Food problems

[Duetsche_Doggen]

I don't know what to do about Stone, ( are puppy's really that difficult??)

He flat out REFUSES to eat anything else but what I give Thor which is RAW. Stone was raw feed before however I noticed there some issues with his feet ( flat duck feet) and low pasterns. Since I changed his food to Earthborn Holistics Primitive natural his feet changed ( more "cat foot" like) and his pasterns look "normal." He doesn't care for the food and reluctantly eats it some days he's flat out turned down the food. Which resulted in some non-needed weight loss to the point of anorexia. I can count his spine, hip POINTS, ribs, and see some tendons.

Not only that his teeth look like $hit I've NEVER seen so much tartar buildup on a puppy before which leaves for some putrid breath.

What other foods can I try so that this dog will EAT and gain some much needed weight?????? I will not put him on RAW until he gets older when his growth spurts stabilize.

 

[ruthcatrin]

would he eat it if you put some chicken or beef broth on it (home made, or at least onion and salt free)?

 

[jcook]

oh man, that sounds really stressful. My boyfriends english bullldog is a picky eater, but its never been much of a problem because he isn't underweight. He also never fully refuses to eat his food, he just will skip a meal or two and then when he is realllyyy hungry he will eat his food.

My gut would say to mix in a small amount of something tasty, but I dont know if that would actually solve the problem. my sister had a dog that she had fed wet food to when it was a puppy. Then when it got older she switched to dry food and the dog would literally not eat the dry food until it absolutely had to in order to survive.

I wish I could help here, but I have no idea on how to handle this situation. Maybe this a question for a vet?

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

I tried putting some eggs or some type of olive oil to entise him to eat. It works some what but he still won't eat the amount of food he's supposed too.

If I put bacon grease ( bad I know) or hamburger fat he'll eat it...of course.

I felt so bad taking out yesterday I really was expecting someone to call me out on animal abuse. The vet felt alittle un easy about giving him the shot. Not that I blame him. :/

 

[ruthcatrin]

Hmmm, if you mixed the kibble, thuroughly, with some ground raw meat? No ideal, and might cause diarrhea, but if thats what he wants.....

 

[Sadies Mom]

I am so sorry you have to go through this. Have you tried a fish based food? Maybe a little "stinkier" food will make him more interested......

 

[Smokeycat]

I made up a homemade chicken broth or should I say jelly from a slow cooker chicken that is just chicken and water. When I put a little bit of that into Jiggers food he can't wait to eat. He definitely fits the finicky eater that is part of the IS breed and there would be days when he just refused to eat what he was given. The other topper I have found that works wonderfully is canned tripe.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Oh Ruth that's the last thing we need lol.

Sadie's Mom that's what I'm thinking too when I bring out the green tripe for Thor he goes nuts, My have to find something that measures up.

I HATE to give in to his pickiness, but I can't let him get any worse than he already is....

 

[Sadies Mom]

Taste of the Wild has come out with two new formulas lately. They are labeled as puppy/All Life stages and they have a salmon based food. The calcium/phosphorus levels are right (1.4/1.0 as fed) and there are feeding guidelines for puppies and adults. I had no choice but to change Sadies food to a fish based and she is doing great on it. 85% solid stool on this one. We have an appointment with the specialist this Friday to have her tested for EPI/SIBO/B12 deficiency. She was loosing some weight on the food she was on ans I could see the spine and some hip bone. I switched her to this one, and she has gained 15 lbs in a month.

 

[Robtouw]

Nature's Variety makes a product called Instinct Raw Bites. Its raw in processed formed bites. Comes in Beef, lamb, chicken and duck. I have not used this product, but have received info and coupons for freebies from Nature's via email. It is intended for raw feeders. If you want to shoot me your email addy I can forward the advertisement on it so that you can research it. It may be a solution for you.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Canned tripe isn't technically raw, and so shouldn't cause digestive issues if you wanted to add that.

