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Need help with dog food suggestions...

35K views 75 replies 31 participants last post by  1stladysoul 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

Zeplin was brought home to us at 12 weeks old eating Puppy Chow from his foster mom. We kept him on that for about amonth until he became accustomed to his home, and new family. We gradually switched over to Solid Gold- Wee bit. He has been on that for the last 3-4 months. However- we have noticed that he will not eat his food this week. He is active and feisty- so I do not think he is sick. He will eat here and there- but we have been throwing out the food- which we used to never have to do. He would devour it in a matter of minutes- even seconds.

We do give him the occasional treat or bisquit and he loves peanut butter in his kong as a treat as well. His poop has not changed much.

Any thoughts?

We were going to try a new food to see if it was that he was bored with it, but dh bought another Wee Bit bag- so we tried it- justto make sure it was not stale. Still not eating. So now I would like suggestions on what you fee your pup. He is 8 months old. I looked for Evo at my pet stores and could not find it- so any other advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Jennifer
 
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#51 · (Edited)
I just find myself having to weigh in on the food thing again...I have two dogs...with very different dietary needs. This is not a medical thing, no vet has told me this...I have just discovered it through trial and error... and more importantly proved it to myself through good intentions.

Jasper, as many of you know spent much of his puppy hood acting like a depressed dog... he was very finicky (we tried almost every kibble on the market ) and would not eat any kibble for very long with the exception of Royal Canin Poodle or Special (only a 2 on the dog food analysis) ...and I would not feed raw. So after he refused my home cooked canine diet...I starting feeding him the NV medallions but cooked. We went on like this for a two years I would add potato and greenbeens to firm his stool... and I was always trying the latest greatest kibble or canned on the market... but all he would eat was the medallions cooked. About a year ago in a bout of me 2nd guessing my cooking of the medallions and robbing them of nutrients (Cash eats the medallions too) I remembered that he would actually eat the crappy RC kibble. So I got a bag. He would not eat it often and often time it would be as a treat for tricks.. but when he did I noticed he had more pep and energy. So one day-- I stopped feeding him medallions in the AM he barely ate them most of the time anyway and just put out a small plate of RC kibble. After a few days he started eating breakfast...after 2 weeks he started to play... I then cut his evening medallions in half and feed him more of the kibble. (I would say he is now on 25% medallions or real food and 75% kibble.) For almost a year now he has maintained his energy and his happiness and his poop is firm for the first time in his life. But... you know me... a few months ago I just could not reconcile all the healthful things i do for my boys and my feeding Jasper RC kibble...And I theorized that maybe it was the fact that he was eating consistently, and eating something that was being fed the way it was intended that was making the difference...(unlike my cooked medallions) so again, I looked for a kibble they would both eat. I found Taste of the Wild, not the best kibble, but still a 6 on the dog food annalysis. Both boys ate it happily...Cash's mixed with a medallion, Jasper straight with a medallion chaser. After 3 weeks...Jasper started withdrawing again and didn't seem to want to play. After 4 weeks Cash started eating his poo again...but that is part of his story. So Jasper is back on Royal Canine Poodle... with a cooked medallion at night. This seems to be what he does best on. And if he loses a year of life, I would much prefer to see his years be happy ones. I am not sure why he does well and why this extremely finicky boy chose this food perhaps he knows something we don't.

Cash is just the opposite. If he gets RC as treats (or any other kibble even the high protein ones) or in his food he gains weight and acts ravenous (even if he is getting more food) he whines at all the places the treats are kept and starts to supplement his food intake by eating his poo. If I give him nothing but the cooked medallions and jerky treats he is fine, less hungry and no poop eating. But lately he has become a bit reserved and has less energy-- SO I am experimenting with adding some Orijen to his diet.

I tell this story again, because I honestly believe there is no one dog food for every dog and no two dogs are alike.... I have one dog who does just simply great on corn gluten...and another who needs all meat.

I also want to say...I have become convinced that my mixing and matching and taking a little bit of this theory and another from that and not following the feeding instructions (cooking the raw medallions) has robbed my boys of nutrients. I commend those of you like Daniel, who does the raw and does it right. But raw and home cooked is a commitment. If you can't keep it up, you will at best have created a finicky dog and at worst you may be robbing them of something they need unless you follow the rules.

Sorry to have gone on so long... this is a topic near and dear to my heart. I feel my dog food snobbery robbed Jasper of almost two years of happiness.

But as I always say...if what you are doing with your dog right now aint broke, don't fix it.
 
