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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Food and a very picky dog!

42 replies

ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 14:53

I have a 10 month old springer x who is a nightmare to feed as he just isn’t interested in food. Not actually sure how he functions a lot of the time to be honest, with how little he seems to eat!

When I got him at 8 weeks, he’d been weaned onto raw. Great, as I raw fed my last dog, so I’m confident doing that. A couple of weeks in, he just seemed to go off it and missed a couple of days worth of meals. Tried different brands, different textures, completes, DIY etc and he just wouldn’t touch more than a couple of mouthfuls. As a small puppy, this was quite stressful as obviously they need to eat regularly.

I decided to try a good quality wet and dry, and have had limited success with this. He’ll eat with gusto for a few days, then just stop. I’ve lost count of how much food I’ve thrown away uneaten. Tried just dry, as this cuts down on wastage, but he just doesn’t have enough of it as he’s not keen on any of the brands I’ve tried.

I’m at my wits end. Never had a picky dog before! Since Christmas, I’ve been trying the whole “he’ll eat when he’s hungry” and just taking food up and putting it back down at the next meal, very few treats (he’ll eat chewy things like pigs ears etc happily), but we’re now on meal 7 that he’s refused (wet food; there’s dry down all the time, but I haven’t topped the bowl up in ages). He just shows no excitement at all when I put food down, barely even acknowledges it’s there.

Any suggestions please? Things he will reliably eat: fresh cooked chicken, fresh cooked mince, raw carrot, most chewy treats like pigs ears, dried tripe etc etc, but not keen at all on any biscuit type things or anything too soft. Seems to like a chewy texture, but that doesn’t help with actual dog food! Can’t even begin to list brands we’ve tried. I’ve spent a bloody fortune so far!

HELP!

OP posts:
justgettingthroughtheday · 01/01/2023 19:17

Op I would start with trying smelly things like tuna - I use tuna in spring water on licki mats for mine. Have you tried raw tripe?

I am very pro raw because I honestly don't think there's a better diet when done properly. But if he's not into it then butternut box would be my next thing to try.

Have you spoken with your vet. After months of reactivity and not being interested in new foods my rescue has been diagnosed with gastric reflux. 3 weeks on omeprazole and she's desperate to try everything and anything! Her reactivity has halved and she's so much happier. So I would perhaps check out that he's not uncomfortable somewhere which is causing him not to want to eat.

Finally I would switch to little and often food wise. Have different things to try with him. Food doesn't have to be from a bowl. Kongs, licki mats and other feeders are great and may hold his attention better.

hattie43 · 01/01/2023 19:24

ChickyNuggies · 01/01/2023 16:01

Have you tried Butternut Box? I also have a fussy dog and this is literally the only thing she will eat... Warmed up in the microwave first or else she also won't touch it 🙄

Same here . DDog is the fussiest I've had in 50yrs of ownership . The only thing he'll eat is Butternut Box.

Original poster
ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 19:29

Yeah he’s been checked out at the vets and is in perfect health, albeit a bit lighter than he probably should be. They sold me a horrendously expensive wet and dry vet food… which he won’t touch (surprise, surprise!).

He’s got multiple kongs, which he’ll eat limited things out of, lickmats, again, occasionally interested in them, mostly they dry out and I’m left trying to chisel stuff off them, snuffle mats, which he occasionally shows interest in. Even a lot of treats he’s just not that bothered about.

He only likes dehydrated meat type things. if only there was a complete food which came in that kind of format - kind of dried and chewy, as opposed to crunchy or wet!

OP posts:
Cadenza12 · 01/01/2023 19:35

My dog was on kibble for years and really not bothered about food. Because of another issue I tried a wet food and the change was remarkable. She's 13 now and will still jump up for joy at the prospect of dinner. She has Naturediet, you can buy mixed packs online but you can get individual packs at a pet shop. Mine is still thrilled with chicken every day.

Twinklenoseblows · 01/01/2023 19:42

Try the Thrive chicken topper sprinkled on top. Designed for fussy cats but excellent for fussy dogs too.

Twinklenoseblows · 01/01/2023 19:47

Reading your last post Ziwipeak might do it. It's a totally different texture to normal kibble. Kind of chunky dehydrated meat flakes. Think jerky texture and cornflake shape and size.

