# Sticky  Pup doesn't want to eat (picky eater?)



## tsteves

Vet says she is healthy, nothing is wrong but she seems so bored and not into eating. We started her on the RC German Shepherd puppy formula and she liked it for a few days and now she will eat a couple bites at both of her meals for a few days then she will scarf 1 morning after she hasn't eaten for a few days. I called the store and they said I could exchange her food for something else but my husband tried to feed her some of the Beneful she was on before and loved but she ate barely more than with the RC. I am thinking Wellness LBP because it is a stronger smell so she may be more attracted to it and maybe even some wet food. Anyone else have this happen or have any tips? Am I overreacting? I should say she will eat her treats, Pet Botanics dog roll, like a mad woman, but we don't give her enough to make the treats be the reason she isn't hungry/wont eat.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee

If you had your puppy checked out and the vet says everything is fine. And if your puppy WILL eat treats, just not interested in regular food.... then is sounds like you have a picky eater on your hands.

I had one too! My GSD Elsa Rose was a picky eater for most of her life. Initially everyone said 'Don't let her be the boss'....'Hang tough and take up the food she won't starve to death'...... 'This is a control issue and you can't give in'.....

So I picked up the food everytime she wandered off from the bowl for over 3 days and watched my already skinny girl dog lose weight (over 5 pounds) and she could care less. Still would enjoy eating her training treats though!

I decided that the recommendations I had been given were ridiculous for my situation. It appeared that regular dog food just was boring and uninteresting for Elsa, so she'd pass. Rather than me continuing to hang tough to 'show her' and prove something (not sure what at this point except that she could indeed still walk around and appear healthy with all her ribs hanging out), I decided to come up with a solution that would get her eating.

It appeared that any regular kibble, ANY type, would quickly become boring to her so she'd start skipping the meals. It also appeared that adding something yummy to the 'boring' kibble would get her to not only start eating but FINISH eating.

My goal became to figure out the least amount of an additive to add to her normal kibble amount to get her to eat. Fairly quickly I determined that any of my leftovers in the fridge would work. A surprisingly small amount (1/4 cup or less) of cut up teeny pizza/chicken/spagetti/beef/cottage cheese/yogurt/mashed potatoes/buttered green beans....... almost ANY human food....... MIXED WITH WATER to make a gravy to coat the kibble with the flavor would have my dog eat her meals.

Another really easy go-to for me was found in the cat food aisle. I would buy a bunch of cans of CAT food that were on sale, different flavors and brands cause variety seemed to be a key element to keep my dog eating. 










This sized can. The amazing thing about cat food is the companies know cats are finicky so they have to make the food super stinky and yummy. Well those same stinky/yummy factors worked for my dog. Plus ONLY 1/4 or 1/3 of this can, MIXED WITH WATER, and added to the kibble pretty much guaranteed the meal would be licked up to the last drop.

So easy to store the rest of the can in the fridge with the plastic pet lids you can purchase. And easy to travel with and store if you are away from home!


----------



## tsteves

Thank you, I think that she is just picky and bored. Today I bought her the Wellness LBP dry food and some Wellness wet food since they have great ingredients and they are pretty smelly compared to RC. I only gave her the dry food to see if she would eat any and she ate about 1/4 cup so that is better than usual, and she will get just dry for dinner as well. Tomorrow we will mix a little of the Wellness Wet food and see if we can get her to finish a full meal. We have learned that she is crazy for pig ears so i was thinking about giving her a pig ear when she finishes a whole meal to maybe associate eating a full GOOD meal will result in her favorite treat ever.  I have never had a picky eater for a pet before so its all gonna be trial and error I think.


----------



## Mandalyn

Picky eaters are tough. I had a shepherd years ago (RIP Zeus), who was picky and I did pretty much the same as MaggieRoseLee (not the canned cat food, always thought it was bad for dogs) and as long as I gave Zeus variety he would eat his full meals with no problems. Usually used my dinner leftovers to mix in with his dry kibble with a lil water


----------



## 4TheDawgies

Take into consideration the heat. 

My male has never missed a meal in his life. Yet the past two days it has been in the 100's and he has skipped his breakfast but eaten dinner. He too will still eat treats if they are high value. But the heat has made him apathetic along with the rest of my dogs (I assume they are eating their meals because they get fed only once a day. He's as healthy as a horse.

