My Angel is 10 years old December and is she fussy now when it comes to eating. She has turned into a right fussy Madame not just her general day to day food but treats also. She will sniff everything thoroughly and walk away if she don't want it , then sits and whines because she's hungry. I must mention she has lipomas all over her body and a massive benign fatty tumour on her back leg, my vet says this is nothing to do with her eating. So is anyone else's dog fussy when it comes to food?
Chico the Chihuahua puppy is the first dog I have had who has ever walked away from his bowl without finishing the lot. Though perhaps, as he's the first toy I've had, I'm expecting him to eat more than he actually needs. He'll go out into the garden and catch insects or eat the birds' dried mealworms, but isn't interested in eating raw, apart from the raw beef ribs I give them every week. He is totally disinterested in the expensive organic Lily's Kitchen puppy trays, but was quite keen on the cheap and cheerful mueli type Vitalin I used to feed the rat on. He refuses to eat Naturediet puppy, but likes all the adult versions. I'm waiting for delivery of the hideously expensive Orijen Freeze Dried to see how he likes that - one of the advantages of having such a tiny dog is that I can afford to give him something I couldn't possibly give the others on a regular basis. What's the betting though, that he'll turn his nose up at it and choose to eat Vitalin!
Is her teeth ok sometimes that can stop them eating. Have you tried soaking her food with hot water or gravy, then add some grated cheese / tuna or a little tin food, you could also try splitting her meal into small amounts over the day x
I second the suggestion of grated cheese and something like tuna or pilchards or sardines. I give the older ones the occasional tin of pilchards in tomato sauce which they love, but I'm hesitating to give any to tiny little Chico until I can find a salt-free version. Would a stuffed Kong encourage her to eat? Or, if you feed kibble, one of those toys which dispense pieces as they roll it around?
Agree about the teeth, sometimes this can put animals off their food. Have you tried changing to a species appropriate diet btw? Raw food? The more I learn about health and diet the more I am of the opinion that diet is crucial in general health and wellbeing.
My dog is currently odd as far as food goes. She only wants food when she wants it so I have to wait until she asks. And then she clears the bowl chickchack! Her first meal, I mean - and today it was gone 7pm before she asked for it. I have learned to wait until she asks for food, not try to keep her to definite times, and really the later she has her first "wet" meal which has all her supplements and vitamins in, the later she asks for her second, bone meal. The earlier she has the first meal the earlier she wants her chicken back, and then she nags for more not that long after. So I humour her and wait until she asks before giving her food. Might not be according to "the book" but it is what suits her. BTW she is raw fed.
Thanks everyone will try the grated cheese , she does have gravy and she had tuna today which she turned her nose up at, that's why I done this thread. It's like this with her one day she will eat, for example the tuna , then you give it to her again say 2 days later and she will turn her nose up at it. Angel has got teeth missing the vet treated her teeth not to long ago, so don't think it's that. It's like she wants to pick and choose what she wants the little madame.
I'd have her teeth checked, as suggested. If she's just being choosy, then I'd put her food down at the usual times, and give her 30 mins to eat it, which should be ample time. I would call her to eat, and leave her to it, then go back 30 mins later and lift the dish, regardless of what she's eaten. If she's eaten it all, then I'd praise her and give lots of fuss. If she's not eaten much or not touched it, then I'd ignore her, and just put the dish on the side and walk away. I'd then give the same meal back to her at her next mealtime. This worked for Mille, and stopped me from fussing over her when she wasn't eating which of course encouraged her not to eat. I'd also look at how much I was feeding her. My two eat breakfast and dinner, and if they were leaving anything from either meal, then that would tell me I'm giving them too much, so i would reduce a little from each meal until they were eating everything. Millie springer used to sometimes leave some of her food, but not since Maddy arrived. I think if I filled her dish to the brim, Maddy would eat the lot regardless of whether she was hungry or not! You could also try a little live natural yoghurt on the food, or a little of the plain probiotic yoghurt drinks.
@Sue Staffy - I know that the majority of dog owners feed their dogs at regular times, but why not try what I do with my stubborn madam? Wait until she asks for food before giving it to her. It is not so convenient for me, but it seems to work for her.
I know someone whose dog won't eat tuna but does like pilchards in tomato sauce,so it might be worth trying that. Or Tesco do little tubs of chicken livers which most dogs love. Has she lost any weight? (or is it just you, worrying about her!)
Well I got a few things to try out on her thank you. No Janet she hasn't lost any weight, because of her lipoma I have to really watch what I give her to eat. Angel is not allowed a lot of walks , running because of tumour.
@Sue Staffy - apart from waiting until Angel asks for food, as I suggested above, how about keeping an online diary and noting down what she has eaten and when, so you can keep a track of things? That way you will know what she likes [or not] and when she likes it [or not]. I do with Pereg, even if all I put down what she has eaten and what time, but obviously because of her condition I also put down what, if anything, has happened, plus outside disturbances etc. It means that I have, at the click of opening a tab, all the information that my Vet needs at any one time.
Janet, how would you serve the chicken livers, raw or cooked, if cooked how? I have a similar problem with my little Pippa, so choosy it's like everything has a "shelf life". She'll eat it for a while and then gets bored and ignores it, people say dogs won't starve themselves, but I wonder about her lol. I don't and won't buy poor food, I buy premium nutritional foods with a HNV. I won't start a rant here about some of the awful dog food on the market, that's for another thread.
Hi Stuart I am sure chicken livers are fine raw, but they looked so revolting to me that I lightly boiled them (though I'd feed other kinds of liver raw - illogical I know!). I would only give liver occasionally though as it's very rich in Vitamin A, and too much can be toxic. Chico my Chihuahua is still fussy, though I've at last managed to find a routine he likes. The other two have breakfast, but I don't even bother offering it to him any more as he never eats it. He prefers to wait until lunchtime, after he has had his walk, when he will condescend to eat Ziwipeak venison flavour (won't eat the lamb one). It's ridiculously expensive, but doable as he's so tiny. In the evening, the only meal he will eat is Naturediet (but again, not lamb). He continues to forage for any bird food which has fallen from the bird tables outside, and can smell cheese being grated a mile off!
Thanks for the reply Janet. I hadn't planned on giving her much, just a small amount finely diced and mixed with her other food. Looks like Ziwipeak is another to add to the list to try, she gets bored quickly! There is a very good independent website that gives the nutritional value of a lot dog food, I won't post a link as I'm not sure if it would break forum rules.
Ziwipeak do a canned variety I think, but I get the air dried pieces (I get mine from Viovet). I first tried offering them to Chico by hand, like a treat, but now I just put them in a bowl and he does actually eat them! I never ever thought I'd have a fussy dog!
