# feeding problems



## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

I have a 6 month old female that has had a very poor/low appitiete. At first I had her on Purina Pro plan for large breed puppies, and she has nibbled on it. Then after a couple months put her on IAMS for large breed puppies still not munching it down as I think she should. I have two Sr. dogs which I have on Pedegree Sr. and I gave my puppy a feeding of that this morning. She ate it like it was her last meal. I looked up the ingredients in the first two puppie foods and the #1 was chicken while in the Sr feed the #1 was ground whole corn. 
I do not want to keep switching foods with her but need to find one that she will like. Also, I would like to add that she itches herself alot. She is treated for fleas and I have not found a one on her or any signs of fleas, she has had 3 baths with puppy shampoo since I have had her (6 weeks old) and is in what seems to be great health otherwise (playful, alert, friendly, great with kids and adults)
I would like to know opinions on Pedegree puppy food. It is a universal puppy food, not for large nor small breeds. The first ingrediant is Ground Whole Corn.
Any thoughts are appriciated, and thank you.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

READ READ READ old posts and settle on a good kibble you can afford and your puppy likes. First off you don't want any grains in your dog food let alone being in the first 3 ingredients.
Try adding water to your puppy's food and stir it up works all the time for me.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

Why dont you want any grains?


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Purina and Iams are not great foods. Pedigree is probably the worst. When we got Ike he was on Pedigree LB and eating probably 8-9 cups a day and still not in great condition. Corn is hard for dogs to process and consequently they need to eat a lot more of it to get the nutrition that they need. More food also equals more poop. Ike went from pooping 4-5 times a day to 1-2 times a day. We switched him to Natural Balance which was what our other dogs were eating. He only eats 3 cups a day now and has gained weight and his coat is much better. 

Regular Puppy food is also not good for our dogs. If you are going to feed a puppy food it needs to be Large Breed. Some people also use an All Life Stages food right away. Our dogs need to grow slowly and carefully for their joint health. 

Many people like grain free foods and we feed grain free to all of our adult dogs, but a high quality grain food is not bad. I like Wellness Large Breed Puppy, Innova Large Breed Puppy, or Candidae. 

dogfoodanalysis.com has reviews on pet food that might be helpful.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

What he said...


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

I sure do appriciate all the help I can get. I have tried watering her food down and that doesnt work. I have tried Grizzly Salmon oil supplement added to it and she does not like that either. I will write the above brands down and head out to the store and look at ingredients. She has slowed down eating so much that her BMs have slowed down to every other day. She is drinking water so I am not concerned about dehydrating, just nutrition.


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## GermanPrinceHero (Feb 13, 2010)

Personally, I would seek out an afordable dry food that is high in protein percentage and try mixing a little wet food in with it (1/4-1/3 can to 3 cups of dry food). This is how we finally got Prince on a descent diet that he would actually eat. I also sometimes put in a few green beans and even protein table scraps. His excrement is 1 or 2 a day also and always looks healthy


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Have you checked for worms? Normally my pups would stop eating only they had worms. You can feed boiled chicken with cooked white rice until you get her stable. You can also add a couple spoon full of yogurt or cottage cheese daily that might help but I really think it might be another issue because puppy's normally aren't to picky if they feel ok.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Lets compare Pedigree Puppy food  to Blue Buffalo Large Breed Puppy and Solid Gold Wolf Cub

Pedigree puppy
*Ground Whole Corn *, *Chicken By-product Meal *, Rice, *Corn Gluten Meal (source of Lutein*)*, *Animal Fat (preserved With BHA And Citric Acid)*, Ground Whole Wheat, Monocalcium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Salt, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols)[source of DHA*], Vegetable Oil (aource of Linoleic Acid), Vitamins (Dl-alpha Tocopherol Acetate [source of Vitamin E], Choline Chloride, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate [aource of Vitamin C*], Vitamin A Acetate, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], D-calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement [Vitamin B2], Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Dried Vegetables (Peas, Carrots), Minerals (Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Potassium Iodide), Marigold Extract, *Added FD&C Colors (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 2), Rosemary Extract*.

Blue Buffalo LB puppy 

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Whole Ground Brown Rice, Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Tomato Pomace (natural source of Lycopene), Natural Chicken Flavor, Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Whole Potatoes, Peas, Flaxseed(natural source of Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids), Whole Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Blueberries, Cranberries, Barley Grass, Dried Parsley, Garlic, Alfalfa Meal, Dried Kelp, Yucca Schidigera Extract, L-Carnitine, L-Lysine, Turmeric, Dried Chicory Root, Oil of Rosemary, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Niacin (Vitamin B3), d-Calcium Pantothenate (Vitamin B5), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Biotin (Vitamin B7), Folic Acid (Vitamin B9), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Ascorbate (source of Vitamin C), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Choline Chloride, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate, Salt, Caramel, Potassium Chloride, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium .

