Comment

Comment by Jane Christensen on January 18, 2013 at 9:21pm

How old is she? My guess is she's teething . I would NOT start the habit of canned food. If she's teething then warm water sitting a few minutes and she will gobble it up. Cheese is also starting a poor habit. Treats are great but when you add to the food you could be making a finicky eater. Personally I like to free feed and don't pick up the food but I think that's people's personal decision.

Comment by manda & molly on January 18, 2013 at 8:38pm

Molly was getting picky, so I added income nice and squishy white rice and she would gobble it up once the hard food got soft enough

Comment by Bev Levy on January 18, 2013 at 8:20pm

She is most likely teething and the food hurts her tender gums. Add a water for now.

Comment by Laura Rochette on January 18, 2013 at 7:42pm

I also add a tablespoon or so of canned food (Blue Buffalo) as a "garnish" and Lucy eats it all up.

Comment by Laura and Tommy Jefferson on January 18, 2013 at 7:39pm

We do the same thing with the teaspoon of soft food - just mix it up with the dry. Tommy never said no to the dry food once we started doing that.

Comment by Bogart the Cardigan on January 18, 2013 at 7:06pm

I agree with Cathie about putting a teaspoon or so of soft food, you can also try warm water, that is how Bogart likes his kibble. While we were still trying different foods in the beginning and he was being picky, we added a little cottage cheese.

Comment by Cathie on January 18, 2013 at 6:54pm

The standard answer here is to put the food down, leave it for 20 minutes, and remove it whether she's eaten it or not. She will not starve herself. Obviously if she is eating nothing at all, you should call your vet to rule out a medical issue. But it sounds like she IS eating...just not like she used to.

The fact that she WILL touch her food bowl after it's been sitting there a few hours is a clue. Are you moistening the food? Maybe she likes to wait until it's nice and mushy.

In my opinion, don't entice her with cheese...it's extra fat, catering to her whims, not a good precedent to set. As the saying goes, picky eaters are made, not born. :)

Instead, maybe you could try a tiny dab of canned puppy food mixed in with the kibble.

I also think it's possible dogs like variety in their diets, just as we do. If you do decide to try a different food, remember to transition slowly to avoid an upset tummy.