Just something to keep in mind


----------



## tsteves

Yeah I have considered the heat at well. It hasn't been too hot here in the high 80's low 90's and the house is always a crisp 72ish but I lose my appetite in the summer months when i get hot so i figure it could be the same for her. She is supposed to be in the middle of growing though and she is getting a little skinny so I would like to spike her interest and get her eating more so she can keep growing.


----------



## stolibaby

I have been exactly where you are and am actually in the middle of fighting a picky eater right now! Stoli is the absolute worst when it come to being picky and we have tried EVERYTHING I swear. However we have found a few things that work and yes the heat is getting to my boy here in Boise as he only ate about half his normal food today but I know he's ok since he just went to the vet also and is all playful and liking his treats. Some examples of things I tried was raw hamburger, cottage cheese, peanut butter, sprinkle of my roommates cat food (lol) we also now mix a bit of tripe with his kibble and he seems to like that...tonight he got some tuna fish and hte oil just for the smell. Hang in there with a picky boy there are days I can't stand it and wanna scream but it's ok it'll work out I promise  or at least that's what I hope lol


----------



## tsteves

She is doing bettter now. She still doesnt eat much in the mornings but she is more than willing to chase around the huge Kong, the one they have to roll around and work to get the food out, for hours. Its funny I put some food in her bowl and some in the Kong and she just looks at the stuff in the bowl and plays with the Kong. At night we mix wet food and she eats it all, and then chases the Kong around somemore . I love watching her little puppy antics.


----------



## SummerwoodSoaps

This is exactly how my Stella is! I have switched her to Simply Nourish and she does seem to like it a little better than the other brands we have tried. I know it isn't grain free, but I just did not know how to choose a grain free for a puppy that didn't have too high calcium in it and I finally just picked something and stuck with it. It might not be the "best" food but I do think it is high quality. What's funny though, if I use it for training treats, she eats it right up!


----------



## mojocat27

I added a lil chicken broth to her food and that seemed to get her to eat a lil more.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee

:bump:


----------



## JJRJR

I am having the same exact issue with Donner, our 12 week old GSD. He LOVES his soft and chewy treats; but I've been feeding Blue Buffalo Wilderness for Puppies and he really doesn't eat it until he has to. We started adding a little bit from a can of Nutra lamb or beef puppy formula and it is only marginally better. After reading this, gonna try some good ole cheap alpo for an additive to see if that's better. Cat food is ok for a puppy? Thanks, John


----------



## vhowell7

I started mixing in some chopped up (cooked) chicken, and also a little water into her dry kibble, and my puppy is eating better. She is underweight so I felt like I HAD to do something! I think she is starting to teethe so the water helps with the dry kibble.


----------



## scorpio3

vhowell7 said:


> I started mixing in some chopped up (cooked) chicken, and also a little water into her dry kibble, and my puppy is eating better. She is underweight so I felt like I HAD to do something! I think she is starting to teethe so the water helps with the dry kibble.


Yea i know how you feel about having to do something. I have a picky eater as well and he has been picky since i got him. I recently told myself that he wouldn't starve to death and that he'd eat but i felt like he was starting to prove me wrong after he only ate 1 cup of kibble in 2 days.. i know im awful... but i gave in and gave him eggs, cooked chicken or beef broth in his next several feeds.. sigh lol :hug:


----------



## tsteves

Kona has finally started eating her kibble on a semi-regular basis without any additives. Most days she eats the full recommended daily amount. Love progress. :wub:


----------



## kennajo

thank you for this post! If one more person asks me if he's a rescue because he is so skinny I may go postal!! Rocky is 7 mo and 60 lbs which is just 2 lbs off but his ribs show. Healthey otherwise. Vet calls him a gangly boy lol. I went to Natural balance which is rated at 4 star and started added a small amt of wet w/water to make a gravy. I feed him in his crate but right now he is crying wanting out to *PLAY!!!!!* Thats more fun.


----------



## PaulTara&Kobe

I'm reading all these posts with interest because am getting worried about our 13 week old Kobe. He was eating really well until recently and then suddenly went off his kibble; I added some tuna in and he loved it for about a week and today he hasn't touched any food at all. It has been fairly hot here recently (90-100 degrees every day) which may not be helping but I just don't know what to try next as I want to make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs. Any advice please!!!


