# Puppy kibble question



## JackWestlake (Oct 7, 2013)

Hi everyone,

My partner and I recently got ourselves a GSD X Husky puppy (mum was full GSD, dad was half GSD and half Husky). So although he's not full GSD, he's almost there. His name is Gelert and he's about 14-15 weeks old.

The first two days, Gelert was having diarrhoea. He was also quite skinny. Due to this, we took him to the vet. We got him wormed etc, and the vet gave us a special tinned food for sensitivity - bland, chicken and rice type stuff. They told us to use this initially to improve his number 2's. This worked. Once that was done, we were told to wean Gelert off the sensitivity food gradually - which we've been doing.

It's all worked - he's bulked a bit, and his number 2's are much firmer.

We've been weaning him on to James Wellbeloved turkey and rice puppy kibble. Our aim is to get him on to dry puppy food, and once he's old enough, dry adult dog food.

However, now that we're at that point where there's more kibble in the bowl than tinned food, he has today turned his nose up at it. He's now coming up for 24 hours with no food. I'll be putting food down again for him shortly though, as per our feeding schedule.

Today, the vet assistant said to just wait it out - Gelert will eventually cave in and eat. I'm all for this to an extent, but as he's a puppy I don't want him going too long without food. We've managed to bulk Gelert up a bit since we got him, it'd be a shame to have all that undone now because he's gone on hunger strike.

I understand a dog will always prefer wet food to dry - it's a bit like us choosing between a nice juicy burger, and some healthy crackers. But I've read somewhere that you can put gravy over kibble to strike a kind of happy-medium for the dog.

Has anyone done that before? If so, how did it go? And are we talking standard 'human' gravy, or some special dog gravy? Would gravy granules suffice, or stock cubes? Obviously, whatever it is would need to be quite diluted, I assume, and of course free from onion etc.

Alternatively, can anyone recommend anything else we can mix in with kibble (mincemeat, perhaps?) in order to make it more appealing? Although bearing in mind that we want the kibble to be the predominant ingredient.

Sorry for the lengthy post, just thought it was worth giving some background first.

Any help would be hugely appreciated 

(EDIT) Also, I've been reading around this all day, and there's so much (often conflicting) information out there, that I thought it best to just ask here, so that the answers are specific to my situation. Cheers.


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## Jaythethird (Jul 1, 2013)

Sometimes Oliver doesn't want to eat as well. He hasn't ever been on anything but dry kibble so I don't know how to help you there, but when Oliver is having trouble wanting to eat I make him do commands and treat him with the kibble, or hand feed him until half of it is gone and eventually he will just eat the second half on his own. 

IMO, if you start him with gravy you will just have to end up weening him off the gravy as well. My buddies pup is 3 now and has to be starving to eat just plain old dry kibble. 

Good luck 

Howdy from Idaho! 
Oliver Kahn der Fasan Suchenden 
08/03/13


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## JackWestlake (Oct 7, 2013)

Thanks for the prompt reply, mate. Hopefully, he's just having an off day. That said, I don't mind putting some gravy on the dry food indefinitely, as long as making it is straight forward and not too expensive.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

It really depends on what you want to do; personally I wouldn't like eating the same thing day after day so I like to add variety

I use Tripett canned tripe as a topper and also warm water to make it slightly soupy, even my super picky poodle never turns her nose up at it and she's gone over 3 days without eating before.

I wouldn't do actual gravy as most is very high sodium. Rather, use things like canned dog food, Greek yogurt, hamburger (either raw or cooked), chicken (either raw or cooked), just for a few ideas. I wouldn't use a lot, after all you want them eating mostly kibble but just enough to make it irresistible for the dog


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## JackWestlake (Oct 7, 2013)

That was my concern regarding gravy - the salt content. Thanks for the advice.


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## KatsMuse (Jun 5, 2012)

JackWestlake said:


> That was my concern regarding gravy - the salt content. Thanks for the advice.


Sent you a PM ( private message...text heavy)
 Kat


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## JackWestlake (Oct 7, 2013)

Thanks, Kat 

The common theme I'm picking up on (from here and from wider reading) is lacing the dry food with something the puppy/dog likes - thereby making the kibble more appealing - but not in a manner that enables the dog to pick out the nice stuff and leave the kibble. I guess you have to make it so that the dog thinks that the kibble has been improved, rather than realising that something separate has been added to it.

...If that makes sense!


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## KatsMuse (Jun 5, 2012)

I hope your baby eats soon! 
(They just worry us so much sometimes!)

 Kat


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## JackWestlake (Oct 7, 2013)

> (They just worry us so much sometimes!)


Very true!

Gelert ate some of his dinner - the tinned food, and the kibble which was mixed into it, and left the loose kibble that wasn't mixed in with the tinned stuff. So at least he's eaten _something_.

We'll keep going as we are until the tinned food is used up (i.e. we'll keep weaning him off it). But as well, we're going to be adding things to make the kibble more interesting/flavoursome (e.g. chicken stock, small amounts of finely-cut chicken, some grated carrot, etc).

It's great that this forum has so much going on in it - and that people are so helpful.

And if anyone was wondering why on earth he's called Gelert - the name is from an old Welsh legend about a faithful dog. A quick google search should reveal all, rather than me explaining it here.


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