Finicky eater

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Well, this isn't much to worry about, but Blaze is a VERY finicky, picky eater. He eats like a bird, but is so active, I worry about him!:( I feed him about 3 cups of IAMS lamb a day, but he only eats around half, yet plays and fetches quite a bit, and is SO skinny!! Is there anything I can do to get him more interested in his dinner? Or should I even worry about this at all?:confused:

[bckrazy]

I dunno... I used to feed Gonzo Nutro when he was a puppy and he barely ate it, and once I switched him to a higher quality food (Solid Gold), he cleaned his bowl every time! Iams is not exactly the best quality food (corn, wheat, fillers, by-products, etc)... he might not like the taste or it might upset his tummy, he could be allergic to all of the fillers. He might also just not have a big appetite in general ;)

If you're concerned about his weight, by all MEANS find a really good food and gradually switch him. Chicken Soup For the Soul dog food has said to be loved by dogs, and I know Gonzo LOVED Wellness! Wellness by Old Mother Hubbard is an amazing dog food with human grade ingredients, and it even smells awesome! Any high quality kibble (I suggest Solid Gold, Wellness, Canidae, California Natural, and Wysong) would definitely put some weight on him and give him even more energy and health!! You will also see improvements in his coat, teeth, and skin on all of these brands. With Canidae, which I know tons of Border Collie people including BCBlondie feed their dogs, it is so high protein and high quality that you only need to feed a 50 lb dog 1-2 cups of kibble per day. That means, you'll be feed around 50% less food.... although Canidae and other good kibble DOES cost more, it will actually SAVE you money because you won't have to feed near as much. You have to feed him so much Iams because it is full of wheat and soy and corn, which do not put weight on a dog or really have any nutritional value.

:) good luck with Blaze, BC's *should* actually be on the skinny side, as they're working dogs and are bred to be energetic. But if you can feel most of his ribs and/or his hipbones, he's too thin... it isnt a big deal on dogs that are still adolescents, as BC's tend to look like they're starved until they're about 18-24 months old, but Blaze is 3 or 4 now and he should be filled out. It's awesome that he gets plenty of exercise!!

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Thanks for the info Erica! I've actually had him on IAMS since he was a puppy (with puppy formula then of course!):) and I know BCs ARE on the skinny side, though Blaze's ribs seem to be protruding. (ha):) I'll take your advice and see if things work out, thanks!!;)

[bckrazy]

awesome :)! Please let us know how Blaze is doing... he looks like a really healthy handsome boy!! I have the opposite problems :o Gonzo eats a tinsey bit too much.. actually, I give him waay too many treats, and he needs to lose about 5 lbs to be in top condition for Agility. LOL.. I think Blaze needs to come to Cali so he can whip Gonzoo into shape :D

[wolfsoul]

Iams is a very low quality food -- some dogs have a sense for what foods have good or bad ingredients. If this has been going on for a while, I'd switch him to something better-quality. :) If he doesn't take to that either, I wouldn't do any more switching. He might just be waiting for the perfect tasting food, and you don't want to encourage that because his tastes might change constantly until you are at your wits end. ;)

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Originally posted by bckrazy
awesome :)! Please let us know how Blaze is doing... he looks like a really healthy handsome boy!! I have the opposite problems :o Gonzo eats a tinsey bit too much.. actually, I give him waay too many treats, and he needs to lose about 5 lbs to be in top condition for Agility. LOL.. I think Blaze needs to come to Cali so he can whip Gonzoo into shape :D

lol, Blaze runs and plays ALL day long, that dog is in hip-hop shape!! lol:D

Thanks wolfsoul! I didn't realize IAMS was such a low-quality food...:o I guess I've heard differently.:)

[k9krazee]

I have fed Iams for Years to my crew, When we first got Shadow we fed a really really cheap crappy food and my Aunt (who breeds/shows Labs) introduced us to Iams and we have fed it ever since. I, too, didn't realize it was as bad as everyone says!!

[sandragonfly]

my crayola does the same!! :o and he runs up to 10 miles a day! :eek:

well, IAMS or not.. I fed him IAMS and Eukanuba..no difference... oooh come on, crayola!!

what do I do? sometimes he'd eat! ..only if I put in a few water droplets in his dishbowl (avoid soggy!) and mix up all to moisture them, he gorged!

try that too? :D good luck! :)

[ginagt]

I agree with everyone about a different higher quality food, I feed my 2 Golden Retrievers Caniade. If you want to add a little bulk to your dog you can try adding some cottage cheese to his dog food or green beans both can added some need bulk.

