Question:
I have a 8 mth old husky mix puppy. He has been on IAMS puppy food since we have had him (3 months old). He has periods where he can be a finiky eater, and won't eat all of his food. So, I have in the past, added some people food to get him to eat. I know it's a bad thing to do. But, he was getting better and was eating his 3 meals. My brother and his family visited over the weekend, and he has 2 adult dogs, who get the adult IAMS food. Finn (that's my puppy) got into their food and ate a little of the big dog food. Now, he won't eat his own puppy food. They left yesterday morning, and he didn't eat the entire day, until last night, just after supper, and a run in the back yard, he ate. We put a little more down for him, and then he ate that at 10 o'clock last night. Today, has only picked at his food. He has an appetite, because he had no problem eating the toast scraps this morning, and is begging us for our food. I won't give him any. He's was extreemly sleepy yesterday (because he never got much rest over the weekend), and today, his behavior is back to normal, but he won't eat! What can I do to get him to eat his food? Is he to young to be switched to adult food???
Please help. I'm getting worried about him.

Nikki

Answer:
Well, can you think of what people food you gave him? Some foods are fatal to dogs. I would hate to see him because of our stupid food. he's alright.

Answer:
Actually Iams really isn't a good food at all. It could be that your dog simply doesn't like that food any longer or it just doesn't agree with him. My dog has gone through that and after a few tries, we finally found a food that works. Check out the food forum here and ask as many questions as you want. There are many knowledgable people here who can help you. By the way, welcome to the forum and we would love to see pictures.

Answer:
All three of my dogs have "off" days where they will eat only a little bit, but the next day are back to normal. I think they have varying appetites like humans. If it continues, you may want to consider taking him to a vet. He's still a growing puppy and IMHO needs the added stuff in puppy food. I'm no expert though. Good luck!

Answer:
If you switch him to an all stages food, like Canidae, then you don't have to worry as much about the food. Puppy food tends to be too high in calcium for larger breeds and that causes them to grow too quickly.

Answer:
See I didnt' know that! I'm going to switch all three of mine to Canidae All Life Stages next time we need to swap. That way I don't have to worry about it.

Answer:
lol Brandy, if you're already feeding better than Canidae, then you already worried enough. What I meant was, Canidae is pretty good, pretty cheap (relatively) and good for most doggies. No muss, no fuss.

Answer:
I'm not feeding better than Canidae though. I'm feeding Purina One right now, which is better than what they WERE on, but not the best. Canidae is about the limit of what I can afford though, but at least it's another step up! Sorry to get this .

Answer:
You'd definitely feed less on Canidae than on Purina though. Definitely. Before I knew anything about anything, Boo was getting 4.5 cups of Euk and now he's down to 2.5 cups of Evo (which is dense, but he was on the same for Solid gold which is a lot less dense).

Answer:
if i were a dog i also wouldn't touch the Iams and want real food! i mean check out the ingredients...

Chicken, Corn Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Fish Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp (Sugar Removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Fish Oil (Preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt...
1st dry ingredient is corn, then you have some yummy by-products, then another cheap grain, then mystery fish, then beet pulp which is a stool hardener, mystery egg product, mystery fish oil, yeast, salt... blecchh! where's the meat??

while canidae's ingredients list reads like this:

Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Herring Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin...
at least you have some quality identified dry meats in the ingredients, real grains, real fish... it might cost a bit more but you feed less and pick up less poop

i don't advocate kibble but if you're going to feed it, at least choose something appropriate for those young busy puppies, they need all the nutrition they can get to grow big and strong! and i'll bet your dog will like it better than anything iams makes

Answer:
Wow, I was always told that IAMS is the BEST. I will have to look for this canidae. Now, I live in little ole Newfoundland, in Canada. I wonder can we buy that here?

I don't think I gave him anything that would hurt him. He's not sick in any way. Like, if I cooked chicken or beef, I would give him a littl with his food. But I know that I have to stop that. My vet did tell me that an apple is good for a doggie treat, as well as carrots. Finn LOVES his apple, and actually cries for it. Just after I posted this, my husband had him out in the yard for a big run. When he camein, he ate all of his food. Funny pup!

