Skinny dog/Fussy eater - help!

[Doodledangle]

Our rescue (1) was bought up on human food and we've been through various different wet and dry foods in an attempt to wean him off - he'll do a couple of days enthusiastically and then suddenly won't touch it!). We now can't find anything he'll touch Even heavily disguised in human food, and he's so skinny we've had to resort to daily cooking again!

Any suggestions? in terms of human food: chicken, rice, cheese, scrambled egg, vegetables, fresh fish & meat etc he will happily chomp down but it's a complete pain, costing us a fortune and I'm not convinced is giving him all the nutrients he needs. He will
just miss a meal if it's not to his taste and as I say, he's super skinny and can't afford to lose any more weight so feeling desperate.

‘A healthy dog won’t starve itself’ is my vets philosophy and having had a very picky eater I’d agree. I’m fairly hard line with food - you eat it or you don’t. 20 minutes and it comes up. I feed a mix of good quality dry and wet and our current pup eats enthusiastically although she’s been through a couple of picky stages.

Im as positive and choice based as they come with training but food is something I don’t mess with as long as the dog is otherwise healthy. I cooked for my last dog when she became elderly but that’s different as her needs had changed. A youngster I’d be holding out. If he gets very underweight then that’s a medical issue and needs looking at. Acid reflux can cause a dog to feel sick which can contribute.

How skinny?
Do you have a photo?

Very skinny to the pointI think I need to go and see the vet. I'll get a picture when he's awake.

Try stirring a little mashed up tinned sardines in with whatever kibble you have for him. I’ve yet to have a dog that won’t eat those, especially the ones in tomato sauce.
A little bit of this for a few days sometimes helps to get their appetite up, I always keep a tube in stock. It’s great for sorting out any tummy upsets too.
https://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-supplements-cat-supplements-prebiotic-probiotic-products-c-5_172/vetuk-probiotic-kolin-paste-for-cats-and-dogs-p-20356

Unfortunately @Newpeep we took that view and he will miss 2, 3 meals before we give in and feed him something we know he'll eat (& no doubt contributing to looking so skinny at the moment). Sorry I wasn't clear, he will eat, just not a dog food we can find! today he's had 2 scambled eggs with some grated cheese and a small amount of kibble hidden in for breakfast, 2 white fish fillets, peas and rice (hidden kibble discarded on the floor) and dinner will proably be chicken and carrot or peas. It's bad enough coming up with ideas & cooking for the family without adding a fussy dog into the mix. Do I have to resign myself to feeding like this at least until he's put some weight on. FYI He's a minature poodle so lean anyway but a new haircut has honestly shocked me how thin he is and at 5.5kg is very much in the underweight category.

If you're feeding him three times a day, then I don't think missing 2-3 meals is a big deal in the slightest, even if he is underweight already.

I mean, if you keep giving in, then, in the nicest way, of course he's going to keep refusing his food. Let's be honest - pretty much every dog on the planet is going to prefer fish, cheese, scrambled egg and chicken to dry dog biscuits

I understand that you're worried but your behaviour is just perpetuating the cycle to be honest. You need to stop giving in. If he goes hungry for a bit, then so be it. I do speak from experience btw - we had to do this with our beagle. He went 48 hours without eating before he realised that we weren't going to cave - he's never missed a meal since.

If you are really worried about weight get a full vet check to rule out any health issues

BUT

I wasn't clear, he will eat, just not a dog food we can find! today he's had 2 scambled eggs with some grated cheese and a small amount of kibble hidden in for breakfast, 2 white fish fillets, peas and rice (hidden kibble discarded on the floor) and dinner will proably be chicken and carrot or peas.

OP he is eating masses! If that the above is what he is eating in a day. (unless he is a 60kg dog).

I would cut him down to two meals a day. Give smaller quantities so that he eats it and gets used to eating at regular times they gradually increase the amounts.
If he is used to human food then wet food would be a good alternative. Plonk the food down pick it up if he has not eaten it.

