Need help with changing dog's food...

[Sharon_FL]

Lily is a 4 yr. old Yorkie/Maltese mix. She has always been a very picky eater. I have tried different foods on her, but we always come back to her favorite..."Cesars"... :( Everytime I have tried to mix a good quality dry food in with the Cesars, she flings the dry food out of her dish or eats around it. I have tried 'Canidae' wet food.. she wouldn't even look at it.. (I don't blame her.. why does "good quality" canned food look so unappetizing? Looked like tightly packed canned hash).

I just found out that Cesars is too 'rich' and Lily might get pancreatitis if I continue to feed her this :eek:... and that scares me to death!

What I would like to know is...is there a good quality canned food that a picky dog might find that tastes good? Any ideas for me? I have GOT to get her on a different diet and not be fighting with her every night to eat. Thank you so much for any help/advice you can give me...

Sharon :)

[Freedom]

Hi Sharon, welcome to Pet Talk!

Lily sounds like a sweetie, and smart too as she is trying her best to train you and guilt you into th stuff sh wants, ha ha haaa.

Here is a link to dog food ratings:
www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Click on REVIEWS in the menu across the top. Then scroll down (dry kibble is at the top, canned is lower down). If you try the 4, 5 or 6 star foods, you should be good.

Have you tried Spot's Stew by Halo? I make it myself, and my flock of fluffs go crazy for it. I mix it with Taste of the Wild kibble, the Pacific Stream formula.

I'm not sure what you mean by Cesar's being rich, as I'm not sure it is high in protein. But with bichons, that is what I have to watch; they react to a high protein content, and develop protein itch. I recently switched from Taste of the Wild High Prairie formula, as that was 35% protein and my dogs were itching like crazy. The Pacific Stream is just 22% protein and . . . NO MORE ITCH! I also need a grain free food for my dogs.

Hope this helps!

[Twisterdog]

... She has always been a very picky eater. I have tried different foods on her...

IMO, she has you well-trained. ;) She knows if she doesn't eat something, you will give her something different. Therein lies the problem.

Decide what YOU want her to eat ... you're the human, you're in charge. Then feed it to her. Feed her that and nothing else. Don't give in. She might not eat for a couple of days, it won't hurt her. I PROMISE, she will eat what you give her in time, if you give her nothing else. She won't starve.

Freedom's dog food site is a good one. Here is another good food rating site: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/. Pick a 5 star food that is available in your area, and that you like the quality and ingredients. Feed her that and nothing else. She will eat it.

[Sharon_FL]

Thank you both so much for your replies! Both sites are very helpful. I was wondering... are dogs supposed to have a high protein diet? You mentioned yours got an itch from too high of one. Most of the 5 star diets I saw have very high protein in them.

As for Cesars being 'rich'... I don't know. My vet said it was 'rich'.. I guess she meant 'fat' content or just not so good for Lily. I just know I have to get her changed over asap. I know she is not going to starve. I never feed her people food, so I am good there, but I almost can not bear the thought of look of disappointment on her little furry face when her normal favorite food is not there....:( I am sure you all know what I mean... *sigh*.. but I know it is for her own good.

Again, thanks so much for your help...
Sharon :)

[dab_20]

Lily sure is a cutie!!

It sounds like your Lily is a little more stubborn than my Molli, but Molli has always been picky. She's always been slightly underweight, wouldn't eat half her food.

Someone at the pet store I get my grain-free food from recommended I just add a little water to her kibble and let it soak until it's nice and mushy. She LOVES eating now! I can't believe the difference, she's now almost over weight! lol

I feed Acana Grasslands. I also give them the occasional dehydrated raw with their kibble. Have you tried that? It's like the consistency of thick oatmeal. They love it.

[Karen]

Remember when switching food, you can do it gradually - first day 3/4 old and 1/4 new, keep that up for a couple days, then half old and half new, keep that up for a couple days, then 1/4 old ... you get the idea, and that may help her accept the new stuff.

[wolfsoul]

I have to agree with Twisterdog. She won't starve herself. I've known dogs to take up to two weeks without eating, and finally give up and eat what is put in front of them. We wouldn't give our kid dessert every time he refused his dinner! Sometimes my dogs will go through picky stages too, but unless it's show season and they need fat on their bones, they can just be hungry until they eat it. I have my dogs on high fat/calorie food and they are free-fed, so if they do choose not to eat for a few days, it's easier for them to get the weight back on.

Have you tried Tripett? It's not meant to be a staple diet, just a supplement, but my dogs LOVE it. It's just canned tripe. I get the regular Beef Tripett because it is the smelliest. You might need a strong stomach -- it's pretty gross! You can get some and try mixing it in with whatever food you choose.
Have you tried a raw diet? Some dogs won't eat kibble but will eat raw. It's really the most natural thing for them.

[Freedom]

I was wondering... are dogs supposed to have a high protein diet? You mentioned yours got an itch from too high of one. Most of the 5 star diets I saw have very high protein in them.

The amount of protein depends on many things:
- young dogs need more as they are still growing and developing
- athletic dogs need more protein -- and I mean sled dogs, herding dogs, dogs that are really working a LOT

The grain free foods do tend to be high in protein.