after a 30 min walk and in the night after a 15 min night walk.
The process for Fender to eat basically is: play with me so I can eat! He prefers to play than to eat. He is never hungry for his kibble. I will probably change te brand to Nature's Variety which has a LOT of meat content, so maybe that does the trick.
However I was thinking today in going to HEB and buying chicken and chicken broth, and cook for him that with rice and assorted veggies, and mix that with his kibble. Do you think that feeding him that might discourage even more his appetite for kibble?
Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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Is he eating enough to maintain a normal body weight? Generally speaking, picky eaters aren't born. They are made. Most often it will make a dog more picky if you start adding super tasty treats in with the boring 'ol kibble. As long as he is eating enough to keep a healthy weight, then I would just continue the search for a kibble that he enjoys. You can get samples and try out different flavors to see if any entice him. My Eskimo Dog used to look at his bowl of Science Diet and have sort of a "meh" reaction. When I switched him to Taste of the Wild, he was a whole different dog. He inhales his food now, and always wants more. If Fender is having trouble eating enough to remain healthy, though, then I (personally) would start adding broth or bits of meat to encourage him to eat something.
If you would rather not feed kibble, then you could always switch to something else entirely. You could put him on a Raw Diet, switch to wet food, or even make your own dog food. If you decide to make your own or switch to a raw diet, though, you should consult your veterinarian and/or dog nutritionist. You want to make sure you're giving him everything that he needs to be healthy and happy.
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Permalink Reply by Alex Gzz on
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Thanks for the reply. He weights between 22 and 23 pounds. Sometimes when he makes certain moves, you can see his ribs and I have read that you should not see his ribs at any time, but just feel them when you touch him. Hi looks happy and he always wants to play instead of eating his kibble.
I will try try another brand of kibble or flavor, to see if that makes the trick. It's just that since last Saturday, he has ate just about 4 cups of kibble and a can of Innova wet food.
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What does his Vet say about his weight? His weight seems fairly good as far as the numbers go, but each dog is different. If he does better with wet food you could mix that in with his kibble and see how that goes until you find a kibble he likes. I used to do that as a treat or when Yuki wouldn't eat his Science Diet kibble.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
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Hi Alex, Fender is 1 year old and weight 22-23 lbs, I would not change a thing until he's 2 years old, that's when the rest of him will fill out, he should be within standard range by then, let him grow.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I personally wouldn't add anything to his food besides a little warm water. Henry was a ridiculously picky eater and I only made it worse by catering to him. I use to add broth, yogurt, gravy, treats, wet food, changed the brand, changed the protein source, you name it I tried it. Eventually I got sick of it and started picking up his food after twenty minutes if he didn't eat it. I know it seems mean but it does work, and the dog will figure it out. He will not starve himself to death next to a full bowl of food. Henry's still not very excited about kibble but he does finish his bowl now.
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Thanks for all the replies. I will encourage him to eat by adding more canned food into the kibble from time to time. Also, I'm changing his Puppy food to Adult food. I'm going to try the Cowboy Cookout from Merrick.
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Permalink Reply by Basil on
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I mix a tablespoon full of Wellness wet food in with Basil's Wellness kibble. One can lasts through one half of a six pound bag. Lamb wet food with whitefish kibble. He likes it....but then he also eats Kleenex. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Amber and Kirby on
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get this stuff, and he will eat. my boy will not eat kibble unless this is on it. its great for their coat too!!!
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=yummy+chummy+salmon+oil&am...
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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Franklin was skin and bones until he was almost 2 years old. He wasn't a huge fan of his kibble until I put him on Taste of the Wild. He loves it. He used to skip meals for several days in a row and then finally eat a bit. The vet I worked at used to always tease me about starving him. At around 2 he started to fill out, gained about 6 pounds, and now looks like a healthy corgi and will actually eat his food too! How much do you feed each meal?
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Thanks Melissa... I feed him 2/3 of a cup twice a day. One ration in the morning and another one at night. Once his Merrick Puppy Plate finished, I'm changing him to Merrick Cowboy Cookout. He eats when he get to play LOL.
If I sit with him for 30 minutes he would go for his Kong to get mt to throw it. After 3 throws and playing, he comes to his plate and eats a for a minute. After that the playing continues and the he would go for another bite. That process takes from 30 to 45 minutes.
Sometimes he just eats half his ration. After 45 minutes I take the plate and store it so I could feed that kibble in the night. When this happens he only eats about 1 cup or less a day.
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Permalink Reply by Michelle, Blake & Luna :3 on
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No actually I think that will only encourage his kibble it would be sorta like it's not there. Because the chicken soup would basically soften it so he would just think it's apart of the meal! I would definitely try that idea more chicken so he thinks he's getting a treat when really it's good for him and he gets the vitamins from the kibbles that are mixed in which he can't tell because it's softened.
But also you kinda have to keep it up thought because if one day you decide to not put the chicken and the broth than he just won't eat so you'll have to find a whole new way to find what he likes. So or do what most people do leave the food out eventually when he gets hungry he'll eat it because survival first! lol you don't have to worry about him starving to death he'll eat it just to survive.
Good Luck!
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