Help With An Extremely Picky Kibble Eater?

[laurendoodler]

So, Delilah has decided she wants to be EXTREMELY picky about her kibble and I'm getting really annoyed with the whole thing.

When she was a puppy, she was on Science Diet small bites for about..a week. She didn't like it so I switched her. Yet she would eat other dog's Science Diet in their bowls if we went somewhere.

I switched her over to Blue Buffalo. She was on that for probably four or five months? That's a good food so I was happy about that. I had to try different flavors periodically to switch it up. She eventually flat out decided she wouldn't eat it.

We then switched to the Royal Canin Bulldog specialty food. She ate that for a couple months then decided she hated it as well.

I then tried Wellness CORE. She liked that and ate it well for quite awhile. She stopped eating it again. Couldn't find any other high quality foods that I could afford and switched her to Science Diet even though I didn't want to. She ate a couple bags of that and was done. I've now switched her back to Wellness..not the CORE formula (which I prefer..) but something else. She ate it SO WELL for a couple days but now won't hardly touch it. I can't do the leave it and eventually she'll get hungry thing. She's actually gone a week without eating. She WILL. She's..insane.

Part of the problem is my mom got her started on canned food..ugh. She was really really ill a few months back and she was eating exclusively canned food. Once she was better I switched back to the kibble, but my mom was like "aww she likes canned!!" and made me start buying it. So I mixed it in with her kibble. I hate doing this because it's expensive and now she's got it in her head that her kibble has to have canned food in it. She WILL NOT touch her food unless there is canned food in it. Oh, and my mom also thinks I need to microwave it for her...she's weird, ha.

So, I guess what I'm looking for is suggestions. This dog will eat any table scraps imaginable (which I don't really give her any because she has GI problems) but she is just so picky when it comes to dry food. She loves things like Kibbles and Bits (my parents used to feed that to their lab..uggh) but I absolutely refuse to feed her low quality food like that. I want to feed her good food but she just won't eat it! And why is she so obsessed with the canned??? Thanks for any help/suggestions!

 

[cadillactaste]

[MENTION=1909]Lauren Pohl[/MENTION]
I'm curious you mention having to change up with the dog foods with Blue Buffalo. Was it do to her refusing food? Or not eating all of it when it was offered?

She's went a week without eating...are we talking exclusively? Or is she getting treats and just not her food? I've never heard a dog give up food for an entire week for not liking it. It makes me wonder if something medically is wrong.

(which I don't really give her any because she has GI problems)

What sort of problem does she have?

I know my own vet said it is hard on a dog's system to constantly change out their dog food.

If she's used to canned...have you just tried softening the kibble with warm water...and allowing it to go soft before giving it to her? I have never heard of a dog going a week without food unless they were sick. I have heard of a dog not eating all their kibble in their bowl at times...it doesn't mean they don't like it...it means the allotted amount on the bag is marked so they can sell more dog food. My Ahsoka won't finish her kibble...She eats until she's full and walks away. And then I pick up her bowl until her evening meal.

 

[Angelgirl]

Does she eat any fruits or veggies? I add a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (when I can actually find it at the grocery store this time of year ) It acts like canned food .Belly also gets sliced banana and frozen blueberries.Lots of dogs like shredded carrots,greenbeans and broccoli..maybe if you made it interesting for her she would stick with one food. Hubby laughs when I make her food..she eats better than us!

 

[Bella Cows Mama]

I do the same as [MENTION=1652]Angelgirl[/MENTION]. Bella get's 1 1/4 cup Fromm surf and turf in the morning mixed with a tbsp. organic virgin coconut oil and in the evening she get's 1 cup of Fromm with a tablespoon of canned pumpkin. She loves it! Although she was never picky, I would bet on her eating if I put some pumpkin or coconut oil on it...oh wait, she's already done that . She also loves carrots and green beans! I bet if you added some of these items to her food she would love it! Also, just to add in a little of my own opinion...I had Bella on wellness and switched her to Fromm. It was the best thing I've ever done for her! And stay away from Science Diet, it's .

 

[laurendoodler]

I know Science Diet isn't good..I was just desperate to get her to eat something!

As far as GI problems..she's had her intestines twist before, they thought she had mega esophagus (which they now think she doesn't but I still keep a close eye on that), she has a sensitive stomach and throws up a lot..just..random things, really. She got treats and stuff during that time..she just refused to eat the food out of her bowl.

I think I'll try adding the fruits and veggies to her food. Maybe that'll work. I can get her to eat it if I mix something else into it..like I just put a couple pieces of my sister's pancake in there and she ate the whole bowl. ...goofy dog.

 

[GatorRay]

I was going to also suggest adding to the food. Go back to a good quality food and then throw in some frozen fruits and veggies. Gator and Lucy love, love, love frozen green beans, peas, and carrots. I use those for treats instead of regular doggie treats.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Ok maybe this sounds harsh but in the past I had this problem with my beagle and if she didn't want to eat then she didn't want to eat. I didn't want to do something like add canned food to her kibble then have her come to expect that. So this pickiness only lasted a short time because she quickly learned to eat what she was given or not at all.

