Minnie

My picky little Bella (10.5) is driving me to distraction with her pickiness/food issues. I've been slowing trying to change her food from that horrid Science Diet she was started on at the breeder.

Our latest try is TOTW - she digs through the bowl and picks out the TOTW and spits it out on the floor - and when it finally looked like she ate a little she threw up a little and then had bile come up as well.

I've tried mixing it with a little canned TOTW (she devours the canned) but still spits out the kibble...

Any suggestions on what to do for this picky little girl?

BTW - she loves the Natural Balance roll food (use it for treats as per trainer suggestion) but I don't think this is a viable alternative for a main diet as I think she needs the crunch of kibble.

Thanks for any help!!!

MamaTiff

Have you tried the different varieties of TOTW? Maybe she wants a different flavor?

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JE-UK

I'd try different things. Maybe the kibble is too hard? Soaking it in a bit of chicken broth can help. I find mixing scrambled egg in with ANYTHING makes it palatable. I could mix scrambled egg with cardboard and mine would eat it .

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"Yes is so much important than No." Dominique Barbier

Minnie

So far just the lamb but this is typical for Bella - she's extremely picky and so far only eats the SD well. Other than canned or the roll food.

I've never thought of this - I've always heard that people food was not good for dogs - am I wrong????

JE-UK

I believe this myth was started by the pet food companies, understandably .

Lots of "people" food is perfectly healthy for dogs, and they love it. Mine eats all sorts of things ... he gets to clean the plates after dinner and we generally tithe a bit to the dish cleaner.

Sweets, starches, and grains aren't particularly good for dogs, but meat and vegetables (and eggs!) certainly are. Some dogs have trouble with dairy products, although mine handles dairy fine.

In addition to table scraps, mine gets a variety of stuff added to his food: sardines or mackerel, eggs, grated cheese, cottage cheese, olive oil, chicken broth if I've been boiling chicken, a drizzle of the fat drained off the mince I cooked for dinner, etc. I am careful not to overfeed, but I like his meals to be interesting. Food is SO significant to them!

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"Yes is so much important than No." Dominique Barbier

outwest

My dogs eat all sorts of people food for snacks. They're dogs. They are able to digest better than we can.

Instead of mixing the foods, throw out the science diet and only give the food you wish to feed. Mix it with a little warm water to release the flavors. If she doesn't eat it, pick it up and try again next meal. Your dog will not starve herself. Within a couple of days she should start eating. If her system is used to all that filler in the science diet, you may have some loose stools for up to a week during the switch. That isn't going to kill her. Her body needs to readjust to the new food the same way a humans body readjusts with a big change in diet. I know when I realized I needed to increase fiber in my diet I had some digestive issues for a short while, for example.

Throw the science diet away. If you decide that the TOTW isn't working, choose another food. Also, try mixing a tablespoon of a can of high quality meat in with her warmed kibble. My dogs lick their bowls clean at every meal. There is no reason yours won't do that. Try a little olive oil on her food if you choose to not put canned or an egg. My sister in law does that instead of the canned and her dog also eats every bite.

Feel her sides. If you can feel every rib and they have a tiny bit of meat over them, she is the correct weight. Go by her ribs to see if she is too thin or heavy. It could also be that she doesn't need as much food as you are giving her. Toys eat a tiny amount of food! Many poodles self regulate and don't want to be overweight.

Toys are a little more delicate than the larger poodles, but if she is healthy otherwise try not to worry too much.

Lilah+Jasper

Add a little bit of tripe - it is great for delicate digestive systems and dogs usually cannot resist it. Brace yourself - it does have an unpleasant aroma (to people) but my dogs go crazy for it.

Because of Jasper's medical issues, I have been adding more tripe to his diet. I have been testing several brands. The solid Gold Beef Tripe was the worst in terms of smell - I won't buy this again. ZiwiPeak Lamb & Venison Tripe has a very mild aroma - we like this one. My next trial is Tripett brand and blends from mypetcarnivore.com

I have also used tripe treats: Vital Essentials 100% Raw Beef Tripe (both frozen and freeze dried) and I found hardly any smell to these at all.

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My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind,
So flew'd, so sanded; and their heads are hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew;
--William Shakespeare, A MidsSummer Night's Dream

Minnie

I have to admit I'm surprised by this - I thought it was very important to mix the food and not do an immediate change? But as you can tell unfortunately I'm not an expert in doggie diet (we fed kibbles n' bits when I was a kid).

She seemed to eat a little bit of it today - but again spit out the TOTW on the floor and the SD is gone.... We self feed as I've been concerned about hypoglycemia because she is a tiny 4 lbs. If we add a perishable to her food then we'll need to rethink the self feed idea.....

I did check her ribs as suggested and she is at a good weight - maybe even a touch over - she saw the vet a couple weeks ago and she said that she was about right for her size.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!!!

georgiapeach

I disagree with switching cold turkey. Some dog's systems can tolerate it, but most dogs will suffer digestive upset, diahrrea, etc. using this method.

If your dog doesn't like TOTW, maybe she'd like Earthborn. My boxer puppy loves TOTW, but it doesn't like him! Earthborn is holistic, and it comes in both grained versions (no corn, wheat, or soy) and grain-free versions. I've heard good things about it on another forum. Here's a link: Home : Earthborn Holistic Pet Food

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Beth, mom to Potsie, 3 year old cream minipoo, and Maddie, 2 year old ???

PaddleAddict

Is your little Bella 10 1/2 years old?

Has she had her teeth checked by a veterinarian lately? Maybe she is having a dental issue that makes chewing kibble painful?

Lots of people feed canned only or the Natural Balance rolls only. If she doesn't like kibble I don't see why you couldn't feed the soft stuff instead. People used to think that kibble "cleaned" the teeth and soft food "ruined" the teeth, but some studies have recently shown that this is not true at all.

The only way to keep the teeth clean is by brushing, veterinary cleanings and giving chews like raw meaty bones.