Picky eater. You too??

[hahajjhaha]

My Neo is a picky, finicky eater! She will refuse food (food she was eating well for a few days) sometimes for days. I have heard the idea that eventually they will get hungry enough to eat, but her stomach starts to growl so loud it will keep me up at night. Yes, we started adding stuff to her food to make it more appealing (I know, I know we're not supposed to do that either). But now her coat is getting dry, she has horrible dandruff and little scabs of dry skin, and we live in Southern California where it's dryer than a tinderbox anyway. PLUS, as if all this weren't enough, she has an allergy to something that we can't figure out! Her paws get red and inflamed and she bites at her feet. And the only thing we have found she had the most severe allergic reaction to was salmon, and all friggin food has fish! We are currently feeding her Orijens puppy food (she turned two in September). And it seems to take a long time for her to acclimate to new foods. I don't know what to do anymore! I'm afraid to move to a new dry food because I live in fear of her having an allergy to new foods. Is anyone else experiencing this?!? Poor dog must be miserable!

 

[Hector]

Have you tried adding some salmon oil or doggy broth or home made broth?

Have you spoken to the vet about this?

What food are you feeding?

 

[Smokeycat]

One thing I've learnt from Jiggers, my very finicky eater is that not all dogs will eat when they get hungry. He has made himself sick and lost weight because he refused to eat his food. I decided the hassle of needing a topper was better than him hurting himself like that. I have used canned dog food and canned tripe as toppers but what I've found works best is a shredded unseasoned beef roast. All he needs is about a tbsp per meal. One thing I add to his food in the winter is coconut oil because it helps keep his skin hydrated.

 

[Max's mom]

no salmon oil if allergy to salmon.
Poor guy! We've struggled with allergies and are finally on the right track. Good luck.

 

[Hector]

no salmon oil if allergy to salmon.
Poor guy! We've struggled with allergies and are finally on the right track. Good luck.

Oh of course, duh - missed it.

 

[Hector]

have you tried raw meat?

 

[hahajjhaha]

Poor guy! We've struggled with allergies and are finally on the right track. Good luck.

How the hell did yo get on the right track?!? These allergies are tricky!

 

[LizB]

I have an extremely picky eater who will also go for days without eating, and whose stomach growls so loudly and persistently that it is a distraction. *Sigh* Whoever HEARD of a dog who wouldn't eat food???

Anyway, over the past year and a half we have not gotten 100% successful, but he's a little better about eating now than he used to be. We are constantly trying new things and sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, lol. The best thing these days is to give him in his kibble a bit of whatever we're eating for dinner, as if he's joining us or something. Canned food, mix-in type food pouches, tiny dog food mixed in, different kibble (even the cheap stuff!), eggs, the juice from roasts, the grease from any kind of meat, soup, table scraps - we have tried it all.

There may be an issue with other variables that you can try changing:

The type of bowl being used
The location of the bowl (with you/in private/outside, etc)
The height of the bowl
Size of kibble (mine seems to prefer the very small bits rather than the larger pieces)
Consistency (try hot water or warm broth to mush up the kibble)
Time of day being fed
If you have another dog, either stop feeding them in the same room or start feeding them together (if this is safe to do) to promote a competitive eating atmosphere

We've mixed and matched since we've had him and every dog is different, so there may be some magic combination for your dog. Also, do be sure there isn't a medical issue, like a bad tooth, esophagus problem (megaesophagus), a reflux problem, etc.

My dog is suspicious of all food, so training with treats is pointless, lol, and he just seems to not be a fan of eating, of all things. He's quite thin but otherwise healthy. We'll always endeavor to get him to eat, but we're confident that he's doing as well as possible health-wise.

 

[hahajjhaha]

Yes, LizB! We share the same dog, I think!! I have changed bowls, and the feeder, she always eats with us. I have to stand next to her while she eats or else she won't eat at all. I do think there is an allergy issue because she is having skin eruptions in the form of scabs which could be dry skin due to not eating well?!? Everything is trial and error. Oddly, my last dog was equally as picky. I have never owned a dog who will eat whatever you give them. Sigh. Anyway, I am considering changing the kibble to something with more fat so what little she does eat might have more bang for the buck, so to speak. And our dog is skinnier than most of her breed, but she does seem happy and super playful. Perhaps she is just keeping us on our food toes, and that's her job in this lifetime. Thank you for all your suggestions!

 

[TricAP]

2x having your dogs teeth and include sinus's checked. Dogs eating has a lot to do with their amazing sense of smell - might be something in the current kibble that is offensive to her. Also 2nd the trying the coconut oil for her dry spots -when we lived in San Diego I swore by it for my boxer girl who every year during fall fire season would get the worst dry skin - we rubbed in into the spots and that seemed to do the trick.

Is she on grass when she's outside? It could be an allergy to grass or even fabric softener or detergent used to wash her bed. Or floor cleaner or something else her feet come into contact with too, not just the food. I had a lab who would suck his feet at night and drive us crazy until we figured it out that it was the grass in the back yard. Wiping or dipping feet and then drying them when he came inside helped. It was a hassle but worth it for a good nights sleep and not hear the slurping sound. Good luck and continuing through the process of elimination you will find the cause.