Looking after mil's dog: follow her instructions or ignore?

[HunterWellies]

Mil is going on holiday for two weeks and we are having her (small breed) terrier.

She feels her dog is a fussy eater and says to 'tempt' her to eat by putting a few Pringles, 2/3 slices of cheap value ham or scoops of Brussels pate on top of her dog biscuits.

Also to give 3/4 gravy bones or a couple of rodeo bars as a treat after dinner.

Tbf, the dog is not fat. But, we have our own dog and he just gets a measured scoop of dry food and one small treat (think 1/3 of a dentistick) per day. He has a tendency to over-eat so I am very careful now about his food intake.

Not sure what to do with mil's dog. Would feel very cruel giving her all that in front of our dog, but I could feed them separately (pita but doable). However, I think it's not a very healthy diet for a dog anyway, but don't want to be cruel or make her unhappy while she is with us...

Wwyd?

Try it your way. See if the dog eats. If not follow instructions given.

Can't see a problem with the Gravy Bones biscuits. Pringles would be a bit salty, I'd think? It would probably be a good idea to feed them separately anyway if they are used to being single dogs (so no need for yours to see what he's missing) .

See how he gets on if you don't offer it, but be prepared to amend if that gets him to eat. Bear in mind that elderly dogs often go through changes in appetite,and require smaller meals with a bit more "window dressing" to get them to eat. If ours need a treat, I get the cheap frozen chicken fillets, then poach them in the slow cooker for a few hours with water - then serve the very soft, moist chicken meat as a topping. It's a bit healthier than the processed ham/pate, but is still a "treat". You could also try things like sardines in olive oil or a bit of tuna in oil or water if you wanted something that wasn't processed. I used to walk a dog for the Cinnamon Trust that ate a tin of Campbell's Meatballs every day with its food!

We've got a couple of very fussy tablet takers here so we have a variety of horrendous things we use for tablet hiding! Including cheap value ham, that awful chicken roll and a tub of Brussels pate. I work on the basis that a very small quantity will probably be fine - given the rest of their diet is healthy.

Often dogs eat much better when they are in canine company than when they are alone. It might not even be a problem :)

Thank you for your responses. They are very familiar with each other so eating together is not a problem.

I might see how it goes for the first day or two. Thanks for the suggestions for different foods too - poached chicken is a good idea!

I wouldn't feed my dog any of the things she has suggested - far too much salt.

we have a fussy eater (tbf he may just be spoilt - he has us trained well) and we often have to add things in to tempt him. generally it is plain roast chicken, occasionally a sprinkle of grated cheese. I prefer the chicken because of the salt content in the cheese.