# My dog refuses to eat dog pellets...



## mincespy (Aug 27, 2012)

As the title says, I can't get Laika to eat dog pellets. She'll eat everything else though, but she will go hungry rather than eat dog pellets. If we're having supper or something, and Laika knows she's got the dog pellets in her food bowl, she'll go beg for food from the table (which of course we don't give her). Then she just goes to lie down somewhere but doesn't touch the pellets. We try mixing up the dog pellets with other food, but she just carefully picks out the food she likes and leaves the pellets alone. Sometimes when she's really hungry she will eat a little of the pellets, or sometimes when she's lying down and you feed her by hand she'll eat a little. But other than that, nope. Sniffs it and moves on. Before she used to love dog pellets, I don't know what's going on with her now. And, because she eats so little dry food, her poo is really runny. I think it may just be because we used to feed her pellets for breakfast, lunch and supper, and maybe she's gotten tired of them? Or maybe, because when we went on holiday for two weeks we left her with her mum and sister and it's because of the stress caused by first leaving us and then leaving her mum and sister again?
Does anyone have any advice? Is this normal? Should I go to the vet? Will she start eating pellets again eventually? Have we got one of those dogs tht just naturally dislikes dry food unless it's particularly tasty? Thanks in advance for any advice!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

It may be the specific pellets ? Maybe she smells something... are they older, maybe the oils have gone bad and she can smell the rancid odor? Maybe the bag has been open and some bugs have infested?


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## mincespy (Aug 27, 2012)

hanksimon said:


> It may be the specific pellets ? Maybe she smells something... are they older, maybe the oils have gone bad and she can smell the rancid odor? Maybe the bag has been open and some bugs have infested?


I don't think so... We've gone through four different types of pellets now and she even refused to eat pellets that are fresh from the church (we put them into the bowl the same evening we bought them).


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I assume you're talking about kibble.



> Should I go to the vet?


That would be the very first step to make sure there isn't some medical basis for the change. Once you've eliminated that possibility, you can follow the usual recommendation for picky eaters. Put the kibble down for 15-20 minutes. Whatever she doesn't eat, get's picked up until the next scheduled feeding. 

I had a dog (a lab, actually - one of the hungriest breeds out there) who was accustomed to having crappy canned food mixed with his crappy kibble by his previous owner. We went cold-turkey and he refused to eat for about three days before he gave in.

As long as you mix canned food or table food with the kibble, your dog will expect it, demand it and pick it out from the kibble.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

What brands have you been feeding? What protein sources? 

I agree with the tough love approach though.


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

When is last time dog was wormed.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

For a healthy dog, I agree with tough love


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## Pawzk9 (Jan 3, 2011)

mincespy said:


> As the title says, I can't get Laika to eat dog pellets. She'll eat everything else though, but she will go hungry rather than eat dog pellets. If we're having supper or something, and Laika knows she's got the dog pellets in her food bowl, she'll go beg for food from the table (which of course we don't give her). Then she just goes to lie down somewhere but doesn't touch the pellets. We try mixing up the dog pellets with other food, but she just carefully picks out the food she likes and leaves the pellets alone. Sometimes when she's really hungry she will eat a little of the pellets, or sometimes when she's lying down and you feed her by hand she'll eat a little. But other than that, nope. Sniffs it and moves on. Before she used to love dog pellets, I don't know what's going on with her now. And, because she eats so little dry food, her poo is really runny. I think it may just be because we used to feed her pellets for breakfast, lunch and supper, and maybe she's gotten tired of them? Or maybe, because when we went on holiday for two weeks we left her with her mum and sister and it's because of the stress caused by first leaving us and then leaving her mum and sister again?
> Does anyone have any advice? Is this normal? Should I go to the vet? Will she start eating pellets again eventually? Have we got one of those dogs tht just naturally dislikes dry food unless it's particularly tasty? Thanks in advance for any advice!


By pellets do you mean kibble? It may be that she doesn't like or has an intolerance for what you are feeding. I might get her checked out by the vet (GSDs are prone to irritible bowel disease) and if there is not a physical problem, have a look at this article. http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page39/


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## mincespy (Aug 27, 2012)

wvasko said:


> When is last time dog was wormed.


I believe it was about two weeks ago.



Pawzk9 said:


> By pellets do you mean kibble? It may be that she doesn't like or has an intolerance for what you are feeding. I might get her checked out by the vet (GSDs are prone to irritible bowel disease) and if there is not a physical problem, have a look at this article. http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page39/


She looks healthy enough to me, but I will think about it.

And thanks for the advice, everyone!


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

You could try soaking the kibble. Snowball wasn't crazy about his kibble when we first got him (and it) and then he broke a tooth so we had to soak it... now he won't eat it unless it is soaked in a bit of warm water for 20 minutes. He gets fed after his walks, so its not much extra effort to start the food soaking before we go out and its ready when we get back, but we plan on switching his kibble once this bag is done.

When you went on holiday, did your mum and sister feed her kibble? Or did she get tastier treats? My MIL spoils our dog every chance she gets!


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## Hitchington (Jun 11, 2012)

Hitch does not like kibble. I switched him to Orijen Regional Red, because I liked the company better than what I used to feed (Wellness Core). He liked his Orijen better, but still was hit or miss if he was going to eat it all. He was kind of thin and I was getting desperate, so I started to add a very tiny bit of cooked plain lean ground meat to his kibble and he eats it all gone ever since then.


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