[BrennasMom]

and she has me wrapped around her little paw!

Brenna will gobble food up if I mix canned food in. Otherwise, she will refuse breakfast and pick at her dinner, only eating half a days worth of food. I've tried being a meanie and refusing to play her game but she is losing weight. She will eat enough that she isn't really hungry, but not enough to keep weight on.

I know it is behavioral because she will eat whatever I give her without hesitation when I do it HER way! The problem is that quality canned food is expensive. I've heard of using parmesan cheese but I'd like to avoid anything too fatty for her, she has a sensitive tummy.

I used to give her the missing link but it didn't seem to affect the taste for her at all, and too much gave her the pudding poops. Someone suggested yogurt to me, I'm going to try that, I've also thought about getting jars of chicken/turkey/etc. babyfood and just making gravy out of it. Does anyone have any other (hopefully affordable) suggestions I can try?

 

[TerriB]

I put a spoonful of sweet potato baby food on Ruger's kibble at each meal. He drools while I stir it. He is not a fussy eater though. It is only 68 cents a jar and I can make it last for several days. Maybe she would like a change. Have you ever tried a comparable food to see if she would eat it better?

Terri

 

[BrennasMom]

I've tried several brands due to her sensitive tummy, but she is like this with all of them. She didn't used to be but then I discovered that her stools were better when she was on evo canned, so she got 2 cans/day + a little kibble. Since then she's been picky about always wanting canned mixed in.

ETA: I stopped feeding the evo due to price, otherwise she did great on it.

 

[doggiedad]

we were feeding Natural Balance. we mixed it with cooked boneless and skinless chicken breast, raw 100% ground beef, plain yogurt, baby food and parmesan cheese. my dogs really like the kibble and groung beef mix. we also mix in canned dog food. one day our Shep decided not to eat. i was worried but after asking around i was told don't feed him for 3 days, um, i didn't like that idea but i did it. he acted like it was nothing. when i fed the Grey Hound he never paid any attention. we switched to Wellness, usuing the same things mixed in and he ate it just fine. i think the Shep just didn't like Natural Balance after awhile. if they don't like a certain brand why not switch? "there's no such a thing as a spoiled dog, there just well taken care of". when it comes to affordable can you afford not giving them the best?

 

[Lauri & The Gang]

Using canned food with kibble doesn't have to break the bank.

Put a single spoonful of canned food on top of their kibble, pour on some warm water and mix. Still gives her what she likes but it will last much longer.

 

[DSudd]

I have the same problem with Rocky. Wednesday night I have him a little bit of beef flavored rice with his dog food. Since he has eaten maybe 1 cup of food. He had done this many times before and I know he will eventually eat when he gets hunrgy.

 

[midnight804]

my dog is a spoiled boy too and I have been ading a bit of warmed wet food to get him started eating. If i can him started he always finishes, and sometimes he just starts eating without anything else mixed in.

I use the small "sample" size natural balance wet mix. They package it like sausage and it comes in a few good varieties. At my local pet store the small size tubes cost .99 each. I cut off a chunk, mix with some H2O and microwave a second till its warm and smells more then I mix in with the dry food. I can make one .99 tube last a week when mixed w/ water and stirred into the dry food, but I only have to use a very small amount.

 

[LJsMom]

I mix a very small amount of warmed canned food in with LJ's kibble. If there isn't something "special" added, she won't eat it.

 

[BrennasMom]

I have been stretching it by mixing with warm water, though I usually use about 1/2 can per day. Today I noticed my boss had some halo food enhancing sprinkley stuff on clearance so I got one of those. It didn't phase her at all, so I, of course, catered to her and ran upstairs to make it the way she likes. lol

 

[TheGermanShedder]

If you want to switch her to dry food only, you can. It might take a couple of weeks to a month depending on how spoiled she is. If you are worried about her losing weight, contact your vet and ask them if her health is acceptable to have her miss full meals for a few weeks.

When someone starts this, they must make the commitment to follow through. If they start this and then back down, their dog will learn that eventually their owner will fold and give them what they want.

To get a dog onto a kibble only diet, they need to have their food bowl filled with only dry food and then placed in front of them. The amount of food needs to be a normal meal size. After this is done, their owner should walk away. If the dog walks away, the food bowl is picked up until the next meal. If they sit or stand at their bowl give them five minutes before picking it up until the next meal. If they start eating, wait until they walk away from it to pick it up, even if this is after five minutes. Repeat this until they are eating their food.

After one day of the kibble being in the dog’s bowl uneaten I throw it out and use fresh kibble for the next day.

It is possible that the dog may eat a few bites then go hungry for a few days. This is because they are trying to get the better food that they are used to getting when they refuse food. If they are healthy, they will eventually eat. Until they get the point that this is all they will get, the dog will continue to pick at the food or eat just enough to not be starving. It is possible that even after they are successfully eating meals for days in a row that they will refuse one or more meals. Their owner must stick with this and pick up the food until the next meal.

 

[LisaT]

Originally Posted By: BrennasMomI've tried several brands due to her sensitive tummy, but she is like this with all of them. She didn't used to be but then I discovered that her stools were better when she was on evo canned, so she got 2 cans/day + a little kibble. Since then she's been picky about always wanting canned mixed in.

ETA: I stopped feeding the evo due to price, otherwise she did great on it.

I think you have your answer.

Your dog is most likely not spoiled. Your dog doesn't have a strong digestive system. She had a diet that she did well on, tasted good, and probably didn't cause her stomach problems, or at least not as much as what she currently has.

I'm sorry, I have a pet peeve when folks call their GSD picky or spoiled. Most of these cases are health related. We expect them to be okay with these kibbles, and they aren't. (Btw, canned food has a better quality protein.) I would like you to find a kibble-type human food and eat that for a couple weeks, and only that. We ask our dogs to do that for their lifetime, not just a couple of weeks. When the food doesn't suit them, we call them spoiled, or picky.

I, maybe better than some others, know how expensive it is to feed dogs with sensitive stomachs. It can be a lot of money, and a pain, and depending on the financial circumstances, nearly impossible. But please don't blame your dog.

 

[BrennasMom]

I do believe it has to do with the taste more than her health, she wolfs it down if there is just a small coating of canned food but picks at it if it's dry. I agree it has to be boring eating the same thing all the time, but for the time being it is the best I can do, I tried raw and it was too expensive.

I guess I consider it picky behavior since I have to spread my beagle's (only dry) food out over the whole floor or she will eat so fast she chokes on it, and I consider it being spoiled because I probably spend as much or more on her food than my own because I want the best for her. If I could afford to feed her 2 cans a day of evo, believe me, I would, she loved it and I love seeing her happy.

 

[3K9Mom]

Have you actually tried Parmesan cheese? It only takes a tiny amount. I serve Camper's food with it almost daily (it's his special treat on RMBs), and he tends toward SIBO. It has such a nice strong smell (and it wiggles its way in between the pieces of kibble) so you don't need much. Because I only sprinkle such a teeny amount, its effects, if any are negligible.

Unless, of course, Brenna is lactose intolerant.

Zamboni appreciates a bit of the cheese in her kibble as well. Again, a tiny amount of cheese, a bit of warm water, stir vigorously, and it's Kibble Parmigiana!

And the cost is manageable -- two big containers at Costco for $10.49.