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Original poster

Dog not eating millies wolfheart HELP

63 replies

mintmagnummm · 06/03/2020 07:37

I recently switched my boy over to millies wolfheart and he seemed to like it at first (although not love) but now he just completely ignores all the kibble and shows no interest at all!
I really need to find a kibble my boy loves, I have tried all of these so far...
*arden grange
*barking heads
*wainwright's
*fishmongers finest and fish 4 dogs
*edgard and cooper

He is a staffy (not sure that makes a difference) I want something that's not full of crap, reasonably priced and most importantly that he enjoys.

Any suggestions please????

OP posts:
Sooverthemill · 06/03/2020 07:42

We feed Markus muhle and our young one loves it. Older one used to have the senior version but is now on special diet as he's old and not well

Sooverthemill · 06/03/2020 07:42

Sorry here

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 06/03/2020 07:44

James Wedllbeloved?

RedRed9 · 06/03/2020 07:45

Have you looked on allaboutdogfood.co.uk?

Any reason you’re looking for kibble specifically?

I want something that's not full of crap, reasonably priced and most importantly that he enjoys
^ Raw would tick all these boxes.

TheyAllFloat · 06/03/2020 08:39

Kibble can be a bit dull. Have you tried adding a little bit of something wet and tasty? e.g. wet dog food, or tinned sardines, etc.

Even something ike boiling up old roast bones (e.g. chicken) to make a broth can be nutritious, cheap and tasty.

FLOrenze · 06/03/2020 09:10

I use Essentialsfood, , my dog loves it and they give good customer service

Original poster
mintmagnummm · 06/03/2020 09:20

Thank you for all the replies so far.

I always mix fresh food in with his kibble, either sardines, salmon, tuna, chicken, mince, liver etc and he loves it but he's literally eating all around the kibble and leaving it. Because the sardines and other tinned fish is really mashed in and he cant separate it he just leaves the whole lot.

Raw isn't something I'm interested in, just my own personal opinion but thank you x

OP posts:
BiteyShark · 06/03/2020 09:42

Have you considered swopping to the wet millies wolfheart food rather than kibble?

tabulahrasa · 06/03/2020 10:24

The thing is, if you keep adding more exciting stuff and switching foods... he’ll keep leaving them and wait to see what comes next...

Sooverthemill · 06/03/2020 10:34

I kind of agree about adding in exciting food. We mix in a tablespoon of wet food to the kibble so we can add in joint supplements at meal times and also meds that older dog needs. It's the same stuff every day. When they are well they eat it. If they don't eat it it is removed after 10 minutes and thrown away. Next meal at normal time. No food treats.

Keepsmiling1 · 06/03/2020 16:54

What flavour is the Millie's Wolfheart? Mine eats the countryside mix but I changed it to the obedience one (I thought he might be bored of the same flavour) and he didn't like that so have switched back to countryside which he wolfs down!

DogInATent · 06/03/2020 17:32

Staffy's really don't care what they eat or what crap it's made from. They've got stomachs like dustbins and they can't read, so whatever allaboutdogfood says doesn't interest them.

I've tried fancy and expensive, but given the choice our Staff will take cheap mixer and tinned wet food every time (unless cat shit is available, which to any dog is the height of gastronomic delight and worth three Michelin stars). Her digestive health is good, her coat's shiny, and she's full of energy.

But if you're convinced you want him to eat Wolfheart and like it, then I suggest mixing through either sardines in tomato sauce, or Chappie, or Pedigree Chum. I'll get shot down for mentioning Chum, but it was the corner shop staple that got our Staffy eating when we rescued her and she refused everything else.

CornishPorsche · 06/03/2020 17:35

Are you trying to make food interesting for him? Try hand feeding, use the food as treats, get brain game toys etc. The hand feeding thing works well with my pooch - she's always been weird about eating meals, but will steal when your back is turned...

adaline · 06/03/2020 18:12

Stop giving him human food. No wonder he doesn't eat the kibble if he knows there's tuna or egg or chicken on offer.

Give him two meals a day at set times. If he hasn't eaten after twenty minutes, remove the bowl and he gets nothing until the next mealtime. Rinse and repeat.

You need to out-stubborn him. He won't starve himself but you can't expect him to want plain kibble if you keep adding sardines or tuna to it.

