A very picky eater...

vsteele · 02-06-2010, 08:51 PM

Hello everyone,

I just joined this forum and I am still trying to figure everything out so I hope I am posting this in the right spot. I got my basset hound about 3 months ago. He is about 9 months old and his name is Gozer. He is so perfect and I just love him to death. But, I am concerned about his eating behaviors. When I first got him he had been eating royal canine puppy food. My vet told me to feed him science diet. So I switch him to that and he would not eat it. While I was transitioning him to it he would only pick out the old food and leave the new. Then when I gave him all science diet he wouldn't touch it. He didn't eat for almost two days so I called the vet again. They said to try Eukanuba. So I did and he wasn't crazy about that either. He would just pick at it for a while and then maybe he would eat it but it would take a few hours for him to eat just a cup of it. So I called the vet again and he said to try a different food so we tried Natural Balance. He liked that for about a week and then stopped eating that too. After about two days of him not eating I called the vet again and they said to try Pruina One. They said it might have a better taste. So I did, and he ate that for about a week pretty well, but today he wont eat it. I'm tired of this cycle. He will eat something for a little while and then just stop eating it.

I'm so sad about this. I want to give him the best nutrition possible but he just doesn't like any of the food I give him. He loves the treats I use for training, but he doesn't get much. I only use them when we train. He is always begging for our food, even though I have NEVER given him table scraps. So I know he is hungry he just wont eat his dog food. I know that switching food like this is very bad for him, so what should I do?

The vet said he was healthy, just a tad under weight. He is about 40 pounds, but his ribs stick out and I just wish he would eat!! Has anyone else had a picky eater? Should I try adding wet food, homemade food, or just try a different dry food? Or should I just let him not eat for a few days and learn that the food I put in his bowl is all he is going to get so he better eat it. Thanks for your help!

Mikey T · 02-07-2010, 12:20 AM

PICKY eaters are created by doing what has happen here changing food when the pup does not eat. That said if he eats the royal canin why switch. In most every measure of a dog food it exceed qualility and nutritional standards of Sd and the other foods tried.

FWIW a tad underweight is healthy a tad overeight unhealthy, with a puppy you should be able to see the ribs
[url=http://www.amrottclub.org/diet.pdf] Diet do's and Dont's[/quote]

Quote:

According to Dr. Tony Buffington, Professor of Clinical Nutrition, Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, your puppy can be fed a regimen of specific caloric intake compared to his body condition score (BCS), using a simple one to five scale, from overly thin to obese. Using manufacturer feeding recommendations as an initial starting point, feed your puppy to a score of two and maintain this weight until he's fully grown. Feed

...
2 = Thin - Ribs easily palpated and may be visible with no palpable fat. Tops of lumbar vertebrae visible. Pelvic bones less prominent. Obvious waist and abdominal tuck.

basset hound tend unlike many other breed to be overeaters. Free feeding usual results in a overweight dog. Most individuals picture in their mind of what an ideal basset weight is one of an overweight dog. That bias is reflected in when the dog of proper weight is observed and general thought to be overly thin, skinny under weight etc, Puppies however have higher caloric needs and less stomach capacity than adults. feeding a more nutrient rich diet, ie higher in calories, can over come the problem of onderweight puppies. Of the food you mentioned above if you did some research on the kcal per cup of food it is again like that the royal canin is at or near the top of that list as well.

[quite]should I just let him not eat for a few days and learn that the food I put in his bowl is all he is going to get so he better eat it[/quite]

a healthy dog will not starve itself to death if hungry it will eat provided ther is not an underling medical issue and the food is sound ie not spoilt, It is one of the most efffective cures of picky eating syndrome. Rather than just leaving the food down for the dog to graze on leave the food down for 10- 15 minute then pick up what has not been eaten. No additional food is given until the next meal, If possible for a week or two while this is going on I would try and refrain form the use of food treats as well, Us a different reward in other training situations if possible. If you are stump for alternative rewards the folling list mayy spark your imagination List of reinforcer

Quote:

Please review the list of all the things your dog may view as a "true" reward. You may like to believe affection from you is a real turn on but that doesn't necessarily mean you dog agrees. Circle your dog's motivators and then add them to your list ranking them "A", "B", or "C".

Lightning&Stomps · 02-08-2010, 11:41 AM

When Lightning was young, he was not big on eating. Before I got Stomps, I just left a bowl of food out for L all the time. He would play with it, spill it all over the kitchen, but not eat it. Then I got Stomps, and suddenly Lightning's attitude changed. Now I have to use all kinds of crazy things to slow his eating down (and keep him from getting overweight). So your pup's eating habits probably will change. In the meantime, I agree with Mike--pick one food and wait him out. He'll eat.

vsteele · 02-08-2010, 10:36 PM

Thanks guys. I have taken Mikey's advise and just gone back to Royal Canine. I will stick with this whether he eats it consistently or not. Hopefully you are both right and he will change his eating habits and eat normally.

Thanks!

