# Picky eater



## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

We brought our baby girl Stella home this week.

The vet said she is underweight, and I am trying to put some weight on her but she is a very picky eater. I have some of the eukanuba the breeder had her on and I have been mixing that with LBP Nutro but she doesn't eat more than a bite or two. I started mixing in canned food(I have tried, nutro puppy, blue buffalo wilderness, and totw are the ones I have tried) and that helps some but still not eating much, maybe a cup during the day.

The things I have added that have helped her appetite are cooked chicken and raw egg. We have our own chickens (meat and egg) so I completely trust our eggs and do not worry about salmonella, but are raw eggs in general ok?

I am looking into the raw diet, didn't really want to do all raw, but I am reading about and may give it try if she doesn't gain much weight by the next vet check in.

What suggestions do y'all have? Is canned mackerel ok? There is a breeder in the area who adds canned mackerel and I thought about trying that. Thoughts?


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> We brought our baby girl Stella home this week.
> 
> The vet said she is underweight, and I am trying to put some weight on her but she is a very picky eater. I have some of the eukanuba the breeder had her on and I have been mixing that with LBP Nutro but she doesn't eat more than a bite or two. I started mixing in canned food(I have tried, nutro puppy, blue buffalo wilderness, and totw are the ones I have tried) and that helps some but still not eating much, maybe a cup during the day.
> 
> ...


 
Raw egg whites fed consistently are not good and the white is hard to digest and not very palatable. Just use the yolks but adding stuff to kibble will just make the problem worse. This dog sounds young and young puppies do like to eat. Are you sure she is ok?


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

Cottage cheese is yummy, I add canned salmon. 

What did the vet say? Did you have blood work run? I would.....underweight and not eating is not good.


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## GSD_Xander (Nov 27, 2010)

Raw eggs are fine. I've even read of people blending or crushing up the shell and giving that too. 

Mackerel is also fine but be careful not to overdo it since it can be a little greasy. 

Other "toppers" you could try - grated cheese (something mild or a blend), cottage cheese, plain yogurt with active cultures, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned pumpkin (without spices!), applesauce, banana puree...You could also add some water to the food to make a "gravy" or do that with the canned food. 

Something else you could do is give her "satin balls". They're used to improve coat shine and put weight on a dog rapidly. However, it would be better to slowly put weight on so it doesn't stress the joints and just come in the form of fat on the dog. I think it would be OK to use a little bit of the mixture on food though. 

Holistic Dog - Satinballs Satin Balls

Something else you could consider is switching to a slightly higher quality food. 

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

How much does she weigh? Has she been wormed? How many weeks old is she? How much exercise is she getting a day?


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

I wanted to give a little update.

When I took her to the vet right after we brought her home, she checked out fine other than being underweight. 

I have been talking to the breeder and what he was doing was he had the Euk kibble out all day for the puppies and then once a day he would feed the puppies kibble mixed with yogurt, chicken, brewer's yeast and some other suppliments. I think because they were feed family style, she wasn't getting enough of the stuff she liked and even now, will not touch just dry kibble.

So I have been feeding her 1 part Euk(to use up what the breeder gave us), 2 parts Nutro Natural Selections LBP with a big tablespoon of canned food (totw or BB) and I have started adding some raw chicken or beef sliced thin and mixed and she finally has been eating! She loves the raw meat so I am looking more carefully at the raw, but till than I will continue with this. I can tell she has grown in the few days we have had her and poops seems to be very good. No smell, firm and not really big or small. 

Thanks everyone for the help, I will keep reading and learning!


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> I wanted to give a little update.
> 
> When I took her to the vet right after we brought her home, she checked out fine other than being underweight.
> 
> ...


 
Stop mixing kibbles and adding stuff. There is no point to what you are doing except giving the dog choices it shouldn't have.

What is the significance of 1 part Euk and 2 parts whatever?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

sable123 said:


> Stop mixing kibbles and adding stuff. There is no point to what you are doing except giving the dog choices it shouldn't have.
> 
> *What is the significance of 1 part Euk and 2 parts whatever?*


Because of this



SummerwoodSoaps said:


> So I have been feeding her 1 part Euk *(to use up what the breeder gave us)*, 2 parts Nutro Natural Selections LBP with a big tablespoon of canned food (totw or BB) and I have started adding some raw chicken or beef sliced thin and mixed and she finally has been eating! She loves the raw meat so I am looking more carefully at the raw, but till than I will continue with this. I can tell she has grown in the few days we have had her and poops seems to be very good. No smell, firm and not really big or small.
> 
> Thanks everyone for the help, I will keep reading and learning!


