# I'm going to scream if he doesn't eat!



## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

I bought the coconut oil and heat it up and put it in his dry food, yummy...and doesn't eat it. But he'll lick it off the spoon. It worked last night...but today...all day, he has not eaten a thing! He looks hungry...comes asking for food, sniffs it and walks away!

I'm trying not to give him table food...I know some of you cook, but I don't want to cook for him, even though he has had chicken and some left over flank steak...I really don't want to do that. I've tried different dog foods. I can't find one he loves. Is he just waiting for something better each time?


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Have you tried soaking his dry food in warm water and letting it sit for a bit before feeding? His mouth may be sore from teething and softening the food can help. 
Unless he is tiny, I would set down the meal, don't make a big deal, leave it for 10-15 minutes. Pick it up at the end and no food or treats until the next meal. It is very rare for a dog not to fall into step within a couple of days. You will create a picky eater if you add things to beg him to eat. If you want to just standardly every time put a spoon of wet or veggies on top, that's fine. Just be consistent.


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## yeagerbum (Apr 20, 2010)

Ah, I've also been trying to make Yeager eat more. Yeager's teething as well. I tried soaking Yeager's dry food for the past couple days and it's working so far! He eats more and faster now  I also found out that it helps if I just open his mouth and drop a kibble in there for him to try the taste, then he'd start eating by himself. Picking up his food worked before too, usually he'd start eating by the end of the day, but I still prefer making sure he eats regular meals since now is a vital period for growth.


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## drclee (Jul 16, 2008)

Maybe you can soak the kibble in beef or chicken broth - that may be more appealing to him.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

Yes, I have tried that. It seems as if he's waiting for something better. I admit we did make that mistake...if he didn't eat it, we'd change it. He will always eat fresh cooked chicken. He doesn't like string beans, or carrots. What other vegetable can I offer him? I'm really uneducated about what people food to give dogs. I was always under the impression it was better to only serve them dog food. We had a Schnauzer that ONLY ate dog food and she lived for 16 years, never had a vet bill from being ill. Oh by the way, he weighs 5lbs. and is 7 months in a few days.



jmm said:


> Have you tried soaking his dry food in warm water and letting it sit for a bit before feeding? His mouth may be sore from teething and softening the food can help.
> Unless he is tiny, I would set down the meal, don't make a big deal, leave it for 10-15 minutes. Pick it up at the end and no food or treats until the next meal. It is very rare for a dog not to fall into step within a couple of days. You will create a picky eater if you add things to beg him to eat. If you want to just standardly every time put a spoon of wet or veggies on top, that's fine. Just be consistent.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks everyone...I'm going to try all the suggestions here one at a time...I've tried soaking in water, I've tried chicken broth when he was younger, worked once. It seems his pattern is sure, I'll try it, but now what do ya got?:blink:




yeagerbum said:


> Ah, I've also been trying to make Yeager eat more. Yeager's teething as well. I tried soaking Yeager's dry food for the past couple days and it's working so far! He eats more and faster now  I also found out that it helps if I just open his mouth and drop a kibble in there for him to try the taste, then he'd start eating by himself. Picking up his food worked before too, usually he'd start eating by the end of the day, but I still prefer making sure he eats regular meals since now is a vital period for growth.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Sounds like you need to stick it out and give him his food and that's that.


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## yeagerbum (Apr 20, 2010)

Rocky's Mom said:


> Thanks everyone...I'm going to try all the suggestions here one at a time...I've tried soaking in water, I've tried chicken broth when he was younger, worked once. It seems his pattern is sure, I'll try it, but now what do ya got?:blink:


I just soaked his food in water, guess it makes it softer and easier to eat, then I put a couple in his mouth for him to chew on and he'll start looking for more, Before I tried smearing his food with a little bit of NutriCal puppy(it's really sweet) but I learned from this forum that it's bad :blush: Maybe you can add some other flavor. Sometimes I add some cooked egg whites to his food and he gobbles down the kibbles along with the egg parts  

OR just pick up his food and let him starve until the next meal if he tries my patience! gotta teach them a lesson some time.


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## jodublin (Sep 27, 2006)

Obi has always been like this ,never wants to eat in the morning ,i find he will eat in the evenings though ,some dogs are just like this ? i think they want to eat when we do .


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## Orla (Jul 5, 2009)

I had this problem with Milo.
I put his food down - leave it 20 mins, if he doesn't eat it then I take it up and its given to him at the next meal and if he doesn't eat it then, the same thing happens.
He picked up on that if he doesn't eat it when its put down he doesn't get it at all within a week!


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## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

My two are very picky eaters and they always given me a hard time. What I do now is boil a half breast of chicken once a week and cut it up real tiny. At each meal I add 1 teaspoon of chicken and 1 tablespoon of hot water to the dry kibble, let it sit for 5 minutes and then feed it to them. They haven't skipped a meal since I started doing this.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

For the past two nights I've stuck to my guns. I am giving him Natural Balace Fish and Sweet Potato. He ate it all last night, but not till 9:00. Now I'm going to try it again tonight...but pick it up sooner. I know he loves cut up chicken too, but if I put that in with his food, he'll eat all of it and leave the dog food. Pretty stubborn little guy...we'll get through this I hope soon. Thanks!


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

Rocky's Mom said:


> For the past two nights I've stuck to my guns. I am giving him Natural Balace Fish and Sweet Potato. He ate it all last night, but not till 9:00. Now I'm going to try it again tonight...but pick it up sooner. *I know he loves cut up chicken too, but if I put that in with his food, he'll eat all of it and leave the dog food.* Pretty stubborn little guy...we'll get through this I hope soon. Thanks!





