# my fickle little pickle is driving me crazy!



## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Hi ladies we've been busy and haven't been around since summer but I could really use some help!!

Dais has always been a fickle eater but she is out of control right now and I have no idea what to do!!! She has run hot and cold with her food forever but right now she is being super picky and although she's hungry and begging for food she isn't eating hardly anything and it's driving me nuts!! :smpullhair:

She will just sniff what I give her, even if it's something she loves, and walk away :smilie_tischkante:...last night she only ate a few bites of lettuce and tomato for dinner and all she has eaten today is some peanut butter, a little bit of banana, blueberries, and a couple bites of tomato and orange. The only protein she is getting is from her treats (Kona's chips). She has never been one for grains, but she loves meat! The vet wants her to eat one food per day but more often than not I have to throw them out because she ignores them. 

The crazy thing is her weight is stable and her poop is good, I am baffled, any suggestions you have would be appreciated!!


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## IvysMom (Dec 24, 2012)

Have you tried a good quality dog food to see if she would like that?


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

The only food she will eat are Caesar's, that's what she was fed before we got her- we've tried higher quality foods and she will not eat them!!


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## IvysMom (Dec 24, 2012)

We have a super picky Tibetan Terrier who was giving us fits about eating. Science Diet came out with a new "Ideal Balance" canned last year and she loves it, gobbles it down. It looks like a stew for people (but it's not SD's "stew variety" which our TT doesn't like), with chunks of meat, carrots, peas, rice. It just about looks good enough to serve to my hubby! I've wondered whether our TT thinks it is people food, hence why she eats it. Here's a link to the beef. It also comes in chicken:

Ideal Balance? Beef & Vegetables Dinner Adult - Canned


My vet sells it and it's also at our PetCo and local Orshelns Farm Supply. It's actually cheapest from my vet.


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## lols82 (Nov 13, 2012)

I've had this same problem since the day we got Sammy. He's hardly eat a bite the last couple of days. The vet has advised me to just persist, leave his food down for only a short while and then take it away if he won't touch it. That way he knows that it won't just be left out for him. He worries me sick sometimes.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

You may want to try one of the fresh rolled foods that has more aroma and a moist consistency. My girls are very enthusiastic about Fresh Pet Vital salmon formula. They also go absolutely crazy for Fromm's Salmon Tunalini, which I add hot water to and let it soak so that it releases the aroma.


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## KissesBacci (Feb 6, 2013)

*Oh boy...*

*Oh I'm all too familiar with this. Bacci always sniffs, takes it into his mouth and spits it out. Then, he looks at me like he wants something to eat, but still spits it out. He goes through these phases, sometimes he will just gobble down whatever I give him, then there are days where he wont touch ANYTHING.*

*Now, have you tried boiling some chicken breast? If not, then try to boil some chicken breast and cut it up into small little peices. Mix it with some plain rice. If still no luck, take away the rice and see if your baby will eat just the chicken. No matter what "phase" Bacci is going through, he'll never turn down some boiled chicken! That is the ONLY thing I have found that he will not spit out no matter what!*

*Good luck & I hope you find what food your little baby will gobble down!!*


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## Xewqa's mum (Feb 6, 2013)

My mothers recipe for her dogs (and have to say my friends recipe for her husband too), boil ground chuck, remove the fat from the top with a spoon, drain and add tin of vegetable soup, re heat, put into dishes and allow to cool, and there you have it, nutritious, delicious, and your doggies love it cos you cooked it specially for them. Mum did this for her 3 dogs, but you could fridge the leftover for another day - or serve with mash potato to your husband! lol


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

Mine are all good eaters, so if one doesn't eat as much or not at all, I know something's wrong! My dogs love the Fresh Pet Vital also, I use it as a topper on their Fromm Kibble. It would concern me that Daisy isn't getting enough nutrition by not eating her dog food, as it is balanced with everything that she needs. Hope that you find something that she likes. What does she do if you pick up her food(that she doesn't eat) and don't give her anything until her next feeding?Unless there is a medical problem, I don't think a dog will starve itself to death.