It's perfectly fine to add wet food to kibble and it's ok to add a different brand of wet food to kibble.

I feed my boy TOTW kibble and I add some wet food once or twice a week, he gets Blue Buffalo and Merrick wet food.

RAW is the best that you can feed your dog.


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

I know I am new here and all that, but I don't seem to understand the somewhat hostile tone in your post Sable. Maybe you don't mean it the way I am reading it?

It cannot be good for her to just give dry if she is going to barely eat it. Yeah, I'm sure she would eat it if she was hungry enough, but why should I do that when she eats the way I am making it now?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> I know I am new here and all that, but I don't seem to understand the somewhat hostile tone in your post Sable. Maybe you don't mean it the way I am reading it?
> 
> It cannot be good for her to just give dry if she is going to barely eat it. Yeah, I'm sure she would eat it if she was hungry enough, but why should I do that when she eats the way I am making it now?


You will learn quickly how Sable feels about food and I am sure you will disagree with him/her like the majority of us do. 

Sable thinks dogs should eat the same crappy, boring kibble everyday for the rest of the dogs life.


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

Gotcha.


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

You would not believe what we mix into our Stella food, at the moment she is in her first heat and seems off her food, I am mixing in (with her kibble) some beef, a scrambled egg a bit of cheese anything to get her to eat, we always add food to kibble I did that for my last dog who lives to a ripe old age of 14 ! As a matter of fact we just came back from the grocery store just to go and buy Stella some more meat:wub: and a better more tender cut. I think you should do what makes you feel good, because a happy person makes for a happy Stella and there is no point in stressing out over food.
(as a matter of fact we have a huge bag of Origen downstauirs that we had to stop feeding her due to bad poops and are back on her old kibble until she gets a bit older !) I will happily do what ever I have to do to make us all happy.:crazy:


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Have you done a fecal on your puppy? Most puppies have worms and parasites and that can impact weight and also appetite.


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Have you done a fecal on your puppy? Most puppies have worms and parasites and that can impact weight and also appetite.


Yes, that all came back clean.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

I am sorry for being blunt but you are wasting your time and money and putting the dog at risk.

This is a very important time for growth and development and its best for the pup to have a consistent meal without stomach upset and gaps in nutrition. You can mess up assimilation for days or weeks with what you are doing. 

I understand that everyone wants to do what is best but what you are doing is the exact opposite.

I still want to know why 1 part Eukanuba?

Yes this the crappy stuff I recommend:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Ti...83505265.48534.120163871334727&type=1&theater


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

sable123 said:


> I still want to know why 1 part Eukanuba?


Switching the puppy to a new kibble needs to be done slowly and you need to use the kibble it has been on and slowly put in the new kibble that you are going to feed.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

Mary&Stella said:


> You would not believe what we mix into our Stella food, at the moment she is in her first heat and seems off her food, I am mixing in (with her kibble) some beef, a scrambled egg a bit of cheese anything to get her to eat, we always add food to kibble I did that for my last dog who lives to a ripe old age of 14 ! As a matter of fact we just came back from the grocery store just to go and buy Stella some more meat:wub: and a better more tender cut. I think you should do what makes you feel good, because a happy person makes for a happy Stella and there is no point in stressing out over food.
> (as a matter of fact we have a huge bag of Origen downstauirs that we had to stop feeding her due to bad poops and are back on her old kibble until she gets a bit older !) I will happily do what ever I have to do to make us all happy.:crazy:


I wouldn't scramble (cook) your egg if you are. Can cause some nasty gas. Just the raw egg is fine and better for her than the cooked. 

I buy rump roasts, they seem to be the cheapest and then I just cut them up into smaller chunks and put them in a big ziplock bag. Then at every meal I add in the raw meat, raw egg, cottage cheese to their kibble. THEY LOVE IT! :hug: Spoiled brats!


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> Switching the puppy to a new kibble needs to be done slowly and you need to use the kibble it has been on and slowly put in the new kibble that you are going to feed.


 
True but this sounds like a recipe not a transition. Its funny people are often very proud of the breeder they get a puppy from and talk about lines, show ribbons and breeding expertise but when it comes to diet the breeder is always an idiot.

Why is that?


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

sable123 said:


> True but this sounds like a recipe not a transition.


It says "to use up" which sounds to me like they are just finishing the bag and then they will be done with that kibble. Is that correct OP?



SummerwoodSoaps said:


> So I have been feeding her 1 part Euk(to use up what the breeder gave us)


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

sable123 said:


> I am sorry for being blunt but you are wasting your time and money and putting the dog at risk.
> 
> This is a very important time for growth and development and its best for the pup to have a consistent meal without stomach upset and gaps in nutrition. You can mess up assimilation for days or weeks with what you are doing.
> 
> ...


