[FloppyToby]

i recently switched toby's food from purina to iams because, being a poor 20 yr old living on her own, it was on sale so i went for it. but toby i don't think is very happy with the change and he barely eats it. he'll just stare at it, then look at me like "seriously??" has this happened to anyone or does anyone have a picky eater like this? i bought a large bag of the food and i don't want to just run out and buy something and have wasted that money on the food. is there a way i can get him to eat?

 

[Basset Momma]

You might try a bit of broth or mix it with some of his favorite food- I put baked chicken breast sprinkles on my dogs food- but it is because one is a diabetic and needs the extra protein for the insulin... and the others don't think it fair that she gets something they don't! Sometimes they can be a bit... well... stubborn!

 

[SophieB]

I agree with Basset Momma and would try mixing some gravy with it or soften it with some warm water because that gives it a bit of a smell and probably more taste, that Toby might prefer. My Bassets eat anything and everything but when they were small I always moistened the dry Eukanuba puppy food with warm water as it was easier on their teeth and they eat it dry now but I do mix a small amount of tinned dog meat with it most days (twice a day for their age) and sometimes they share a tin of sardines and like it mixed in with the dried food.

I think having two together helps because they are each afraid the other will eat their food so they woof everything down! I also sometimes mix in some cooked carrots, broccoli or cauliflower and they like that as well.

I think it's best not to 'suddenly' change their food, but best to mix in a bit of both, gradually reducing one and increasing the new food until it's all new food you are giving Toby. If you are 20 years old and on your own, have you anyone to help you and presumably you go to work or Uni.... what happens to Toby during the day if you are out? Bassets love company of other Bassets and people so hopefully Toby has company most of the time or he will get very easily bored and hounds need a lot of stimulation!

I forgot to ask you how old is Toby and how often is he fed?

 

[FloppyToby]

i work monday through friday, and i live with my boyfriend who works mostly nights so he watches him and takes him out and what not during the day. i feed him once before i go to work and once when i get home and i work on his training at nights so he eats lots of treats also. he's almost 5 months old. i started mixing in cans of tuna with his food and he eats that just fine. but i really dont want to have to start buying tuna just for him. of course i would if i had to. the things we do for our dogs..

 

[FloppyToby]

oh but for some reason he's really drawn to my cat's food and has a couple times been sneaky and eaten all her food.

 

[Mikey T]

oh but for some reason he's really drawn to my cat's food

That is because it is much higher in fat and protein content make it much tastier.

as for picky eaters keep in mind picky eater are greated not born. It is by accomidating the dog that a first does not eat with a tastier verison that the dog learns that by refuing to eat it can get something better. Provided the food is not spoiled un like cats a dog will not starve itself to deat if it is hungry it will eat.

Simply put the bowl down in 10 to 15 minutes pick it u. f the dog is not eatind do not offer it treates between meals nor offer the food bowl till the next schedule meal
The dog will eventually eat.

 

[FloppyToby]

thanks mikey t. as i was giving the brat another can of tuna this morning i thought "hmmm. this can't be good he's getting spoiled rotten." i'll do what you suggested!

 

[songlibah]

Have to agree with Mikey T

Much like picky toddlers, I have yet to know of a dog who allowed themselves to starve to death just because they didn't like the menu.

They get hungry enough....they WILL eat.

But, also, as stated above, it is generally best not to make sudden changes in the diet. You can get everything from allergic reactions to upset stomachs to refusals to eat...and most of these can be avoided by a slow transition to the new food.

Just offer the new food to him, leave it down 15-20 minutes each time and he will eventually give in.

Marie

 

[Mom2Flash]

being a poor 20 yr old living on her own, it was on sale so i went for it.

There are many of us with a lot of love in our hearts but rarely a dime in our pocket. While feeding a pet can be costly, it doesn't have to break you. Flash has eaten Pedigree since we got him because that is what our Lab eats and it is much easier to have them on the same food. Maybe I was just used to how a lab eats (like he's never getting another meal!) but Flash wasn't eating as well as I thought he should so I started buying the canned wet food and mixing it with the dry pedigree and he loves it! I agree with the others that suddenly changing a dog's food is not usually a good idea, but there are ways to snag that great bargain and still keep your pet happy. I have just one word for you.....COUPONS!

I'm always on the lookout for Pedigree coupons since that is their main food and try to wait til I find a good sale. I recently got a couple of 40lb bags at Target for $16 each or $.40/lb. I pay pennies on the dollar for canned food using coupons. For example, recently in some areas there were Mighty Dog coupons in the sunday paper coupon inserts for a free can up to $.99 and $3 off 5 cans. Wal-Mart has Mighty Dog priced at $.57/can in my area so 5 cans is $2.85, use the $3 coupon and they are free! There are many sites on the internet to get coupons. When I heard about this I got 20 of each coupon for $7. With the coupons I'll be able to get 120 cans of Mighty Dog for free. Taking into consideration I spent $7 for the coupons that is only about 6 cents a can! Since Flash gets one can a day that is a 4 month supply of wet food!