Solid Gold Wolf Cub
Bison, Ocean Fish Meal, Brown Rice, Millet, Cracked Pearled Barley, Rice Bran, Canola Oil, Tomato Pomace, Flaxseed, Natural Flavoring, Salmon Oil (source of DHA), Choline Chloride, Taurine, Dried Chicory Root, Parsley Flakes, Pumpkin Meal, Almond Oil, Sesame Oil, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Thyme, Blueberries, Cranberries, Carrots, Broccoli, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Panthothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin), Riboflavin, Vitamin D Supplement, Folic Acid

*Which one would you rather eat?*

Blue Buffalo and Solid Gold are great brands of dog food. :thumbup:

Pedigree is a terrible brand of food


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

If you're going to go with a grain free kibble, which in my opinion would be best, the only one I know of with the proper calcium balance is Orijen. Too little and too much calcium can cause long term health issues. The itching is likely an allergy, probably food but can also be some environmental as well. Increase the EFA's you're adding to help the coat and shampooing can do more harm than good sometimes....you can try a colloidal oatmeal rinse instead....take about 1 cup colloidal oatmeal, dissolve in a bucket of temped to warm water, pour on the dog. Let sit 15-30 min. and rinse. You can also add baking soda too if the itching is really bad. 

Some times these food issues can be attributed to over feeding, so not sure if that was happening, or sometimes the dog is trying to tell you that something else is going on.

Good luck


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Zara said:


> I have a 6 month old female that has had a very poor/low appitiete. At first I had her on Purina Pro plan for large breed puppies, and she has nibbled on it. Then after a couple months put her on IAMS for large breed puppies still not munching it down as I think she should. I have two Sr. dogs which I have on Pedegree Sr. and I gave my puppy a feeding of that this morning. She ate it like it was her last meal. I looked up the ingredients in the first two puppie foods and the #1 was chicken while in the Sr feed the #1 was ground whole corn.
> .


actually the chicken is listed first in the pro plan because they list ingredients by weight before cooking. once all the water got cooked out, the likely first ingredient in the pro plan is brewers rice.

brewers rice or corn as the main ingredients in those foods arent really what canines were designed to eat and digest. even if a dog loves the pedigree that doesnt make it good....kids would chow down mcdonalds and twinkies with gusto, but they arent good.

you dont really need a grain free food (as most are no good for our growing pups anyway), just some quality food with some meat content. if you give folks a ball park figure of what you are willing to spend on dog food per month, you will get lots of good suggestions.


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## Gsdldy (May 7, 2010)

German shepherds tend to be a little more prone to food allergies also. You mentioned your pup is itching alot, it may be the grains in the food you are feeding are causeing allergies with her/him. I did have that issue with one of mine a long time ago and when I switched to a better food the itching dissapeared.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

roxy84 said:


> actually the chicken is listed first in the pro plan because they list ingredients by weight before cooking. once all the water got cooked out, the likely first ingredient in the pro plan is brewers rice.
> 
> brewers rice or corn as the main ingredients in those foods arent really what canines were designed to eat and digest. even if a dog loves the pedigree that doesnt make it good....kids would chow down mcdonalds and twinkies with gusto, but they arent good.
> 
> you dont really need a grain free food (as most are no good for our growing pups anyway), just some quality food with some meat content. if you give folks a ball park figure of what you are willing to spend on dog food per month, you will get lots of good suggestions.


Good comparision with the kids... that made alot of sense to me. I have horses and the horses LOVE sweet feed but the carbs are bad for them, so they are on pelleted with lower carbs.
. I did try the buffalo one also, I forgot about that. I will have to look up the brand but it had a nice picture on the front and the woman at the feed store highly recommended it. However, I took it back as it gave her the foulest smelling gas that really would clear the room. And, like the others, she picked at it.
She does not have worms and never even did as a puppy. Took several fecal samples to the vet and even they were suprised that she did not have them as a puppy.

Pricing on the food does not matter as long as she likes it and it is healthy for her:hug:


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

Gsdldy said:


> German shepherds tend to be a little more prone to food allergies also. You mentioned your pup is itching alot, it may be the grains in the food you are feeding are causeing allergies with her/him. I did have that issue with one of mine a long time ago and when I switched to a better food the itching dissapeared.


 
What do you feed yours?


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

Okay, I called the feed store and the food that she had been on a few months back for no more than a week or two was "Taste of the Wild" Bison. Did not like that and the one that made her stinky....


