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7yr. old husky becoming verry fussy eater


Shecki

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Hey there...! This is my first post in this forum. I've had my husky for 7 years now (since she was 7 weeks old). In that time she's gone from being an overweight dog to being her current perfect weight. She's had two TTA surgeries, one in each knee and became a little to heavy due to the amount of down town and lack of excersie from the long recovery from both surgeries. The vet had her on Science Diet's RD which she seemed to take a liking too, so I just kept buying it for her. Her weight is now great for her size...but she suddenly won't eat the SD RD.

So my local pet shop (great place...not a superstore. They carry all great foods), recommended I try a kibble from Merrick. They said that it's a good food for finicky eaters. Still though...not eating.

Now, here's why I think she's just being picky. 1st...her behavior is completely normal. She acts just as active and crazy as shes always been. So that's a relief. 2nd...she's hungry. And by that I mean...she wants whatever it is that me and my fiancé are eating. Constantly begging. I can't so much as make lunch without her howling away. So...as a test...I took a piece of lunch meat (chicken) and crumble it up into her food. She went crazy for it, and pretty much ate all around the dry food eating every little piece of chicken she could, and left about 70% of the dry food.

Should I just hold out to get her to eat the dry? She'll eat it eventually...no? I feel like she's playing me out here...lol. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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Hello and welcome. We would all love to know a little more about you and your furbaby. In the mean time in answer to your question. I wouldnt feed the Science plan food as many believe it isnt a brilliant food and is also over priced for what it is. Much better foods are available. Secondly you just need some good strong will and hold out on her with the picky eating. Sibes are notorious at trying to get what they want. Be that almost starving themselves till you give in to one of them. A dog will never starve itself intentionally and will eat eventually. Unless of course ill. They also tend to need to eat less food than many similar sized breeds. So what might look a small meal to you might be plenty for them. So hang on in there and dont worry.

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I'm so glad you posted this!! I think Luna is going through the same thing!!

She wasn't very well for a few days (thanks to nibbling on wild mushrooms) and lost weight. To get her stomach settled and her stools firmer, we gave her chicken and rice for a few days. Now she won't eat any of her regular food, or treats!! She only shows interest in treats or food she's not had before!

Which is really bluddy irritating because you tell people she's not eating and they offer her one of their own dog's treats and she wolfs it down!

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First off, welcome to the Pack. Gorgeous Husky too. I agree, SD is not what I would want to feed my dog. Most of their formulas are corn based, and the other ingredients are not that great. The key to their success is not in their product, but in their marketing. Having said that, any change in food that you make, should be done gradually, over at least a week and possibly over a longer period.

For the issue of not eating: Let the food stand for maybe ten minutes, then pull it up. Don't put it back down until the next scheduled feeding time. A Husky will not let itself starve, and will eat. Sometimes, they will skip a meal or two, and that's nothing to worry about. She's probably trying to train you, truth be known.

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Thanks for all of the input, guys! Yes, she went a couple days without eating anything (which is why I tried adding some chicken in her food to see if it was just her being picky) so she missed about 4 or 5 meals (2X a day). That's when I got a little nervous. But its not because she doesn't want to eat because like I said, she'll eat regular food if I gave it to her...and she's constantly begging for our food. I'll try holding out a bit longer...just didn't want to starve her. Thanks for the input!

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