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by k9krazee
I have fed Iams for Years to my crew, When we first got Shadow we fed a really really cheap crappy food and my Aunt (who breeds/shows Labs) introduced us to Iams and we have fed it ever since. I, too, didn't realize it was as bad as everyone says!!

yep.. Iams is, basically, one step above Ol' Roy. Which isn't very good :p. The ingredients are *barely* feed quality. Iams is ridiculously over-priced for its poor quality... many people confuse price with food quality :(. Its almost exactly the same cost per pound as Wysong, but MUCH worse in quality (as in, there is NO comparison between Wysong and Iams, Wysong contains less than 10 ingredients in all formulas, all holistic/human grade ingredients). Iams used to actually be a decent quality kibble, before it was bought by Proctor & Gamble. P&G's ONLY concern is making money... they've bought out many companies, and they don't specialize in dog food at all, they only specialize in making a huge profit. Iams used to only be available in Pet Stores or Vet Offices, but P&G moved it into Grocery Stores after drastically reducing food quality & ingredients, in order to sell more and make a bigger profit. Iams might be on the higher end for Grocery store kibble... but not in Pet Stores, where dog food and products *should* be bought.

^_~ just IMHO, anyway! I do think its horribly sad and misleading the way P&G pushes Iams as an "honest" "high quality" brand that is in it for the dogs. They are sooooo not in the business for dogs, in any way, they're in this for money. Just look at the ingredients on the label, research those ingredients, and you'll see what we mean. I know that a lot of people say different brands work for different dogs... but I can't imagine any food that consists mostly of the odds and ends of corn, rejected chicken carcasses and by-products, random wheat and beat pulp, would really work for any dog. I don't think Iams is the worst food out there, but to me it's in the bottom 15%

[sandragonfly]

:eek: IAMS.. that's worst I've heard... glad we have this sweet pet site! :)

at least I've been feeding my crayola eukanuba most of time.. :D

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Gina's Ark Inc.


at least I've been feeding my crayola eukanuba most of time.. :D
Eukanuba and Iams are the same company. ;) The quality is really no different.

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Originally posted by bckrazy
yep.. Iams is, basically, one step above Ol' Roy. Which isn't very good :p.

:eek: :eek: :p

Wow, that's pretty bad!!!:o

[beeniesmom]

Merrick has good products (a little pricey). It smells very good. I feed it to Beenie when she's being picky picky about her dry food. Usually once or twice a week.

[pnance]

I definately agree with the previouse posts that you might want to try a different food. I fed Nikka Iams lamb when we first got her. She's really finnicky and we have to be careful that she keeps weight on her since she easily slips to underweight. She'd sometimes eat/sometimes not and wouldn't put on any weight. We switched her to Beneful (we didn't know any better then, and it sounded like natural ingredients), she wouldn't touch the stuff. I finally switched her to Cannidae and she loves it. She cleans her bowl and looks like she's actually putting some weight on!:)

[sandragonfly]

posted by wolfsoul
IAMS & Eukanuba

oh, thats right! :o I forgot all about that :rolleyes:

shouldn't I feed him that anyway? but wish to keep eukanuba, mucccch fish oil reallys helped his skin & coat. while I don't want to lose that, I'd still ask what's the best food?

he hates purina ONE, science diet, max's/natural choice and of course I'm not going to get any unknown brands! he can't eat diet food since he's already too skinny! :)

[sammy101]

mine eat Pedigree,and love it!I tried feeding for more,should i say "healthier" foods, to Kodie,but he hated them:rolleyes: So back to Pedigree he went.They're as healthy as can be.
I agree with everyone else,probably try a different food.

[Lady's Human]

To quote my vet......

If they eat it, and it doesn't upset their digestive tract, feed it to 'em. Just watch the amount and make sure you aren't feeding them too much.

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Gina's Ark Inc.
[color=purple]
while I don't want to lose that, I'd still ask what's the best food?
color]
You mean what's better between Iams and Eukanuba? Or just the best food in general? Purina, Science Diet, and Max are also low quality foods lol.

If you compare Iams Lamb and Rice to Eukanuba Lamb and Rice...You get this. The questionable/bad ingredients are bolded.