Would love to show him off in pictures. How do I do that?

Nikki

Answer:
Even if something is "good" for a doggy, it doesn't necessarily mean that the dog will be able to digest it properly. All doggies are different and tolerate different things. There aren't any stores in Newf on their site, but maybe Hunter's Owner knows some...

Answer:
there are many holistic dog foods that compare to Canidae, how about you check out your local petshops and let us know what *is* available? then we can help you decipher the good from the bad so you can make an informed decision it's a tough jungle to wade through but once you grasp "how to read and understand dog food ingredients" you'll be fine!

a hint: go through the dog food forum and you will find a TON of information... good luck!

Answer:
Good idea. You can always do that. Let us know what your options are and we'll help you choose, if you decide to change foods.

Answer:
I was worried about my dog not eating as much as I thought she should also. But I really think that she is getting plenty. She is in good weight, almost chunky. Her coat is beautiful. I'm feeding a good quality food that she is able to process well. (I think it is good quality, Eagle Pack Holistic.) She is getting all she needs. I am sure that is the same for your pup and you just assume that your dog needs more than it consumes. Don't worry. It is best when dogs eat to live, not live to eat.

Answer:
If Canidae isn't available maybe Innova is and it's not much more expensive than Canidae. I can't get Canidae where I live in B.C. and I pay $56 for a 33lb. bag of Innova. I feed my almost 2 yr. old siberian husky 2 1/2 cups per day over two meals.

Answer:
honestly I wouldn't worry too much. he hasn't gone that long w/out food. sounds to me like he's holding out for either scraps or the other kibble he got to sample when you had company. My dog did this too on occassion. So, I put his puppy food down, gave him 20 min to eat, then picked it up. even if he didn't eat any. He got it back at the next meal. he eventually realized I wasn't going to give in and he did eat, when he was HUNGRY.

my dog was never a "breakfast" pup. even when really young and he needed 2-3 meals a day, he simply wouldn't eat his breakfast or lunch portions. so I tricked him. I stuffed a KONG toy w/ his usual kibble. Dab of peanut butter or yogurt, and viola! he thought it was a super special "treat".

another thing I did was start adding a scoop of high quality canned food to the kibble. this did the trick every single time. a tablespoon of Merrick puppy plate canned, and look out - he was suddenly inhaling it.

I do agree w/ switching to a better food than IAMS, but believe me, my dog pulled these stunts even on premium food.

Answer:
Thanks alot for your responses guys. I will definatly look for a better dog food now. I will let you know how it goes.

I think I managed to get a picture of Finn put on here as my aviater. Lets hope this works. he is quite a cute puppy!

Thanks again.

Nikki

Answer:
Originally Posted by Prin
Even if something is "good" for a doggy, it doesn't necessarily mean that the dog will be able to digest it properly. All doggies are different and tolerate different things. There aren't any stores in Newf on their site, but maybe Hunter's Owner knows some...

Sorry, I just got to reading this site now.
Where in Newfoundland are you from? Are you close to St. John's at all? I can only offer some ideas if you live near St. John's, but I can PM you phone numbers to call people to ask about other places in Newfoundland.

I completely understand what you are going through with the dog food issue though. My bf's parents starting "treating" Hunter when he was a puppy by adding stuff to his food. There came a time when he wouldn't eat unless he had things put in his food.
I put a stop to that by doing exactly what jessi76 did. He eventually gave in when he realized he wasn't going to get his own way.

Answer:
sorry to go here but... i am completely FOR adding a variety of fresh foods to a dog's boring dry diet. would any of us eat the same dry thing day after day for all of our lives? would any doctor consider that healthy and good for us? i highly doubt that if your dog doesn't want to eat kibble, ask yourself why... and the answer should be "because it's not natural". and then do your dog a favor, if he can tolerate fresh foods added then go for it! not only will it improve health by providing a variety of nutrients, but it will also make life more interesting for the dog.

good things to add are canned fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, meats, healthy leftovers, veggies, quality canned food, etc.

bottom line... who cares if a dog is "picky" in regards to kibble as long as it's healthy and happy because fresh foods are added to the processed bagged stuff?

