Ricky won't eat dog food

[Arlenerae]

I've mixed everything with his food and he sniffs it and walks away. The only thing he will eat is chicken.
He has me at my wits end, I know only chicken is not good for him.
He's been in the hospital twice and the breeder took him back for three days and said he was fine , but he still won't eat dog food

[Lexi Rae]

try hand feeding him.

[RowdysMom]

Rowdy went through a time when he wouldn't eat dog food either and so I just fed him whatever he would eat and I usually had to hand feed him to get him to eat anything. What I would do is hand feed him whatever he would eat, then I would gradually introduce dog food back in and eventually he would decide to eat it. I discovered though that he does not like big hard kibbles, so I am feeding him Solid Gold Wee Bits for small dogs and he seems to do better. Some dogs are just finicky - dog food is best, but you have to get them to eat so whatever works sometimes is the only way you can go.

[Arlenerae]

Thanks ladies for your reply, it makes it a little better knowing that Ricky is not the only finicky Yorkie.

[Hamoth]

On the contrary, not only is Ricky not the only Fincky yorkie, but Yorkies in general are notorious for refusing their food if they don't like it. This is hte third "my dog won't eat" thread this week, so I think we need to sticky this subject with links to the more detailed threads.

There's a lot you can do about this. You will need to flavor his food to make it desireable, as to how one does that, there are many, many, answers here on the forum.

Check these links:
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18541
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17290
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18525
http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18219

[GucciMyGirl]

Don't despair..lol Ricky is not the only one...Gucci is so dam fussy..lol She is on Euckuba Rice and Lamb, I mix in a little cottage cheese along with the fruit it comes with , the Breakstones doubles. She loves that in the morning, sometimes I add a little banana.. I try to give her different mixtures sometimes its a little parmesian cheese sprinkled over it.. That works.. she just gets bored too.I feed her twice a day, at night I mix in some wet food. Sometimes I mix in home cooking she lovessssss that...lol Hope this helped...

[jenni]

I have the Queen of picky eaters!! Daisy has about had me in tears sometimes. I have a grocery bag full of sample bags of every kind of dog food that exists!! LOL
One day she will eat dry food mixed with a bit of Caesers and I think oh yeah, finally something she likes....next day won't touch it.
There is not a dog treat made that she will eat, nor will she eat 'people' food,
I don't like giving dogs table food but as frustrated as I have been at times I don't care if I have to cook her a steak.....she won't even eat that.
I have never in all my over 50 years of having dogs had one like this.
She won't eat the usual things people swear will get them eating.
I found something the other day that she has been eating for 4 days now!!!!!
Dehydrated chicken breast....I grind it into a powder and sprinkle it on what ever food I want her to eat. They are in the dog treat section, chicken jerky strips. I called the company to see if they had anything in them and they assured me they are pure chicken breast with no added salt or flavoring.
Daisy gets all excited if she even sees me get the bag. I use my coffee grinder to grind them up.
You might give that a try. I got them at Walmart.
Hope you find something that works, believe me I know how frustrating this is.
I do still give Daisy Nutracal in the morning and evening tho on the days she doesn't eat much.
And if I really want her to eat I have my daughter bring her boxer over and feed her here. Competitive eating works!!

[RowdysMom]

Oh yes, competitive eating - I'd forgotten about that! I have an older schnauzer who is a little bit picky too, but there were times that the only way I could get Rowdy to eat was to feed the schnauzer Rowdy's puppy food (the schnauzer LOVES puppy food). When Rowdy would see the schnauzer eating, he would dive in too! It still works sometimes!

[yorkiegold]

I participated in one of the picky eater threads. We placed a puppy last year who we puppysat for a couple of weeks ago. Mr. Picky Eater like none I've ever seen.

So, I've been giving this a lot of thought. He's an only dog, so I think that definitely contributes.

Have any of you on this thread tried Royal Canin? They seem to especially like the puppy food (even the adults) and that's what Mr. Picky Eater was raised on and about all he will eat.

The other thing I was wondering about are those bottles of flavor enhancers they have at Petsmart. I've never had any reason to try them, but have any of you?

Good luck.

CJ

[chachi]

When you say flavor enhancers are you talking about the Iams gravy. If so I have tried that and my dogs love it. My dogs eat Royal canin real well also.

[Hamoth]

The other thing I was wondering about are those bottles of flavor enhancers they have at Petsmart. I've never had any reason to try them, but have any of you?

Yeah, the Iams gravy stuff. Chewy loved it for a while and then stopped eating it. In fact, it might be just about time to put that back into his meal rotation.

