Eating question
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Eating question
Submitted by tom on April 21, 2010 - 12:06amSo I posted a few days ago about my guy who now refuses to eat kibble. He was never into his kibble at all would eat some take a break go back eat some more. Then he would eat less so we would entice him with cottage cheese or egg and even then he never really finished his whole bowl. We have tried all different kinds of kibble thinking he just did not like the totw. I put six different samples in front of him and he picked one. That lasted about two days. So now I came up with a plan. I made a variation of the fat balls people use to put weight on. I made meat balls with ground beef and I crushed his kibble up in the blender and mixed it with the meat balls. I figured he was getting the nutrients from the kibble but was easy to eat for him ground in the beef. Now he thinks he is getting a treat when it is really his dinner. My question is could this be a permanent solution to dealing with the picky eater or would the extra beef be too much protein. He was eating three cups a day of food and I know some would say that is too much but he was not gtting overweight as he has a sister that keeps him on his toes so he was burning alot off. Now with the beef Im giving about two cups per day.
Thanks Elaine
I know it is behavioral with him to a point. He definitely was never a big eater. He would just eat some to get something in his stomach. He also just needed to put some weight on for shows and Im pretty sure thats where things went wrong because of the added treats to the food. He started to focus more on the treats whether it be an egg or cottage cheese because now if his kibble is mixed with anything he wont touch it. He will eat an egg but not if it is on his kibble. Im just going to do this crushed kibble with the beef for a week or so to put a few pounds on him and then he is going back to straight totw. Do you think this is ok to do for a week. I am using 95% lean beef.
Thanks Elaine
I know it is behavioral with him to a point. He definitely was never a big eater. He would just eat some to get something in his stomach. He also just needed to put some weight on for shows and Im pretty sure thats where things went wrong because of the added treats to the food. He started to focus more on the treats whether it be an egg or cottage cheese because now if his kibble is mixed with anything he wont touch it. He will eat an egg but not if it is on his kibble. Im just going to do this crushed kibble with the beef for a week or so to put a few pounds on him and then he is going back to straight totw. Do you think this is ok to do for a week. I am using 95% lean beef.
Some dogs do well with a high protein diet, especially
if they live an active lifestyle...others will develop pancreatic problems, which can be serious (ask Gary!!)so you may have to read up about pancreatitis and its warning signs, and certainly use the leanest beef you can...its not only the high protein but animal fat that overworks the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes. BTW, I still think your dog has YOU trained to his likes and dislikes...no dog unless he's totally mentally deficient will starve himself...he'll eat when he's hungry, especially if the kibble is of good quality both in production value and stored properly/served fresh.
Some dogs do well with a high protein diet, especially
if they live an active lifestyle...others will develop pancreatic problems, which can be serious (ask Gary!!)so you may have to read up about pancreatitis and its warning signs, and certainly use the leanest beef you can...its not only the high protein but animal fat that overworks the pancreas to produce digestive enzymes. BTW, I still think your dog has YOU trained to his likes and dislikes...no dog unless he's totally mentally deficient will starve himself...he'll eat when he's hungry, especially if the kibble is of good quality both in production value and stored properly/served fresh.