----------



## c.baeklim

Paul said:


> I'm reading all these posts with interest because am getting worried about our 13 week old Kobe. He was eating really well until recently and then suddenly went off his kibble; I added some tuna in and he loved it for about a week and today he hasn't touched any food at all. It has been fairly hot here recently (90-100 degrees every day) which may not be helping but I just don't know what to try next as I want to make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs. Any advice please!!!


What type of food are you feeding him?


----------



## MaggieRoseLee

Paul said:


> I'm reading all these posts with interest because am getting worried about our 13 week old Kobe. He was eating really well until recently and then suddenly went off his kibble; I added some tuna in and he loved it for about a week and today he hasn't touched any food at all. It has been fairly hot here recently (90-100 degrees every day) which may not be helping but I just don't know what to try next as I want to make sure he is getting all the nutrients he needs. Any advice please!!!


If your pup is still eating stuff like cheese, liver, chicken, whatever and just not it's meal, you probably have a picky eater. If you go back 3 or 4 pages in this very thread you'll see tons of options that have worked for other people.

IF your pup is really not eating anything, you need to get to the vet cause there is possibly something wrong and you can't wait long with a young puppy.


----------



## cliffson1

If your puppy is picky as eater and has been vet cleared as healthy.....then you are feeding too much and too often. The dog is not hungry when the food gets delivered or has access to food ongoing....both of these things will reinforce a picky eater.


----------



## Oskar der Drachen

Bear can be picky too. I finally found a decent puppy food with a kibble big enough for him to chew.

The last one had tiny little bits, and he sucked it up and swallowed by the mouthful. Every third or so mouthful he choked and had to spit it out and try again. ChompGulpChompGulp Chomp *hack* (repeat)

What I do to increase interest is to supplement weekly with sardines in oil a couple of times a week, and deglaze my cooking pans. "Aha!" you say,
"Wot is that then?"

When I'm finished cooking whatever it is that we are eating, I will pour a bit of water into the pans and boil off the sauce/grease/meat stickies into a thin soup and pour that over the three bowls of food for the doggies.

Not for anything super spicy of course, but those nights when pan boilings are not suitable the sardines come out. Cheap sardines in oil, bulk pack buy about a dollar a can split amongst three dogs.

Three benefits, 

One - doggies eat dinner with interest, 
Two - it doesn't cost anything extra in time or cash, and 
Three - It makes my two teenagers happy as well. It SAVES time in the fact that the dishes are easier to do.


----------



## Rex_the_sable

*Pup doesn't want to eat...*

Hi Everyone,

Rex is my 13 week old puppy and he has suddenly stopped showing interest in his food. I brought him in to see our vet because of a runny nose and itch that he had, but those symptoms are going away and the vet noticed that he was getting a little skinny. 

Right now the only way Rex will eat is if I have his kibble in my hand or I drop the kibble onto the kitchen floor in front of him. I tried mixing in canned food with his kibble and that worked for a few days but now he is back to not wanting to eat. The only way he would eat this morning was when I had his canned food mixed with his kibble on the spoon I used. He ate about a quarter of his food then stopped.

Since Rex is still a puppy, I do not want him missing out on his meals and the nutrients that he needs, but I do not know what to do. Should I go back to taking away his food bowl after 15 minutes even if he hasn't touched his food? Should I try a different brand of food?

When I first got Rex, he was eating Kahoots Lamb mix and I switched him over to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy food. Should I try going back to his old food? I have had him now for 6 weeks and it seems odd that he would suddenly not want his food anymore.

As far as his behavior goes, he is still his high energy self. He loves playing with his toys and was running around the house last night even though he didn't want to eat his food.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :help: I love Rex and just want to make sure that I am doing everything I can to make sure he is a healthy and happy GSD puppy. Thanks!


----------



## PaddyD

cliffson1 said:


> If your puppy is picky as eater and has been vet cleared as healthy.....then you are feeding too much and too often. The dog is not hungry when the food gets delivered or has access to food ongoing....both of these things will reinforce a picky eater.