Answer:
I tend to agree with you technodoll. It has got to be boring eating the same food every day. Even in the wild, they would have some variety. But, when I add people food, he sometimes will fish out only the people food and not eat the kibble. I don't know what to do. But, I know that I have to change his food somehow.

Hunter's Owner...I live on the West Coast, in Corner Brook. I am going out this weekend to have a good look at what's out there. We don't have much variety. Only one pet store, and it's pretty crappy. I do go to St. John's a couple of times per year, so maybe if I don't find anything here, and can stock up when I go there. I also have a brother that lives in St. John's and he comes home every second month or so. I do have options. But will check around here first.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep you posted.

Nikki

Answer:
Hi everybody. Just wanted to let you know that Finn is eating much better now. I am still going to change his food, but not having much like finding a good one. Will shop around and ask your guys opinion. Thanks for your help and advice!

I do have another issue/question, but I'll post on another thread, as it is a totally different topic.

Nikki

Answer:
Hi Nikki

It does not appear that too many of the better foods get out to the island there, and you could run into problems with food spoiling if you try to stock too much up at a time and that can end up being deadly do to poisoning from molds and fungus unless you can freeze several bags, You are in just a tough area, that really is very poorly service, I know some of the auto dealers there are trying to get some of the vehicles we make in my area and General Motors just says sorry there are simply is no avaliable rail cars to serve that area :( I had checked several petfood sites of well recommended food and there is simply nothing listed for Newfoundland

You might want to check out what all Pet City carries
Pet City
54 Maple Valley Road
Corner Brook Plaza
Corner Brook
I know they carry Nutrience Holistic which would be better, but there was no other info on what other foods they carried, A few ingredients I am not crazy about though, like the soy protein, beet pulp, corn syrup, DL- methionine, possibly they may have something a bit better
INGREDIENTS:
Duck meal, brown rice, whole barley, ground rice, soy protein concentrate, whole oats, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), sunflower oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), flaxseed meal, lecithin, dicalcium phosphate, dried beet pulp, chicken flavor, salt, potassium chloride, dried corn syrup, DL-methionine, L-lysine, yeast extract, dried cranberries, dried apples, dried blueberries, dried carrots, chicory root extract, dehydrated spinach, tomato powder, parsley, dried honey, mint leaves, dehydrated green tea, dehydrated alfalfa meal, choline chloride, yucca schidigera extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), dried rosemary, dried thyme, dried oregano, dried fenugreek, dried fennel, dried cayenne, dried ginger, iron proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc methionine complex, zinc oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin E supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, folic acid, niacin, calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, vitamin D3 supplement.

but maybe use this article from dogaware the section "COMMERCIAL DOG FOODS
How to select the best commercial foods " to help you fnd the best possible food within your budget http://www.dogaware.com/dogfeeding.html


Toward the bottom half of the page from the link above in raw feeding info, if you have butchers that can maybe sell some of the scrap ends like turkey/chicken neck,carcasses beef/pork or other meat parts for cheap or have some rabbit or chicken farmers nearby can use fish sometimes, hunters that can give their scraps, mix in some veggie and bit of sea kelp for vitamins and minerals, if you can source a place to buy the stomach (Unprocessed) of cows also called "green tripe" right there is a complete nutritious food all by itself, though it is stinky, it can also be used as a subsitute for the veggies and minerals in a raw diet, in the wild when dogs kill an animal this is the first part they eat since it contain digestive enzymes that helps them digest the rest of the animal, you might be able to do a raw diet instead and have something much more nutritious that might cost you less, I would suggest you do some research on feeding raw first though, looking on the internet for "raw diet dogs" or "barf"

this site can give you ideas on meat parts what veggies and fruits are used in some of the frozen prepared mixes that some places sell also it has recommended books http://lepusreg.tripod.com/NRS.html

Answer:
In the St. John's region I know of several places that sell many different kinds of dog food. On the West Coasr however, there are not too many options.

You can pm me if you want and I can give you a phone number of some places in here that may be able to ship out to your area. One place I know delivers to the door in the St. John's area. Also, there is DOKO, and the DogHouse along with a couple other places.

Answer: