# 14 week old picky eater... Still trying to find a solution...



## WizAKC (Jun 1, 2014)

Wiz (14 weeks) is really something! He currently weighs 30 pounds and he's on Royal Canin Maxi Puppy dry food. My goal for him is to eat 3 cups a day, 1 cup per meal. The thing is he barely has a meal... I will give him the food, he sniffs it and then walks away in disgust! I leave his food there in hopes he will eventually eat it. Every now and then he'll take a few bites then walk away. So I tried to put bits of cheddar cheese and turkey breast in his kibble and that worked for a couple days. But then he started eating everything BUT the kibble. So I tried a raw egg over the kibble... he licks up the egg and spits out the kibble! I've tried Blue Buffalo wet food mixed with the kibble and he doesn't like it at all... Any suggestions for an additive that will make him eat the whole bowl in one sitting? Perhaps another wet food? I definitely will look for a different dry food if I can't find an additive that works. HELP!


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

I would not add something on top of a food if the dog won't eat it. They know best. I see the eye boogies, so it may be something in the current food that is not agreeing with your pup. 

Start here and try the foods recommended. 

Best Dog Foods

Or go raw. Most dogs will eat raw enthusiastically.


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## WizAKC (Jun 1, 2014)

Sunflowers said:


> I would not add something on top of a food if the dog won't eat it. They know best. I see the eye boogies, so it may be something in the current food that is not agreeing with your pup.
> 
> Start here and try the foods recommended.
> 
> ...


Okay that makes sense. The discharge from his eyes is from this morning. I actually have been looking into a raw diet and I did a lot of research today. This just sucks because I bought the big bag of RC that will never be eaten haha. At least I know what NOT to feed him now. Thanks! :thumbup:


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Where did you buy it? Most pet stores will take the food back if the dog doesn't eat it.

The discharge is not normal. Mine usually got some stuff in the corners of his eyes from chicken. If the discharge continues, a vet visit would be in order.


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## WizAKC (Jun 1, 2014)

Sunflowers said:


> Where did you buy it? Most pet stores will take the food back if the dog doesn't eat it.
> 
> The discharge is not normal. Mine usually got some stuff in the corners of his eyes from chicken. If the discharge continues, a vet visit would be in order.


Petsmart. I still have the receipt so I'll go there tomorrow to see if I can exchange it. I'll also be sure to discuss the cause of his discharge with the vet this Monday, he is scheduled to get his second cycle of shots.


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## anitram (Feb 28, 2014)

My puppy was the pickiest eater ever until he got to about 4.5 months old. Now he basically devours anything you put in front of him. Trust me, I understand how frustrating it can be!

What we tried that worked:
- greek yogurt (I'd add like a tbsp or 1.5 tbsp per cup of dry food and it is very easy to just stir it around with a spoon and cover every piece of kibble)
- grated carrot (freshly grated, Hans loved the sweetness and it is also very easy to spread around the kibble)
- scrambled egg (for some reason he'd eat the kibble that had bits of it on it...like your puppy if we gave him a raw one he'd just suck it up and leave the kibble behind)


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

anitram said:


> My puppy was the pickiest eater ever until he got to about 4.5 months old. Now he basically devours anything you put in front of him. Trust me, I understand how frustrating it can be!
> 
> 
> 
> ...






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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

Ooops missed reply. Good idea shredded carrot 


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## Mister C (Jan 14, 2014)

WizAKC said:


> I will give him the food, he sniffs it and then walks away in disgust! I leave his food there in hopes he will eventually eat it.


Cute pup you have there.

I suggest taking his bowl up after 10 minutes or so if he isn't eating. My little guy refused his breakfast a couple of weeks ago. He was hungry for dinner that night and wolfed it down. 

Next morning he walks away from his bowl again without eating. 10 minutes later I go to pick up his bowl. The little guy saw this happening, bolted for his dish and then ate it all up. He hasn't refused a meal since.

However, some dogs have food allergies. So maybe your pup is allergic to something in his food and wont' eat it. Might explain the eye boogies too.

Best of luck,

Michael


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## WizAKC (Jun 1, 2014)

Thank you all!

His discharge has subsided so that's a good sign. He ate his kibble for breakfast and lunch today (slowly of course) but I came across a refrigerated food called Vital by Freshpet... I gave him a little bit to see if it would spark his interest and oh boy... it's almost like he's ready to eat the whole roll! 

Before I give him more I just wanted to know what you guys think... Should I add it to his kibble diet? If so, what's a reasonable proportion? Or should I discontinue the kibble and give him strictly Vital? The guide says that he should eat 1-2 pounds for a puppy his weight. Let me know what you think!

Freshpet Vital Dog Food | Review and Rating


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## WizAKC (Jun 1, 2014)

bump


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Oh do I feel your pain!!! Titan and I went through this when he was a puppy. I switched foods a lot. One thing with the e4xtra food if you switch. Try to take it back to the store, I never did, I jsut donated it to a shelter. They need some to and I already bought this one.. 

As far as toppings, we have tried many. I used to be stubborn with it because "he needs to eat what I give him, he can't have a choice!" But really are you going to make your child eat something consistently if you know they don't like it? Maybe once or twice becasue that's what you made, but you wouldn't force them to eat it 100% of the time. SO we tried like every canned food under the sun. The one Titan was crazy for was the beneful wet in the little plastic containers. I hate Beneful dry food. It is no better than card board, but the wet food, while I would never use it as a meal, was a great enhancer to the food. He got a half a container, sometimes less with every meal. 

All I can say is don't be shy to add things to his food to make him like it for the time being. Some will argue then they will always want it, and maybe. But how boring would it be to eat the same thing every single day and not enjoy it?  

As for Kibbles.. recently we tried Fromm and Nature's recipe and in his 4 years, those were the first foods Titan bolted to to eat. So we were on those for a bit. Due to his allergies, we are on Canine Caviar and Nature's Instinct Raw. Kibble in the morning and raw at night. It works well and he deosn't prefer one or the other, happily eats both.

Hope you find something that works for you!!!


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

I just bought the natural balance roll. The lamb flavored. Grated some over their food. They cleaned their bowls. Great as training treats too just slice them


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## WizAKC (Jun 1, 2014)

Alright, thanks all!


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