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Taste of the Wild Bison is generally not considered appropriate for a puppy anyway because of high calcium phosphorus ratios. I would take a trip to the stores, look at your local options and then do some research.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

So when is ok to begin grain-free, mine is itchy (thought it was chicken)....the more I read the I am confused!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

jakeandrenee said:


> So when is ok to begin grain-free, mine is itchy (thought it was chicken)....the more I read the I am confused!


 
I'm not quite sure what age they can switch to grain free but I switched my GSD onto grain free when he turned 1 year old.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

Can I ask just what EVERYONE has feed THEIR puppies?


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

BB Adult fish/sweet potato....just made the change over from RC puupy


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Argos started out on Science Diet Large Breed Puppy- we went to Natural Balance Fish and that worked well for him.

Anka tried Chicken Soup with minimal success. She did well on Canidae until the formula change and then we put her on Natural Balance with Argos.

Cade started on Wellness LBP with great success. We switched him at 7 months to NB just for convenience.

Tag is on Merrick and is doing well thus far.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Zara said:


> Can I ask just what EVERYONE has feed THEIR puppies?


When Sinister was a puppy I fed him Solid Gold Wolf Cub. He was on that until he turned 1 year old and then I switched him over to Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness. 

I loved Solid Gold. My GSD did great on it. I highly recommend it and got some of my friends to switch to Solid Gold and they are also pleased with the results. Solid Gold's food slows down the growth of puppies so they dont grow too big too fast because that is very dangerous for a large breed puppy.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

The only food that I found that Hondo will eat is Diamond Lamb and Rice. I mix it with a little bit of ProPlan canned. He likes it, and will eat it. I've tried other brands of canned, but he'll turn up his nose. 

My vet stated that Pedigree and Old Roy are the very worse dog foods on the market, not only because of the ingrediants, but also because of the quality checks that they do, or don't do. He stated Purina is a good food only because of the quality checks that they preform - but not for the quaility of food they provide.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

sure is a science with food, isnt it?


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## Gib Laut (Feb 21, 2010)

jakeandrenee said:


> So when is ok to begin grain-free, mine is itchy (thought it was chicken)....the more I read the I am confused!


You can use grain free at any time....the issue is the cal-phos ratio and the only puppy food with appropriate levels is Orijen...mine is now raw fed, however as a pup he was on half home cooked and half Orijen lg breed puppy. He has always had an excellent coat, never a smell and luckily no allergies. People may get grossed out, but I tried the kibble; weird I know but I figured if you're afraid to taste it, I dunno I wudn't want to give it to him! Taste wise I wud say pretty good as far as kibble goes, but I figured out why dogs drink so much.....dry as chalk kibble is!!!lol Point is, the ingredients are all safe.....


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

What about adult grainfree with ratios in line? Cal 1% phos .
BB wilderness????


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Funny my girls both drink 2-3 times the water since I switched to Origen, now I know why.


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## Virginia (Oct 2, 2008)

I feed my boy Taste of the Wild. Before that he was on Blue Buffalo but I decided to go grain free. 

Pups can go grain free anytime, there is no set age limit. Many puppies on here are on a RAW diet, which has no grains at all (unless you choose to add them for some reason) - if you go into the RAW/BARF section you will see a lot of info on this. It is generally accepted as the best thing you can feed your dog.

If you are not willing to switch, there are plenty of premium kibbles that you can feed your dog. Check out dogfoodanalysis:

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

The 6 stars foods are the best, and the 1 star foods are the worst. I think Pedigree will show up as a 1 star.

Good luck!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Virginia, that's what I was thinking, if folks feed pups raw why not grain free? TOTW is a BB product?


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## DUL958 (Mar 10, 2010)

When we Got Sof @ 8 weeks, the breeder had her on Purina Pro-Plan. We switched her over, during the course of a week, to Blue Buffalo large breed puppy good. Her coat improved, and her overall appearance. 

Only once did she not eat with voracity, and we realized that we were giving her too much. We reduced the quantity by 1/4 cup (she eats 3xs daily), and she was back to eating like nobody's business.

It's my opinion, after looking up all of the information, that the ratios of proteins to carbs are very important. I would want to make sure that my human baby was developing correctly. I want no less for my puppy. It might cost a little more, but I was quite happy to give up my daily latte @ Starbucks to offset the cost. She's completely worth it!!


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## Virginia (Oct 2, 2008)

TOTW is a Diamond product. There's a lot of controversy over the quality of Diamond products, but I have been feeding different TOTW formulas for over a year and have not seen a change in the smell, size, or look of the product, nor the effect it has on my pup. I like their ingredients, and they're decently priced compared to other premium kibbles. (Also I think their packaging looks cool but shhh!  ) When I switched my boy onto BB from Pedigree (what he was on at the shelter) his coat improved A LOT. And when I switched over to TOTW, his coat got even softer and shinier.