#53 ·
Thanks for the story Missy,
Koda seems very happy and energetic with the food I have been giving him thus far. I guess I justed assumed that the higher stars a better but maybe not. I will think about this more carefully before jumping ship.
Joyce
 
#54 ·
I am at a loss when it comes to feeding Hugo! Two weeks, he loves his food, then he hates it. So I switch...and this goes on and on. I feel as though he only eats if he is eating it out of my hand. I know they are just a picky breed but I want him to get all the nutrition he needs! It really bothers me that he doesn't eat "dog food". This is a huge issue for me as a Havanese owner. We want the best for our little pals, but they don't seem to understand lol!! Haha..help!
 
#55 ·
He has you very well trained! Choose a food that you believe is a good choice nutritionally. Put it down. Pick it up again in 10 minutes, no matter whether he has eaten or not. Do not offer ANYTHING (no treats either!!!) until his next meal. Offer his meal for 10 minutes again. NO HAND FEEDING!!!

Unless there is something physically wrong with your dog, he WILL NOT STARVE. He will learn that he eats when it is offered or he goes hungry. Believe me, he will choose to eat.

Little dogs become picky eaters because people MAKE them into picky eaters.
 
#56 ·
I'm confused about the statement that food should be rotated every few months. If it's a good quality food and they love it, why switch? I finally found a food, Acana Grasslands, that doesn't cause eye stains, and I plan to keep Sophie on this. I tried many before I found this one and it is very expensive. I plan to keep her on it as long as she likes it, and she does love it! Please tell me the problems this can cause.
 
#58 · (Edited)
It's recommended that foods be rotated periodically because no one food is perfect. Some can be a little high in one nutrient or a little low in another. Not such a big deal until that's multiplied by years. So I rotate brands each time. Also rotating protein types is good because different proteins offer different balances of fats. Check out www.dogfoodadvisor.com as well. More food ratings and interesting articles. Look for "how to choose a good dog food" by Dr. Karen Becker.
 
#65 ·
I feed Maya Halo. She loves it. As a treat, I will give her Tiki dog which comes in a can. It is expensive at $5.00 a can , but she loves it. The cats even try to bully there way in to in bowl when I feed her it. I wish that the Tiki dog came in a dry food, but it doesn't.
 
#66 ·
I give mine Vets Choice Health Extension Little Bites. I also had some chicken breast into small pieces and a smal amount of cheese. Do I still need to change up the kibble?What kind of problems can they have if you do not change up their food every 3 or 4 bags?
 
#67 ·
they won't have any problems , it's just better to add a different variety of nutrients ,in case some are deficient in the one. Lucky duck for only getting one inch of snow. lol
 
#69 ·
I usually don't like giving suggestions specifically because every dog is different, but here is the Canadian company I use http://www.petcurean.com/
 
#70 ·
Our 4 year old Havanese was on Innova for all of his life and did well but after Proctor and Gamble bought them out I was worried about quality, he is also a very picky eater. After some research I changed him to Instinct Grain Free by Nature's Variety. They have several different kinds and you can switch between them to give your dog variety. Mine loves the gamey flavors. We now have a 5 month old puppy and she loves it too. Its okay for all life stages which makes it very easy. I have also been ordering from Wag.com which makes it quite affordable and ships free to my door :)
 
#71 ·
Welcome to the forum. :) Thanks for that.
 
#73 ·
I have two dogs, an adult lab and my hav puppy. The lab has always been on a raw diet, in part because our previous lab died at 5 1/2 from liver failure (my theory was over-vac etc, I am still pretty bitter about the whole thing). We use a combination of commercial raw such as primal, OC and Stella, with small mix in of pumpkin, some fish, chicken etc (usually the chicken is cooked as its part of our whole foods dinner but sometimes raw).

The funny part was when the vet tech once said this:
"Your dog's fur looks great. What is he eating?"
"Raw dog food."
"Oh, he needs to get off that."

Pretty funny.

That being said, early on with our lab, there were definitely times when I dont think we had it right. We do rotate now, and I think we are doing okay, but reading this forum, I am thinking about investing in some time with Sabine.

What I find frustrating though is that you pay a vet for services and advice, and I do like my vet, but you still have to do a lot of the research and work yourself.
 
#74 ·
Thanks for that, yeah I would get Sabiene to fine tune that for you.
 
#75 ·
Thanks for that, yeah I would get Sabine to fine tune that for you.
 
#76 ·
I am feeding my baby Grandma Lucy's Artisan grain-free pre-mix which I add fresh ground meat. She is only 3 months and we have already had a problem with food when I started her on Blue. Grandma Lucy's seems to be working ok, but I have notice some stomach grumbling after she eats. I want to try to finish this bag, which is huge considering she weighs 3.4 pounds and only eats 1/4 cup at dinner, a bit less in for morning/lunch time. I have already checked out the next food I will try which is Amicus. Has anyone else tried either Grandma Lucy's or Amicus? I found the information for my decision for Amicus at DogFoodAdvisor.com. Finding the right food has me so stressed as everyone has different opinions about doing what's right for my baby.
 
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