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Welcome to my world. Lucky seems to think that I am poisoning him. He will gobble up kibble the first few days after I open the bag. Then it is a struggle to get him to eat. I try and get him to eat 30-30 kibble bits each morning and then I give him scrabble eggs and veg. He will eat the eggs as long as I am not having home fries with it. If I have home fries, he will only eat the potatoes and completely ignore the eggs. You might try a little scrambled eggs cooked in olive oil - it is a good protein and has some vitamins and minerals in it.


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

Since we figured out Grace's health issues, and found the proper diet for her.... she is a great eater.

I still think that if a dog is picky, there is a reason. Either the food doesn't agree with them (upsets their stomachs or other symptoms), there's an intolerance (even if you can't see anything) or allergy.... or something else like causing stress on the pancreas, liver, or kidneys.


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## AshleyAndSophiePup (Aug 24, 2012)

Have you tried hand feeding her? I notice when Sophie is being unusually picky it's because she's having a princess day, as silly as that may sound. She's not big on completing full meals all at once, she eats about half to 2/3rds of her meal then snacks on the rest until her next meal time. But if Sophie's having a princess day then for each meal time I have to sit down with her and she crawls into my lap and I hand feed her, 3 pieces of kibble at a time. When she's done eating she lets me know by pushing the kibble into my hand with her nose


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

IvysMom said:


> We have a super picky Tibetan Terrier who was giving us fits about eating. Science Diet came out with a new "Ideal Balance" canned last year and she loves it, gobbles it down. It looks like a stew for people (but it's not SD's "stew variety" which our TT doesn't like), with chunks of meat, carrots, peas, rice. It just about looks good enough to serve to my hubby! I've wondered whether our TT thinks it is people food, hence why she eats it. Here's a link to the beef. It also comes in chicken:
> 
> Ideal Balance? Beef & Vegetables Dinner Adult - Canned
> 
> ...


I'll pick some up and see if she will eat it. She typically will not eat things that are mixed together, I have to give things like stew to her one thing at a time.


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

maggieh said:


> You may want to try one of the fresh rolled foods that has more aroma and a moist consistency. My girls are very enthusiastic about Fresh Pet Vital salmon formula. They also go absolutely crazy for Fromm's Salmon Tunalini, which I add hot water to and let it soak so that it releases the aroma.


She isn't interested in the rolled foods and she hates fish, she is such a pain in the ass lol


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

KissesBacci said:


> *Oh I'm all too familiar with this. Bacci always sniffs, takes it into his mouth and spits it out. Then, he looks at me like he wants something to eat, but still spits it out. He goes through these phases, sometimes he will just gobble down whatever I give him, then there are days where he wont touch ANYTHING.*
> 
> *Now, have you tried boiling some chicken breast? If not, then try to boil some chicken breast and cut it up into small little peices. Mix it with some plain rice. If still no luck, take away the rice and see if your baby will eat just the chicken. No matter what "phase" Bacci is going through, he'll never turn down some boiled chicken! That is the ONLY thing I have found that he will not spit out no matter what!*
> 
> *Good luck & I hope you find what food your little baby will gobble down!!*


She loves chicken but she hasn't been eating it, she did eat a couple bites when my mom had her earlier but the day before yesterday she just ignored it!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Xewqa's mum said:


> My mothers recipe for her dogs (and have to say my friends recipe for her husband too), boil ground chuck, remove the fat from the top with a spoon, drain and add tin of vegetable soup, re heat, put into dishes and allow to cool, and there you have it, nutritious, delicious, and your doggies love it cos you cooked it specially for them. Mum did this for her 3 dogs, but you could fridge the leftover for another day - or serve with mash potato to your husband! lol


I may try this but she hasn't wanted ground beef the past few days! I have a pot of stuffed pepper soup on for dinner tomorrow and I'm hoping she eats it, usually she scarfs everything but the rice.


