Getting puppy to eat kibble

[melb100]

Morning all,

Aggie (9 weeks old lurcher) is in danger of becoming a picky eater. She reallllly doesnt like her kibble (Wag, we've got a nicer one on the way but in the meantime...).

We soak in a bit of v low sodium chicken broth and have been adding a small teaspoon of wet food - however she then just eats the wet food, however well we try to mash it in, and leaves the kibble!

Then she'll be hungry an hour or so later and may eventually be tempted to eat (some of) the kibble.

But obvs this interferes with having set feeding times and means she is eating less than we would want throughout the day. A lot (but not all) of her poos are very wet.

Sometimes we don't put the food back down (in order to get into feeding time habit, and at the next mealtime she gets only the kibble in order to have no option to pick round it); but a few times we have relented just out of fear of her not eating enough. We're only adding a spoon or so of wet food so that alone is definitely not enough.

**I am well aware this inconsistency is the worst thing we could do, so please don't reply to that effect.**

My questions are:
1. Do we just stick to the set feeding times regardless of how little she eats, and hope she will relent eventually?

2. When she picks round the kibble in the first feed, should we add wet food to the next meal, but risk her picking round the kibble again?

3. Currently pinning our hopes on this being because the current kibble is not tasty enough - but what do we do if she doesn't like the next lot of kibble either? (bearing in mind we'll have to mix it in slowly).

4. We'll mention this and the wet poos to the vet but any other suggestions? We've tried rice and that didnt even get a sniff!

 

[melb100]

A lot (but not all) of her poos are very wet.

Meant to add, we realised she has been drinking from the water butt run off so not 100% sure the wet poos are due to food, they could also be due to a bit of stagnant water (which might explain why its not all the time, if she only drank from there some times?). We've blocked that off now.

 

[Hemlock]

Good move with the water butt runoff.

At 9 weeks old, she hasn't much experience of food in general. What was the breeder feeding?

No matter what or how many times you are told about no dog will starve itself to death, lurchers and other sighthounds (especially deerhound types) can starve themselves to the point where they become very ill. I suggest you get very small packages of food until you find something she likes. If you must feed kibble, have a look at some independent websites that provide an analysis of dog food - some kibbles are seriously low food value.
I feed raw, but I don't know how you feel about that. You can now buy a variety of well-balanced raw food mixes, and most dogs do well on them.
Finally and most importantly - she isn't doing this to annoy you. We don't eat what we don't like either.

 

[Finsky]

Morning all,

Aggie (9 weeks old lurcher) is in danger of becoming a picky eater. She reallllly doesnt like her kibble (Wag, we've got a nicer one on the way but in the meantime...).

We soak in a bit of v low sodium chicken broth and have been adding a small teaspoon of wet food - however she then just eats the wet food, however well we try to mash it in, and leaves the kibble!

Then she'll be hungry an hour or so later and may eventually be tempted to eat (some of) the kibble.

But obvs this interferes with having set feeding times and means she is eating less than we would want throughout the day. A lot (but not all) of her poos are very wet.

Sometimes we don't put the food back down (in order to get into feeding time habit, and at the next mealtime she gets only the kibble in order to have no option to pick round it); but a few times we have relented just out of fear of her not eating enough. We're only adding a spoon or so of wet food so that alone is definitely not enough.

**I am well aware this inconsistency is the worst thing we could do, so please don't reply to that effect.**

My questions are:
1. Do we just stick to the set feeding times regardless of how little she eats, and hope she will relent eventually?

2. When she picks round the kibble in the first feed, should we add wet food to the next meal, but risk her picking round the kibble again?

3. Currently pinning our hopes on this being because the current kibble is not tasty enough - but what do we do if she doesn't like the next lot of kibble either? (bearing in mind we'll have to mix it in slowly).

4. We'll mention this and the wet poos to the vet but any other suggestions? We've tried rice and that didnt even get a sniff!

