# Scruffy - food pickiness



## snu_d (Apr 25, 2013)

Hi guys,

scruffy is the a very very picky eater. He started off as a pup eating dry kibbles.....he then turned his nose up at it.

i should have been a bit stronger but i gave in and started him on canned food. He would eat the different flavours for a while, and then turn his nose up.

i jumped him from flavour to flavour.....and now finally he turns his nose up at canned food.

i tried being strict, and would only put food down for 15 minutes and take it away if he wouldnt touch it.

he went 4 days without eating!!

i went through a few different brands and flavours, but he just wouldnt eat.

he started loosing weight as well....but was still very active and playfull.

i gave in and now he is consistently eating fillet steak every day! i know i have spoiled him rotten.

the fact is that now he eats his steak (boiled and cut up into small pieces) without any problems and wolfs everything down. i'm worried that he is not getting a balanced diet, i have been putting dog conditioning tablets with prebiotics into his meat.

i have tried introducing him to vegetables but so far he wont touch them.

is there anything else i can add to his meat to give him a more complete diet?

i give him some diluted milk so that he gets some calcium as well. 

help?


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

First - before any of us answer anything: 

*How old is Scruffy?*

Thanks


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

I looked it up... based on your post in April he would be about *8 months old* right now. And you are *from Kenya, East Africa* - writing that because it matters with suggestions!

So I will say: Steak is not enough for an adult dog, and it is no where near enough for a growing puppy.

Is this a new pickiness? How long has it gone on?

I ask because sometimes dogs become picky not because they are wanting to be difficult, but because of a health issue.

Grace became super picky when her liver was damaged. And it was gradual at first, but then went down to her only wanting 1 or 2 foods (meat).

I know Scruffy had Tick Fever. Did you get his liver and kidneys tested when he got over it? The treatment for that can be hard on their liver and kidneys. And since Maltese are known for those issues I'd make sure he gets a full blood panel done first.

Grace went to only wanting meat - which turns out to be the worst thing for liver damage/disease dogs! But she went from eating it well to eating less and less and less. Until she wasn't eating at all.

So that is why I ask.

I'd get blood panels done, and then as long as things come back okay:

Maybe looking at a raw diet for Scruffy would be best. There are some on this forum who feed raw who may be able to help you or point you to reading that would help. They can tell you thinks like: grinding up eggshell is a better way to give him calcium than diluted milk. I don't think milk is a way for a dog to get any calcium....

I won't offer any more advice until I hear back on if he has had recent blood work and how his liver and kidneys are.


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## snu_d (Apr 25, 2013)

Hi Graces' Mom...

thank you for your reply. Wow you are an awesome detective!

you are correct on all counts.....he is 8 months old, and we live in Kenya, East Africa.

he went through a terrible episode of tick fever about 2 months ago. He recovered well from it, and we our last blood screening 9 days ago revealed the following:

1. Liver functions and enzyme test all came out within the normal range
2. His Creatinine level was slightly below the range (it was about 55)
3. His Urea was on the upper side of the range (his was at 8.9)

The vet said that his liver is fine, however his kidney function wasnt too bad as the creatinine was low, even though the urea was on the higher side.

he is playful and very lively.

his pickiness has been since day 1. he will eat a type of food for a week or so, and then just get bored of it and not want to eat it at all.

he seems to turn away chicken more than anything else. I did get to eat lamb and rice canned food for a good 2 month stint without any issues at all. he would eat well. then he got the tick fever, and you are right in assuming that after that he turned his nose at lamb and rice canned food. perhaps it had to do with the sickness?

i have tried mixing in the canned food into his steak, but he seems to manage to sort out the steak from canned food.

i am going to try different vegetables one at a time to see if he prefers any.


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

I have the same problem and I home cook. You could grind the veggies up in the wet dog food and cut the meat up small enough so he can't just pick it out. He should eat it like that. Good luck, I know they are so picky when it comes to food. :w00t:


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Could you try a ground beef? Or grinding the steak up to be like ground beef?

Then you could cook it with really small diced veggies and fruits or puree them and cook it with pureed veggies and fruits. Like you do with small children


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## snu_d (Apr 25, 2013)

So I did try ground beef....with.very small diced vegetables. Worked well! Am reading up on the raw food diet....perhaps this is a good option for me. 

One thing to comment on though is that when I introduce french beans into his diet...His poo green! Probably isn't breaking down the chlorophyll?



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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Besides the vegetables you need to worry about minerals and vitamins - things like calcium. There are recipes you can find and then add in supplements that a lot of home-cookers use.

The other thing you can do is mix the ground beef in with a different type of canned food - one he didn't have before getting sick. That way he's getting something he likes along with a balanced food.


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## snu_d (Apr 25, 2013)

maggieh you are right. The vet recommended a teaspoon of fortified bone meal (phosphorous and calcium added) as well as the multivitamin conditioning tablets that i give him. All of these are included in with his boiled steak and vegetables.

the canned food he was having before was a lot of poultry based items.

i think once he has had a few months of eating steak, perhaps something canned that is beef based can be disguised in and he wont be very picky about.

in the meantime i am doing research on supplements, and the raw food diet to see if any natural additions can be made to his meal to substitute for the multivitamin pills


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## Leila'sMommy (Oct 20, 2012)

I just love how knowledgable some of the members are on this board and they really have the fluffs's best interest at heart! I'm glad to hear he is starting to eat things other than just the steak. I am definitely no expert on dog food, but I know that with humans, too much protein can be tough on the kidneys. How long ago was it he had the tests? 


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## snu_d (Apr 25, 2013)

hello Leila's mommy..

he had the tests about three weeks back.

due this saturday for a progress blood screen.

you are right, too much protein isn't great for maltese's either, it can cause kidney and liver damage over a sustained period of time.

i was worried at scruffy's urea numbers (toxicity in the kidney), however his creatinine was normal which suggest his kidneys are fine.

i want to try indtriduce him back to normal food gradually. he has already had too many shocks in his 8 months of living!


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