Poodle pup won't eat dog food and is driving me nuts (clean, vet)

[MSchemist80]

I could use some advice.

I have a 3.5 month old poodle pup. We got her Sunday. This is our third poodle over 27 years. She is a proving to be a pain to feed.

My last poodle had inflammatory bowel and a few bouts with pancreatitis so she was also difficult and was on Canine I/D and roast chicken/turkey. The lack of hard food made her teeth terrible.

The vet has given her a clean bill of health. She is energetic and playful and drinking OK.

First I tried Iams: fail.
Next Blue Buffalo: fail.
then I tracked down what the breeders gave her (Pro Pac): still fail.

I moistened it up and mixed them and managed to get her to eat a few mouthfuls but not nearly enough.

The vet suggested Royal Canin so I am trying that tonight. Any suggestions?

[smagid]

Eventually the dog will get hungry enough and eat. I would suggest a more natural dog food such as the Taste of the Wild, Fromm's, Blue Buffalo. You can also add fresh veggies into the food and warm water to make it more like a gravy.

[stevebri]

My sister has a cocker-spaniel/bichon frise mix.

She started her on Iams but she would often throw up.

She switched to Royal Canin but switched because the the particular variety for her was difficult to find.

Now she is on Wellness. She has always mixed in some chicken with the dry dog food and she will eat this. She is also partial to canned tuna if you can believe that!

Agree with Smagid about dog eventually getting hungry enough to eat. There are days we have left food out for an hour or more before she would eat.

[Pamina333]

Click on this link and enter the names of foods you are considering into the search box:

Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

They base their ratings strictly on ingredients contained, also explaining each ingredient "in plain English" so there's no room for confusion.

Doing some homework via unbiased sources will allow you to make an informed decision.

PS Then I'd return what the vet told you, and explain to them why. Unfortunately vets aren't well versed in nutrition; it's not what they study (as will be obvious when you read the ingredients for yourself.)

[subject2change]

I'd go with the healthiest dry dog food, following the link HOF gave you, but it's being healthy and getting her to eat it are two different issues. I used to have a very finicky dog who would eat her dry dog food if I stirred a spoonful of cottage cheese into it. It's a good protein source and shouldn't bother her digestion. Just remember you can't free-feed if you stir a wet ingredient in.

[mrs1885]

I agree. The puppy is outsmarting you if you're saying the puppy just refuses to eat it in exchange for people food or whatever it likes that's not puppy food.

Choose a good quality food - several great ones have been mentioned - and stick with it. You can start by soaking it for a while in hot water. The warmth brings out smells and makes dogs hungry. And puppy may enjoy the softer food. Over time, reduce the amount of water and how long it soaks so that eventually you're just giving plain kibble, unsoaked.

Keep in mind dogs don't starve themselves. Ever. If the puppy got a clean bill of health and goes more than 4 days without food, call the vet and ask if they can give it an injection to make it hungry. I took in an 8 year old teacup poodle. Sweet as could be but was HORRIBLY emaciated. For three days he ate nothing but roasted chicken. However, once I got him cleared by the vet it was game on. After five days of playing hard ball he finally gave in and ate. Because he was so sickly thin I fed him what I call skinny dog stew but over time I moved him off it and he now eat plain kibble with no problem. As a matter of fact, if his dish is ever empty he tracks us down and barks at us and runs to his dish until us stupid humans get the hint. Half the time we fill the bowl and he walks happily away. He just wants to know that when he gets hungry there will be food.

The hint is to not give in.

[MSchemist80]

Well she wouldn't eat the Royal Canin either. I got her to eat some moistened dog food with a bit of cottage cheese. I thought initially her teeth/gums were bothering her though she is playing tug of war with socks, eating a rawhide bone, and chewing up some milk bones so I doubt that. I guess I may have to simply take a hard line with her.

I just get really worried when she doesn't eat. I just got off spending 11 months of nursing a dog with heart failure, kidney damage from the lasix treating the heart failure, inflammatory bowel, and prone to pancreatitis at any time and we did anything to keep her eating. I even bought lean ground turkey, made patties, cooked on the George Foremean then cut it up for her.

I think the new girl is just being spoiled the vet did blood work and everything and gave her a clean bill of health.

I took her for her first walk and that also stimulated her appetite a bit.

[glenn davis]

I just got my 5 mo old toy poodle 2 days ago, i feed him exacly what they were feeding him in petland and I got the oportunity to see him eat in the store on one of my visits,[he was being treated for kennel cough when I purchased him so I couldn't take him home right away so my 10yr old daughter and myself visited him everyday} he ate very well in the store,now he won't eat at all unless I acually feed him from my hand. Would it hurt him if i mixed a little chicken that my wife seasoned for a salad, in with his dogfood.would the garlic powder hurt him?

[Katie1]

Garlic is Toxic. So Don't Feed him that! Hes already sick. Plain Chicken Boiled wont hurt him. No Bones!

[Honeycrisp]

You might want to microwave the food a few seconds before putting it down for him but definitely go w/ plain unseasoned white meat chicken mixed in w/ the kibble (hopefully a few pieces should do the trick), the scent might tempt him so I think nuking it slightly just to get it warm might work