'Funny' eaters are not fun..or they can be if you are particular type and find some humour in their habits
From owner of two picky eaters to other...when the dogs are 'funny', you get less upset about it if you just don't fight it and find what it is that they don't actually like and what they do. Yes it is a job and half to do and you are quite likely to waste some food in the process but eventually you get it and life for you and for the dog will be so much easier.
Not only that...it can be age related too..some grow out of it and others are that sort for the life.
Mine would never eat kibble as a meal...if I were to put some on dish...it would just stand there untouched. But given as a 'treat' from my pocket..yes..that would go down But I decided very early on that it was something I would not be prepared to carry on.

Mine are funny with type of dish they eat from, and they seem to prefer to eat from the same plate, not to have too much on the plate as they don't like to get their noses dirty, so 'gaps' between mouthfuls seem to go down better
'Soggy wet' food is no no...unless it is offered in bite size little lumps from my fingers..they don't like certain textures (we feed raw) so those particular cuts are being slightly cook before they are eaten
No commercial dog food...they WILL NOT eat at all..one dog prefer poultry choices and other is more of red meat eater...so I tend to mix a little so both are happy...etc etc.
Little by little it has got bit easier and with coming older they seem to be more acceptable with the food choices..but they do have couple of 'good eating days' and then a 'diet day'.. You just have to get along with it..and even I don't eat 'properly' each and every day..some days it is just enough to keep oneself going and that's ok too.
Oh..forgot to add...as puppies, mine never had much appetite for a proper meal in the morning and now as grown ups they are till reluctant to eat much at all until sometime afternoon. They can even wait until evening before they tell me they are now ready. I do ask if they are hungry earlier but it is pointless to push it if they don't show interest.
So that is something you might have be aware...you pup haven't read the dog manuals and be aware of what it is supposed to do...

 

[melb100]

Thanks both! The breeder said they were on Wagg but have texted to double check if they had been feeding something else alongside that, as she was not keen on it from day one (although as now would eat some eventually if soaked a bit but not too much..especially if tempted to eat a bit off the hand first). That's why we started adding the wet food to make it more palatable.

She does eat treats although took her a while to decide she liked them, and was super confused by a carrot. So I don't think she's especially food orientated to start with.

I've ordered some tails.com food with the plan that if she doesn't like it we can send it back and try another blend until hopefully we find one she likes a bit more, even if not mad for it, and can work up from there. (Hoping this would be less upset for tummy than trying various different brands, but that may be naive). And maybe beg a little bit of food off other nearby puppie owners to try - I think there's one nearby on fish4dogs.

Definitely no room in our freezer for a raw food diet (or room in the flat for another freezer). We were hoping to build up to a mix of kibble, a bit of wet food and some veg/ yoghurt, but had started with just the kibble as had been told she was only on dry food before.

She has her second jab and weigh in at the vets on Monday so we will get a better idea if we should be concerned about her not getting enough food then. And hoping the wet poos will have dried up by then (ho ho) now there's no more chance of sneaky slurps next to the shed.

 

[melb100]

Oh..forgot to add...as puppies, mine never had much appetite for a proper meal in the morning and now as grown ups they are till reluctant to eat much at all until sometime afternoon

Yes she is really not hungry in the morning at all, other than picking the wet food from around the kibble. Seems to get more hungry at about 11 so we've tried to adapt the feeding schedule to suit that.

 

[JudyN]

My lurcher had very soft poos no matter what kibble I gave him - they only firmed up when I switched to raw feeding. But that's not much use to you if you haven't got the freezer space. Maybe try something like Naturediet or Forthglade?

BTW, when switching diets, you should aim to do this gradually over a week or two - switching all at once can also upset their stomachs (sorry if this has been said above - I need to get on!).

