Picky Eater/Dry dog food help
Hello fellow corgi lovers, I know that this subject has been discussed quite a bit and was hoping to get some guidance from folks who have "been there, done that" :)
Stumpy is 7 months old and not excited about meal-time at all, no matter what we do! She was eating purina puppy when we got her from the breeder and after extensive research on these forums(esp the threads on "What do you feed your corgi", dogfoodadvisor/dogfoodanalysis) we transitioned her to Wellness Core grain free puppy formula once we got her. She tolerated this but was never excited about her food or never ate her food on her own until we added treats to it. At 6 months we moved her to Canidae all life stages(we did some searching on the boards and found some had success with this one for picky eaters) and although she seemed to love this at first, after a month she just wouldn't eat or ate very little of this unless we added treats to it just like the wellness.
The thing is, she is super treat-motivated and loves all of the treats we give her(Zuke's mini naturals, Charlie Bears, baby carrots, shredded chicken, home-made organic pumpkin & peanut butter treats). Just doesn't seem to be the vacuum cleaner that most corgis seem to be. She will eat leaves outside and random non-food items on the floor :( but not her food!
We recently started putting salmon oil on her food as a supplement and this caused her to be more interested in eating, but she won't eat unless we put the salmon oil in it. Then she starts eating halfway, she won't finish it until we sprinkle treats on it. I'm fine with continuing to put fish oil on her food since it's good for her but do not want to put treats/yogurt/cottage cheese/canned food or any other additives to get her to eat anymore. Mealtime is starting to make us stressed/worried and I also feel like she is not seeing us as the food provider. So, we have implemented the strict feeding time over the weekend, setting the food down for 30 min then taking it away. Stumpy is at a very healthy weight, already gets fed twice a day at the same times(we always wet her food with warm water so it's easier to eat) and after starting the strict feeding, so far she has only eaten 1/4 of her breakfast yesterday, even less of her food during dinner. Today she didn't eat any of her breakfast at all :'(
I've read great things about wellness/blue buffalo/taste of the wild/orijen but cannot justify the prices(especially since she really didn't like the wellness one in the first place). Are there any great dog foods that have changed your corgi from a picky eater to a vacuum cleaner? As a reference point, we buy Canidae ALS 44lbs for 53.99($1.23/lb) and are looking for something affordable/around this price range but we're open to all suggestions! Or should I just keep up with the strict feeding schedule? Any tips from those that have gone through this? It breaks my heart to see her not love her food. **Sorry for being so verbose, I just don't know what to do...how can you say no to this face?!
All help is greatly appreciated, this site and forum has helped us so much as first-time corgi owners!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by liane, emi, and helix! on
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Hi Kim!
Both of my dogs Emi AND Helix were SUPER PICKY for the first year of their lives DROVE ME INSANE I switched food CONSTANTLY and ALL the time, and just like you I started both of them on wellness core for puppies, and then we switched to blue buffalo, and then TOTW, and then orijen and then back on wellness and it was NUTS my dogs would not eat! But like everyone says, picky eaters are made, not born. we tried all the tricks from mixing with warm water, to adding wet food, leaving the bowl down for 20 minutes and picking it up after (she would eat 1/4 cup a day at this rate).
Eventually I transitioned my dogs onto The Honest Kitchen after reading about it on here some where. Its quiet pricey but after doing my research I went for it, and the dogs loved it (like they like everything the first few days) but what I like is that you can switch between the flavors without having to transition, so I buy several boxes at a time and I change it everyday.
Honestly, you just have to keep trying to figure whats best for your pup :) I know a small handful of people that had picky corgis and it just took time to figure it all out! theres alot of resources here for you and many helpful advice as well. Do not fret as there are people that have been in your shoes !
Good luck! and let us know how everything goes!
** also, i feed my dogs only once a day, because when i do try to feed 2 times a day, they generally wont finish their food -______-
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also, this link is to my discussion thread for when i needed help, theres some solid advice there too :)
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Permalink Reply by Kim & Stumpy N on
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Oh my goodness Liane, after reading your discussion thread regarding Emi... I totally feel like I am at that point where you were! I've tried ALL those things you've listed and now I'm at a loss :\ I've contemplated raw foods as well ever since I saw another corgi at the dog park with the most beautiful coat but ultimately couldn't afford the cost. I've also researched into possibly doing it myself and getting chicken backs/animal organs from local butchers but I am squeamish -____- and worried that Stumpy's diet won't be as balanced. I figure if others can feed their corgis Science Diet, Iams, Pedigree... why can't Stumpy eat Wellness or Canidae when it's supposed to be better? I am hoping the 30min feeding time will help her but I will have to see :\
Did your breeder "free feed" her puppies? Mine did and I honestly feel like it made Stumpy a lazy eater... when I first got her I would set the food down and she would eat a little.. saunter away and eat a little more. At what age did you start feeding your furbabies once a day? And may I ask what time? I've thought about feeding 1x a day as well since it would definitely be so much more convenient for my work schedule but there were conflicting opinions on 1x a day vs 2x a day regarding stomach acidity. Thank you so much for your reply!
