Dog Community

Maggie's Cheap Tastes

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:26:20 AM

hey everyone:

i have been trying to keep maggie healthy by feeding her more quality foods, but quite frankly she just doesn't like them anymore. she used to eat anything that was put in her bowl, no matter what it was...but lately she's been a really picky eater. She wouldn't eat her food and so I switched her back to Iams, which she ate for about a week and then wasn't interested in it anymore. Then my mom brought home some Purina for her which she gobbled up for about a week but then wasn't interested in it anymore. Then Beneful....same thing.

I hate to keep switching her food like this but I feel like she is just getting sick of what we're giving her? Is that possible? Like if I mix some Beneful with Eukenuba she will literally pick out the Beneful pieces and leave the Eukenuba. She was NEVER this picky of an eater before!

Also I've noticed that most of the better foods come in just brown nuggets and the cheaper food comes in different flavors/colors/shapes.....are there any better quality foods that maybe smell better to dogs? I have no idea what the issue is here, but it's starting to weird me out. It's not a big deal as long as the switching of food all the time isn't going to affect her I suppose.

Ok sorry for the long post. Thanks in advance for any advice

Suzi

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:37:36 AM

Jennifermaggie - Some say switching too much would make the dog picky. In my case I give up on kibbles, JJ don't like them at all. If you felt that your dog isn't eating any of those things. Maybe you can try homecooking? Can food only? Or raw? As for the coloring......it's mostly for your eyes, not your dogs. So you think they look colorful and good but your dog don't really care or can't really see. [

] They know they had to get to you first before your dog. You buy the bag of dog food and so if it looks good to you, you would want it for your dog. [&:]

Jen Lilley

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:42:33 AM

haha- i know she cant really see or care about the shapes and colors, but i think the food with the shapes and colors seem to be a little less dry and smell more like something than the nuggets of other stuff.

Home cooking isn't really an option. If she really had a problem with all dog food, i would maybe go that route, but for now, i think there is enough dog food around that will give her what she needs, rather than me cooking for her every night.

glenmar

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:45:39 AM

Changing from one cheap food to another is doing nothing but teaching your dog that if she won't eat, you'll try something else. The difference between say Innova and P[:'(]digree or B[:'(]neful or [:'(]ukanuba is the difference between offering a child a bowl of fresh salad or candy. They'll likely go for the candy everytime....because those foods have sprayed on, added on stuff to enhance the taste appeal.

My dogs eat nothing but Innova. Well, actually not nothing, but that is their breakfast and then they get homecooked or raw for dinner. I do not switch their kibble and on the rare occassion that someone doesn't eat, their bowl is picked up and put away until the next regular meal time. I refused to be a short order cook for my children and I refuse to be one for the dogs. They eat what they are given, or they don't eat that meal. In my house, when someone turns their nose up at food, they likely don't feel well and I watch them closely. Picky eaters are created, not born.

Suzi

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:48:34 AM

I agree with you....... the good dog food brands are pretty blah. I don't like the fact that their good for our dog but some dogs just would spit it back out. If it's soo good, why won't my dog eat it. I was like you.......there's soo many dog food brand that JJ haven;t even try. But after 3 bags of different holistic brand of dog food left sitting in my room with 90% full. It's not like I switch from one to another. I spend time leaving the bowl sitting there for days and even weeks. I'm not wasting no more money on them. Because all this non-eating and etc affects JJ's health. I went back to homecooking/can food. JJ had been eating and is full of energy. I don't find homecooking is alot of work, usually I just steam back her food. Wish you luck in this food thing. [

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pumaward

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:50:29 AM

Of course she's going to choose Beneful. When you were two years old and had a bowl of ice cream and a bowl of carrots in front of you, which one would you have chosen? The ice cream of course!

Here's a sight quite full of useful (I might add need to know information on dog nutrition)
*EDA: Oops, forgot the site, lol!http://www.dogfoodproject.com

Have you tried the truely more healthy foods (Iams and Euk are really low quality food that's all dressed up to look nice)? I.e. Innova, Canidae, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, Blue Buffalo, Timberwolf Organics, or the many others out there?

