# Such a chaotic eater...



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Grace is such a chaotic eater. She's picky, yes. But also... all over the place.

One day she eats great. The next barely anything. The next maybe one good meal. But it is never the same. I can't count on her eating x-amount per meal....ever.

We are still rotating because she still refuses to eat the same thing twice.

I have put in a lot of the suggestions from our first post awhile ago, along with other posts. Things like the pureed fruit, freeze dried fruit, etc.

She doesn't eat enough to eat dry kibble. According to her weight she needs to eat around 2/3 - 1 Cup of kibble a day. that is just impossible.

Wet food is even fewer calories.

I am worried she is not getting what she needs. She *is* growing. But very slowly. And we still have scares where her gums and ears go white.

Dr. Julie (new vet) said she is too skinny. But what do I do if my pup won't eat?

I'm considering home cooking. But worried about that. Worried about making something and having her turn up her nose after 1-2 feeds.

I'm worried that I'm filling in with not so great stuff. I try to make sure I use her kibble or a freeze dried raw patty or fruit/veg for treats/snacks. But I don't know if those things give her all she needs.

She's a puppy. She needs enough so she can grow properly.

I'm just venting cuz I'm worried and overwhelmed.

I lose track of what I feed her during the day because she is so erratic and chaotic with eating. So I have NO idea how much she is getting.

I tried putting food into little jars for each day so I can feed her out of those. But then she pulls the picky "I wont' eat it" thing so I grab something else and lose track of how much she has eaten.

Sigh.

I know my brain is just overwhelmed with everything going on right now. But I don't want Grace to suffer or not get enough nutrients  I have no idea where to go from here.


----------



## sdubose (Feb 21, 2012)

Abbigail use to be picky also. My vet told me to try Gerber meat sticks and she loves them. I keep them on hand in case she goes through I'm not gonna eat phase. I also home cook, but it's like she will not eat the same thing over and over. Kept trying different kibble, we finally found one she would eat. Wellness puppy food. But one day she started eating better and now I have to watch it or she would be over weight. So keep tryng.


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Do you feed Gus & Gracie together---for me that works great---competitive eating is wonderful. Lisel would tend to be more "selective" but because Kitzi would eat an horse it makes Lisel think that might taste good, and I should try it before K gets all of it.


----------



## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

It is hard to figure out but you will eventually. I started to home cook about 3 months ago and also feed Zoe Wellness canned food for a change in between because she is fussy and also gets tired of the same thing. There is a good post on this site for home cooking, as to how to meaure the proper amount of food and what supplements you will need. It really is not hard at all and you can make two weeks of food at one time. 

We do worry about these little babies and want to be sure they are getting everything they need.


----------



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

sdubose said:


> Abbigail use to be picky also. My vet told me to try Gerber meat sticks and she loves them. I keep them on hand in case she goes through I'm not gonna eat phase. I also home cook, but it's like she will not eat the same thing over and over. Kept trying different kibble, we finally found one she would eat. Wellness puppy food. But one day she started eating better and now I have to watch it or she would be over weight. So keep tryng.


We have meat sticks... she doesn't care for them. Ate them a few times when we first got her but now refuses.

We tried the pureed Gerber meats - and she did okay the first few times, now won't eat them.

Have gone through multiple kibbles and wet foods. She eats better with moist food. But doesn't like to get messy.

The Freshpet didn't hold. She wont' eat that either.

She refuses to eat chicken. Isn't a big fan of turkey. And beef makes her urpy. She seems to like duck, pork, rabbit, lamb, fish, and venison. Which is actually good because Gus can have those proteins. BUT she doesn't seem to like to eat them in dog food consistently. Even if I rotate flavors daily. She really only likes it if I boil meat and mix it with something.




edelweiss said:


> Do you feed Gus & Gracie together---for me that works great---competitive eating is wonderful. Lisel would tend to be more "selective" but because Kitzi would eat an horse it makes Lisel think that might taste good, and I should try it before K gets all of it.