 

[DennasMom]

Denna was a grazer until I started putting two of Nature's Variety chicken medallions on top, mixed in with water to make a "gravy" - then suddenly she found food very, very interesting! And, just that little bit of raw mixed with her kibble (solid gold wolf pup) didn't seem to cause any intestinal issues. She was on kibble with "raw gravy" for a few months before we went to 100% raw.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Thanks guys, eventually I want to go back to raw but until Stone's structure issues work themselves out I have to put it on hold. I've read that some people do start pups out on kibble before the switch to raw.

Awesome thanks Ruth! See what I can find around here. Petsmart didn't have anything like that the only place that does is a Petco, but their a bit of a drive from me.

Robtouw when I was looking for foods with Thor I checked it out but the price kind of steered me away. Its not to bad compared to some of the competitors, but still.

Sadies Mom I remember the issues you were having with Sadie. Glad your find something that's working out for the both of you! LOL. 15 lbs in a month! That's great Stone couldn't certainly use some of that. I used to feed TOTW but the recalls stopped me so I made the switch to raw early this year. :/

 

[ruthcatrin]

I didn't know petco carried it at all, though they have been expanding their selection for the better recently. I used to get it at a locally owned place. If nothing else if it works for you you can always buy a case online.

 

[Sadies Mom]

You could try Castor & Pollux Grain Free Poultry free. That is the food I had Sadie on but it is very expensive (in my eyes) and Petsmart has it. She did very well on it, but I switched due to price (5 lb bag is $20.00). The biggest bag I found was a 15lb'r and that was another reason for the switch. I don't want to sound ignorant, but have you ruled out any medical issues?

 

[raechiemay]

Wow, this sounds SO familiar. Duchess has been on like 3 different types of kibble & is so hard headed about all of them. We went grain free bc I noticed some itchiness that stopped when I did switch to grain free. Well she's been so picky that she just won't eat her meals even with anything added to them!! Beyond frustrating. I finally started locking her up in the bathroom with no distractions for 20 minutes. She had 2 options. Eat or not. If she wouldn't eat she wouldn't get treats or any other special goodies. I noticed according to the scale she had hardly gained any weight in the past month. And she was fluctuating. She would gain 2-3 lbs then would immediately lose it when she'd refuse to eat. She had been doing ok the past few days but actually ate an entire bowl full of my parent's dog's food. It's not horrible food but not the best. I feel a little bad saying this but I let her eat it. She needs the nutrients of food & by her turning her nose up to it all the time was not giving her those nutrients. And I could tell by how skinny she was starting to look.

I'd go with what Sadie's mom said. Try something a little more "stinky" & see if that gives him a little boost. I'm considering going that route soon too.

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Maybe I'll squeeze some of the juices from the green tripe onto the kibble, ugh, that's stinky enough.

Sadies Mom, going to Petsmart tonight will see if they have it. Thanks

I can't believe how picky these guys are, the "tough love" seems to be working he actually started eating.

 

[Sadies Mom]

Castor & Pollux is what I started Sadie on after she got sick earlier this summer, she refused to eat anything I put in front of her, she did not even want boiled hamburger, but she sure enjoyed this food. Would we call them "picky" or just a breed trait -stubborn???

 

[Duetsche_Doggen]

Castor & Pollux is what I started Sadie on after she got sick earlier this summer, she refused to eat anything I put in front of her, she did not even want boiled hamburger, but she sure enjoyed this food. Would we call them "picky" or just a breed trait -stubborn???

What!!!! Sadie must have REALLY been sick, Stone would have inhaled it, LOL.

 

[Hooch_mom]

My french mastiff was the same way when I got him. A very picky eater. I switched him to Orijen and he inhales it! I used to have to add wet food plus coconut oil and some treats and now I can barely get the scoop in the bowl before he stastarts to eat. Plus Orijen is 100% grain free and a very healthy food!!