Puppy feeding help

[Pineapplemonkey]

So my nearly 9 month old miniature Schnauzer (just under 8kg) is being a complete pain with her food and I don’t know what to do next.

She came from the breeder on dry James Wellbeloved and I transitioned her to a very high quality kibble after about 6 weeks and she’s been on that ever since (its called Teepee, it’s made by a local pet shop, it’s similar to Canagan I believe)
She had her first season at the end of March and completely stopped eating, when heat finished, she went back to her kibble with a new found enthusiasm and then came the phantom pregnancy, again went off her food, she literally recoils in disgust at it. I moved her onto wet Forthglade puppy which she liked but then got an upset stomach. Ended up shifting her to Chappie to help settle her stomach which she likes and fixed her gastro issues. Today I gave her the Forthglade again and again, we have an upset stomach, it’s seems it doesn’t agree with her. Back to Chappie tomorrow to settle her again

So what do I try now? Chappie is expensive and low protein/quality and I don’t want her to stay on it, but move to what?

I considered Butchers puppy but the feeding guidelines say 6 trays a day, she could never eat that much!

She seems to like wet but what kind do I try? Fresh/raw is not an option (lack of fridge/freezer space)

Any advice highly appreciated for a first time dog owner.

Thanks

See what the breeder says .

If chappie suits her and she eats it I’d keep her on that , it may be less than ideal quality but it will be better for her than having an upset stomach . If you want to try a better quality wet ,my dog , who has a very sensitive stomach is fine on Nature Diet .

When mine was pup and upset from food, the vet recommended a pre-biotic paste like pro-kaolin, logic etc. You can buy it online or in stores without a script. They also suggested a plain diet of no skin chicken with boiled rice till things settled, and only introduce a new diet very slowly. I'm far from an expert, but read what I could about dog food choices.
https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/
This site gave me some ideas and guidance but I did use other sources too. Does that breed often have food allergies or issues?

Have you tried a small amount of the chappie mixed with the high quality kibble? Or the kibble topped with something else, like chicken?

Unfortunately this could be a trial and error situation. I spent years testing various foods for my ibs pup, then once I'd gotten him settled on something they'd change the recipe and we'd go back to square one.

I've had mine on Scrumbles wet for over a year now because it's designed to aid digestion and improve gut health. It's been great and we've had no flare ups at all, so I really can't recommend it highly enough.

Did you mix a little of the dry food with the Chappie? Or just dry? If just dry then yes, it will set her stomach off.

I'd try a gradual transition over the course of a week. Once on just dry food you can make it more appetising by adding warm water to it a few mins before feeding.

If you feel the brand isn't working for her then the fish version of Ava dog food has been tolerated well by the dogs in rescue I've worked with.

Have you tried wetting the kibble?

Yes, I always wet the kibble (with hot water!), I could never get her to eat it dry.

I've tried mixing the wet kibble into the Chappie, she eats a bit and then leaves most of it frustratingly.

Agghhhh I thought dogs would eat anything, how wrong was I!

I guess the other thing to consider is if she actually needs as much food as you want her to eat. Her growth will be slowing down now and she might not be as hungry. What's her body condition score? Can you easily feel her ribs with the palm of your hand? If you have to dig for them she is a bit tubby and might just not be hungry.

Changing her diet all the time is likely to cause more issues than it solves.

I would pick a food that is good quality and that you know she likes (and that suits her stomach) and just stick with that. If she doesn't eat every meal that's okay.

Chappie absolutely honks, kibble does not so that might make it appealing? Have you tried adding something smelly to the food she won’t eat? Salmon oil, a bit of broth, some crushed sprats?