Grain-free as a concept is okay. But it seems like a lot of grain free kibbles have a high calcium ratio, which is bad for puppies with growing bones. TOTW is one that people advise not to feed to puppies for this reason. My boy started on TOTW a little after 1 year of age, so I don't have any personal anecdotes on whether this is true or not.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

ok, thanks I just pmd you but this answer is great....don't think store carries it here, need to check wilderness for cal/phos ratio


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## Virginia (Oct 2, 2008)

I used to order TOTW online from petfooddirect.com before an awesome pet food store opened up 5 minutes away from me. They can be a little pricey with the shipping, but if you order from them once they start sending you 13% - 15% off coupons regularly, which off sets the shipping by a lot. I still get my cat food from there (Wellness Core) because my local store doesn't carry it. They carry a wide array of dog foods, many of which are rated 5 or 6 star by dogfoodanalysis, so it's a way to feed your pup well even if you don't have a store nearby that carries the good stuff. :thumbup:


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

thanks for the tip....bookmarked it.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

jakeandrenee said:


> ok, thanks I just pmd you but this answer is great....don't think store carries it here, need to check wilderness for cal/phos ratio


they only list the minimum Ca levels on their site (and bags as well, i think). someone posted an email from them a while back indicating max Ca levels in the Wilderness at 2.1% Ca, which is on par with most other grainless foods and thus (IMO) no good for a gsd pup.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

yes, way too high....


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## JudynRich (Apr 16, 2010)

I will be switching both of my dogs to raw in about 4 months...for the time being they are on a home-cooked diet w/ the younger dog (9 months) on Euka large breed puppy mixed in. I have never had any eating or stool issues w/ eiither dog. I would stop bathing your dog, and research the raw diet. I have heard of many issues going completely away after a raw diet is started.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

JKlatsky said:


> Purina and Iams are not great foods. Pedigree is probably the worst. When we got Ike he was on Pedigree LB and eating probably 8-9 cups a day and still not in great condition. Corn is hard for dogs to process and consequently they need to eat a lot more of it to get the nutrition that they need. More food also equals more poop. Ike went from pooping 4-5 times a day to 1-2 times a day. We switched him to Natural Balance which was what our other dogs were eating. He only eats 3 cups a day now and has gained weight and his coat is much better.
> 
> Regular Puppy food is also not good for our dogs. If you are going to feed a puppy food it needs to be Large Breed. Some people also use an All Life Stages food right away. Our dogs need to grow slowly and carefully for their joint health.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the good advice. The website is very helpful !


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

looked up 7 foods on dogfoodanalysis. Orijen was rated 6 and next at a 5 was Wellness Large Breed Puppy. The others were at 4.
Pedegree along with most others that one would find at a walmart type store ALL were #1, being the worst.
By the time I am done I will rest assured that my dog will be eating better than me.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

Wellness For Large Puppies = strike one. Turned her nose up to it. 
I feel like doing the Charlie Brown scream... AAHHHHHHHHHHH


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

A Healthy puppy will not starve itself. But much like our kids they will try to hold out on you. Consider the child that has been eating McDonalds...Do you really think they're going to want to eat a plate of Broccoli? 

I don't allow my dogs to be picky eaters. They eat what I give them or they don't eat. I'll put down their food for 10 minutes and then pull it. Then I'll try it again at the next meal. I have dogs hold out on me for a day or 2, but then they almost always start to eat and happily after a week or so. I might put a spoonful of yogurt or a little cheese on top to get them going but that's about it. The only reason I will change kibble is if my dog has regular poop problems, or his condition deteriorates.


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## Zara (Apr 16, 2010)

Its so frustrating though. I want to make sure that she IS getting the proper nutrition while she is growing. ( Just like the kids...) She is going around trying to find tid bits on the floor so I know she is hungry.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

add a little something to it, sardines (in water), yogart, cottage chesse...


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## Virginia (Oct 2, 2008)

Zara said:


> By the time I am done I will rest assured that my dog will be eating better than me.


So true...while I'm eating leftovers and cold pizza, my pup is dining on bison, elk, quail and duck!

Like everyone else said you can mix in a spoonful of something into the food to make it more appetizing. In addition to the foods listed you can also try chicken broth, canned dog food...


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Zara said:


> Wellness For Large Puppies = strike one. Turned her nose up to it.
> I feel like doing the Charlie Brown scream... AAHHHHHHHHHHH


I was just wondering how do you know she doesn't like it . You should be adding it @ like 20% to whatever you have been feeding her so I am just wondering. I have never had my girls not eat another sample dog food that came out of their treat jar. I agree on researching the best food for my dogs and they will eat it as long as it is not causing allergies or medical issues.


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