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Thread: Wet food *HELP*

  1. #1
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    Wet food *HELP*

    My current lab is one year one and he doesn't eat much of his kibble and I could see he losing some weight.

    He would only eat his kibble when I mix it with like boil salmon or chickens and etc. but the thing is I don't have much time to do that everytime and i could not afford it.

    I am looking a cheaper alternative to mix it with his kibble. Something in store or online that wouldn't cost me a fortune every month.

    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    Have you tried just warm water.

    My boy likes his food wet for what ever reason. So I put his regular food and amount in his bowl, add a cup and a half of warm water let is swirl a bit then let him have it. Simple and easy.

    You can mix things up too sometime I get a can of pumkin, not the pie filling but regular pumpkin, add a spoonful. The can will last all week and is maybe a dollar. Green beens as well. Something to make it different.

    It might also just be he doesn't like his kibble. My boy hates Fromm Gold, just refuses to eat it. However other flavors of from are outstanding. Could just be as simple as a food change but I would try my previous suggestions first before going through trying different foods.

    Do not get canned dog food as it is mainly water, so not very nutritious and its pretty expensive.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    He's doing a good job of training you. Slowly decrease the amount of what you are adding to his kibble and stir in good. The pumpkin idea is good, so is plain Greek yogurt. Adding warm water helps bring out the good smells and you can also try salt free broth. Whatever, keep decreasing the amount until it is gone. Assuming there are no medical problems, your pup will not starve himself.
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    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Has he recently been to a vet for a full check up? is he otherwise healthy? no issues with teeth/mouth? I would first and foremost ensure there is no HEALTH issues.

    Have you recently changed kibbles? is this recent to one particular bag or ongoing?

    What is he on and how much are you feeding daily? How much is he actually eating?

    If the dog is healthy (cleared by vet), I don't play games with my dogs. They get their food. I chose if they get toppers or not. I may try a different food in some cases (but not a food roller coaster, but would give the dog a change and see). Maybe look for a food they don't need to eat as much of (high calories). During this period of playing hardball to get them to eat meals, they would not get extra treats outside of meals (and ensure non other humans in the house are giving the dog snacks on the side!). bowl goes down, they get x amount of time, then it is removed. we will try again at the next meal. One of my dogs wouldn't eat breakfast some dogs - fine, she would just get her dinner (she wasn't a lab).

    Lots of options for toppers, a spoonful of pumpkin, canned food, other. I agree with just adding water. I have used Tripett (canned tripe) - a can woudl last me many meals as I just used a tablespoon. i used canned food sometimes too, just any decent brand really. I did this primarily when my younger dog needed to take medication as specific time so I could NOT play hardball or let her skip meals.
    Last edited by Tanya; 08-17-2016 at 12:53 PM.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    Piggybacking off what Tanya said, when Daisy was about a year old she wasn't eating her kibble. After switching foods and adding stuff I realized she was totally playing me. There was nothing wrong with the food, she just wanted the extras. A healthy dog will not starve itself. We got back on track with the use of an egg timer. After 15 minutes whatever was not eaten would get put away for the next meal. Didn't take more than one missed meal.

    So if there isn't anything medically wrong and there isn't anything wrong with the kibble (not expired, recalled, etc) skip the toppers for now and try giving her a set amount of time and putting whatever doesn't get finished away. You can add toppers back in later on.

  6. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Feeding canned is FINE. Not ALL canned, but using it as a topper is perfectly fine. All 6 of our dogs get a tablespoon of canned with their meals. I have an old girl who refuses to eat sometimes, so she gets different kibble from time to time and I buy quality canned for her (she's preferring venison, salmon vs. chicken).

    But you also need to have the mouth checked. Our old girl was fussing over food and turned out she had an abscess. We had to remove a tooth.

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    Charlotte K. (08-17-2016)

  8. #7
    House Broken ArchieSit's Avatar
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    Archie usually gets a squirt or two of Grizzly Salmon Oil (comes with a pump top, keep in the fridge) and then water in his kibble. The salmon oil is good for him, he loves it, and super easy. So that's another easy idea. (Although Archie is a lab who would definitely eat his meal with a topper or not.)

  9. #8
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    I agree to get him to the vet first.

  10. #9
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
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    Chili has skipped meals before. it didnt matter if it had a topper or was wet. sometimes he just didnt want to eat. it never went on more than a meal or 2. going on my 3rd bag of a new acana food and hasnt skipped a meal yet. maybe it is the food, or maybe stress, a game to get better food, or maybe he wanted to lose weight...if it happens all the time, I would call my vet/schedule an appointment. Toppers I have used are usually leftover from my dinner in very small amounts. chili only gets 2 cups a day of dry food but with treats/toppers it is probably more than enough. His weight stays stable between 83-87.
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  11. #10
    Senior Dog ZoeysMommy's Avatar
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    You can make a can of food last at least 4 days, mix in some water and make a gravy out of the wetfood.

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to ZoeysMommy For This Useful Post:

    Charlotte K. (08-17-2016)

 



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