RoughCollie Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 He won't eat any variety of Taste of the Wild canned or dry, 4Health, Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul canned or dry, Merrick dry or canned food. I think he is holding out for real food. He won't eat the dry dog food even with scrambled eggs or real meat or Parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese or yogurt or canned pumpkin mixed in. He will eat all that stuff as long as dog food doesn't share space in the bowl with it. Now what? Do I starve my baby? I mean, if I were giving advice, I'd say put the food down 2x a day for 20 minutes, and eventually dog will be hungry enough to eat it. But this is my baby, and I want him to Love and Enjoy his food. He is not sick. He is eating his limited ingredient treats and enthusiastically playing with his new frog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 no treats or real food right now unless you are going to change to a BARF diet. measured out food in a bowl for 15-20 minutes 2-3 times a day. during that time if he does not eat remove the food bowl. Same thing later. BUT no treats except the water in between either. No chewies/biscuits/table food or anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 You know, my sister went through this with her wheaten when he was puppy. I think he was younger at the time though. She tried a variety of foods too, but no luck. She ended up spoon feeding him for a while. Then he started eating again. :tongue_smilie: I don't remember how long it lasted, or what happened that he started eating on his own again. Hopefully Aidan gives up soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I'd go with raw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) She ended up spoon feeding him for a while. I fed him his dinner from a spoon last night. It's the only way he would eat it. I didn't mind, but the boys thought I was nuts. Soon after I posted, while I was on the phone, Aidan opened the door to the dog food container and was eating the very food he has refused to eat out of his bowl. I see now why that door has a place to put a padlock on it. Also, sometime between then and killing a mouse, he ate his dinner all by himself. Edited November 2, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I disagree w/ the put it down for 20 minutes and then take it up. Put dry food in his bowl, and leave it there. No treats. He will eat when he is hungry. When we got our lab pups sometimes they were just too busy (can you say ad/hd) to slow down to eat. Now, at 3, the bowls get emptied almost immediately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 When our puppy wasn't eating, all I needed to do was add about one teaspoon of whatever we were eating... a tiny amount of gravy, or sauce, etc. It got him eating again, and over time I was able to eliminate even the teaspoon-ful of extra flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheryl in NM Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) He won't eat any variety of Taste of the Wild canned or dry, 4Health, Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul canned or dry, Merrick dry or canned food. I think he is holding out for real food. He won't eat the dry dog food even with scrambled eggs or real meat or Parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese or yogurt or canned pumpkin mixed in. He will eat all that stuff as long as dog food doesn't share space in the bowl with it. Now what? Do I starve my baby? I mean, if I were giving advice, I'd say put the food down 2x a day for 20 minutes, and eventually dog will be hungry enough to eat it. But this is my baby, and I want him to Love and Enjoy his food. He is not sick. He is eating his limited ingredient treats and enthusiastically playing with his new frog. Um...isn't he full of mouse? Oh, and ill-gotten dog food? :lol::auto::lol::auto: Edited November 2, 2011 by Cheryl in NM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I disagree w/ the put it down for 20 minutes and then take it up. Put dry food in his bowl, and leave it there. No treats. He will eat when he is hungry. When we got our lab pups sometimes they were just too busy (can you say ad/hd) to slow down to eat. Now, at 3, the bowls get emptied almost immediately. Many people successfully free feed their dogs and cats but their are also downsides to doing that as well. I normally recommend feeding at regular times as it makes it much easier to 1) notice if they are feeling ill 2) give medication with food 3) determine how much an animal is eating at a time 4) cleanliness. it allows you to properly clean the bowls after meals. Bacteria that settles in the bowl from eating can cause potential health issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 When our puppy wasn't eating, all I needed to do was add about one teaspoon of whatever we were eating... a tiny amount of gravy, or sauce, etc. It got him eating again, and over time I was able to eliminate even the teaspoon-ful of extra flavor. I recall one dog that the owners had to pick up the bowl, make clomping sounds, and put it down. Then the dog would eat. We joked about it being the reincarnation of a Roman emperor, needing a taster and all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Just so you know what you are dealing with: I am a proponent of "real" food. How about a little ground beef with some veggies, pasta, rice or bread? My big boy eats like this every day and is ever so happy and sleek looking. Your guy is too cute for words. That expression on his face...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Um...isn't he full of mouse? Oh, and ill-gotten dog food? :lol::auto::lol::auto: Not the mouse. My DD discovered he had the then dead mouse while he was still playing with it, so he never got to eat it. Thank goodness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Not the mouse. My DD discovered he had the then dead mouse while he was still playing with it, so he never got to eat it. Thank goodness. Well, *that* mouse, anyways. *runs* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Just so you know what you are dealing with: I am a proponent of "real" food. How about a little ground beef with some veggies, pasta, rice or bread?My big boy eats like this every day and is ever so happy and sleek looking. Your guy is too cute for words. That expression on his face...:lol: Aidan gets real food, too, which I mix in with his dog food. He gets eggs, cheese, plain organic yogurt, plain pumpkin, raw carrots, chicken, and beef. So far, carrots are the only vegetable he likes. I have to be careful about what I feed him because many Wheatens are allergic to soy, wheat, rice, corn, beef, and chicken. I'm careful about what he eats, both to make sure he doesn't have an allergic reaction to food I can't identify specifically, and to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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