Abby was/is a picky eater so I put her on free feeding. I kept/keep a cup and a half of kibble in her bowl and when that is gone I put in another cup and a half. I don't fret because I know she won't starve herself. She has maintained a perfect weight for her build since she was a pup, so says the vet. She is slender but her ribs and hips are well padded. Evidence is the photos in her album attached to my avatar.


----------



## jjmonty82

I see that having a picky eater is a common problem.
my 6 month old GSD mix, Sophie, was eating all of her puppy kibble, Now! by petcurean, within 10 minutes of placing it in the bowl. A week ago, I bought a new bag of Now! and she barely sniffed it. I took her food away 30 minutes after i placed it in the bowl and did not give her any treats for 2 days and it didn't work. Today I am trying the free feeding method, but she has only eaten 1 cup. Every time I have food she comes to beg for food, but i don't give her any. What is troubling me is that I am flying to visit my family and I can not take her with me on the plane... Too much money and I don't want to traumatize her with the change in pressure. I am leaving her behind with a friend that has 2 dogs, but i am not sure if he will take the time to feed her, or if his dogs will eat her kibble. 
I will go buy some wet puppy food from Petsmart to mix with her kibble. Hopefully that works until I come back and test some more methods.
Btw, I have given my puppy Nutri-cal for her the necessary nutrients, is that contributing to her pickiness?


----------



## Oskar der Drachen

Oskar der Drachen said:


> Bear can be picky too. I finally found a decent puppy food with a kibble big enough for him to chew.
> 
> The last one had tiny little bits, and he sucked it up and swallowed by the mouthful. Every third or so mouthful he choked and had to spit it out and try again. ChompGulpChompGulp Chomp *hack* (repeat)
> 
> What I do to increase interest is to supplement weekly with sardines in oil a couple of times a week, and deglaze my cooking pans. "Aha!" you say,
> "Wot is that then?"
> 
> When I'm finished cooking whatever it is that we are eating, I will pour a bit of water into the pans and boil off the sauce/grease/meat stickies into a thin soup and pour that over the three bowls of food for the doggies.
> 
> Not for anything super spicy of course, but those nights when pan boilings are not suitable the sardines come out. Cheap sardines in oil, bulk pack buy about a dollar a can split amongst three dogs.
> 
> Three benefits,
> 
> One - doggies eat dinner with interest,
> Two - it doesn't cost anything extra in time or cash, and
> Three - It makes my two teenagers happy as well. It SAVES time in the fact that the dishes are easier to do.


I've modified this a bit now.

They were doing all right on the plan, but it was a bit hit or miss on the practicality.

What I graduated to was to get a good quality dog roll and for feeding times I will take a slice of this, mash it, and mix in a cup or so of hot water to make a mush, divide it into the three bowls mixed with the kibble and go from there.

Three different kibbles for now. Light/Mature for the little old dog, Regular large biscuits for the big Lab, and a good quality puppy kibble with larger bites for Bear the 8mo GS.

Still supplementing with sardines in oil for the coats.

Healthy puppy bowels, cold noses, shiny coats, bright eyes, and a happy Daddy.


----------



## KaiserBastiansMom

Thank you for this thread! We have my GSD on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Puppy, and he is just not into it. However right now he is on boiled chicken and rice for an upset stomach. And he LOVES it. I am going to try (once he cleared for kibble again) adding some sardines or chicken to the kibble. 

Poor puppy has lost 2 pounds in a week, so I worry about him. Healthwise he has been cleared by the vet, no worms, no parasites, etc.


----------



## wolfy dog

I think they are too smart for kibble sometimes. They know there is more to life than that. 
Regarding the heat I am considering feeding my 6 month old pup (on a raw diet) once a day in the evening to keep him eager for food. can't believe he leaves a chicken back alone.


----------



## m1953

Thanks to our vet found the perfect solution for our picky eater.. 1 3/4 cups RC puppy food , table spoon pumpkin, small spoonful Iams lamb and rice, 1/2 to 3/4 cups of water, heat in microwave 12 seconds, so warm not hot, and she scarfs it down now. Gets this twice a day,...sometimes it's is some left over chicken breast instead of iams .. Each microwave is different so tst time until its just warm and not hot..The warming really did the trick as the mixture has not changed since we got her at eight weeks. Our vet said a 
Ot of GSD's are picky eaters.