Original poster
mintmagnummm · 06/03/2020 19:00

Just to clarify, I'm not giving him plain kibble. I always mix things in with it as stated above. He eats the things I mix in and leaves the kibble.

The wolfheart flavour is ranger.

What's the cheap kibble your staffy likes? My boy must be the only fussy staff lol

OP posts:
adaline · 06/03/2020 19:10

Just to clarify, I'm not giving him plain kibble. I always mix things in with it as stated above. He eats the things I mix in and leaves the kibble.

But you won't get him to eat the kibble while you're mixing with human food. The human food is much tastier so he'll eat that and ignore the biscuits. Believe me, I've been there! It went on for weeks until I just stopped giving him human food. Two days later, he started eating his meals again and that was eight months ago. He's never refused a meal since.

You need to stop giving him human food as part of his meals. Mix the kibble with wet food or water and feed it twice a day. If he doesn't eat, remove the bowl after twenty minutes and try again next meal time. Don't give him scraps or titbits or he'll just hold out of those and refuse to eat. Just be patient and he'll eat it eventually.

DogInATent · 06/03/2020 19:38

After the first week of fussiness she'll now eat anything. Breakfast is currently Royal Canin (I had a voucher). Dinner is 1/3 can of Lily's Kitchen and Tesco own-brand mixer. Once a week she has a tin of sardines in tomato sauce instead of the wet food. If we're having liver she'll get that (I always cook the liver before the onions), and occasionally I'll poach a chicken breast for her.

People really love to over-think pet food. Then again, she isn't a delicate pedigree pooch with a fragile constitution.

Sooverthemill · 07/03/2020 07:16

I agree with @adaline@DogInATent. Your dog likes human food. Don't we all. However he's a dog and gets dog food ( you've said no to raw, we don't do that either). Our breeder told us to mix in sardines. No way! They get age appropriate dog food ( decent quality) and if it's not eaten it's removed after 10 minutes and then no treats until next meal. You just need to be strong. If your dog has no underlying health conditions then he won't starve

Toria70 · 07/03/2020 07:22

Mine are both on Millie's. There are two or three varieties that they won't touch which is a complete PITA if I've bought 2 large bags. The gamekeeper mix is one they hate, and obedience. They're on the duck and veg at the moment as they love this one. I put some Nature's Menu sachets with it (they share 1 large one over 2 meals) so they have a bit of strong smell and taste with it though. I also put some hot water over the kibble before serving it as it makes a bit of gravy in the bowl?

Have you had their teeth checked in case that's why they're leaving the kibble?

johnwayneisbigleggy · 07/03/2020 07:38

My staffie is fussy too. He's on AVA senior and seems to like that but some days he really is a nightmare, I end up almost hand feeding him (I know 😂) just to get him to have food. I mix either a small amount of tuna or sardines with it - he can't tolerate chicken but it doesn't encourage him if he's having one of his off days.

Original poster
mintmagnummm · 07/03/2020 07:54

Thank you for all the suggestions and advice I really do appreciate it.

I completely understand those of you saying dont give human food etc but I don't share the same opinion. He's not just a dog to me he is my baby, my family and however long I'm blessed with him in my life I'm going to spoil him and make him feel like a king. I'm probably going to get slated now ha ha but that's fine. Who wants to live a short life eating the same boring food day in day out with no excited treats to look forward to etc. 🥰

OP posts:
DogInATent · 07/03/2020 09:28

Our breeder told us to mix in sardines. No way!
Oh dear. Sardines aren't harmful, fish is healthy for dogs. It's so popular that #SardineSunday and (sometimes Saturday) has it's own hashtag on Twitter - mostly led by the police dog accounts.

As I said, people over-think their dog food.

Getting a dental check is definitely a good idea if kibble is being rejected.

OhLook · 07/03/2020 09:29

Why don't you just feed him wet food?

Sooverthemill · 07/03/2020 09:47

@DogInATent I know sardines are good for them and they get a raw sardine or so rag when we walk to the fishmonger as a treat not everyday! Not having my dogs expecting gourmet food every day. I'm not overthinking dog food at all. But they do not ever get human food

Sooverthemill · 07/03/2020 09:48

Or sprat^

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