What breed is he?
What does he weigh?

tbh he has eaten more than I have today

He's eating loads today because yesterday he ate about 50 G of kibble & that's been pretty much it for the last three or four days and I was starting to get worried so I've loaded him up! I absolutely see what you're saying about him refusing dogfood when there's a tasty alternative, but when he's barely registering 5 kg every meal counts!

You are giving him burn and bust diet!

He needs to get use to small regular meals. Wet food is pretty much human food. Get one and stick with it. Forthglade is as good as any.

No treats just his two meals a day

He will learn when it is time to eat and that is the food he is getting.

If there is no medical reason for his lack of eating this method will work. It has for many many other dogs.

What breed is he?
What size is he?

Honestly cost wise - it costs about the same to do chicken and rice as it does dog food (if you buy frozen). I’ve found this when my dog has an upset tummy as it’s what I feed him then (he is about 12kg).

Have you tried Dog gravy over his kibble at all (and maybe a sprinkle of cheese).

I am from abroad. Every dog we ever owned just ate a bit from the family table as long as it wasn't hot, spicy or overly salty. We hardly ever visited a vet even though we had some pedigree dogs (my mum had 4 at some point). When we got our puppy at 5 months he reluctantly ate dog food. He wasn't ever fed human food by his nervous first time owners. I noticed it and starting supplementing his diet with our left overs- a bit of old mash mixed up with chicken juices and some soft chicken bones (as dogs have enzymes to digest the bones). We eventually settled on feeding our dog cooked chicken livers that costs 17p per packet when on sale at Sainsbury's (frozen section). He gets a pack once a day split into morning and evening meal and unlimited access to dry dog food which he would sometimes eat out of desperation after a 2 hour walk. If our dog gets a bit of our food we just skip his liver portion. It's been a year and our dog is a picture of health. Still much preferring home-made food to any variety of dog food. Just makes me wonder what they put in dog food?

I cook my dogs food in the slow cooker. I tried every food there was and she wouldn't eat them. She's not particularly bothered about this food either. The vet said she was probably puppy farmed and taken from her mother too soon and now she has food and trust issues.

I do a while chicken, some barley and some carrots and freeze it.

But he's only a miniature poodle - he shouldn't be eating loads anyway, and 5kg doesn't sound abnormally tiny for the breed (should be 5-9kg when fully grown).

Just saw that he is minature poodle. No wonder he is not eating for a few days after the amount you have given him!

5kg is not underweight for a minature poodle. It is on the lean heathy side.

Honestly he is ok and he does not need all the food you think he does.
He needs to have a waist and you need to be able to see his last rib. When touching him you should be able to feel his ribs.

Most dogs you see are overweight and their health suffers because of it.

Depending on what you are feeding him he will need about 100g of wet food a day.

The eggs alone would have been about 100g. You effectively fed him three days worth of food in one meal - no wonder he did not eat for a few days.

Oh Jesus wept we've spoilt him and now have a pampered pooch on our hands . Total novice at poodles - had labs before who would eat the dirt on the floor if you let them so fussy eater is very new to us!

Ok so shall retreat embarrassed and dig out the forthglade (which is basically mush human food!) he shunned a few weeks back and stand firm and try to ignore the barking & whining

It's an easy mistake to make, especially if you're not used to miniature breeds.

Honestly, he's meant to be small and that means he doesn't need huge amounts of food. 50g of dry doesn't sound too far off what he should be eating, though if he prefers wet then I would definitely swap to that instead, or mix the two together to make it a bit more interesting in terms of texture. You can also switch the flavours up if needed.

Honestly, like above if he’s ok after a vet check then just hold out. Hes eating way too much for his size. My terrier is 7kg and a perfect (IMO and the vets) weight. She eats nothing like that and she’s active and not neutered yet.

She needs about 500 calories a day to maintain. Dog calories are muddy compared to ours but that’s about 100 g tops of good quality dry plus treats (I adjust meals down accordingly on a high treat day).

You have created this problem because you care. He’s a clever little dog. It doesn’t take much!