If I find a good deal or free sample of other dry food, I simply mix a little in with the Pedigree. If I normally feed him a cup of Pedigree, I'll give him 3/4 cup Pedigree and 1/4 cup of the other dry food. Not too much of a change to upset his belly, but still helps stretch the food $. I recently signed up for a free sample of beneful and he didn't mind it at all. The only thing that hasn't ever agreed with him is Moist/Meaty (threw up!) but our lab happily ate the rest of the box so it didn't go to waste. Sorry this is so lengthly, but I hope it helps!

 

[FloppyToby]

mom2flash thats so great!!! my mom has been an avid coupon clipper all her life and she was actually about to make me a coupon box lol. i'll be sure to look for dog food coupons!

 

[hig4s]

Just a note about food,, Purina, IAMs, Science Diet and most others are really pretty bad for you dogs.. They have way too little meat protein, too many bi-products, and most have corn filler. Dogs cannot digest corn at all!!! Bad for them.. They do better with wheat fillers, and best with potato fillers.


Eukanuba is a little better but expensive. And brands like Blue, Wellness and other top premium brands are the best but very expensive.

My sister being a kennel owner goes through tons of food, literally, and has studied the brands and she now uses Kirkland dog food (the Costco brand). She rates it as good or better than Eukanuba, and it is cheaper than IAMs.

here is a site that reviews dog food and rates them.. Dog Food Reviews - Main Index - Powered by ReviewPost

They rate Purina, IAMs, and Science Diet as 1 star
Eukanuba and Kirkland as 3 stars
and Blue and Wellness as 6 stars.
And they don't recommend anything under 4 stars, but I can't afford any of the 4 star or above foods.. We are using Kirkland also, and I plan on either buying small bags of Blue to mix in, or to add in home cooked fresh meat and veggies occasionally to give our dogs more protein and vitamins.

 

[Adampurdy]

Nice information here is another site about dog food reviews.
Dog Food Reviews - http://www.dogfoodchat.com

I have visited both and both sites have good information.

 

[MollyMcFrecklesMom]

I have one picky eater and one that will eat anything. Molly is picky and she doesn't appreciate a change in dog food. Yes I cave and will put a spoonful of wet dog food on top, thereby reinforcing the pickyness in her. Oh well, it works. Molly is also not a big eater and will gladly skip food for a long period of time. This bothered me when she was very very young, at almost a year now I don't obsess too much. I'm just happy when she eats. Winston...ha, he likes EVERYTHING!

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

My two both eat Iams and they do great on it. Virga just recently moved up to adult food and we mixed the last of her puppy food in with the adult food. I would do what Mikey T and others have suggested and give her some time to eat and then pick it up again.

 

[charady2]

Hmmm, well according to the first site listed, the food I want to get is a 4 star. Better than nothing I guess! A 20 lb bag lasted my rottie almost a month and he looked pretty darn good on it (chicken soup for the dog lover's soul).

 

[Mikey T]

Hmmm, well according to the first site listed, the food I want to get is a 4 star. Better than nothing I guess!

keep in mind any rate the dog food site is based purely on opinion and not results. Most if not all haver some biases about certain ingredients that does not bear scientific scrutiny. Then the make asumptions based on where ingredients lie on the ingredient list but with out the actual content of each individual ingredient the assumpt are not going to be correct, one does not know the water content in any individual ingredient . A dog food that list chicken as it first ingredient may have substantial less animal protein than a dog food that hasd chicken meal as a second or third or fourth ingredient. because chekin meal is dry and regular chick 70-80 of the weight is water. The only real judge of the quality of a dog food that matters is how your dog does on it

 

[Soundtrack]

My guys actually do quite well on Purina ProPlan, and they like it, however because I'm on a tight budget at the moment they are getting the Kirkland food from Costco. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a decent food at a reasonable price - in my opinion it is a better quality food than many higher priced brands.

Of course, every dog is an individual, and what works for one dog may be totally wrong for another.

 

[Simone's Mom]

Thanks Mikey T. I use Science Diet, my previous dog, Boomer, ate it his entire life and lived to be 17 years old. Simone does well on it as well. I think preventing our dogs from becoming overweight is probably more important than the food we choose.

 

[charady2]

keep in mind any rate the dog food site is based purely on opinion and not results. Most if not all haver some biases about certain ingredients that does not bear scientific scrutiny. Then the make asumptions based on where ingredients lie on the ingredient list but with out the actual content of each individual ingredient the assumpt are not going to be correct, one does not know the water content in any individual ingredient . A dog food that list chicken as it first ingredient may have substantial less animal protein than a dog food that hasd chicken meal as a second or third or fourth ingredient. because chekin meal is dry and regular chick 70-80 of the weight is water. The only real judge of the quality of a dog food that matters is how your dog does on it

I know that every dog is different but that food did good with my rottie. He was always pretty slim even though he ate a ton. We switched to that food and he filled out (but not fat!). The two cats I have are also on the cat formula of their food now...skinny cat is filling out nicely, doesn't look starved like she did before on the grocery store stuff-and fat cat is slimming down and seems more active. So hopefully it will work out well for Flash when we get him. I am not sure if our store carries the puppy formula or not though, need to find out. Right now he is on puppy chow though. So no matter what I get I need to introduce it slowly to change the food.

 

[Boomer's Mom]

"The only real judge of the quality of a dog food that matters is how your dog does on it."

Mikey, couldn't have said it better myself! That one simple sentence can shoot down a ton of reviews/complaints about certain dog foods.