Nikki Bridgeman Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi, I was just hoping for another opinion really... Our 18ish month old husky was on the cheapest food available when we got him from a guy who couldn't look after him, he was our first dog so we didn't know much about diet and nutrition, and just bought 'pedigree loaf with tripe' tinned food, based purely on the fact that it was a well known brand and not a cheap one. Now that we know better, we're trying to switch to kibble. We've tried 'Burns' and 'James WellBeloved' which are apparently quite healthy, but have decided to go for 'iams' as it's supposedly as good as the others but is slightly more affordable. We have been trying to get him on dry food for almost 3 months now. If we mix it with his tinned food, he'll sit there for ages and pull out each biscuit and leave them on the floor, if we give him one at a time by hand he'll walk off with each one and spit it out. I've mixed them with gravy/broth/water and he won't go near them. Quite a few people have told me that if all else has failed, we should stop giving him All other food, and just give him the dry biscuits. I didn't like the idea. Since then we have been told the same thing by another husky owner who has had this problem, the pet shop owner and my Nan who has had happy healthy dogs for over 40 years. I mentioned it to the vet and she said, it's ok to do provided; A.) he has plenty of water B.) he's healthy in general. And as long as I give him a couple of spoonfuls of tinned food if he still hasn't eaten it by day 3. I'm starting to think it's a stupid idea. He's sitting there giving me the... 'mummy i'm hungry' look and when I take him to his bowl and try and convince him to eat a biscuit he starts to cry and walks off. Should I carry on with this? Or is it cruel? I know it would be good for him in the long run because it's an advanced and complete food, unlike the tinned crap. But I'm worried he's starving or it's going to make him ill :-( I'd really appreciate any advice or opinions. Thank you, Stitch's mum x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darc-Brittany Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Do not give in to his fussy eating habits, my dog had them for the longest time and it was a nightmare! I spent so much time worrying over it and spent way too much money. A dog will not starve themselves if there is food. My suggestion is to put down the food, leave it for 20 minutes, if he doesn't eat it after that long, put it up and try again a few hours later. Do it until he realizes and starts to eat, might be a couple days, but he will come around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Bridgeman Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Thank you for replying :-) I bet it seems stupid me worrying because he's hardly gonna starve to death out of stubbornness I suppose :/ I just feel like I'm being cruel. I'll try that, the taking it away for a few hours at a time. As it is now he has a bowl of them all the time, which I'm replacing with fresh twice a day. Any idea how long the kibble can be in his bowl before I should throw it away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darc-Brittany Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 No problem. Has your boy gone a few days without eating before? I was in a sensitive situation because my boy has a really sensitive stomach so if he skipped a meal or two he'd puke up yellow bile (sign he's hungry) so there was a big push for me to try and get him to eat. Does he have problems eating the kibble? Seem like it's troublesome for him to eat? Does he chew on bones/chews regularly. Being on a canned diet for so long can weaken their teeth. Just curious. If kibble gets stale dogs can be picky ._. I find my dogs always love when a new bag is open because the smell and freshness is there. Do you have a plastic container to put your kibble into? Traps in the smell and keeps the kibble a lot fresher then just leaving it in the bag. I'd put the kibble back into the bag if he doesn't eat it then just scoop out some more for his next meal, that way you don't need to waste any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Bridgeman Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 He hasn't missed a day since we got him, but he was very underweight so we think he may have gone hungry a few times with his previous owner. It almost seems like he's confused about it, he seems surprised when he bites and it crunches. The vet actually commented on his teeth the other day, apparently they're fantastic, but then he always has bones and rawhide, never runs out. And he has a frozen carrot a couple of times a week to clean his teeth. It's in a tub, but I had no idea it'd be ok to put it back in, I'm throwing away quite a lot of money on the food front :/ Is there anything I can do that might make him eat it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 I am a sucker for the "I am hungry mommy" eyes. I feed raw, chicken being 50% of their diet, and Ozzy gets those days when he refuses to eat chicken. I just put it back in the fridge until his next meal, and so on, until he eats. His second meal of the day will be either beef, lamb or ostrich with organs mixed in, and he hates missing that, but if he doesn't eat his chicken in the morning he doesn't get his second meal - he gets the food he refused to eat in the morning. He then has to watch Micah eating the food he really, really wants. I know that if I give in to him, he will never eat chicken again - it is a battle of wills with the two of us because he is so stubborn He won't starve himself, he will eat eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosemary Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 He hasn't missed a day since we got him, but he was very underweight so we think he may have gone hungry a few times with his previous owner. It almost seems like he's confused about it, he seems surprised when he bites and it crunches. The vet actually commented on his teeth the other day, apparently they're fantastic, but then he always has bones and rawhide, never runs out. And he has a frozen carrot a couple of times a