Iams Lamb meal and rice

Lamb Meal, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Grits, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Monosodium Phosphate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract

Eukanuba Lamb and Rice

Lamb, Brewers Rice, Corn Meal, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Dried Egg Product, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Dicalcium Phosphate, Rosemary Extract

So all in all, I'd say Iams is better quality than Eukanuba.


If they eat it, and it doesn't upset their digestive tract, feed it to 'em.
I feel that too many people do this. Timber will eat carrots, and they don't upset her stomach, but I won't let her live on nothing but carrots. I feel that many dog foods out there (infact most) have about the same nutritional value as cardboard.

[CagneyDog]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
You mean what's better between Iams and Eukanuba? Or just the best food in general? Purina, Science Diet, and Max are also low quality foods lol.





I always thought science diet was a decent food:confused:

What foods would you recommend?

[Shelteez2]

Originally posted by Lady's Human
To quote my vet......

If they eat it, and it doesn't upset their digestive tract, feed it to 'em. Just watch the amount and make sure you aren't feeding them too much.

I love McDonald's and Wendy's and Dairy Queen and they don't upset my digestive tract.....lol but I will not make them my staple diet....;) :D

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by CagneyDog
I always thought science diet was a decent food:confused:

What foods would you recommend?
I would say that Science Diet ranks among the worst foods -- no offense to anyone intended! Science Diet is widely promoted by vets for a few reasons. For the two days that vets learn about nutrition, Science Diet reps teach them. Science Diet will also give free food to people going to vet school, as well as help pay their tuition, provided these vets promote their products.

Look at this -- it's even a prescription food, of all things..


Corn meal, pork fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), chicken by-product meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, soybean mill run, chicken liver flavor, dried egg product, vegetable oil, flaxseed, taurine, preserved with BHT and BHA, minerals (calcium sulfate, salt, dicalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), beta-carotene, vitamins (choline chloride, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), niacin, thiamine mononitrate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement).

Personally my favourite kibble is Innova EVO, but some other higher quality kibbles are Chicken Soup, Timberwolf Organics, California Natural, Healthwise, Go! Natural, Summit, Foundations, Eagle Pack Holistics, Wellness, Innova, Solid Gold, Drs Foster and Smith, Canidae, Nutro Ultra, Blue Buffalo, Fromm Four Star...There are many many more. I'm sure the Whole Dog Journal list of dog foods is floating around somewhere. :) In the end, I much prefer raw over kibble. My cat gets angry if I feed him kibble instead of raw anyways lol.

[sandragonfly]

posted by wolfsoul
>>just the best food in general<<
Purina, Science Diet, and Max are also low quality foods lol.


yikes...those.were.what.my.veterarians.suggested.. .:(
even.just.recently.to.see.what.to.feed.my.new.kitt ens.

..........................argh.

I.don't.think.omeli.products.are.bad?

I.guess.I.gotta.research.more.about.these..
(sorry,my.spacebar's.not.working..):o:rolleyes:

[Oggyflute]

Jordan, you've just sent me on a huge research project. I was under the impression that the brands mentioned were of good quality. Question is, what good brands are available in Aus? Looks like I'm up for a big surf session.:)

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Oggyflute
Jordan, you've just sent me on a huge research project. I was under the impression that the brands mentioned were of good quality. Question is, what good brands are available in Aus? Looks like I'm up for a big surf session.:)
That's a good question Trev, I'm not sure which of those brands are available down under. Let's see...

Alrighty, I just did a bit of research. Some of the brands in Aus are Innova, Healthwise, and California Natural. :) I have to go to bed now, but I'll see if I can find some more tomorrow!

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Originally posted by wolfsoul
That's a good question Trev, I'm not sure which of those brands are available down under. Let's see...

Alrighty, I just did a bit of research. Some of the brands in Aus are Innova, Healthwise, and California Natural. :) I have to go to bed now, but I'll see if I can find some more tomorrow!

Are these some of the best to try?? I'm open for more suggestions!:)

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Buddy Blaze Lover
Are these some of the best to try?? I'm open for more suggestions!:)
Yup, those three are good foods. :) See the ingredients to Innova EVO...


