# My puppy has gone off her kibble



## Maggie Mae's Mum (Jun 13, 2011)

Hi guys,

Firstly, I am a new member here, so hello.

Secondly, my beautiful puppy (15 weeks old yesterday) Maggie Mae has gone off her kibble. I think it started about two months ago when she had a little diarrhoea , the vet suggested a simple diet of rice and beef mince. So I did this for a week to settle her tummy. I tried to gradually switch her back to kibble and she just wont eat it. She was picking out the kibble and placing them in a neat pile next to her bowl and eating the rice and mince. I kept up with the switch gradually adding more kibble and less mince and every now and then she will eat a little bit of kibble, but she just won't seem to make a complete crossover to only kibble.

Have I created a 'food princess' by making up mince and rice and am now damned to the kitchen cooking her meals every day or is it perhaps something else? Has anyone else found their pup going off their kibble? Any suggestions to help me get her eating her kibble again would be greatly appreciated.

Ta,
Maggie Mae's Mum


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## lisak_87 (Mar 23, 2011)

My pup wouldn't eat his kibble for a while. I compromised. I bought wet food and I now mix a couple of tablespoons in with his kibble. I mix it THOROUGHLY so there is no eating around the kibble. Also, he has 2 choices: Eat it or Don't Eat. My pup is not one to starve. He ate very little for a day or two and then began happily eating his kibble.

Sometimes as an extra special treat I add a little parmesean cheese or some chicken... but that is maybe once every 2 weeks. Otherwise, he has 2 options: eat what he's given or don't eat at all.

I also make him WORK for it, which I think makes him a little happier to eat it. It's not just thrown in front of him, he has to follow commands (down/wait/watch me) to earn his food. Because he worked for it, I think it has more value to him.

Good luck!!!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

I agree with lisak, with a few extras....
1. At 4 mos, pups start to lose their baby teeth, and their mouths may be sore as the adult teeth come in. That can be an additional driver for not eating kibble.
2. I'm sure that hamburger tastes better than kibble. Too bad. Listen to Lisak. You can also stuff some of the kibble into a Kong. You might try adding a little warm water to make it easier to chew. You could add a little bit of ketchup flavored water. Stop feeding hamburger 
3. For future reference, if the dog has diarrhea AND the Vet has checked the dog and not found anything, then you can try pumpkin. Add one teaspoon of canned, plain pureed pumpkin to the kibble. Dogs seem to like the taste.

I buy a can of pumpkin for about $2.50 in the pie filling section. Don't use pie filling. Ingredients should say pumpkin, only... absolutely no sugar or other stuff. I think organic or plain are equally good. Seems to work in 3 days or fewer.


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## Maggie Mae's Mum (Jun 13, 2011)

Thank you so much guys!

I have taken your advice on board and it worked! Maggie Mae has eaten her food two days in a row, today her bowl was emptying in about 10 minutes flat. It is just fantastic. Thank you so much, I appreciate your advice.


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