 

[sheshistory]

Ok maybe this sounds harsh but in the past I had this problem with my beagle and if she didn't want to eat then she didn't want to eat. I didn't want to do something like add canned food to her kibble then have her come to expect that. So this pickiness only lasted a short time because she quickly learned to eat what she was given or not at all.

I agree with this.

Your bully is smart and she has trained you to give her what she wants!

Delilah will eat when she becomes hungry if she doesn't have a variety of other delicious goodies to choose from if she starts a hunger strike. I would put your foot down with her now because changing dog food all the time will likely only make her digestive problems worse.

I had a similarly picky bully and he would eat eventually but what really cured him was when another bully came into the mix...all of the sudden that food looked might good!

 

[laurendoodler]

She is on good food..Wellness is one of the best brands you can get! I'm going to look into Fromm though since it seems like many of you have nice things to say about it! I'm very willing to look into it if it helps with tear stains and is actually healthy, haha.

And Delilah will flat out just NOT eat. Like I said, she went a week and was losing weight. She only ate a few treats that whole time and that's because I was getting scared. My dad was like, "she'll get hungry enough and eat soon.." and nope, she didn't!!

 

[sheshistory]

I would also try the above suggestion of putting a little warm water in her kibble and mixing it around to create a nice aroma and illusion of soft food, on top of mixing in some carrots or beans.

Also, there are some high quality canned foods that aren't too expensive. I give my two bullies a forkful of canned Taste of the Wild in the mornings on top of their dry food - just for something different - and it's only about $1.99 a can with one can lasting me about 4 days with two dogs.

 

[bullmama]

[MENTION=1909]Lauren Pohl[/MENTION] here is what must happen if you want her to be on a regular diet. You must be the sherriff for your baby or noone else will.

I have a feeling you are free feeding not schedule feeding- but I may be wrong. So I am going to guess that you are.

First mistake is absolutely NO table food. None. The best thing you can do is put her in her crate (if you use one) when others are eating.

You do not have to put canned food on her kibble, once she realizes she isn't getting it she will get over it. Right now she is telling you to put it on there or she wont eat. What you gotta do is tell her she needs to eat it or she can starve. Yes, I have 4 kids and I tell that to them all the time. :D

She should get about 1 cup (a guess since I don't know her exact age and weight) of kibble in the morning and one in the evening.

The only treats to offer her is to be fresh fruits or veggies. But I would not offer any treats until she starts eating her kibble.

If she does not eat her food within 20 minutes, put it up.

Once she is understanding that she must eat it (this may take a few days or maybe a week if she is really stubborn) or she won't be able to have it, she should start eating it.

I would try this with the current food, but there is also the possibility that the food itself is bad. I once got a bag of Avoderm and my dogs refused to eat it. So I took it back and got a new bag, it had a pinhole in it. Then they ate just fine.

It sounds to me like she is the one holding the cards and playing games with you. Time to tell her there is a new sherriff in town!

This should also help with her tummy issues. She probably NEEDS a strict diet!

If all else fails, I have not met a bully yet who did not love Fromm

 

[bullmama]

I just put a couple pieces of my sister's pancake in there and she ate the whole bowl. ...goofy dog.

This is what I mean. She is telling you what to feed her- (table scraps) but you need to be her food angel, and make sure she is getting only good stuff.

 

[KMARINO]

I 100% agree with [MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION], although I have never had this problem with hogzilla, I totally agree with her advice!!

 

[laurendoodler]

Thanks for the tips! Looks like I'm going to have to get tough.

I'd hate to put her in her kennel while we are eating...the kennel is in my room in the isolated basement and she hates being alone when everyone is home. I usually feed her when we are all sitting down to eat.

And yes, she free feeds. It's really hard for me to manage because I have college full time and then go straight to work..so she is home with my moms boyfriend all day. He would probably cave and feed her something. I can try to explain it to him though and try it out if you guys think that will help.

 

[Wigglesworth]

My rescue bully allegedly had the same problem. The foster person said he's picky and they left food on the floor all day....RED FLAG!

Took me about 2 days to remediate that. Pick that darn bowl up after 10 or so minutes. He's a regular bully vac now.

(Side note: Wellness is an ok food, it's not one of the best. They include water content in protein sources, so that exagerates the %. They (protein) should be a lot lower on the list. Read the food ratings on this site.)

A lot of people are really busy. Correcting this will actually make your life easier. Have a chat with the family state your concerns: "I work and go to school and this is stressing me out. Help me alleviate it and don't deviate from X,Y,Z." Type up something with your plan and give it to them. Older people need reinforcement

Another thing: when you start making concessions because you think it will hurt their feelings (ie she hates being alone when everybody's home), they are going to start ruling the roost (which it sounds like she is starting to do). Reward her after you eat. Take her out of the crate, give her affection, treats or playtime.

Just be consistent.