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I know exactly how you feel! been there, done that! feeding partially raw food is EXPENSIVE but ultimately i paid about the same for orijen LOL so i figured, if my dogs are going to eat it, it would be worth it, especially since i probably waste more money on the foods i try to buy for them to eat (i have plenty of other kibbles stock piled in my closet, opened and not eaten -_-)
my breeder definitely did that, i really feel like that contributed alot to the "oh, food is always going to be there, i dont HAVE to eat when my person wants me to" mentality that she had. i know how frustrating it is trying to sit there getting your dog to eat -_____-
around 10 months (for Emi) and 6 months (for Helix) I started feeding once a day (and this is while they were on Orijen), as much as i would have liked to feed them 2x a day, it just wasnt going to happen. I feed them everynight around 8 after our nightly walks, and since i train with them in the mornings, they generally have something in their stomach so i don't worry too much about stomach acidity, as long as they eat, i am a happy mama T_T
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Boo on free-feeding! Even as we speak, I've remained in contact with my breeder(I totally appreciate that she checks in with me every now and then, she loves getting pictures of her litters as the grow :D) I e-mailed her with concerns regarding Stumpy's eating habits and the breeder still recommended to free-feed, stating that growing puppies should be able to eat all that they want in order to grow. Now, I understand that growing puppies need more food when they're young and in their developmental stages but you just cannot free-feed while house-breaking...
Seriously, eating & healthy pups=one happy corgi mom! I hope to be where you are soon :)
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Permalink Reply by heather jones on
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Our puppy Gus has been the same way, our old corgi would suck her food down in two seconds so I was surprised when our new guy wasn't very interested in food. He came to us on purina and he never really ate that, so we tried different high end brands and he won't eat any of them, we ended up trying Iams smart puppy and he actually likes it and will usually finish his bowl, we feed him 3 cups a day split in two different feedings. I give him 30 minutes and I pick it up, some people think Iams isn't the best quality but if that's all he will eat we are sticking to it for now. I would just try different brands until you find one he likes, I know petsmart will let you return food even after it is opened. My other dog is kinda picky and she LOVES Flint River Ranch dog food.
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Heather, thanks so much for your reply! May I ask how many brands did you have to try before finding "the one"? And how long has Gus been happy with Iams Smart Puppy? I never knew that tidbit about the great return policy petsmart, I was actually hoping to find a small pet food store that does "sampling" with Stumpy(like wedding cake sampling teehee :D). I'm honestly afraid of changing up her food again because of the whole "picky eaters are made, not born" idea and what if she is only into the new dog food for a month before turning her nose up on it again like Canidae or if I am sabotaging her eating habits because I am a worry-wart of a mom :\
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We tried 5 different brands (very frustrating!) he has been on Iams for about 3 weeks. I thought he was taking to Innova and then he literally started picking the Innova kibble out of the Iams and dropping it on the floor when I had them mixed together during the transition, at this point I am going to leave him on Iams because I am also afraid of making him weird about food. He seems very healthy, he is 5 months and weighs 20 pounds and his poop is firm, I figure when he is a year I will try to switch him to Flint River Ranch since we have had very good results with it in our other dogs.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Mine all seem to do best on Canidae ALS...BUT the more important part to try is add about a 1/3 cup warm water and see if this helps...I have 2 that get every meal with the warm water. They would sometimes even throw up their food and I think it was too dry for them...they are still picky eaters but they eat their food with the water. NOT all corgis are crazy over food.
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Thanks Jane! We've been feeding her dry food in warm water ever since we brought her home and haven't stopped actually :\ We continue to do this just in case she doesn't drink enough water during the day, even though she has water accessible at all times. How many times a day do you feed yours? How long does it take for them to finish their food? I really, really wanna stick with Canidae ALS since I've seen so many threads about the success with this one and it's totally within my budget :)
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Permalink Reply by Bogart the Cardigan on
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Bogart was a picky eater too when we got him at 6 months. We tried a bunch of different foods and sometimes added canned food or cottage cheese to make it more interesting. However, Orijen is the food that worked for us. High quality, no grain or gluten. Yes, it is pricey, but the ingredients are great. I put a little warm water on the kibble but my husband just puts cold water on it and he still eats every morsel. He gets half a cup morning and night, plus a snack of raw fruit and veggies midday (small snack - two pieces of carrot, two green beans cut in half and two pieces of apple). And some treats, especially for training.
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@ Bogart...glad to hear someone else adds water! I thought I was the only one!
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