Roxie is a super pickey eater and I need to put on more meat on her bones...HELP!

[OfcTomK]

Roxie is 4 years old weights 40 pounds (petite) is very active high metabolism dog(Mom and dad were smalltoo). She is currently on Chicken soup.....for past several months... before that Eukanuba high energy. I'm to the point I have to add cooked liver, chicken or beef to get her too eat. She now has been licking off the meat then I have to add cheese to get her to finish off the rest off the kibble. This last week...she won't touch it at all. If I put the chicken/beef/liver in the bowl alone...she eats it all up...I tried everything...yogurt, cottage cheese....etc. The vet has said she is healthy, but a little thin.

Any recommandations as to another very tasty decent kibble to try or rotate with. And ideally what kibble will also add some weight on her ?? How bout IVO or Solid Gold barking at moon or Royal Canin 4800 energy (the higher fat/protein kibble?? Are those meant to put pounds on?). Or are there treats or wet food that I can add to kibble to increase her calorie intake. I really don't think she will ever eat kibble alone....never has. Should I go to an all wet diet? Trying to stay away from Barf/raw for now. Thanks for any advice in advance...

 

[l0v1n6b0x3r5]

Libby is an extremely picky eater also. Last time we went we decided to try Royal Canin Maxi Puppy 32. She loves the stuff!! She used to eat any food for a week or so and then just quit. But with this, she cant get enough of it. She hasnt really put on a whole lot of weight but she is eating more. You could always try it. And, if you have a petsmart, if you buy a bag and decide that she doesnt like it, you can take it back and try a different brand.

Hope this helps!

 

[gmacleod]

I'd certainly pass on the Royal Canin food - it's not a high quality product. But you might have some success with one of the grainless kibbles - either EVO, Barking At The Moon, Raw Instinct, or Timberwolf's Wild & Natural.

The reason I think one of those might work for her is that they are grainless. Plant matter in general is very difficult for dogs to digest. They lack the digestive enzymes necessary to break down plant cell walls, so the only way they can digest them at all is if the plant matter is well cooked or pulverised. But they still don't do a great job of it. It is possible that your girl does a particularly bad job of it, and just isn't getting the nutrition out of her food. Now, the grainless kibbles still contain plenty plant material, of course. Usually potatoes, in place of the grains. But vegetables are easier to digest than grains are, and in any case, these foods generally have a higher meat content than most conventional kibbles. It seems worth a try anyway, if the conventional stuff isn't working for her.

That is not going to make her like it, of course. And if she just won't eat it any other way, it is probably better to be adding canned or cooked food to her meals. You're in a bit of a catch-22 here in that adding things to her food isn't going to encourage her to eat her kibble dry, but on the other hand, those extras are actually very good for her. In addition to liver, you might like to add some beef heart or green tripe (and that can be obtained in a can - try tripett, it's a good brand).

There is no reason why you can't feed an entirely canned food diet, of course. But it would be very expensive If you were to go that route, you'd be better off buying pre-made raw food for her.

 

[LuvHarley]

I also have had troubles with my girl. I now mix in a can of Merrick canned food in with her Canidae Kibble and that seems to be doing the trick. She gobbles it down looking for more....this is something I've never seen her do with just the kibble! Her favorite is called "Wing a Ling" it has entire chicken wings in the can...cooked enough so that they are not in danger of choking on them.
Good Luck!

 

[Adah's Mom]

I had this problem with Adah, she was on Nutro Ultra originally then lost interest, so we switched to Chicken Soup, she gobbled it down at first, this lasted for a little over a week, maybe 2 then completely lost interest in her food, now she is eating Merrick Wilderness Blend and so far so good, we are into the 2nd week and she still likes it, we mix it with a little water to make a gravy and she gobbles it down. It may just be a matter of switching around to see which food she likes?

 

[Adah's Mom]

There is no reason why you can't feed an entirely canned food diet, of course. But it would be very expensive If you were to go that route, you'd be better off buying pre-made raw food for her.

GMacleod, I had considered this but always heard that if a dog only eats soft foods then their teeth will rot, is this not true?

 

[OfcTomK]

GMacleod, I had considered this but always heard that if a dog only eats soft foods then their teeth will rot, is this not true?

I was thinking that also.....roxie is not really big on bones and treats...she does eat those pedigree Breath Savers...is that good enough for the teeth....occassionally she will knaw on a rawhide

 

[gmacleod]

No, it's not true. Not any more so than kibble. And not unless you don't brush their teeth, anyway.

All dogs need to have their teeth brushed. The only exception is those who are fed raw bones - that's nature's toothbrush. The sorts of raw bones I'm talking about there are the sort the dog can chew right through and consume. It is the act of chewing through the bones that scrapes all the junk off the teeth.

You see why kibble won't do it? When a dog bites down on a bit of kibble, it shatters. That isn't going to clean anything. So teeth brushing or raw bones are required to keep teeth in decent condition. Same goes for a diet of canned food, of course, but it's no more or less true than for kibble.

 

[OfcTomK]

Thanks for the feedback so far...I did try that trippet stuff,,,,,she actually does like that and has been eating most of her CS kibble for the past couple days so far.....I still want to rotate her onto a new kibble.....still welcoming additional advice on a kibble to rotate with (perferably something that will put pounds on her...something high in calories i guess). also any ideas for treats to give her or additives i can put in food that will put weight on her.

 

[gmacleod]

She's 20 months, I think you said? In that case, how about one of the grainless foods mentioned earlier? Those pack a lot of nutrition in. Options are:

Innova EVO: www.naturapet.com
Timberwolf Organics Wild & Natural: http://www.timberwolforganics.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?&pg=ste_oform#
Solid Gold Barking At The Moon: http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/products/showproduct.php?id=81&code=120
Nature's Variety Prairie Raw Instinct: http://www.naturesvariety.com/conte...n=naturesvariety:3EFF2011078562A3EENHx290F833