anyone else's dog this picky of an eater?!?

[Perch_44]

my 5 year old BLM has always been fed nutrisource performance, well, this year, he kind of stopped eating it so well, and he also is currently recovering from a urinary infection.

but, i picked up some pro-plan shredded blend, to see if he would eat that, just to try something different. because with his lack of eating (went 3 days one time), and illness, he was losing weight. he loved the pro-plan, ate it always.

just my opinion, but i do not like how much corn is in pro-plan, i feel there are too many fillers, so, because of that, i only used the pro-plan as a temporary food to get him eating again.

i picked up some diamond extreme athlete, he ate it good the first 2 meals, and now smells it, sometimes will lick it, and walks away.

Do i keep trying different foods, to find a quality one he will eat? or do i just bite the bullet and put him on pro-plan and see how he does long term?

i know a couple people who have had issues keeping weight on their dogs using pro-plan performance. and that is what worries me, because i have always had a hard time keeping weight on my dog, even in the dead of winter. i've always had to feed him performance blend, or he drops weight.

i really don't want to feed him pro-plan, but i feel like i'm running out of options, i don't want to have to keep going back to the feed store every few days to get something different.

[Texas star]

My dog was I switch to buffalo blue and now she eats every bit and begs for more

[RetrieverLuvr]

There are so many different kinds of dog food out there. One thing I like is the lines of food with different meat sources. I would get bored eating the same food all the time.

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog...s/allergy.html
even though this food is more for dogs with allergy issues....there are lots of flavor options and the same vitimin mineral mix. Get a few flavors in smaller bags and switch it up..

http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/dog/kibble/all
this is a grain free food with several flavors

http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/...dog_food_1.php
Merrick has a nice grain free food

http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/
Like taste of the wild alot. Several flavor choices.

Also...Puppy food is a decient choice for a working adult dog. More calories typically.

I have a picky dog and add a half a small can of cat food to her kibble.....she literally was anorexic as a pup. I also change up her kibble and she somtimes eats better later in the day.

[Pam Spears]

I have a picky eater too. He'll eat several days in a row, then skip a day. We fell into the trap of enticing him to eat by switching food every time he started skipping meals. He'd eat the new food for a week or two then get picky again. We spent tons of money worrying about whether he'd eat, or what he ought to eat. We had bags of "rejected" dog food lined up along the garage wall. Then I started searching the internet for picky eaters and found that in most cases, picky eaters are made not born. We followed the advice given by many: pick a good nutritious food, and feed it. If it's not eaten in a short period of time (10-15 minutes) pick it up and put it away. No snacks, tidbits, or table food. Offer the food again at the next feeding time. It make take a couple of days or a week, but the dog will eat when it decides it's not going to get something different via sulking. Now, our dog is still lean, and still skips a meal occasionally. But he's offered a high quality nutritious food twice a day and gets as much as he'll eat each time, and if he skips a meal, it's on him. We're feeling much better about it now--it's been a huge relief. Just don't forget to make sure your dog has no medical issues: sore mouth, worms, etc. If the vet says he's healthy, quit catering to his whims. You'll both be happier.

BTW, we settled on a food that's high in calories, thinking that he'd gain weight on the same volume if it had more calories in it. He promptly reduced the volume he was willing to eat. The stinker...

[RoosterBuster]

we've tried a few different foods the two he's done the best on are totw and 4 health....4 health is what were are feeding him now, they have a 30/20 blend. he eats over the recommended amount..think he has a pretty fast metabolism. his energy levels have been the best on this food too.

[windycanyon]

My first lab was like this but eventually grew out of it when I put her on the clock (by then, I had kept a couple of her daughters so leaving food down was out of the question). So I know I *made* that picky eater. I also "unmade" it.

One thing you may want to try though is a good green supplement mix or even just powdered alfalfa alone. Alfalfa will help w/ appetite. I started using this (I have a field, so can pick/dry/grind my own) years ago as my dogs were eating a lot of grass and kept at it because 1) it's healthy-- lots of B vitamins, and 2) my aint broke, dont fix mentality. Worth a try.

[David McLendon]

I have a picky eater too. He'll eat several days in a row, then skip a day. We fell into the trap of enticing him to eat by switching food every time he started skipping meals. He'd eat the new food for a week or two then get picky again. We spent tons of money worrying about whether he'd eat, or what he ought to eat. We had bags of "rejected" dog food lined up along the garage wall. Then I started searching the internet for picky eaters and found that in most cases, picky eaters are made not born. We followed the advice given by many: pick a good nutritious food, and feed it. If it's not eaten in a short period of time (10-15 minutes) pick it up and put it away. No snacks, tidbits, or table food. Offer the food again at the next feeding time. It make take a couple of days or a week, but the dog will eat when it decides it's not going to get something different via sulking. Now, our dog is still lean, and still skips a meal occasionally. But he's offered a high quality nutritious food twice a day and gets as much as he'll eat each time, and if he skips a meal, it's on him. We're feeling much better about it now--it's been a huge relief. Just don't forget to make sure your dog has no medical issues: sore mouth, worms, etc. If the vet says he's healthy, quit catering to his whims. You'll both be happier.

BTW, we settled on a food that's high in calories, thinking that he'd gain weight on the same volume if it had more calories in it. He promptly reduced the volume he was willing to eat. The stinker...

We've been down that same road too, I have an Esprit's Power Play pup from my Chopper female and everything that he does is high speed except eating. No more switching foods for him, now he gets Euk and if he eats it fine and if he doesn't then he'll be more motivated the next time. I don't think that he is going to starve because there is no way he can run like he does on an empty tank. He'll get over it or we'll just spend less on food for him.

[junfan68]

I have an older dog who sometimes needs help getting started on her food.

We sprinkle a little bit of beef broth on top of her food and it gets her going ever time.

Not that you want to get in the habit of having to do that the rest of the dogs life, but our dog is 14 and I just need to make sure she keeps eating at all costs.

[Mary Lynn Metras]

Same problem. My 9 yo and 6 month old eat like they have never eaten. Their food is all gone before my 2 yo has eaten his and sometimes he doesn't eat it at all. I gave up worrying and just remove the food if is not eaten in good time b/c I know who will get it. I also feed him 2 different foods Pro Plan and Innova and it doesn't matter when he doesn't eat, he doesn't eat!!!

[duk4me]

Good Lord. They are dogs put the feed down remove it after thirty minutes. It won't take long before they figure it out. If they don't well they are just stupid dogs.