[lilfoot]

When Zoe had puppies she stopped eating her dog food...right at the time she needed it the most...so my vet said to boil hamburger and add cooked white rice... and mash it together....she wouldn't eat it until i pour a little low sodium beef broth on it...and then i ground up her dry food and started putting that in there as well....I am happy to say she is now eating only dry food....along with canned puppy food cause she is still nursing the puppies...good luck

[Erin]

Loki is finally over this. He does not have a medical issue like hypoglycemia, he is just stubborn. Here's what we did.

First of all, you can't feed them table food. You can't give in and cook them chicken - or guess what - they will hold out every time for chicken! They are SMART! Second, they may not be hungry or might be full from treats. Everyone told me to try to feed Loki 2 or 3 times a day. He will only eat once a day, while we are eating or while I am in the kitchen.
I stopped giving Loki treats (we do lots of training) for 2 days and guess what, the second day I put his food down and he ate it all right away. Also, if they don't eat for a day it won't hurt them. (My vet told me this.) So do not feel guilty about it. A dog will not starve if there is food available! Only put their bowl down for 15-30 mins, then pick it up. This will teach them to eat when you feed them.

Sometimes for a treat I put organic chicken stock on Loki's food. Only if I'm cooking with it or something, since it's $2-3 for the big box that only lasts 5 days in the frige. He loves that and scarfs his food. And it's 1000 times healthier than that Iams gravy stuff! I've also thrown plain rice on Loki's food if we are eating that for dinner. He likes that too, and he's still eating HIS food out of HIS bowl. I'd still say 6 days a week he is just eating his regular dog food, that for 6 months I thought he didn't like.

Good luck!

[yorkiegold]

Originally Posted by chachi

When you say flavor enhancers are you talking about the Iams gravy. If so I have tried that and my dogs love it. My dogs eat Royal canin real well also.

I'm not sure - the bottles look like bottles of steak sauce. I may buy one for Mr. Picky Eater and send it over.

CJ

[Hamoth]

Originally Posted by Erin

Loki is finally over this. He does not have a medical issue like hypoglycemia, he is just stubborn. Here's what we did.

First of all, you can't feed them table food. You can't give in and cook them chicken - or guess what - they will hold out every time for chicken! They are SMART! Second, they may not be hungry or might be full from treats. Everyone told me to try to feed Loki 2 or 3 times a day. He will only eat once a day, while we are eating or while I am in the kitchen.
I stopped giving Loki treats (we do lots of training) for 2 days and guess what, the second day I put his food down and he ate it all right away. Also, if they don't eat for a day it won't hurt them. (My vet told me this.) So do not feel guilty about it. A dog will not starve if there is food available! Only put their bowl down for 15-30 mins, then pick it up. This will teach them to eat when you feed them.

Sometimes for a treat I put organic chicken stock on Loki's food. Only if I'm cooking with it or something, since it's $2-3 for the big box that only lasts 5 days in the frige. He loves that and scarfs his food. And it's 1000 times healthier than that Iams gravy stuff! I've also thrown plain rice on Loki's food if we are eating that for dinner. He likes that too, and he's still eating HIS food out of HIS bowl. I'd still say 6 days a week he is just eating his regular dog food, that for 6 months I thought he didn't like.

Good luck!

In adult dogs, perhaps...But check this out:

Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia, which is brought on by fasting, is common in Toy dog breeds, such as Yorkshire Terrier, Toy Poodle, Pomeranian and other Toy dog breeds, and usually seen in puppies 5 to 16 weeks of age. Stress, low body temperature, poor nutrition, sudden change in feed, water and schedule patterns, infections, and premature birth may precipitate the onset of hypoglycemia. Some puppies, bred exclusively for tiny size ("teacup Yorkies", "teacup Chihuahua"), are even more predisposed to Transient Juvenile Hypoglycemia since insufficient muscle mass may make it difficult for the body to store the glucose and keep its blood sugar properly regulated.

Most common clinical signs of hypoglycemia are drowsiness, shivering, collapsing, disorientation, seizures, listlessness, depression, muscle weakness and tremors. Lee Weston, author of the article about Hypoglycemia (Pomeranian Club of Canada) says that "the entire sequence of clinical signs is not always seen, so close observation of your pet and knowing when your dog is going into a distressed state can mean the difference between life and death of your dog. Immediate treatment by a veterinarian is imperative, as recurrence of, or prolonged attacks, can cause permanent damage to the brain."

It has been proven experimentally that eight hours fasting in a Yorkshire terrier puppy can result in marked variation of blood glucose, showing both hypo- en hyperglycaemia.

Frequent feeding of a high-energy, protein-rich diet to both mother and puppies may prevent toy-breed puppies from developing hypoglycemia and may help them to overcome periods with a decreased intake of energy.

http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-hea...oglycemia.aspx