Help with diet please! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

EllasMama · 06-02-2014, 03:00 PM

A little bit of backround on my little girl..
Found abandoned with 2 others on a country road, major dental surgery before adoption (5-6 teeth remain). Unsure of her exact age but was eating dry kibble softened with water when I adopted her. All I changed was the brand of dog food (Wellness Naturals Small Breed Healthy Weight)
That went well for awhile but then she started turning her nose up at the kibble. I tried changing the degree of wetting it..just a little water or a lot of water to make it quite mushy and everywhere in between. Still hit and miss...eaten some meals, left other times.
Tried changing the flavour (same brand, Wellness Naturals)..hates it.
Started mixing in a little wet food with the kibble to encourage eating and worked like a charm for awhile. Now all she seems to do is push the kibble around and eat as much of the wet as possible (pretty much sucking the kibble dry)
Unrelated visit to the vet the other day, mentioned her eating habits. Didn't seem at all concerned, although she recommended Ella lose a few pounds

Suggested Science Diet which has a weight management formula or the vet grade. Gradually transitioning over to the Science Diet (mixed with wet because she refused it without). It's very hit and miss.
I feed her in the morning and dinner..some mornings she'll eat some kibble but always the wet. Come dinner time, after a walk and some play time outside, she will SOMETIMES eat the kibble/wet completely. I never know what will happen when I feed her. She's very excited to be fed nonetheless and her bowel movements/urination is normal, drinking is normal, energy level is normal, coat is healthy.
Seems to me like shes just being picky. But all this pickyness is driving me nuts. I want to make sure she's eating enough....when does it become time to go to a wet diet?
Vet also mentioned one of her remaining canines shows some dental disease despite my brushing her teeth...is it possible there are days her teeth bother her and she doesn't want to bother with the kibble? Even though it has been softened?
I have read just to leave out the dry kibble and wait for her to get hungry...force her to eat what is there because she's hungry.

What kind of experience have others had? Any suggestions?

Any help would be appreciated. This is starting to wear on me as I'm constantly trying to change things, moisten enough, find something that works without breaking the bank and going crazy myself lol

Thank you!

Wylie's Mom · 06-03-2014, 05:21 AM

There is nothing wrong, at all, with not giving kibble, and just feeding all wet food instead - that would be just fine if that's what she likes. You can also try sprinkling Parmesan cheese on her food too. Yes, she could have inappetance due to sore teeth too, that can happen.

Btw, WELCOME to YT

!

EllasMama · 06-04-2014, 08:28 AM

Thanks for your input :-) On a whim last night (after Ella didn't eat breakfast), I softened the kibble and chopped it up a bit and mixed it with a tiny bit of the wet food. The kibble itself resembled wet food almost. The kibble is on the large size (which never seemed to stop her before) but low and behold dinner was gobbled up.
Time to test this theory again...this morning for breakfast same routine and gobbled it up! No more pushing the kibble around the bowl with her nose.
Takes me a few more minutes maybe to get it ready but I say it's worth it if I can see her eating normally again and not stress so much about her being hungry :-)
It's still in the early stages and I don't want to jinx this method but here's hoping this is what it takes......

06-02-2014, 03:00 PM	#1
EllasMama YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 3	Help with diet please! A little bit of backround on my little girl.. Found abandoned with 2 others on a country road, major dental surgery before adoption (5-6 teeth remain). Unsure of her exact age but was eating dry kibble softened with water when I adopted her. All I changed was the brand of dog food (Wellness Naturals Small Breed Healthy Weight) That went well for awhile but then she started turning her nose up at the kibble. I tried changing the degree of wetting it..just a little water or a lot of water to make it quite mushy and everywhere in between. Still hit and miss...eaten some meals, left other times. Tried changing the flavour (same brand, Wellness Naturals)..hates it. Started mixing in a little wet food with the kibble to encourage eating and worked like a charm for awhile. Now all she seems to do is push the kibble around and eat as much of the wet as possible (pretty much sucking the kibble dry) Unrelated visit to the vet the other day, mentioned her eating habits. Didn't seem at all concerned, although she recommended Ella lose a few pounds Suggested Science Diet which has a weight management formula or the vet grade. Gradually transitioning over to the Science Diet (mixed with wet because she refused it without). It's very hit and miss. I feed her in the morning and dinner..some mornings she'll eat some kibble but always the wet. Come dinner time, after a walk and some play time outside, she will SOMETIMES eat the kibble/wet completely. I never know what will happen when I feed her. She's very excited to be fed nonetheless and her bowel movements/urination is normal, drinking is normal, energy level is normal, coat is healthy. Seems to me like shes just being picky. But all this pickyness is driving me nuts. I want to make sure she's eating enough....when does it become time to go to a wet diet? Vet also mentioned one of her remaining canines shows some dental disease despite my brushing her teeth...is it possible there are days her teeth bother her and she doesn't want to bother with the kibble? Even though it has been softened? I have read just to leave out the dry kibble and wait for her to get hungry...force her to eat what is there because she's hungry. What kind of experience have others had? Any suggestions? Any help would be appreciated. This is starting to wear on me as I'm constantly trying to change things, moisten enough, find something that works without breaking the bank and going crazy myself lol Thank you!

06-03-2014, 05:21 AM	#2
Wylie's Mom Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 35,889 Blog Entries: 2	There is nothing wrong, at all, with not giving kibble, and just feeding all wet food instead - that would be just fine if that's what she likes. You can also try sprinkling Parmesan cheese on her food too. Yes, she could have inappetance due to sore teeth too, that can happen. Btw, WELCOME to YT ! __________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann \| Pfeiffer \| Marcel Verdel Purcell \| Wylie \| Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°

06-04-2014, 08:28 AM	#3
EllasMama YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 3	Thanks for your input :-) On a whim last night (after Ella didn't eat breakfast), I softened the kibble and chopped it up a bit and mixed it with a tiny bit of the wet food. The kibble itself resembled wet food almost. The kibble is on the large size (which never seemed to stop her before) but low and behold dinner was gobbled up. Time to test this theory again...this morning for breakfast same routine and gobbled it up! No more pushing the kibble around the bowl with her nose. Takes me a few more minutes maybe to get it ready but I say it's worth it if I can see her eating normally again and not stress so much about her being hungry :-) It's still in the early stages and I don't want to jinx this method but here's hoping this is what it takes......