Turkey
Chicken
Turkey Meal
Chicken Meal
Potatoes
Herring Meal
Chicken Fat
Natural Flavors
Egg
Garlic
Apples
Carrots
Tomatoes
Cottage Cheese
Alfalfa Sprouts
Dried Chicory Root
Taurine
Lecithin
Rosemary Extract
Vitamins/Minerals
Viable Naturally Occurring Microorganisms

There are NO grains, it's high protein and low-carb! :) The only problems with this food is that it can't be fed to large breed puppies and it's pretty expensive.

California Natural is cheaper...These are the ingredients to the Lamb and Rice Formula.


Lamb Meal
Ground Brown Rice
Ground White Rice
Sunflower Oil
Taurine
Vitamins/Minerals
Beta Carotene

The only problem is that they split up the brown and white rice to make it look like there is less rice than chicken, when in reality there's probably more rice than chicken. But when you think about it, most dog foods are like this anyways and so atleast this one has more meat than the average food. California Natural is meant to be a very simple formula -- made for dogs whose bodies react badly to some ingredients.

[bckrazy]

LOL... I completely agree with Wolfsoul!! Unless you go to a vet that has recieved special post-graduate animal nutrition training, they're going to push the food THEY sell so that THEY recieve $$$ from the company. Thats it :p.

Part of the reason we left Gonzo's previous vet, is because he said we *have* to feed him Science Diet. Coincidentally, his business was covered in Science Diet/Eukanuba posters and they had an entire large room devoted to selling products by SD. He also had NO idea what BARF-ing or Raw feeding is about, which was a red flag.

We switched to a Vets office that is huge and beautiful and has 5 Vets on call (all are women) and all have recieved extensive training in Animal Nutrition. They do not have a huge extra room stocked with SD, which made me happy. She has admitted that SD is by far not worth its price or reputation, neither is Eukanuba or Iams... all of the promotion and reputation of these brands are just a product of good advertising and bribery, when you LOOK at the labels its obvious that they are crappy brands.

California Natural is awesome!!! Fewer ingredients = good!

[CagneyDog]

We had Cagney on raw for awhile, every vet we took him to was totally agaisnt it though..

[wolfsoul]

Most vets, having been taught by none other than Science Diet, are totally against raw because they don't understand it. The vet I'll be going to once I move is a holistic vet, so she only sells raw food. :D To find a holistic vet in your area, just go here (http://www.ahvma.org/referral/)

[Buddy Blaze Lover]

Wow, that is really interesting about science diet! I never knew it was so unhealthy!:rolleyes: :p :o ;)

[HollywoodNVegas]

Well, to get my foot in the door on this...I totally disagree about Science Diet. I have studied dozens of foods for my profession and have found SD to be good in comparable ways. My Lab eats Science Diet - that is the absolute only food she can tolerate. (no Wynsong, no Natural Balance, no NOTHING) Otherwise she pukes everywhere and has diarrhea for days. And, yes, I am more than well aware of the process of changing food. My Newf is on ProPlan Large Breed Puppy and she is doing great.

Honestly, you need to not worry about so about the lable, it is more important how your dog can handle the food, how their joints are progressing, and how they are physically handling the food.

[bckrazy]

Originally posted by HollywoodNVegas
My Newf is on ProPlan Large Breed Puppy and she is doing great.


I agree, some dogs DO react different to various kibbles. But in general, higher quality ingredients, less fillers and by-products DOES logically = better health, less food needed to maintain weight, etc. My sisters husband used to have their English Bulldog on high quality holistic food, but they got 2 bags of that same kibble (ProPlan Large Breed) for free from friends. They switched him very gradually, but he was VERY sick (vomiting and diarrhea) until they switched him back to the 100% higher quality kibble. He also went from going #2 once a day to going 3 or 4 times a day in huge, messy amounts. To me (and from every credited trainer/behaviorist/nutritionist I've met) Corn and By-products and processed Wheat are horrible, crappy fillers... they should not be in any decent quality food at all, much less in the top 5 ingredients (as they are in ProPlan and similar brands). They have very little to no nutritional value... Corn is a filler, thats it. And the Corn that is used in kibble isnt whole in any way, its the odds and ends and rejects of corn, and not even feed quality.

I know a lot of people argue that grocery store brands are "fine". If by fine you mean, they will sustain a dog from starving and have passed less-than-rigorous Food&Drug Administration examinations, thats true!! I just wanted Blaze's Mom to consider/look at other, higher quality kibbles for Blaze, because they ARE out there and Iams is decieving people into believing that its the best kibble brand in the nation :rolleyes:...