 

[Tinytom]

Wagg is one of the worst foods you can buy ....its like giving kids McDonald's and smarties .....
Lurchers need a lower protein food when they get over 9 mths ..if you are sticking with the kibble you can get good kibble ...just try and change her to about 18%protein later ....
I have fed raw for years

 

[melb100]

Wagg is one of the worst foods you can buy ....its like giving kids McDonald's and smarties .....
Lurchers need a lower protein food when they get over 9 mths ..if you are sticking with the kibble you can get good kibble ...just try and change her to about 18%protein later ....
I have fed raw for years

Thanks Tinytom. We got Wagg to follow on from what she had before coming to us. Raw feeding not an option (see above) but hopefully we can find a kibble + wet food/ DIY toppers combo that works for her.

 

[Hemlock]

Very important extra that Finsky touched on - sometimes it's the dish as much as the food. A lot of dogs don't like the shine and clatter of a metal bowl, especially if they have an ID tag that knocks against it (not a problem for your puppy yet, but be aware). Plastic bowls smell chemically, no matter how clean or well-rinsed. Heavy ceramic or toughened glass seems acceptable to most. A flat plate or saucer works for many dogs too.
Of course, food that can be stolen has to be filched no matter what surface it is on, as any lurcher owner will tell you.

 

[JoanneF]

Tails isn't as great as they make out. It's a mixture of a few basic products to 'suit' your dog but if you ask for certain things they can't actually meet your need. I have an acquaintance whose dog needs (I think) low fat and chicken free and they can't provide it.

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) out of 100. You can set filters for your dog's breed, weight, age etc. and for your daily budget; then you can add in any specific needs you have such as aiming for weight loss or avoiding specific ingredients. The website will automatically show the foods listed in order of what the assessors believe is best quality, and it also will show daily feeding cost (calculated from your dog's age and weight) so you can see what gives you best value for money. It has its limitations but it's a decent place to start.

 

[melb100]

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk

Thanks Joanne that looks great. I've asked Lily's kitchen if I can get a sample of their puppy food, but in the meantime, the tails food arrived and she is eating the kibble! Not even needing chicken stock or soaking or wet meat. Honestly I hadn't realised how worried I was for her until I saw her actually eating something. Still meticulously eating around the Waggs, but still...

I'll have another look at the all about dog site and may not stay on tails long term but SO RELIEVED to find something where I dont feel we're feeding her prison gruel against her will!

Thanks so much everyone for your comments and thoughts.

 

[JoanneF]

If she likes the Tails, that's great - at the end of the day, the best food for your dog is the one they do well on.

 

[Jan Woodhall]

Good move with the water butt runoff.

At 9 weeks old, she hasn't much experience of food in general. What was the breeder feeding?

No matter what or how many times you are told about no dog will starve itself to death, lurchers and other sighthounds (especially deerhound types) can starve themselves to the point where they become very ill. I suggest you get very small packages of food until you find something she likes. If you must feed kibble, have a look at some independent websites that provide an analysis of dog food - some kibbles are seriously low food value.
I feed raw, but I don't know how you feel about that. You can now buy a variety of well-balanced raw food mixes, and most dogs do well on them.
Finally and most importantly - she isn't doing this to annoy you. We don't eat what we don't like either.

Totally agree with Hemlock on this one

 

[Tinytom]

Hope she is eating her new food still and poos are normal

 

[melb100]

Hope she is eating her new food still and poos are normal

Breakfast and last nights tea were all eaten, although point blank refusing the Wag - so much for a gentle transition...
Poos are still soft but definitely more normal! Working hard all morning as per usual...

 

[JudyN]

Gorgeous photo - I'm a little in love

 

[Hemlock]

Me too..............

 

[merlina]

Glad you're getting on with your gorgeous puppy. All the great advice on here seems to have paid off. Can I add a personal note: for dogs food is often the main pleasure of the day. For your dog and you. I get a huge reward from seeing my two enjoy their entirely different meals. So never think it's a battle of wills and giving in is somehow wrong. Remember the song 'It feels so good to be bad' is from 'All Dogs Go to Heaven'! We took in a lurcher who was a wreck from eating nothing but day-old kibble that he obviously hated. Got his tum right, he was never sick again and lived to be 17. Still miss him- lucky you starting out!