OMG because it's left over from what the breeder gave her!

Everytime I ran out of one type of kibble I tried something different (but equally good or better) And I have been mixing two different types of kibble (ex. salmon/fish formula and redmeat formula) for years. My dogs skin/coat are amazing I don't get a ton of off season shedding and they are at very healthy weights with no health problems. 

My puppy is now almost 14 months old and just fine. 

You need to concentrate on the people who are feeding their dogs kibbles n bits and ole roy and tell them about kibble. Not the people who are going above and beyond mixing a couple of kibbles together and adding yummy add in's to make life more interesting. Trust me, meat and potatoes gets really boring after a while.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

sable123 said:


> Its funny people are often very proud of the breeder they get a puppy from and talk about lines, show ribbons and breeding expertise but when it comes to diet the breeder is always an idiot.
> 
> Why is that?


I dont understand what you are talking about? I dont see anywhere in this thread about the OP boasting about their fantastic breeder. I dont get where you are getting that from?


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

sable123 said:


> True but this sounds like a recipe not a transition. Its funny people are often very proud of the breeder they get a puppy from and talk about lines, show ribbons and breeding expertise but when it comes to diet the breeder is always an idiot.
> 
> Why is that?


Euk is not one of the worst foods. I personally would not feed it to my dogs.

You can't convert everyone to holistic dog food (like Christianity) 

I am an educator in dog food ingredients and having people use a better kibble, but you can only give them the information and let them choose to use it or not. 

What's the old saying....you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.


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## GSDGunner (Feb 22, 2011)

sable123 said:


> True but this sounds like a recipe not a transition. Its funny people are often very proud of the breeder they get a puppy from and talk about lines, show ribbons and breeding expertise but when it comes to diet the breeder is always an idiot.
> 
> Why is that?


:shrug:
Wow, that's quite a statement. So you are an expert but a breeder is always an idiot? 
Can't wait for breeders to chime in on that one.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

GSDGunner said:


> :shrug:
> Wow, that's quite a statement. So you are an expert but a breeder is always an idiot?
> Can't wait for breeders to chime in on that one.


lol Linda I thought the same thing!!


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

Clearly you should read what I wrote again. I am supporting breeders. Puppy owners always switch a puppy because they feel the breeder feeds junk. My point is that if your trust the breeder enough to buy an expensive puppy, you should trust the breeder's choice of diet as well.

Good breeders know cost/benefit and many have found that there is no benefit to spending $70 a bag for food.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I wouldn't expect a breeder to feed their dogs Orijen, it can be expensive to feed 2 dogs Orijen, I couldn't imagine feeding 15+ dogs Orijen.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

LaRen616 said:


> I wouldn't expect a breeder to feed their dogs Orijen, it can be expensive to feed 2 dogs Orijen, I couldn't imagine feeding 15+ dogs Orijen.


Cost is of course important but it is not better than foods half its cost.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

sable123 said:


> Cost is of course important but it is not better than foods half its cost.


Well, I am sure that garbage is cheap, you can find that anywhere.


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

sable123 said:


> Clearly you should read what I wrote again. I am supporting breeders. Puppy owners always switch a puppy because they feel the breeder feeds junk. My point is that if your trust the breeder enough to buy an expensive puppy, you should trust the breeder's choice of diet as well.
> 
> *Good breeders know cost/benefit and many have found that there is no benefit to spending $70 a bag for food.*


I don't understand this statement, you are so contradictory in your posts. 

That was not at all how I took that post. I went back and read it again, still got the same out of it. 

Your grouping all puppy owners and assuming we all feel/felt this way about our breeder. This assumption is wrong. My breeder feeds holistic health extension formula that I could purchase through her however it is not convenient for me. So I chose to switch my puppy and feed him something else. I did not feel like this was junk at all.


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

The Euk is in there just to use it up and I didn't want to upset her tummy too much by switching too fast. We have not even had her a week and were given a huge gal bag of it by the breeder. I know it isn't the best food out there, but didn't want to just throw it out to the chickens either. 

I have the bag of Nutro, again Iknow not the best but better and was the best I could find in my area easily. I had to go 50miles to get the totw and BB canned food but I am on the look out for some better stuff. We pretty much have walmart and feedstores here.