----------



## Bear's mommy

*Mine is also a picky eater*

Thank you for the posts on ways to resolve the picky eater. I finally dropped the Royal Canin and picked up a bag of Blue Wilderness puppy food. He ate the first bowl but it was late in the afternoon so he is not eating his evening meal. I can't wait until tomorrow to see how he likes it. I am now going to breakdown and do what I said I wouldn't do - that is buy canned food to get him to eat. 

Keep the ideas coming. Please tell me this to shall pass!


----------



## WhiteSpirit

Grandma Lucy's Artisan Grain Free Bison Freeze Dried Dog Food

I mix one cup of dry with two cups of water. This is enough for a full day of trick the dog into eating lol. Put some over the food at each feeding. It is not little chunks like it shows on the bag just to warn you. More like a stew. I get jealous of her each time I make it. Smells amazing!


----------



## poppy66

My german shepard is 1 next month and has reduced himself to one meal a day which the vet has said is fine, he used to always eat all his main meal in the evening but the last few weeks he has only been eating his food every other night, he is showing no signs of being ill .but I get worried when he does not eat. Any ideas? He has no tit buts during the day and only one or two small biscuit treats


----------



## RiverDan

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone posting here. My Baron has been slowing ignoring his food. On and off since 14 months old. He's 18 months now.
My girlfriend keeps telling me to leave it, "He won't starve himself."
I am of the opinion that he should enjoy his meals. So I started alternating between some sardines, some wet food, etc. 
He is now loving his meals again. Makes me happy.

Thanks all.


----------



## Debanneball

Hello, realize this is an old thread, but I too have a picky eater. He is just 3 minths old, and it takes a day to get him to eat his kibble, he is on RCanin LBP Maxx, 2 cups per day. I have tried sprinkling parmesan cheese, crushed up Charlie Bears on top, he eats maybe 20 pieces... It seems there are left-overs every night. I honestly didn't want him on people food, so is there anything else I can do? Tjanks

PS, seems he will eat from hy hand, the floor...changed his bowl to stainless from plastic...


----------



## Dennis.

Debanneball,

Mine is doing the same thing. She was super stubborn with kibble, we just made the switch to RAW and she inhaled it. Then today back to being stubborn. 

We're also working on separation anxiety so it may be that she was in her pen and not free to run around but so far she's skipped every meal but will eat turkey from my hand..


----------



## Mighty_Mouse

*11 week old won't eat by herself!*

Here's a weird one....

I recently rescued a GSD puppy who is now 11 weeks old. The first few weeks she was eating just fine now suddenly won't eat kibble when we are home. 

I've been a Nanny for an Aussie Cattle Dog for two years, he's fully vetted so he plays with my pup during the day while his owner is at work. She will ONLY eat her kibble when he's around...top it off...from what his owner said he hasn't been eating breakfast either! 

What do I do to get her to eat away from her buddy?!


----------



## 1fastRN

My 3.5 month old has recently become picky. I've been feeding her blue buffalo wilderness puppy kibble, mixed with BB wet puppy food, pumpkin, and cottage cheese. Initially she scoffed it down and got so excited when she heard me mixing up her bowl. She had to be put on flagyl for 10 days and panacur for 5. It may be a coincidence but she lost interest once i had to mix in the panacur. So she'd eat very little and I'd put it away for the next meal. She'd eventually eat it (wanted to make sure she was getting the full dose).

She's been off meds for several days and is still disinterested. She has tons of energy, loves treats, and seems fine otherwise so I think she's just become picky. I eliminated the pumpkin and cottage cheese because she actually prefers the dry food. I even stopped adding the canned wet food because she isn't interested in that either. I swear, all of my GSDS have been picky but I've never had one who didn't love canned food! 

I have this powdered peanut butter that I use in my protein shakes. I started sprinkling that on top of the kibble and she seems to like that. So she will eat another 1/4-1/3rd and then she's done. I added a little water and sprinkled a little more powdered peanut butter (it doesn't add many calories or fat), and mixed in a few pieces of cheese and she ate most of her food. Hopefully this continues! I don't mind adding mix ins and she seems to like the powdered peanut butter...I was just getting tired of mixing stuff in only to waste it. I'll see how she does with her next meal, maybe she's just not a big breakfast eater? 