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Furbabies mom said:


> Mine are all good eaters, so if one doesn't eat as much or not at all, I know something's wrong! My dogs love the Fresh Pet Vital also, I use it as a topper on their Fromm Kibble. It would concern me that Daisy isn't getting enough nutrition by not eating her dog food, as it is balanced with everything that she needs. Hope that you find something that she likes. What does she do if you pick up her food(that she doesn't eat) and don't give her anything until her next feeding?Unless there is a medical problem, I don't think a dog will starve itself to death.


She's usually a bottomless pit which is why we did one food and one homecooked meal per day because the food alone didn't seem to satisfy her. She's hungry now, she just doesn't want anything and she couldn't care less if I take the food away, I picked it up and covered it earlier and it didn't phase her. I think she'll be fine, it's my sanity I'm worried about :HistericalSmiley:


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

wkomorow said:


> Welcome to my world. Lucky seems to think that I am poisoning him. He will gobble up kibble the first few days after I open the bag. Then it is a struggle to get him to eat. I try and get him to eat 30-30 kibble bits each morning and then I give him scrabble eggs and veg. He will eat the eggs as long as I am not having home fries with it. If I have home fries, he will only eat the potatoes and completely ignore the eggs. You might try a little scrambled eggs cooked in olive oil - it is a good protein and has some vitamins and minerals in it.


She won't eat potatoes or eggs...see what I'm up against!!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Grace'sMom said:


> Since we figured out Grace's health issues, and found the proper diet for her.... she is a great eater.
> 
> I still think that if a dog is picky, there is a reason. Either the food doesn't agree with them (upsets their stomachs or other symptoms), there's an intolerance (even if you can't see anything) or allergy.... or something else like causing stress on the pancreas, liver, or kidneys.


She's not eating the things that she normally eats so I don't think it's an allergy, but I am going to take her to the vet to see if there's something going on besides her general stubbornness!!!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

AshleyAndSophiePup said:


> Have you tried hand feeding her? I notice when Sophie is being unusually picky it's because she's having a princess day, as silly as that may sound. She's not big on completing full meals all at once, she eats about half to 2/3rds of her meal then snacks on the rest until her next meal time. But if Sophie's having a princess day then for each meal time I have to sit down with her and she crawls into my lap and I hand feed her, 3 pieces of kibble at a time. When she's done eating she lets me know by pushing the kibble into my hand with her nose
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


She is hand fed a lot, there are certain things she refuses to eat off a plate or bowl, she's a princess!


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## lols82 (Nov 13, 2012)

luvmyfluffybutt said:


> She's not eating the things that she normally eats so I don't think it's an allergy, but I am going to take her to the vet to see if there's something going on besides her general stubbornness!!!


Is she eating anything else like treats etc? Just not her meals, that way you'll know if she's off food or not. If so then I'd take a trip to the vets just incase there's something going on. Hope she is eating soon I know it's a worry.


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## ann4280 (Jan 28, 2013)

Daisy and Sadie are picky eaters along with digestive issues. We have tried many different kinds of food and they just turn up their nose. But we finally found Fresh Pets Vital Complete. It is not rolled but little chunks of beef, salmon, chicken with spinach and cranberries. They both just love it and come running when I set their dishes down.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I would first do a complete physical & a urine sample---if I ruled out all medical issues (esp. a BAT test) I would then look at the size of the dry food she is getting. Liesl's mouth is very small & she can't do larger kibble even though she is l 1/2 yrs old. 
I agree that a healthy dog will not starve themselves. How old is she & how much does she weigh? Maybe you are expecting her to eat too much? Some dogs just don't need that much food. I would definitely add Animal Essentials vit. supplement w/pbiotics.


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

From the posts - all the "she is hungry but turning her nose up at this and that" - even things she used to eat or once liked....

Turning her nose especially up over chicken, and potatoes (you said she likes potatoes)....