Like us, I believe nutrition is where health begins. Typically, if you eat low on the nutritional scale, you aren't going to feel that great or be able to operate at your best. I think this holds true for dogs as well. If you are having trouble getting her to eat, try putting a tablespoon or two or plain yogurt and mixing it in. You can also used canned dog food (of equally healthful ingredients) to make it more appetizing.

HTH
*edit: Sorry, I guess I was slow typing this time around, the beginning of my post sounds almost identical to others!

brookcove

Posted : 6/15/2006 10:38:12 AM

My guys go after Ben's Natural Balance like it's candy. Even when Ben boards, the workers comment on how good his food smells.

Innova EVO is amazingly good smelling too.

You can mix in a little bit of stuff that won't harm the food or her - I use canned fish, canned food, or canned green tripe. It's the healthy version of the sprayed on goop the cheap food companies use. [

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willowchow

Posted : 6/15/2006 11:34:37 AM

If you want to add something in that will really get him eating, try Evanger's Hunk of Beef, it's 100% pot roast! I was really impressed with the quality and Willow just went nuts over it and she's really really fussy.

I was making her a roast in the crock pot for months, I think this will be great for the summer. Although, DH is going to freak out because he can't share anymore.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 6/15/2006 12:01:25 PM

They are right about Iams and Euk being not so great foods and Beneful is worse. My company distributes Beneful and we even call it bene - ful - of - poop (or something like poop but starts with a "c"). If you look at the ingredients on Beneful, you'll see that it contains sugar - that's why your dog likes it. By feeding sugar to your dog for every meal every day you're asking for diabetes.
I used to work for a pet store. We recommended Chicken Soup, Royal Canin, Eagle Pack Chicken Holistic, and, if the previously mentioned don't work, Pro Plan. Pro Plan is not the greatest, but it's better than Beneful and Iams. By the way these are in order from best response to least best responses from customers.

papillon806

Posted : 6/15/2006 12:20:51 PM

I agree with all of the above (I too have had issues with my puppy becoming picky after he became used to switching foods frequently,etc). I say just leave the "good" food (the food you want to feed) down and don't offer anything but that....if he continues not to eat, there may be something health-related that needs vet attention.

mudpuppy

Posted : 6/15/2006 12:52:58 PM

yup to everything already said. Also note that although lots of folks, particularly dog food companies, go on and on about how dogs have no psychological need for variety in their diet, they really do like and enjoy variety. Many a person has complained that their dog really liked the new food for oh, a week, and then seemed to lose interest. Over and over again. Just like you-- if someone fed you chocolate cake at every meal, after awhile, no matter how much you liked chocolate cake evenutally you'd lose your enthusiasm for eating it.

shamrockmommy

Posted : 6/15/2006 6:49:10 PM

I think the foods you've been offering are just yucky- artificially flavored and full of preservatives. Yuckie.

[linkhttp://www.mordanna.com/dogfood]www.mordanna.com/dogfood[/link] is an excellent place to get started to learn about dog food.

I have to put my little plug in for PetGuard Lifespan, which is the only food I've had 100% success with all 3 of my dogs after trying all the other holistic and super premium foods out there. [linkhttp://www.petguard.com]www.petguard.com[/link]

Good luck.

Oh and stop switchign around. Offer one meal for 15 minutes and if she doesn't eat, tough. Save it for the next meal. They get it eventually.

Edie

Posted : 6/15/2006 8:30:59 PM

Jen you didnt mention any of the 'good' foods you have tried.

Some holistic type foods that also smell great are:Timberwolf organics,EVO,Natural balance(especially the wet rolls that no dog can refuse,perfect for enticing a picky eater),evangers.These are but a few on a list of many,have you tried any of them?

There is nothing wrong with changing foods on a weekly basis,(i do it on a daily or bi-daily basis),obviously this is the time it takes for your dog to get sick of eating the same food,so this is when i would rotate to the next brand.

You are not doing your dog any favours by feeding those horrible foods.Sure he will eat them because they are junk food,but at the expense of his health [&:]