One Strange Puppy

[Dog Obsessed]

Hello there,

I've got the strangest puppy ever! I swear that to be true! The problem is that Yoshi doesn't like his dog food. The Vet said that 1 in 100 dogs are picky eaters. I guess my dog is the 1. He's been on Iams since he could eat dog food. But all of the sudden he just won't eat it. He loves to tip over his dish and roll it around for entertainment. Then he just leaves the food on the patio. I took him to the Vet and they checked if he was sick. They even ran blood tests to see if there was anything wrong inside of him. Nothing was found. So I tried a different kind of dog food. He ate it for two days and then treated it like the Iams! Now what? I'm concerned that he isn't getting the nutrition he needs, he's only ten months old. Any comments or suggestions? I'd love to hear them! Thanks.

-Dog Obsessed

[Ann Eliz]

I don't know if this would help, but ...
Our collie/lab cross dog, Jack, used to fiddle around with his food - eating some, leaving some. And he would never start to eat his until we'd all finished what we had.
After a bit of research reading, I realised we were making a mistake with the timing of Jack's food. Now, I don't put his food down until 'the humans' have been given theirs, and I pick up the dog bowl as soon as Jack's finished.
I've also cut down on Jack's food after advice that he was over-weight. This shocked me, as I'd been following the feeding chart on the box - but then was told that the manufactures suggest larger amounts than necessary, to get us to buy more.
Now Jack gets fed after we have had breakfast, and after we have our evening meal, and eats up every time.
So, are you feeding your dog too much perhaps, and when are his meal times?
Sorry to worry you, but I read some bad reports about IAMS on the web, when I was looking for a healthier option to Bakers. I now mainly give him Purina.
Also, are you watching the new series 'It's me or the fat dog'? with Victoria Stilwell? I can't believe how un-educated some owners can be, feeding their dogs on curry, and chocolates, unbelievable isn't it! At least we know to TRY to do the right thing - even if advice can sometimes be confusing.
Best wishes with your puppy.

[kuritsa18]

My dog did a similar thing where she would eat very little of her food and I realized that it was because we were giving her too many treats and she would get full off of the treats and not want to her food. So, we stopped giving her treats for a while or maybe once a day and she started eating her food again. Also, she learned that she was going to get treats so she was waiting for us to give them to her and wouldn't eat her food; she's too smart! Its like like making a kid eat his vegtables when they want candy. Also, we wouldn't give her any treats untill we saw that she had eaten her food so it was like a reward for eating her food; her desert. Now we've learned to not give her so many treats ans he eats her food fine.

Another reason is if you feed your dog people food he could be getting picky from that. My boyfriends mom did that with her samll dog and it won't eat dog food anymore or rarely does and now she has to buy it hot dogs and makes chicken for it. Spoiled!

You should think about switching foods too because Iams was one of the brands that had the poison scare. You can look it up on the internet.

Godd luck!

[Dog Obsessed]

This is all very helpful, I thank you all.

I'm aware of the Iam's scare. I've checked it and the poison kind isn't the one I feed Yoshi. But I've since switched his dog food anyway. I've checked with the vet on how much I should be feeding him, and yes I have been feeding him a little too much. But I've corrected it since then and he seems to be eating better. His meal times are around 9 a.m., and 7:00 p.m. and in between there, I sometimes give him a dog treat. I sometimes give him a piece of hotdog instead of a dog treat, but not enough that he'd reject his dog food...at least I don't think that'd be the reason.

What kind of dog owner would dare feed their dog chocolates?! Or curry?! that's a lack of common sense on the owner's part. Honestly....that IS unbelievable!

[Heather]

Originally Posted by Dog Obsessed

Hello there,

I've got the strangest puppy ever! I swear that to be true! The problem is that Yoshi doesn't like his dog food. The Vet said that 1 in 100 dogs are picky eaters. I guess my dog is the 1. He's been on Iams since he could eat dog food. But all of the sudden he just won't eat it. He loves to tip over his dish and roll it around for entertainment. Then he just leaves the food on the patio. I took him to the Vet and they checked if he was sick. They even ran blood tests to see if there was anything wrong inside of him. Nothing was found. So I tried a different kind of dog food. He ate it for two days and then treated it like the Iams! Now what? I'm concerned that he isn't getting the nutrition he needs, he's only ten months old. Any comments or suggestions? I'd love to hear them! Thanks.

-Dog Obsessed

My dog Max did the same thing when he was younger he is now 9 years old and does best with beniful dog food, 21/2 cups in the morning and the same at night or suppertime. When they get hungry enough they will eat and with all the food allergies my dog had this food was the best:-) Good luck

[Dog Obsessed]

Thank You Heather for your suggestion! I will see if Yoshi will eat Beniful

[Angie]

Just as an aside here, if we're talking about the "best" brands of dog food, I'd highly recommend Science Diet. It's sold at your vet's, and it costs a bit more upfront than the supermarket or pet-store brands, but it's incredibly nourishing for dogs. I've seen dogs with serious food allergies (pooping blood, etc) get 100% just from having their diets switched to Science Diet.
So, if in doubt, give it a shot and see how your dog does on it (for some reason, my dogs have all LOVED the taste of SD food much more than other brands too).
Cheers,
Angie