Wonder if she'd like some scrambled eggs in the morning? Ahh, the things we do for our dogs! I swear my dogs eat better than I do


----------



## FearlessFreya

I have ongoing issues with this as well with my 6 month old Freya... It got to the point that she would throw up every morning (due to empty stomach and bile building up) because she would prefer going out for a walk, or play rather than eat. 

New strategy - I use about a tablespoon of canned tripe or pureed salmon and mix it into half of her kibble in the morning. She can't resist and she *generally* finishes the rest of her kibble after our walk.

No more puking, and at least she's eating more regularly now...


----------



## Cpellegrino

*5 month old inconsistent eater*

Ive been reading about everybody else's picky eater. And my girl is very inconsistent when it comes to eating. She has been on the 4Health puppy formula now for about 2 months now. When we first starting giving it to her, she was eating 3x a day and loving it. Would finish it off at every meal. The last few weeks though she has become picky and either will not eat her kibble in the morning or graze on it. So i went to 2X a day. 

With my wife leaving about an hour after she is given the food, it becomes an issue because then she doesn't eat until her evening meal. At first I started mixing the dry with a little water, once that stopped working, I went to mixing the dry with a little of the wet can of 4health which seemed to work but gets too expensive (and honestly I don't want her to get used to wet so I can continue using dry), then I went to drizzling a little bit of beef broth to the dry which was working for a while then seemed to stop working (Like this morning). Her energy level seems somewhat low but I guess if youre not getting calories, then I guess you would be low energy. 

Anybody have any tips or have this issue. I might have to go back to the wet food. Her poops seem fine so it doesn't seem like she is sick and not wanting to eat.


----------



## MAX Chan

Max is just 2 months old and not eating much on Nutram Sound Turkey, sometimes he just does not eat. I mixed with half boiled egg and he just ate the egg. Recently I changed to Nutram Sound Puppy and still the same. But he is very active and playful. Can anyone help. Thank you


----------



## Ponchit

Is it OK to mix liver spread to your puppy's dog food?


----------



## Momto2GSDs

Ponchit said:


> Is it OK to mix liver spread to your puppy's dog food?


If you mean something like Oscar Meyer Liver Sausage (Braunschweiger) or similar then *NO I would not use it.*

Ingredients: Pork Livers, Pork, Salt (2 ounces = 630 MG!!!), Water, Contains Less Than2% Of Corn Syrup (sugar), Dried Onions (in large amount poisonous to dogs), Dextrose (more sugar), Flavor, *Sodium Nitrite* (see below).

"In the dog’s body, *sodium nitrates* can produce carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines.” Liz Palika, The Consumer’s Guide to Dog Food
"When nitrites and amino acids are present, carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines can form during high heat cooking." authoritynutrition.com 


A healthy choice would be using a topper like raw or cooked ground beef, turkey or chicken mixed with some water and the kibble and let set for 15 minutes before feeding. Refrigerate any leftovers.

OR 
a commercially made product:
 [FONT=&quot]*The Honest Kitchen Proper Toppers
· 100% Human Grade
· Nothing from China
· No Preservitives
· No GMO’s
· No By Products
· No Corn, Wheat or Soy
https://www.thehonestkitchen.com/proper-toppers 
[/FONT] To Purchase: https://www.chewy.com/s?query=the+honest+kitchen+proper+toppers&nav-submit-button= 


[FONT=&quot]*Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers:
· No added hormones or antibiotics 
· No grains or fillers 
· No gluten 
· No artifical preservatives or colorings 
https://www.stellaandchewys.com/products/dog-mixers/ 
[/FONT] To Purchase: https://www.chewy.com/s?query=stella+and+chewy's+meal+mixers&nav-submit-button= 

Moms


----------



## carmspack

I was explaining this to someone just the other day .
A raw feeder who likes to "do" things for her dog , putting "love" into it , nurture and care.

She will take a stockpot and cram it full of beef necks - bring to roiling boil for about 20 minutes , then reduce to a low simmer for a few hours till the liquid becomes reduced . Bones removed . Liquid cooled overnight in fridge .
Next morning she has a gelatinous bone broth which she puts into small size containers and put into freezer .