Dean · 02-10-2010, 07:11 AM

I have never heard of a basset starving itself to death --- the owners give in first - try Walmart's Ol Roy -- a good food at a reasonable price

CTurtleGirl · 02-13-2010, 09:53 PM

My basset Betty used to be the pickiest eater ever. She was like this until she was about 2 1/2. The best thing we did to get her to eat was put just a very small amount of canned food into the dry food and stir it in to give it a little extra flavor. You could also try mixing in canned pure pumpkin into the food. I slowly weaned her off the canned food mixed in and now just a little pumpkin and she eats just fine and is almost 5 years old now. Hope this helps!

CTG

BubbaLeroy · 02-14-2010, 05:20 PM

Our first Basset, Bubba now ATB, was a very picky eater when we first got him as an 8 month old. We even were using the same food as the breeder we got him from. The vet told us to just wait him out, that she had never seen a Basset starve himself to death. She told us to put his food down in the morning, wait ten minutes, and if he hadn't eaten pick it up and try him again at night. She also told us to with hold cookies and treats until he started eating normally. After about three days of not eating he started eating with gusto and never quit again. Hopefully Goser will be chowing down very soon.

02-06-2010, 08:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
vsteele Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Lakeland FL Posts: 2	A very picky eater... Hello everyone, I just joined this forum and I am still trying to figure everything out so I hope I am posting this in the right spot. I got my basset hound about 3 months ago. He is about 9 months old and his name is Gozer. He is so perfect and I just love him to death. But, I am concerned about his eating behaviors. When I first got him he had been eating royal canine puppy food. My vet told me to feed him science diet. So I switch him to that and he would not eat it. While I was transitioning him to it he would only pick out the old food and leave the new. Then when I gave him all science diet he wouldn't touch it. He didn't eat for almost two days so I called the vet again. They said to try Eukanuba. So I did and he wasn't crazy about that either. He would just pick at it for a while and then maybe he would eat it but it would take a few hours for him to eat just a cup of it. So I called the vet again and he said to try a different food so we tried Natural Balance. He liked that for about a week and then stopped eating that too. After about two days of him not eating I called the vet again and they said to try Pruina One. They said it might have a better taste. So I did, and he ate that for about a week pretty well, but today he wont eat it. I'm tired of this cycle. He will eat something for a little while and then just stop eating it. I'm so sad about this. I want to give him the best nutrition possible but he just doesn't like any of the food I give him. He loves the treats I use for training, but he doesn't get much. I only use them when we train. He is always begging for our food, even though I have NEVER given him table scraps. So I know he is hungry he just wont eat his dog food. I know that switching food like this is very bad for him, so what should I do? The vet said he was healthy, just a tad under weight. He is about 40 pounds, but his ribs stick out and I just wish he would eat!! Has anyone else had a picky eater? Should I try adding wet food, homemade food, or just try a different dry food? Or should I just let him not eat for a few days and learn that the food I put in his bowl is all he is going to get so he better eat it. Thanks for your help!

02-14-2010, 05:20 PM	#7 (permalink)
BubbaLeroy Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 1,132	Our first Basset, Bubba now ATB, was a very picky eater when we first got him as an 8 month old. We even were using the same food as the breeder we got him from. The vet told us to just wait him out, that she had never seen a Basset starve himself to death. She told us to put his food down in the morning, wait ten minutes, and if he hadn't eaten pick it up and try him again at night. She also told us to with hold cookies and treats until he started eating normally. After about three days of not eating he started eating with gusto and never quit again. Hopefully Goser will be chowing down very soon. __________________ You don't own a Basset, a Basset owns you!! Aroooooos from Bogie !! - Trumbull's Who's Teasin Bogart CGC- Born April 21, 2005 ATB: Bubba - (Trumbull's Surley It's Stormin Norman) Sept. 8, 1998 - Dec. 20, 2005

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02-08-2010, 11:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
Lightning&Stomps Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Versailles, Ky. Posts: 533	When Lightning was young, he was not big on eating. Before I got Stomps, I just left a bowl of food out for L all the time. He would play with it, spill it all over the kitchen, but not eat it. Then I got Stomps, and suddenly Lightning's attitude changed. Now I have to use all kinds of crazy things to slow his eating down (and keep him from getting overweight). So your pup's eating habits probably will change. In the meantime, I agree with Mike--pick one food and wait him out. He'll eat.

02-08-2010, 10:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
vsteele Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Lakeland FL Posts: 2	Thanks guys. I have taken Mikey's advise and just gone back to Royal Canine. I will stick with this whether he eats it consistently or not. Hopefully you are both right and he will change his eating habits and eat normally. Thanks!

02-10-2010, 07:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
Dean Senior Member Join Date: Jan 1999 Location: Glen Moore, Pa. U.S.A. Posts: 771	I have never heard of a basset starving itself to death --- the owners give in first - try Walmart's Ol Roy -- a good food at a reasonable price

02-13-2010, 09:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
CTurtleGirl Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 84	My basset Betty used to be the pickiest eater ever. She was like this until she was about 2 1/2. The best thing we did to get her to eat was put just a very small amount of canned food into the dry food and stir it in to give it a little extra flavor. You could also try mixing in canned pure pumpkin into the food. I slowly weaned her off the canned food mixed in and now just a little pumpkin and she eats just fine and is almost 5 years old now. Hope this helps! CTG