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Thread: Kibble vs. Wet

  1. #1
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
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    Kibble vs. Wet

    My breeder was feeding Asher Taste of the Wild. He is refusing to eat it now. I tried a different flavor and he will not eat it. I have been adding Wellness wet to the kibble (from day one-when he refused the kibble I ran out to get him some wet). He is now just licking all the wet and leaving the kibble. I thought I would try a different kibble so I picked up some Orijen puppy yesterday. I put 1/3 cup kibble down mid day and he ate it up. Thought I had a winner. Come dinner, I put out 1/2 cup of kibble. He wouldn't eat one piece. I waited for about an hour and then put wet on it and he licked all the wet out. I didn't want to force his hand and just not feed him dinner. Oddly enough, when he smells the kitties Evo kibble, he goes nuts and tries to get it. I keep their food on an island and sat him down on it one day and he ran immediately over and tried to eat it. He got a few pieces.

    Any tips on how I can get him back on Kibble? At 7 weeks, he weighed in at 7.5 lbs and the vet said he looked great. He's put on weight since and is filling out more. I just don't want him skipping meals because he refuses to eat kibble.

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    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    Have you tried moistening the kibble with some warm water? Sometimes that enhances the smell. I'm reluctant to recommend any other food. Some pups get GI upset from switching foods while their owner tries to find the "right " food. I'd go back to the original food, try moistening it before feeding. If he doesn't eat it in about 15 minutes, pick it up, throw that batch out and try the same thing at the next meal. I'd try hard to avoid the circus that finding the "best" food can become.


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    Senior Dog Jeff's Avatar
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    Warm water is what I did for Hemi as well. He still likes that today. Wet food is not really good as it is not as nutritious, it is mostly water. Another reason for the water is it softens the food some, which if he is teething or in the process, it might hurt him to eat the dry.

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    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    As per our breeder the kibble was soaked. When I fed one meal I prepared the next by adding 1/4 of the volume of water to it. The food would sit for however many hours it was between meals. The breakfast meal was mush.

    If you would like to google up Diana Laverdure, she has an interesting analsysis of the nutrtitional qualities of food, compares kibble to wet, and shows you how to do it too. Wet is not so bad, in fact if I remeber correctly it came out higher. Sorry, I'd put the link for you but I have very slow internet this morning and I don't have time to find it. Diana Laverdure is closely associated with Dr. Jean Dodds and if you subscribe to the Dogs Naturally emails You will have seen this already.
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  9. #5
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    We were without power so i was answering on my phone earlier. I'd just add that missing a meal to get him back onto kibble is OK- if a puppy throws up or has diarrhea, it's often advised that you skip a meal or 2, or 24 hours of meals, to give their system a little rest. A healthy puppy or dog will not starve themselves but they can run you through the wringer trying to find something they'll eat. For elderly or sick dogs, yeah, sometimes you'll try anything to get them to eat, for a healthy young pup, it shouldn't be such a challenge. Sometimes they miss a meal or 2 learning that this food, in your bowl, is what you get to eat. Again, try moistening it with some warm water and be strong!

  10. #6
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    I think the suggestions about moistening it with a bit of warm water are good, and also about only offering it for a short period of time then nothing until the next meal.

    BUT, that is if you are absolutely sure there is nothing else going on. Eating something once and then refusing it the second time can be a sign that something is off (nausea, stomach pain, maybe even teeth, etc) and he is blaming that food for causing it (right or wrong). I have a friend with an IBD dog and they are having a terrible time finding something she will eat because every time she has a flare-up she refuses to ever eat that food again because in her mind it made her sick.

    Hopefully that’s not what’s going on, but I would get him checked very thoroughly before assuming he’s just being a diva (which if he is, the above suggestions are good ones).
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  12. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    warm water, let the kibbles soak a bit, and then a spoon of canned and stir it all really good.

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  14. #8
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the tips. I will try wetting the food. Pet sitter is going to put out 1/3 cup this afternoon. I hope to come home to an empty bowl.

    I take him in next Monday for his shots. If I have no positive progress, I will Have my vet thoroughly check him over. He's devouring the wet so I will wait til his scheduled visit.

  15. #9
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    How much food is he getting per day? I ask because 1/3 to 1/2 cup per meal seems low.

  16. #10
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    If your puppy has been checked out with a clean bill of health, I personally would not be trying to satisfy his food whims. That's a good way to set yourself up for a dog that is a picky eater. You can mix wet food in with his kibble (so it's well incorporated) and some warm water and if he doesn't eat it in 10-15 minutes I'd take it up. A healthy puppy isn't going to starve himself to death. Sometimes during teething they can also go off their food a little. My puppy is not a good eater on the road and sometimes he is too much of a busy body to eat. I take his food up and he gets a chance to eat (or not) at another meal. It is annoying when he does this, but I don't coddle him because I need him to get with the program and eat when it's meal time.

    Also, you might want to check in with your breeder about how much they are feeding their keeper puppy(ies) and get feedback on how the puppy looks if you can send a photo or video. They might be a good resource for feedback on whether your puppy looks in line with what they would expect from one of their dogs at his age.

 



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