I really did not want this to be a train wreck thread.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

suzzyq01 said:


> I don't understand this statement, you are so contradictory in your posts.
> 
> That was not at all how I took that post. I went back and read it again, still got the same out of it.
> 
> Your grouping all puppy owners and assuming we all feel/felt this way about our breeder. This assumption is wrong. My breeder feeds holistic health extension formula that I could purchase through her however it is not convenient for me. So I chose to switch my puppy and feed him something else. I did not feel like this was junk at all.


There are always exceptions but it is common for people to switch the puppy from what the breeder feeds because they feel the breeder feeds an inferior food because of cost. Many breeders use Pro Plan, for example, but I GTY many on this forum would switch immediately because it a Purina product.

As for HHH your breeder is smart because that is a top food despite the cheesy marketing and packaging.


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## sable123 (Jul 11, 2010)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> The Euk is in there just to use it up and I didn't want to upset her tummy too much by switching too fast. We have not even had her a week and were given a huge gal bag of it by the breeder. I know it isn't the best food out there, but didn't want to just throw it out to the chickens either.
> 
> I have the bag of Nutro, again Iknow not the best but better and was the best I could find in my area easily. I had to go 50miles to get the totw and BB canned food but I am on the look out for some better stuff. We pretty much have walmart and feedstores here.
> 
> I really did not want this to be a train wreck thread.


Can't you get Precise easily in Texas?


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## Mary&Stella (Jan 1, 2011)

suzzyq01 said:


> I wouldn't scramble (cook) your egg if you are. Can cause some nasty gas. Just the raw egg is fine and better for her than the cooked.
> 
> I buy rump roasts, they seem to be the cheapest and then I just cut them up into smaller chunks and put them in a big ziplock bag. Then at every meal I add in the raw meat, raw egg, cottage cheese to their kibble. THEY LOVE IT! :hug: Spoiled brats!


Thanks for that Suzzyq, I have to say I moved to Germany from Canada and meat cuts arenot the same here and at times I struggle to find a good cut of meat also this seems to be the land of pork, and pork used to give my old dog really bad gas!! This may be helpful for the other Stella as well, how many eggs a week can a dog have?? I know she does like raw egg on her food, and right now I cook her meat as it just hard for me to give it raw, although I know when I am chopping her meat she eats the raw with gusto!! Also since we had a hard time with the Orijen Red formula could it have been too rich for her?? All in all she looks great her coat is great she is just being fissy at the moment she adores cooked chicken as well:crazy:


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

sable123 said:


> Can't you get Precise easily in Texas?


I have not seen that brand any where here. We have Purina, Nutrena, Diamond and Nutro at the feed stores and then whatever you see at walmart.

I can get TOTW and BB at the feed coop, but it is a ways off (50 miles). I go there about 4 times a year while we raise our meat birds to get feed and I guess I can stock up them.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> I have not seen that brand any where here. We have Purina, Nutrena, Diamond and Nutro at the feed stores and then whatever you see at walmart.
> 
> I can get TOTW and BB at the feed coop, but it is a ways off (50 miles). I go there about 4 times a year while we raise our meat birds to get feed and I guess I can stock up them.


How old is your dog?


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## suzzyq01 (Feb 15, 2011)

Mary&Stella said:


> Thanks for that Suzzyq, I have to say I moved to Germany from Canada and meat cuts arenot the same here and at times I struggle to find a good cut of meat also this seems to be the land of pork, and pork used to give my old dog really bad gas!! This may be helpful for the other Stella as well, how many eggs a week can a dog have?? I know she does like raw egg on her food, and right now I cook her meat as it just hard for me to give it raw, although I know when I am chopping her meat she eats the raw with gusto!! Also since we had a hard time with the Orijen Red formula could it have been too rich for her?? All in all she looks great her coat is great she is just being fissy at the moment she adores cooked chicken as well:crazy:


Welcome 

I wouldn't cook the meat, your actually taking a lot of nutrients away when you do that. They were built to digest raw meat, some dogs just take some getting used to eating it after years of eating rendered kibble. Start slow with raw mixed into the kibble with an egg and cottage cheese and then start adding more and decreasing the kibble. 

I give my 14 mo GSD 2-3 eggs a week mixed in his food. 

I do use raw pork butt a lot. I normally do a 50/50 mix of raw meat. 50% port butt/roast and 50% beef rump/roast. They love pork and I haven't noticed much gas, a fart every once and a while, but that is normal. :wild:


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## SummerwoodSoaps (Feb 3, 2011)

LaRen616 said:


> How old is your dog?


 8 weeks


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

SummerwoodSoaps said:


> 8 weeks


It should take you about 2 months to go through one bag. 

I would say after 6-7 months it should take you about 1 month to 1.5 months to go through one bag. 

My 2 year old male goes through 1 bag of TOTW in about 4 weeks.


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