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?

[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 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

[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 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

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

Thanks wolfsoul! I didn't realize IAMS was such a low-quality food... 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!! and he runs up to 10 miles a day!

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? 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 . 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]

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..

[wolfsoul]

Originally posted by Gina's Ark Inc.


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

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 .

Wow, that's pretty bad!!!

[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!