She takes some beef liver . Boils it . Blitzs the liver and liquid , puts into silicone freezer tray . When frozen she pops them out and puts them into a zip lock baggie.

It doesn't take a lot of time because the batch you make could last you 2 weeks or more.

Her food prep includes getting the basic raw ground meat with bones and organ meat portion out..

The bone broth and the chunk of frozen liver mix are thawed , sometimes warmed just to blood temperature . In goes the Feed-Sentials and this "broth" is her top dressing .

this was a rescue Dobe that was skin and bones . You could see the bones of his spine and hips protruding. 
Very fussy eater . Suspicious of food .

now he is all boy-dog buff and loves doing agility in that deer like leaping ability that happy Dobes have.


----------



## jarn

Agis seems to be a picky eater. We switched to Fromm's large breed puppy maybe a week and a half ago? He ate it like a champ at first. He now will eat only part of his bowl then get distracted. Hand feeding helps a bit but he still loses interest.

He eats some of the food, so I don't think it's spoiled? We store it in a bin with a closed lid. 

This morning I was like 'Dude, you've GOT to eat' so I grabbed a can of Wellness Core 95% chicken (with broccoli) we had from when Neb had something going on and got to eat wet. Mixed some in with his kibble and he finished all but 10 pieces. 

He DID want some of the cat kibble 

He gained 1lb from Wednesday to Friday despite becoming picky Thursday morning...but I want him to continue gaining. He's now 17.5 weeks and 22.7lbs (a mix, he's not underweight). Full of energy. I thought perhaps he was at the end of a growth spurt and just wasn't as hungry, but he put on a lb in 2 and a bit days! Given his overall weight I'd say that's significant. 

Do you guys agree he sounds picky? Or should I be concerned with something else?

We have a trainer coming to our house tomorrow (Sunday) for a training session with lots of treats and I'm concerned that despite them being hot dogs he'll lose interest. He's never been as food motivated compared to Neb and Xerxes (both who are either part beagle with a bit of lab, or a beagle haha so interest in food kinda goes with the territory) or even Luc or Teagan. When we first had him and he'd refuse to walk outside I tried using food to get him to walk and he figured it out after two treats and was like 'Nope, don't need the treats THAT badly, I'd rather lie down'.


----------



## car2ner

pups go through phases of being picky. My big-boy would turn his nose up at food he recently enjoyed and it worried my sweetheart. But after a couple of days he ate again. So long as your pup is healthy try not to give in to the picky eater ploy. I also made breakfast much much smaller, saving food as a reward for learning new tasks and then dinner, with a full tummy helping my pup relax for the night. 

as far as using food as a reward, usually it works, but just think...in this situation would a chocolate cup cake convince me to do it? Or would you say, "gee thanks, I'll have that cupcake later".


----------



## jarn

car2ner said:


> pups go through phases of being picky. My big-boy would turn his nose up at food he recently enjoyed and it worried my sweetheart. But after a couple of days he ate again. So long as your pup is healthy try not to give in to the picky eater ploy. I also made breakfast much much smaller, saving food as a reward for learning new tasks and then dinner, with a full tummy helping my pup relax for the night.
> 
> as far as using food as a reward, usually it works, but just think...in this situation would a chocolate cup cake convince me to do it? Or would you say, "gee thanks, I'll have that cupcake later".


You clearly don't know my love for cupcakes or self-control! Heh! 

That makes me feel a lot better than it's just a phase. Hopefully. He's still healthy and full of energy...it's just so foreign to me to have a dog turn up his nose at food! All previous four have always been good eaters.


----------



## car2ner

My GSD pup was my first picky eater. Thank goodness for forums like this and a good mentor that I could talk to face to face. Side note, my big-boy, as a pup, like bananas. Now at 6 he doesn't but he is starting to enjoy raw carrots.


----------



## jarn

Someone on a Rottie forum suggested he could be teething....we shall see. I gave him a small amount of wet this morning as our trainer is coming by and she wants him hungry!


----------



## jarn

Agis is not picky, I believe.

Nor is he teething. 

Saturday we took him hiking and he puked in the car. We put that down to the puppy motion sickness, first time on a highway. Xerxes puked Saturday and had diarrhea, we fasted Xerxes and he's been fine if gassy since. 

