[LuLu's mommy]

My baby LuLu is a very, very picky eater. We've always had a problem with her eating habbits. She has no problem digging through the garbage, or taking the kids run aways (food they drop on the floor) but when it comes to her dog food she wont eat it no matter what I do. I swear we've changed food something like 7-10 times! Is this just my girl or can someone out there relate to me, please HELP!

 

[LY909]

You can try to mix a little bit of human food into the dog food, maybe she'll like them better. Mix a little cooked veggies or plain white rice.

 

[LuLu's mommy]

That might work. Thank you so much, I never thought of that!

 

[sadeyes2]

My basset eats anything, my westie however is a different kettle of fish. If she has had some tasty bits of human food then you can be sure the next dog food meal she refuses. I leave it down for 10minutes then pick it up.. At next meal time it goes down for 10 minutes again and if not eaten is picked up again. Never had to do this more than twice in a row before she started eating it regularly again.


If you constantly change her food because she refuses to eat it then you will go on like this forever. Believe me she won't let herself starve.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

I leave it down for 10minutes then pick it up.. At next meal time it goes down for 10 minutes again and if not eaten is picked up again. Never had to do this more than twice in a row before she started eating it regularly again.

I was going to suggest this as well. For a little while Virga wouldn't finish her food or just flat out refused to eat more than a bite or two. We'd pick it up after about 10 minutes and then try again later. Eventually she'd eat it all and ever since we haven't had a problem. If I were you I would try and cut out anything that's not her dog food (I know there's not much you can do about your kids' runaways) and give her 10 minutes to eat. Sadeyes is right, she won't let herself starve.

 

[LuLu's mommy]

she won't let herself starve.

She really worries me, she looks so thin, you can't see ribs or anything but she looks thin. I guess I just have that big basset look in mind.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

How old is she? I know when Doppler was a puppy he looked scrawny all the time. But by the time he turned about 10 months he started really packing on the weight and we had to switch him from puppy food to adult food. Virga, being about 7 months now, is pretty skinny too. I'm pretty sure as puppies they're skinny anyways and they put on the pounds as they get older.

 

[LuLu's mommy]

She'll be 10 months on Friday the 4th, that makes me feel much better. Thank you so much

 

[Mikey T]

I'm pretty sure as puppies they're skinny anyways and they put on the pounds as they get older.

With a large breed puppy to avoid orthpopeadic problems asociatated with over nutrition they need to be thin, That general means is dogs with little under coat which is typical of basset you should be able to see the ribs under some circumstances, if not they are likely actual a bit overweight

see

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Dog Diet Do's and Don’t's

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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 whatever amount is necessary to maintain a BCS of two during the growth period, realizing that dogs have varying growth rates and activity levels. Once his adult stature is achieved, you may allow him to reach a score of three.

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1= Emaciated - ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all body prominences evident from a distance. No discernible body fat. Obvious absence of muscle mass.
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.
3 = Moderate - Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.
4 = Stout - General fleshy appearance. Ribs palpable with difficulty. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar spine and tail base. Abdominal tuck may be absent.
5 = Obese - Large fat deposits over chest, spine and tail base. Waist and abdominal tuck absent. Fat deposits on neck and limbs. Abdomen distended.​

Feeding

Keep in mind you image of the Idea basset weight is probably of an overweight dog. 50% of the dogs in the us are overweight and it is higher IMHO with certain breeds like bassets and labs. There are not a different cet of rules governing basset body condition vs other breeds they should have a waist and abnominal tuck. Keep in mind very few dogs actual carry extra fat on the rib cage so using it as a sole guide is very miss leading See corpulent canine

People don't know how to determine the correct weight for their dogs. Dogs vary in height, bone structure, and muscularity, so there is no one correct weight for a dog of any given breed. The best way to determine whether a dog is overweight is to test 3 different parts of the body: the neck, the ribs, and the hips.

1. <LI type=a>To check the neck, press your thumb and index finger deep into the side of the neck just ahead of the shoulder, and pinch them together. If your fingers are more than 1/2" apart, the dog is overweight. (Note: this is where old dogs tend to carry most of their excess fat, and they may actually be thin in other locations.) <LI type=a>To check the ribs, stand with your dog beside you, facing his butt. Place your thumb on the middle of his spine half way down the back and spread your fingers out over his last few ribs. Then run your fingers up and down along his skin. You should be able to feel the bumps of his ribs without pressing in.
2. To check the hips, run your hand over your dog's croup. You should be able to feel the bumps of his two pelvic bones without pressing down.

 

[Soundtrack]

Puppies normally start to eat less at this age anyway as their growth is slowing down. Changing foods, adding goodies or otherwise fussing over their dietary habits just teaches them that fussiness brings rewards. The regime mentioned above (picking up after 10 minutes etc) works well in the vast majority of cases. It may take a few days before they are hungry enough to give in.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

It may take a few days before they are hungry enough to give in.

Curse that basset stubborness!

 

[LuLu's mommy]

*Quote*
1= Emaciated - ribs, lumbar vertebrae, pelvic bones and all body prominences evident from a distance. No discernible body fat. Obvious absence of muscle mass.
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.
3 = Moderate - Ribs palpable without excess fat covering. Abdomen tucked up when viewed from side.
4 = Stout - General fleshy appearance. Ribs palpable with difficulty. Noticeable fat deposits over lumbar spine and tail base. Abdominal tuck may be absent.
5 = Obese - Large fat deposits over chest, spine and tail base. Waist and abdominal tuck absent. Fat deposits on neck and limbs. Abdomen distended.
*Quote*

By this chart she's a 3, so she's good then.

 

[Princess Buttercup]

You know Princess Buttercup is finicky too but she won't let herself starve. Truth be told I think she's always holding out for something better! Even though we don't feed her people food, when she refuses to eat for over 24 hours we sprinkle fortiflora and she LOVES it! She starts drooling at the sight of the box! I feed her 1.5 cups of kibble in the AM which she usually doesn't eat & 1.5 in the PM. On the finicky days she will usually will "midnight snack" literally finally eating at midnight!! My question is will she bloat if I feed her all 3 cups at midnight? (Oh right on time... I hear crunching!!)

 

[daveangie]

Hector got a bit fussy over his dried food so now i mix it with a small amount of tinned or fresh fish. Not to much just really enough to cover the dried food with the fishy smell.