week to clean his teeth. It's in a tub, but I had no idea it'd be ok to put it back in, I'm throwing away quite a lot of money on the food front :/ Is there anything I can do that might make him eat it? I have read that some people add some water to the kibble ? Maybe you can try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darc-Brittany Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Okay, so there's nothing wrong with his teeth. I'd just stick with it because if not, he'll always be picky and if you do find a food that he does like, he might decide a month later that he wants a different food. Happened with my guy, I was mixing in wet with kibble, trying all different kinds of food, nothing worked, I spent soooo much money. Keep with it or you'll be in trouble down the road. Putting kibble back in the bag/dish is perfectly fine as long as it's not water logged or has had something put on the top of it that could make it go soggy. From my experience, if a dog was starved in it's previous home, it will gobble up anything in sight and become very food possessive. My parents have a dog that they saved from being put down at 10 months, beautiful golden retriever, registered and everything. It bit the old owner because she left him in the car during the middle of summer to go shopping, didn't even roll down any windows. So as soon as she got into the car, he bit her, I can't blame the dog. He was pretty skinny when he came to my parents, and dad was saying that they knew the old owners didn't feed him enough. He was very aggressive around any food and would fight for any that was around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Bridgeman Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 We want to get him on raw, but can't afford to do so at the moment. It's rather remote where we live (the isle of wight) And the price of meat it extortionate! But we were thinking that if we can get him on kibble, then he could have that in the mornings, and then raw for his main meal. If he was used to the kibble I'm pretty sure it'd be ok to miss the meat for a few days here and there If I can't get it, and just have two meals of kibble. I've tried adding things like water/broth/gravy and he still won't touch it, but then again I haven't tried it since we started this 'no other food thing' yesterday so I think i'll go and give it a go now just incase :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darc-Brittany Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 See, what he's doing is holding out for what he wants. After he doesn't get what he wants for a while, he will have to resort to eating what's put in front of him. Just keep at it I had Kira on raw for a month, it was amazing, but it cost waaaay too much so I stopped after the month. I had to get his weight up, he was the runt of the litter and his stomach turned on his food at the time and nothing was staying in the poor guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Bridgeman Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 It's been three days now and he's only eaten about a handful. I feel so cruel At what point does it get unsafe? I know it would be better for him in the long run, but this must be awful :-( x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwolf Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 3 days really isn't that bad... If he still hasn't caved after 5 days I'd be inclined to offer him a little something else to tempt him. Personally, I really don't like Iams. The second ingredient (and thus primary filler) for most of their products is corn meal, which is not easily digestible for dogs, and certainly not those with sensitive stomachs. I would suggest this: go to your local pet stores and tell them your issue. Ask for sample pouches of a few kinds of dog food - hopefully their providers give them some! You may have to go to a few stores to get a broad enough sample base. Take those samples home and use them as treat rewards when you play games or give your dog commands. This way you can hopefully find a brand that he likes! I'm surprised that gravy or wetting the food still doesn't tempt him. How much do you offer at once? Maybe try smaller portions initially (this way too there is less waste if he doesn't eat the "ruined" food. When Wyatt stopped eating his kibble (though in his case it WAS his teeth that were bothering him), I tempted him by playing games with his food. I would toss pieces for him to pursue, stack them on his paws, try to balance them on his nose... he would start picking the odd one off the ground, then any one off the ground, then finally he'd settle into his bowl. *shrug* Another method to try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Melsom Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 The food hes on could be upsetting his stomach so he wont eat it. I found huskies will go for quite a while without eating food if they are not burning alot of energy they do not believe they need to eat. When Marius wasnt eating his food for a while I switched flavors Ive also put plain yogurt on top or organic canned pumpkin or cottage cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adorah Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Wow … 3/5 days without food, is that not a little bit harsh. or am i being soft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue bayou Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 dont give in to your dog ive had it in the past with mine and tried everything if the dog is hungry eventually he will eat. stick at it! i know its hard and you think you are starving him but believe me there are lots of owners out there who have the same problem.My dogs tend to eat less if they havent had a run when they have they usually eat all their food! hes playing u!lol:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICE & SHADOW Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I put food down @ 6am and 6pm no longer than 30 mins. He doesn't eat in the mornings, but most of the time he will eat in the evening. He has skipped some meals and has gone 2 days with out eating. I think that he watches his figure lol. I have noticed that he tends