I do feed them together. For awhile I thought we had things figured out. She was eating his NV Instinct rabbit kibble and can with some mix ins. I rotate this with NV Instinct Salmon and their Lamb formulas.

She either will eat or won't. Even if he is there and will gobble it up - she doesn't care.

If I spoon feed her I can get her to eat about 1/4 of it. Just to get something into her. But she will go from 8am - 6pm only eating about 2 TBS total if I let her.

I've tried stretching out her meals and taking away all treats and chews hoping she will get hungry and eat. But she doesn't care. If it isn't something she likes or is left overs (seriously :HistericalSmiley she will back away from it and sit in the far corner like it's some kind of snake or something.

Maybe I need to go back to feeding her in her crate? And leaving her there for awhile so she eats?




Zoe's Mom88 said:


> It is hard to figure out but you will eventually. I started to home cook about 3 months ago and also feed Zoe Wellness canned food for a change in between because she is fussy and also gets tired of the same thing. There is a good post on this site for home cooking, as to how to meaure the proper amount of food and what supplements you will need. It really is not hard at all and you can make two weeks of food at one time.
> 
> We do worry about these little babies and want to be sure they are getting everything they need.


Thanks.

I will talk to Dr. Julie tomorrow about home cooking. I know she will be open to it. She is that cool :thumbsup: So can get a better idea what I should add to home cooking. Maybe I could make a base, freeze it in portions, and then just rotate meats and add that in?



Kind of dawned on me after writing this that I think part of it is all the change with my sister being here. She wants to play with my sister's dog (who is actually really sweet to Grace away from my sister). So maybe that is what is causing this chaos.

Sort of like a toddler who is too busy to eat.....


Thanks all. I know so many of you here have picky eaters so understand.

If she wasn't a puppy I wouldn't worry *as* much. But she is still so young.


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Wow, she does sound like a picky eater! I hope you can figure out a good diet that she likes. Sounds like home cooking may be the way to go!


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

How old is she?


----------



## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Maybe her playmate is partly the distraction......isn't it amazing they are just like kids and we do worry about them just the same. Just shows your a great mommy.


----------



## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Maybe I am wrong but my philosophy is always "when they are hungry they will eat." Maybe you are spending too much energy on trying to make her eat. Unless she is very small & you fear hypoglycemia I would let her be, taking up the bowl after 15 min. & not giving her ANYTHING until dinner---except water. It is worth a try.


----------



## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

I really do not know what to advise you since both Chrissy and Snuggles will eat anything that I put in front of them. Actually, I really cannot believe this because I have read so much about little Puppies and Dogs that are such picky eaters. I just switched to BB totally grain free and they eat that up without any problems. Hope that she gets over this for your sake and hers. As Sandi said, perhaps you are stressing out too much. Just let her eat when she is hungry and see how that works out for you.


----------



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Grace is 17 weeks.

I have tried the picking up the food after 15 minutes and waiting (no treats, etc) until next meal. But she literally will not eat.

She will nibble 2-3 bites in the morning if I don't coax her.

Then she will go all day and refuse dinner. I'll try feeding her as a last attempt at 8 or 9 pm and she will eat about 1 TBS sometimes a little more.

Without coaxing her she doesn't eat enough and she doesn't grow.

The vet already told me she is too skinny. 

I really used to think she would eat if she was hungry enough but she won't.

Will see what I can figure out LOL 

Thanks


----------



## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I believe I read that puppies should free feed (not sure what age or what age Grace is so it may not apply), so they eat at their own rate during the day eg. dry kibble. So you would have to make sure that another dog cannot reach it. Jodi now he eats twice a day, but I never had that problem with him being picky. 

I'm not sure how big Grace is but Jodi is 9 lbs and eats about 2/3 - 1 cup per day, usually 2/3 cups. But i'm sure the type of food is a factor as well. Is that measurement based on the instructions on the bag? I think that it's just a guide so do not be too concerned about that being an exact requirement (ask the vet the amount if you haven't already) - please anyone correct me if I'm wrong.