> He will always eat fresh cooked chicken. He doesn't like string beans, or carrots.


:HistericalSmiley::HistericalSmiley:they are smart. They will eat what they love and leave the rest of it. It needs to be well mixed so they cannot pick and choose. You need to make a choice, either people food or dog food and stick to it. No exception.


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## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

Rocky's Mom said:


> For the past two nights I've stuck to my guns. I am giving him Natural Balace Fish and Sweet Potato. He ate it all last night, but not till 9:00. Now I'm going to try it again tonight...but pick it up sooner. I know he loves cut up chicken too, but if I put that in with his food, he'll eat all of it and leave the dog food. Pretty stubborn little guy...we'll get through this I hope soon. Thanks!


I feed mine the Natural Balance duck and potatoe small bites and at first they just picked out the chicken but not any more. I cut it up real fine so that when I add the water is coats all of the kibble. This way the kibble will taste a little like the chicken.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

Thanks, I'll try that.


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## BellaWella (May 2, 2010)

My Bella just stopped eating her food..... my question is if she skips meals like some of you said to do..will her sugar levels go down? Will I need to supplement something when Im training her to just it dry kibble? I feel like if she skips her meals and stays stubborn for a few days her sugar level will go down. Maybe a little bit of maple syrup could help?


I added cottage cheese, didnt work...Sprinkled grated cheese, didnt work. I even went back to grinding the dry kibble and mixing it with canned and making meatballs and she wont even eat that way anymore. She used to love eating her food that way!

I never gave her human food except for bananas, blueberry's and carrots and strawberry's.


Shes still so playful, full of energy, drinks water, and will eat her treats if I give her some ( which I won't anymore til she starts eating)


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## MalteseObsessed (Mar 7, 2010)

llf060787 said:


> I feed mine the Natural Balance duck and potatoe small bites and at first they just picked out the chicken but not any more. I cut it up real fine so that when I add the water is coats all of the kibble. This way the kibble will taste a little like the chicken.


thismis exactly whatnimdo and it works....my Tweety got real sick at my moms cuz she missed Cosettia...she would not even eat chicken nuggets nor steak..by the time I got her back here with me she had very bad upset tummy and could not take food without throwing up

I boiled chicken and take one tsp in hot water to soak it and make it hot....cut it up super tiny and smooch it into the kibble with my hands...they gobble it all up...Tweety is finally no longer throwing up...they love meal times now...

Tweety still spits out any kibble treats we give her tho...so I cook chicken every few days...sigh....


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

If I had a choice between eating kibble and chicken, I know which one I'd choose, LOL. Nikki sometimes gets bored with her food. I just keep giving her the same thing over and over when she gets picky and she will eventually eat. I haven't yet met a well dog who will starve themselves...


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## malts4tina (Oct 28, 2007)

Rocky's Mom said:


> Yes, I have tried that. It seems as if he's waiting for something better. I admit we did make that mistake...if he didn't eat it, we'd change it. He will always eat fresh cooked chicken. He doesn't like string beans, or carrots. What other vegetable can I offer him? I'm really uneducated about what people food to give dogs. I was always under the impression it was better to only serve them dog food. We had a Schnauzer that ONLY ate dog food and she lived for 16 years, never had a vet bill from being ill. Oh by the way, he weighs 5lbs. and is 7 months in a few days.


 
My little girl was super picky when I first got her. Now she eats like a piggy and licks her bowl for 10 minutes to make sure she gets every single bit of food. I do home cook for her, and I know that is not for everyone. The very first vegetable I added that got her super interested in food is sweet potatoes. She has never looked back since and eats everything I give her, even the green veggies. 

You can peel and boil some sweet potatoes. Mash them up very well and mix it with your baby's food. Another thing that kick started her appetite was feeding in smaller portions for a few days. She would be left wanting more, and it really worked.

HTH and good luck!!!


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

Spookie has this problem too. I must have 5 or 6 dry foods mixed together, she picks out the one or two that appeal today, and ignores the rest. My vet said she is big enough now for tough love. Put it down for about 10 min, not eaten, take it up. What does work for me is if the grand-doggies are around. It is funny to watch my little baby growling at a 60# male with a mouth full, but she knows if she doesn't eat it, he will. So she eats alfresco, they watch. When she's had enough, she watches them clean up the rest.

Some day, I WILL find a food she likes.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

I know how you feel...I think Rocky would like a menu...seriously! I have to mix Rotissere chicken in with his dry food or cooked salmon. I try not to give him too much and add the dry organic kibble with it. Someday I will do the tough love thing....I think...LOL:blush:



BellaWella said:


> My Bella just stopped eating her food..... my question is if she skips meals like some of you said to do..will her sugar levels go down? Will I need to supplement something when Im training her to just it dry kibble? I feel like if she skips her meals and stays stubborn for a few days her sugar level will go down. Maybe a little bit of maple syrup could help?
> 
> 
> I added cottage cheese, didnt work...Sprinkled grated cheese, didnt work. I even went back to grinding the dry kibble and mixing it with canned and making meatballs and she wont even eat that way anymore. She used to love eating her food that way!
> ...


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## poptart (Mar 10, 2008)

I am wondering if it's okay to give them boiled chicken......I just bought Solid Gold Bison kibbles for my 3....I was feeding NB Duck and Sweet potato and they didn't seem to like it...So I switched to the Solid Gold....They don't seem to like that either....I have to put warm water and let it sit for a bit, then drain any leftover water off...they will eat it like that. But I really would like for them to eat dry kibble because I don't want them to get tarter buildup...Sometimes the chicken gives them runny poopoo....Does it do that to anyone else's furbaby??
Hugs, Blanche


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