Picky Eater

[Mschmidt]

Hi Everyone, I have a 10 month old female and she is the pickiest eater!! She started off with Royal Canin then I switched her to Fromm Puppy. She then got bored of it and I started giving her FreshPet mixed with her kibble. That worked for a little bit then she got bored again. I then started giving her Merrick Lil Plates wet food mixed with her kibble and she would eat it then I would have to hand feed her. Now she won’t touch it at all. I don’t know what to do to have her eat on her own.


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[2bullymama]

Typical Frenchie... we all have been there. My guy does this on occasion, I even had to hand feed at times, but he always just starts again.

A few here have struggled with it for weeks if not months... most times it just clears up and they eat. Find a good that works with their system and stick with it maybe add Stella and Chewys meal topper — I crush them and sprinkle on top


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[Mschmidt]

Thank you for that advice! I will give Stella and Chewy a try!


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[CutieFrenchie]

You know what, I thought Frenchies are suppose to be little piggies but you know what, mine isn't and just as fussy. I know some definitely are piggies though.

Charlie is 15 months now. We've gone through a lot of different food until we found 1 that she likes to eat and it seems to be nutritious, fits our lifestyle and budget. She's been fussy since we got here at 11 weeks old.

Here's a list of what we've tried.

1) NutriSource Puppy. It's what the breeder was using.
2) Purina Pro Plan Puppy (Chicken&Rice). She actually seemed to like this one but kept throwing up randomly.
3) Merrick Classic Puppy (Chicken). Major diarrhea.
4) Back to NutriSource Puppy
5) Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Puppy. We thought maybe it was the peas causing problems, which this version doesnt have.

By now, about 6 months old, so decided to try adult formula to see how she likes them.

6) Merrick Backcountry - Raw Infused with Healthy Grains - Great Plains Red Recipe + Grains
7) Nature's Logic Distinction. Went through beef, then pork. I didnt like how it made her poop very hard. She would struggle to poop. At first, she did like this kibble but after a week or 2, would turn her nose to it. Which is the common theme. The other varieties, except for Purina PP, would last a few days at best before the nose turning.
8) Open Farms kibbles. Started with Grass-Fed Beef & Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food. Then Pasture-Raised Lamb & Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food. Then Wild-Caught Salmon & Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food. Started adding their freeze-dried toppers to entice. Her poop werent hard enough IMO, especially with the lamb.
9) Open Farms Gently Cooked Meals. Started with Beef, then Surf and Turf. She really liked this at the start but after a 2-3 weeks, started ignoring it. Since it's a perishable item, couldnt just leave it out for her.

We've mainly stayed away from any "grain-free", legumes or potatoes kibbles but since this turd is so fussy, wanted to expand and try more. So in early December, the adventure continues.

10) Acana Singles Beef&Pumpkin and also Acana Red Meat & Grains Recipe.

We started testing kibbles using it as treat to see if it passes or not. Well both Acana varieties passed with flying colors. I can grab an Open Farm kibble and she will turn her nose to it after sniffing. Hand out the Acana and eats it.

It's been 2 months now with Acana. I think we'll stick with the Singles varieties. We still top off her breakfast and dinner with a little bit of Open Freeze dried. For breakfast(8AM), I have to also crumble a couple of Instinct Raw Freeze Dried toppers. Dinner(5PM), she'll walk right up and eat when I tell her to. Maybe she's getting older and just eating more.
Only thing that might be a concern at the moment is, she does poop more(bigger pile) but they are a good firmness and consistent.

We prefer kibble because at those times when she doesnt eat right away, it can just sit there until she decides she's hungry. From age 11 weeks- 1 year, it was hard for her to eat whatever the recommended amount is for her size and age based on the different brands of food. Some of those called for over 2 cups of food and we'll be lucky if she would eat 1 1/4 cup. We figured, as long as she isnt starving to death, it'll be ok.

She had her 1 year checkup a few weeks ago. The vet was very happy with her weight and shape. She said they see so many overweight frenchies. At 14 months, weighed at 21.6 pounds.


There's a lot of dog food out there. Everybody claims theirs is the best. Stay away from this, away from that. Mind boggling. Just have to try as many as you can and see what your dog likes the best.

 

[Jakeyjake]

Have had this issue with Stella for years. You could maybe try some bone broth warmed up to give food a good nose or as mentioned a topper. Another brand is The Honest Kitchen's "Proper Toppers" Good luck!

 

[Mschmidt]

Thanks everyone for the advice! They are picky little things sometimes! It’s funny because our younger puppy will eat anything.


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