Re feeding...Jodi is very particular with noises, if I am busy at the kitchen counter and chopping or making too much noise with dishes he is scared and leaves his food. Might be worth trying to feed her in a quiet place, your bedroom if necessary.


----------



## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

I feel your pain. At one time I had 5 different kibbles going. She really likes Stella & Chewys, but that isn't in my budget for full time food. So now when she goes on one of these I'm not gonna eat, and you can't make me sprees, I'll put about 1/4 of S&C in her dish with water, let it get soft, then put her kibble in that. That usually works.

Ms Picky Paws likes her fruits and veggies, so gets a few bites of that too. She likes cheese, peanutbutter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and ICE CREAM. But who doesn't? So something is going down that cute little throat, maybe not the best choices, but it is something.


----------



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

So Grace gained 1 ounce since her last appointment.

Dr. Julie said as long as she is gaining (no matter how slow) she is eating well enough.

She told me to try the home cooking. That a set recipe wasn't necessary. To pick 1 meat, 1 starch, and a few different veggies each time. To boil the meat, puree or finely chop the starch and veg and feed her whatever she will eat. Just to try and avoid processed foods - go with whole foods.

She gave me a good multivitamin to give her every other day, working up to every day. So that I'm not worrying about her not getting everything she needs.
She said that if Grace wants to be a "group eater" to let her. Since Gus won't group eat (and his limited on his diet) Dr. Julie honestly told me to sit with her and offer her bites, gently coaxing her to try it on her own. Hand feeding was okay, and eventually as we figure out what things she likes consistently, we can work on her eating off a plate/bowl.

Dr. Julie sees no harm in hand feeding. Just time consuming for most people. She compared Grace to a finicky cat LOL

So I am stopping the stressing over her eating. I'm going to home cook for her, offer kibble as treats, and hand feed until she's more comfortable. And just be content with that.

When she's older and not requiring nutrients to grow and build her bones, etc - I will work on getting her eating on her own. But for now - not stressing anymore.


----------



## S&LP'S Mommy (Feb 20, 2011)

Grace'sMom said:


> We have meat sticks... she doesn't care for them. Ate them a few times when we first got her but now refuses.
> 
> We tried the pureed Gerber meats - and she did okay the first few times, now won't eat them.
> 
> ...


Wow!!! I'm so sorry your going through this. This sounds exactly like Lola! I actually thought I have finally found something she consistently liked (Tiki dog food) but for the past 2 weeks she refuses to eat it. I've tryed 3 different Kibbles as well as adding Gerber meat purees and she won't touch it. 

I had to laugh at the your snake and leftovers comment bc Lola does the same exact thing! It can be so frustrating. Home cooking worked in the past but if I add supplements she won't eat it that's why we stopped and started can food. She does like Stella and Chewys about 80% of the time but not re-hydrated and I don't like the dryness in the stool, it doesn't seem normal to me. 




edelweiss;2009644[B said:


> ]Maybe I am wrong but my philosophy is always "when they are hungry they will eat."[/B] Maybe you are spending too much energy on trying to make her eat. Unless she is very small & you fear hypoglycemia I would let her be, taking up the bowl after 15 min. & not giving her ANYTHING until dinner---except water. It is worth a try.


Doesn't apply in this house! Lola refused her dinner last night and her breakfast this morning and throw up bile! So she must have been starving and still didn't eat. I hand fed her and she ended up eating about 1/4 of her serving size. 



Grace'sMom said:


> So Grace gained 1 ounce since her last appointment.
> 
> Dr. Julie said as long as she is gaining (no matter how slow) she is eating well enough.
> 
> ...


I really hope this works out for you. I will also have to go back to home cooking. I'm glad your vet is so helpful and opened to the idea of home cooking. I received receipes from my vet. I was told to add calcium, sodium, omega 3 and a multivitamin.


----------



## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Good for you to not worry....but I really understand that you do worry because she is young. As I said before I do homecook and give Wellness to break it up. You will eventually know how to satisfy her and keep her healthy.....great mommy you are.


----------