I'm glad you are going to the vet. I would ask for blood panels and a BAT. Make sure to take Dr. Center's notes on a proper BAT test since most vets do them wrong.

But a dog being "picky" to this extent - to me is not behavioral. I thought that with Grace... and many people told me I was just spoiling her, to do tough love. Turns out she was very sick.


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

lols82 said:


> Is she eating anything else like treats etc? Just not her meals, that way you'll know if she's off food or not. If so then I'd take a trip to the vets just incase there's something going on. Hope she is eating soon I know it's a worry.


She's eating Kona's chicken jerky and a lot of fruits/veggies


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

ann4280 said:


> Daisy and Sadie are picky eaters along with digestive issues. We have tried many different kinds of food and they just turn up their nose. But we finally found Fresh Pets Vital Complete. It is not rolled but little chunks of beef, salmon, chicken with spinach and cranberries. They both just love it and come running when I set their dishes down.


She might like that, she loves chicken, beef, and spinach!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

edelweiss said:


> I would first do a complete physical & a urine sample---if I ruled out all medical issues (esp. a BAT test) I would then look at the size of the dry food she is getting. Liesl's mouth is very small & she can't do larger kibble even though she is l 1/2 yrs old.
> I agree that a healthy dog will not starve themselves. How old is she & how much does she weigh? Maybe you are expecting her to eat too much? Some dogs just don't need that much food. I would definitely add Animal Essentials vit. supplement w/pbiotics.


She is 8-ish and weighs 8.5 pounds and is usually a bottomless pit!! She has bad teeth so she will only eat wet food. I am going to order some of the vitamins, we have some from Petco and they don't have probiotics because she got them elsewhere in her diet like yogurt. I've never heard of a BAT test so I thank you and Tori for that advice, I will make sure that we do that!!!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Grace'sMom said:


> From the posts - all the "she is hungry but turning her nose up at this and that" - even things she used to eat or once liked....
> 
> Turning her nose especially up over chicken, and potatoes (you said she likes potatoes)....
> 
> ...


She doesn't like potatoes, she pretty much hates all carbs except corn which I don't give her because it goes right through her. 

I'm concerned that it's not behavioral because she will turn down a smorgasbord of food. I don't care if she's spoiled, at this point I will give her what she will eat. 

Thank you for the advice on the BAT, I will definitely take it!!!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Granny came to the rescue last night and bought her some BBQ chicken thighs which she inhaled last night and for breakfast!!!


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Oy! Today she will only eat meat/protein and is refusing all fruit and veggies :hysteric:


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

luvmyfluffybutt said:


> She is 8-ish and weighs 8.5 pounds and is usually a bottomless pit!! She has bad teeth so she will only eat wet food. I am going to order some of the vitamins, we have some from Petco and they don't have probiotics because she got them elsewhere in her diet like yogurt. I've never heard of a BAT test so I thank you and Tori for that advice, I will make sure that we do that!!!


You mention that she has bad teeth. When was her last dental? If she has an abcess or infection, eating might hurt.


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

maggieh said:


> You mention that she has bad teeth. When was her last dental? If she has an abcess or infection, eating might hurt.


She's due for a dental and she lost a tooth 2 weeks ago so I thought that might be the issue but she has been chewing on her bully and eating chicken jerky like it's going out of style. Plus she eats a lot of hard fruits and veggies like apples and doesn't seem to be uncomfortable.


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## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Just an update, I think Daisy may not have been feeling well, since she sneezed right in my eye the day after I posted this  and she's getting her appetite back.

Just to be on the safe side I took her to a new vet we were referred to, Dais had gained a pound according to their scale and the vet wasn't really concerned about her not eating. She did blood work and everything came back normal so I'm very relieved!!!!


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## Betty Johnson (Feb 24, 2013)

Both of my girls seem picky. I feed them a comination of canned and dry dog food. When I am eating meat, I give them little tastes. If I hand feed them, they do pretty well ... if I don't, they look at me like I'm a slacker. Stinkers.


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