GlossyCatsMum · 01/01/2023 19:49

We have (had) a fussy dog. Tried all different dry and wet, would eat for a while and then turn his nose up. My husband saw Butternut box in the local shopping centre and he has had it for the last, at least, 18 months and he always eats it - apart from the fish one which he refused to eat and I was quite happy about that as it stunk! We heat it for 20-30 seconds in the microwave which is supposed to help as it releases the smell and encourages him to eat. Since getting our puppy (I would not recommend this Grin) he has started eating little bits of dry food but only specific ones. Good luck with Butternut box I hope this has the positive results we have seen as I can be worrying when they won't eat!

Original poster
ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 20:30

Ziwipeak sounds promising, might try some of that as well
as the Butternut. I’ve had dogs all my life and never had one like this! Thanks for all the suggestions :)

OP posts:
ChickyNuggies · 01/01/2023 21:23

Hope your fussy pup enjoys the Butternut Box! Seems quite a few of us have had some success with it. It's not the cheapest but my two both go nuts the second it comes out the fridge to go into the bowls!

Original poster
ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 21:34

The amount I’m spending on buying food that just gets thrown in the bin, I’m happy to spend a bit on something if he actually does eat it! I must’ve thrown literally hundreds of pounds worth of food away since I got him, bless him 😂

OP posts:
Twinklenoseblows · 01/01/2023 22:04

I can pop you a freezer bag of Ziwipeak in the post to try if that's helpful? Free of course.

Also for unused stuff I'm sure someone would snap it up on Olio or a local Facebook group. Lots of foodbanks will unofficially take opened bags of dry food too as they know they have clients starving themselves to feed their dogs.

Mbear · 01/01/2023 22:35

ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 19:29

Yeah he’s been checked out at the vets and is in perfect health, albeit a bit lighter than he probably should be. They sold me a horrendously expensive wet and dry vet food… which he won’t touch (surprise, surprise!).

He’s got multiple kongs, which he’ll eat limited things out of, lickmats, again, occasionally interested in them, mostly they dry out and I’m left trying to chisel stuff off them, snuffle mats, which he occasionally shows interest in. Even a lot of treats he’s just not that bothered about.

He only likes dehydrated meat type things. if only there was a complete food which came in that kind of format - kind of dried and chewy, as opposed to crunchy or wet!

The innocent hound is an air dried/dehydrated complete food, that is chewy as you described. I have a very fussy pup and this is one of the foods he will eat, so we have it on rotation (with the other 2/3 ones he will eat). They sell sample packs.

Original poster
ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 22:47

Twinklenoseblows · 01/01/2023 22:04

I can pop you a freezer bag of Ziwipeak in the post to try if that's helpful? Free of course.

Also for unused stuff I'm sure someone would snap it up on Olio or a local Facebook group. Lots of foodbanks will unofficially take opened bags of dry food too as they know they have clients starving themselves to feed their dogs.

Thank you, that’s really kind.

Yeah I’ve donated some unopened tins and pouches to a local rescue. Didn’t think about opened bags though :)

OP posts:
Original poster
ToxicPoppy · 01/01/2023 22:47

Mbear · 01/01/2023 22:35

The innocent hound is an air dried/dehydrated complete food, that is chewy as you described. I have a very fussy pup and this is one of the foods he will eat, so we have it on rotation (with the other 2/3 ones he will eat). They sell sample packs.

Show quote history

Brilliant, thanks, I’ll check that out too.

OP posts:
Original poster
ToxicPoppy · 13/01/2023 18:40

Just an update :)

We’ve had some success with both The Innocent Hound air dried food and Butternut Box! He seems to quite like both, so have settled into a routine of one meal a day of Butternut, plus the rest of his daily quota fed by hand as treats with the air dried stuff (he’s not interested in it in a bowl, but likes it but by bit as treats - funny little thing!). For the first time since getting him, I’m finally confident he’s getting a balanced diet and eating enough, so thanks for all the recommendations :)

Fingers crossed it continues!

OP posts:
ChickyNuggies · 14/01/2023 07:58

Hooray!!! That is great news! I hope it continues!

FarFlungFlamingo · 14/01/2023 08:39

We had a very fussy pup too (and a lab no less) but she has got better as she's got older and we now manage on kibble and rotating a wet food topper. We tried the tough love approach but she dropped weight really quickly and I'm too soft. I was expecting a pup that danced round with excitement at meal times not total indifference! We've probably reached a level of polite interest now, but she still wouldn't bat an eyelid if you forgot to feed her.

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