Sunday the trainer came. Agis refused hot dogs. He trained with our regular treats for awhile before refusing food. By then our session was done though. 45 minutes later he started vomiting - puked 5 times in 30-40 minutes. I took him to the e-vet, who thought given that Agis was off since Thursday and didn't have diarrhea that he and Xerxes were a coincidence. Did x-rays to check for obstructions (nothing obvious; some gas), and CBC (WBC to check for parvo and infections - Agis gets his last booster Thursday). All normal. Got fluids, a cerenia shot, and went home with gastro food. Started eating again and keeping food down.

Our dog walker texts me this morning. One of the big dogs puked undigested kibble. I figure it's Xerxes and go, okay, this is a stomach bug, get in touch with the vet. I get home, open the door, step in some pee. Neb drinks absurd amounts when nauseous. Neb's bed has been puked on. Neb is the one who is sick today. Take NEB to the vet instead - he is nauseous on palpitation, full of gas, get a cerenia shot, we go home with some and pick up some Gas X on the way home. Gastro food for the whole family! 

So, while Agis doesn't have huge food drive, he's probably been not eating due to being sick.


----------



## BigOzzy2018

I’ve never had a picky eater, very opposite but if my dog did not want to eat in the allowed time I pick up food and give at next meal. If still not eating pick up and do the same. I’ve never seen a dog or pup let themselves starve unless they have underlying medical issue. If my dogs don’t eat a meal there is something g very wrong.


----------



## BigOzzy2018

cliffson1 said:


> If your puppy is picky as eater and has been vet cleared as healthy.....then you are feeding too much and too often. The dog is not hungry when the food gets delivered or has access to food ongoing....both of these things will reinforce a picky eater.


Forgot to add, trying diff foods adding wet, chicken beef etc is just creating a picky eater.


----------



## KDR123

My girlfriend and I have a 10 month old Shep, Rhea, who has always cleaned her bowl ever since she was a puppy. Recently (maybe last month or so) she has been a little weird as far as breakfast (so, we tell her "wait" before we give her food and once we say "ok" she normally BOLTS to her food) but now she kind of just sits there and does kind of like a miserable walk to her food and barely eats it (usually has a few bites left). Dinner has slowly been the same thing. Keep in mind we've always fed her only kibble. (We usually keep chicken drumsticks or beef shoulders in the freezer for when she was being extra good outside, at the park, training her, etc. With these recent feeding issues, we bought some raw beef and started to put a little bit in her breakfast and dinner. Low and behold, she immediately bolts to her food again when given the command. PROBLEM SOLVED!! (Kinda). This has been good for maybe about 3 weeks to which now she doesn't eat AT ALL. These past two days, out of the 4 meals she was suppose to have, she made had half of 1 meal (little nibbles from each meal made it roughly half a meal). Similarly like others mentioned above, she eats her training treats, her beef/chicken treats I mentioned above and THATS IT. We took her to the vet after we had the first eating issue and the vet said that she is perfectly healthy. One thing that I do notice that seems to work is having a second dog near her when she eats (She gets super jealous and Ill explain what I mean). First, she is not an aggressive eater. Since she was a puppy, when we fed her we would stick our hands in the bowl and mess with it, take the bowl from her for a few seconds and give it back, etc. just so that she doesn't get crazy if I, my girlfriend, or whomever would walk past her during dinner/breakfast. My girlfriend's dad had a very handsome, but very chonky red lab. Our Rhea and the Red lab, Henry, are best of friends. When it came time to eating, we'd separate the two because Henry would always want more food and go straight to Rhea's bowl after. Rhea would never finish her food because she just wants to play (also this was during her eating problem) now that her best friend is here. Once Rhea left her food bowl, Henry would swoop by and start munching on it to which Rhea notices and bolts back to her food and eats it all. She doesnt bite, growl or snarl, but only wants no one to touch her things (including the food she refuses to eat). She now she finally eats her food. I'm not saying getting a second dog is a solution, but I don't think Rhea would mind a brother or sister in the future.


----------



## Ringhram

The advice in this thread _really works! _Tonight I tried making a gravy per recommendations in this thread. In less than five minutes, this was the result. THANK YOU!!


----------