to eat more regualry when we play or run through out the day. A 13lb bag of dog food last us about a month or so here. We use EVO here, is a grain free high quality kibble (compariable to Orijen). I always put what he doesn't eat back in the container. We have a plastic bin with a lid, helps with the freshness. Lots of good advise here as always, and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwolf Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I put food down @ 6am and 6pm no longer than 30 mins. He doesn't eat in the mornings, but most of the time he will eat in the evening. He has skipped some meals and has gone 2 days with out eating. I think that he watches his figure lol. I have noticed that he tends to eat more regualry when we play or run through out the day. A 13lb bag of dog food last us about a month or so here. We use EVO here, is a grain free high quality kibble (compariable to Orijen). I always put what he doesn't eat back in the container. We have a plastic bin with a lid, helps with the freshness. Lots of good advise here as always, and good luck! As a suggestion, have you tried just feeding him his entire portion once a day? Both of mine were like that. When I switched to 2 cups fed only in the evening, I found that they both ate far more consistently. Wow … 3/5 days without food, is that not a little bit harsh. or am i being soft LOL, it's not as though she isn't trying to feed her dog! The dog may not like kibble when he's been fed more delectable treats, but he won't starve to death. Regardless of what he thinks of the food, if he's hungry enough, he'll eat - don't forget, we're talking about a species that rolls in rotting carcasses for fun and eats poo! Taste is subjective! At the same time, why feed the dog a food they don't like? Far better to try samples of stuff until something suitable is found than have to buy big bags and waste it. Though I'd still try mixing in the less desirable stuff to get rid of it. Dogs don't seem to appreciate the cost involved with making them happy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikki Bridgeman Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I've tried all the 'good' kibble in the pet shop, he doesn't seem to like dry food in general. The only ones we haven't bought are the cheaper ones that we were told are less nutritious. If he doesn't like it, will he ever get used to it? Up until now he was eating three tins a day, now he's eating barely anything, is this definitely safe? :/ I appreciate the advice everyone, thank you... I would have caved in long before now If it wasn't for the replies lol x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwolf Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I've tried all the 'good' kibble in the pet shop, he doesn't seem to like dry food in general. The only ones we haven't bought are the cheaper ones that we were told are less nutritious. If he doesn't like it, will he ever get used to it? Up until now he was eating three tins a day, now he's eating barely anything, is this definitely safe? :/ I appreciate the advice everyone, thank you... I would have caved in long before now If it wasn't for the replies lol x Honestly, if he's been getting lots of wet food and real food, then he's been suddenly switched to kibble - it's kind of like eating pizza all the time then being given crackers. If he's held out long enough in the past and gotten pizza again, he could just be determined to hold off because something better will come if he doesn't eat! Since you've already tried mixing the kibble into the tinned food to try to wean him off and all he did was pick it out, it seems you're kinda stuck with two options - cave and keep buying wet food/real meat, or give him absolutely nothing but the kibble. Since he likes wet food, I'd be inclined to try this - wet the kibble and let it soak so that it turns to mush (not too soupy though!). Whatever kind of meat you're cooking for supper, keep the fat drippings (avoid cooking with garlic when you're going to do this - not good for them). Stir the drippings into the food mush. Try to get him excited about supper time - let him see that you're putting "something special" into the food and hype him up a bit before you present. Make him sit and wait for the food, but as soon as you release it give an excited "okay!" to let him have it. Part of it is psychological - you're excited about this food, so I should be too! Pure fat is tasty and tempting, you've removed the crunchy kibble texture and mixed it so he can't just lap up the drippings. I'd try that for a few days - and only try feeding him once a day. Don't give him 2 opportunities to turn his nose up. Keep it down for up to an hour, but no more (I know most people say 15 minutes to half an hour, but I know in Wyatt's case anyway he would sometimes take a little longer to work up the desire to eat). If cost/waste is a significant factor, start with only a half ration the first few days until he actually eats. It's not going to hurt him to be cut back short term - especially if he hasn't been eating much lately to begin with. You can try keeping it in the fridge for a day or so, but any longer and it will probably start to go rancid, and warm it up to room temperature before you offer it. And stick with offering him NOTHING else to eat. Once he gets used to it I'm sure he'll enjoy it just fine. Once he's eating consistently you can start reducing your prep - just putting some water in the bowl and presenting, then ultimately giving him the option of trying some dry - maybe just a few scattered on the floor. ETA - I think someone above recommended exercising him before you feed him - that's a good idea too - get him to work up an appetite! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elyse Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Suka was really picky with his kibble and would NOT eat it unless I put wet food on it; it went on for 2 years until I decided enough was enough. What brands have you tried? Suka absolutely loves Taste of the Wild and he eats it without any 'toppings'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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