# Picky Eater



## Dustie (Apr 2, 2010)

What would you suggest I can get at the Grocery Store that is tasty and will put weight on my new little rescue shelter pup? I've tried Iams canned foods but he doesn't like any of them (he won't touch kibble). I've also tried Pedigree, thinking it would have more fat and so he'd like it better. Nope...

He's only eating now because I mix in some beef broth and then hand feed him the canned food, bit by bit. If he weren't so thin (I can feel each rib, backbone and the hipbones), I'd wait till he got hungry enough that he'd eat. But he's only 9.5 pounds and Im afraid he'll go downhill fast if I did that.

He's like a little battery...all happy and bouncy one minute, and then collapses and is out like a light sleeping the next. I think it's because he's so thin he can't sustain his energy.

What can I feed him that will help put the weight on that I can buy locally at one of our two Grocery Stores, or at the Wal-Mart super center just across the state line (any other store is a good half hour drive away and I rarely go that way).

Thanks!


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I'm afraid there aren't any quality foods that you can get at the grocery store or Walmart.. is there a Tractor Supply Store near your area? Or a Costco? Where do you live? I can possibly locate stores that sell good kibble for you if I know your town/city. Check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com for a better idea of what brands of kibble are good.


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## PappyMom (Jun 5, 2009)

We feed Taste of the Wild, and the dogs love it. I have the same problem with my Papillon, putting and keeping weight on her..She's only 2 lbs, and I personally want her to be around 3-4. A biggg lifesaver - weight and calorie help that I recommend to everyone, is NutriCal. It's an edible gel that tastes and smells like gravy, but it's heavy in calories. You can mix it in with food or I usually put it on my finger and spread it on the roof of her mouth. Most dogs will lick it right off your finger, but Roxy is very 'I don't know if I can have it, should I do it?' so I just put it in for her. My other Pap, Gizmo, my pugs, and my Shar Pei (RIP) would munch it off my finger in no time flat..lol!

I give the dogs a raw egg about once a week, yogurt once a week, and all the fruits and veggies that are non-hazardous.

Have you though about feeding Radar raw? I'm not really familiar with it, but there are plenty of members on here who do it. Maybe dog food doesn't appeal to him? What was he eating at the shelter?


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## Dustie (Apr 2, 2010)

We live in Bella Vista, Arkansas. At the shelter they fed science diet, but they couldn't tell me if he was eating much of it. He was in a pen with two other dogs and they just don't have the employees to watch all the dogs when they eat.

I've done some reading up and I'd like to try taste of the wild. Luc, I clicked on where to find in their website and found I do have a Tractor Supply store about 8.5 miles away in Bentonville so I'm going out today to get some. Hopefully he'll like it. I'm also going to try suplimenting with NutriCal till I can get the weight up a bit.

2 pounds? Oh my, that's one very small dog. Good luck getting his weight up a bit too!

Thanks for the help!


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

Since he's got some Papillon in there, it's likely he'll be a picky eater, it's kind of a Papillon thing lol.

I wouldn't worry about it, Nia only eats every 24 hrs or even less sometimes. I would just give him dry kibble and wait it out, I don't think he will have any health damages from 2-3 days of refusing dry kibble even if he is thin. Nia has always been thin and never ate enough to get her weight up, in the end we just stopped caring and feed her on the feeding time, if she doesn't eat then she doesn't eat, no big deal. You can feel all her ribs and her hips and some spine as well.

Really try not to add stuff to his food like canned, meat, etc. They get picker and pickier. When I first got Nia I used to add stuff to try and get her to eat and that only made her expect things added and different things at that which made her skip even more meals if she thought I wasn't adding what she wanted. In the end we're just giving her dry kibble and she's eating better.


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## keely'smomma (Aug 4, 2008)

Picky eating is definatly a small dog thing. (My yorkie used to be terrible for it) .. 


What if you tried crushing up a kibble and adding water to it to make a paste and try spoon feedng her until she puts some weight on (My dog will NEVER refuse food from a spoon, she's weird.) You can add chicken or beef broth to it and just let her lap it up like water. I know its not much different from what you are doing now but some dogs do respond to the paste better.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Dustie said:


> We live in Bella Vista, Arkansas. At the shelter they fed science diet, but they couldn't tell me if he was eating much of it. He was in a pen with two other dogs and they just don't have the employees to watch all the dogs when they eat.
> 
> I've done some reading up and I'd like to try taste of the wild. Luc, I clicked on where to find in their website and found I do have a Tractor Supply store about 8.5 miles away in Bentonville so I'm going out today to get some. Hopefully he'll like it. I'm also going to try suplimenting with NutriCal till I can get the weight up a bit.


That's great! I know that they sell a LOT of variety at Tractor Supply. You can even look into other foods besides TOTW 

I second the Nutrical. There're several brands. I use Nutristat for Cadence.. it smells like caramel, and he loves it. 

Also, I dunno about everyone else, but Cadence stopped being picky a while ago. I still add canned food to his kibble... because he takes forever to finish if it's just kibble alone (he chews very slowly, but when there's canned, he just swallows the kibble cos it's soft). He eats everything I give him now.. except for yoghurt and raw eggs.. he's a weird dog. He also gets raw several days a week without issue.

Definitely do the "put food down for 15 minutes then take it away" thing. It worked really well for Cadence. He used to be the pickiest eater EVER... but once I became strict with 15 minutes, he got better. Being in daycare helped too. I send food with him, and they give the dogs 15-30minutes to finish their food, and then after that it's gone. After about 2 weeks of coming home with a full container of food (he never ate any of the food I'd sent with him), he finally gave up and now eats EVERYTHING. Good dog.


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## Dustie (Apr 2, 2010)

You guys have all helped a lot. It's nice to know it's a Pap and a small dog thing. That helps me not to worry so much. My Caffee was the opposite big time. If there was food anywhere to be had, she'd scarf it. 

I was going to get TOTW but my daugher called and told me that a friend of hers fed Nutro All Natural Lamb/Rice and Oatmeal and that her dog was real happy with it and she was happy with the results. It was less expensive then TOTW so I bought a 5 pound bag to give it a try. Radar ate a small handful, me feeding the kibbles to him one at a time, but it was the first time that I brought him home that he ate any kibble, so I was thrilled.

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for your help everyone!


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## Dustie (Apr 2, 2010)

What a difference. Radar is still a light and dainty eater, and I'm still getting him started by sitting down with him and spoon feeding, but for two days now he's been eating two small bowls of Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice Kibble mixed with Nutro Natural Lamb and Rice canned, and the difference is inspiring.

He has more energy and what I was calling the battery effect has not been noticable, expecially today. Before he'd be active for half an hour or so, then he'd have to crash for a couple of hours to recharge his batteries. Today he's been up and about for most the day, feeling good.

It might be that the antibiotics the expensive vet gave him last week have finally done their job and eliminated any infection he had, but I like to think that two days of some decent food in him has helped tremendously. It's good to see him eating something at any rate.

And my 14 year old poodle likes it too! Of course, Pierre has never been a picky eater.

Dustie


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