Hard Food

[Chow-Chow]

My dog Cain for some reason will not eat hard food in the summer and I dont want to keep feeding him soft food because its not good for his teethg and he eats all the cans to quickly. He lost wait but gained some back on soft food but hes got one can of soft left what do i do?

[carrie]

Get his teeth and mouth checked by the vet. If this is fine try splitting his food into two or three smaller meals. Leave the food down for fifteen minutes and then remove it whether he has eaten it or not. Do not feed him any other food until his next meal. He will eat when he realises that he gets no extra attention or food for this behaviour.
Do you feed him outside in the summer? Maybe the dogs you spoke off in another post are harassing him and making him feel too uncomfortable to eat. Try feeding him inside.
Has your Mum called animal control yet?

[This message has been edited by carrie (edited November 06, 2000).]

[RachelJ]

I add a little warm water to the dry food. This seems to release the aroma of the food. I used to try one feeding with the water on and then the evening feeding without. Hannah would frequently turn up her nose at the evening feeding, so I relented and use it with both feedings. I also give them a couple of the nuggets (of the food that I get from the vet) that is supposed to help clean the teeth. My vet says that even with the addition of the water, the dry is better that the canned.

[karen israel]

I feed dry, with a small amount of canned added and then mix it with warm water or fat free chicken broth. The dry is better for his teeth and gums and believe me, makes the yard easier to clean if you get my meaning

[dogncatluvr]

I also feed only dry food. Mine also get their teeth brushed before bed every night, it really helps!

[Chow-Chow]

Thanks yeah a few years ago when it was cold out we would give him warm water mixed with his dry food ands he would eat it all. I dont know if the other dogs are harrasing him because they usually come close to the gate an Cain runs and barks at them but one time the whole pack was outside the gate and Cain was laying down beside them at the fence (WHAT HAPPENED) yeah I'm gfoing to tell my mom to call animal control all the dogs are owned but not looked after. Thanks i'll try the water thing again and yeah I know soft food makes the yard messier.

[boylebe]

When my dog was in puppy kindergarten, the trainer recommended to us that (1) dry food is better for the dog, and (2) that we should mix a little water in with the dry food because if your dog gobbles down his food and then goes and drinks a lot of water, it could cause serious stomach cramps for your pooch. I'm not a vet or a trainer, but it sounds logical to me. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/cool.gif

[carrie]

Adding a little water to the food will make it more palatable to the dog but to decrease the risk of cramp or bloat you would have to soak it. This would obviously take any teeth cleaning benefit from the diet. If you are concerned try feeding two meals and removing water for an hour before and an hour after feeding and try not to excersise the dog at these times also.

[ktreva52]

What you do not mention is the type of dry food you are feeding. Are you giving the dog a "premium" food such as Iams or Eukanuba? or is it a "grocery" brand such as Purina or Kibbles 'n' Bits? Carrie has the right of it, too, in that it is important for several reasons to teach the dog by taking up the food after 15-20 minutes. The reasons for this are: it teaches the dog to eat when the food is available; it reinforces the dog's place in the pack, i.e., you are the giver of food; it allows you to monitor the food intake and weight of the dog; and, if the dog is reluctant to eat his/her food, it could be a sign there's a health problem.
If it's not a problem for you, a little warm water is okay, but makes for a mess if you have to take the bowl up full. I would recommend a good premium food with a meat meal in the first three ingredients fed dry. I only ever use water on the food for very young puppies and have had no problems later in life. Good luck.