# Cesar Bistro



## lily's_mom (Jan 26, 2010)

Okay, I know absolutely nothing about dog nutrition (exactly the reason i've just joined this forum and have started researching) and hadn't really put much thought into it until my 8 month old chihuahua recently refused to eat anything and i realized that she actually cares about what she eats. (don't worry, i called my vet and we talked about what Lily was doing and he determined that she's just picky, not sick!) i've had her on iams but the more i research it, the more i don't like it! when Lily stopped eating, i called my friend who has a pomeranian and she recommended the cesar canine cuisine. i've been feeding lily the cesar bistro little meals for the last week and she seems to really be enjoying them. my only fear is that it's not actually good for her. also, i don't really know the benefits of dry vs. wet food or anything like that. if anyone has any answers or advice for me, i would much appreciate it! thanks


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I had to look up the ingridients because I dont buy grocery store foods.

Water sufficient for processing, chicken, liver, beef, meat by-products, pasta (semolina (enriched with niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), (egg yolks), wheat gluten, starch, green beans, carrots, wheat flour, pea fiber, salt, minerals (potassium chloride, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide), sodium tripolyphosphate, titanium dioxide, vitamins (vitamin A, D3 and E supplements, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamin.

Ok, heres the breakdown, for quality canned food the named meat should be the first ingridient, not water which is evident in this case. 

the chicken if followed by liver, but it doesent say what animal the liver comes from... mystery meat?? pass...

By-products- poor quality protein source.. pass

Pasta? why? this isnt a 5 star human entree

Wheat gluten- common allergen, very common source of grain contamination.,

Those are the ones that stand out to me, its not horrible, but way too expensive for what it contains. 

Have you tried meat based kibble/canned? 

Taste of the Wild is very affordable and they recently began making canned food as well:

Ingredients Duck, duck broth, chicken broth, chicken liver, chicken, egg, peas, potato starch, sweet potatoes, potatoes, ocean fish, roast duck, roasted quail, smoked turkey, guar gum, tomatoes, sodium tripolyphosphate, natural flavor, salt, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, choline chloride, chicory root, iron proteinate (a source of chelated iron), zinc proteinate (a source of chelated zinc), yucca schidigera extract, vitamin E supplement, cobalt proteinate (a source of chelated cobalt), blueberries, raspberries, copper proteinate (a source of chelated copper), manganese proteinate (a source of chelated manganese), riboflavin supplement, sodium selenite, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, potassium iodide, biotin, vitamin D3 supplement


Also look into Orijen/Acana provincial, I have yet to meet a dog that didnt like it. But they only make only dry food at this point. 

Other quality canned foods that I've used with sucess would be wellness, innova evo, evangers, though I dont buy them much since with a large dog its too expensive. 
If you have Big Lots nearby, right now they have pet promise, dogswell and canine cattle company for $.50-.75 each for a big can, my dog seems to like them.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Ok, well you have definitely come to the right place :biggrin:

A few things...

First and foremost, switch off of the food she is on now, its garbage in terms of nutrition. She likes it just because it tastes good, but its totally not appropriate for her.

Second, picky eaters are created, or just sometimes born that way. BUT...you must be in charge of your dog and what she eats. You know what is best for her (well...maybe not yet but we will teach you!) and therefore decide what she eats. So, what you do is pick the healthiest thing that you can provide and stick to it. She might turn her nose up at it at first, but she will soon realize that what you offer is what she gets. 

This is how you remedy a picky eater:

Pick a food and stick with it. No matter what...unless she gets sick on it.

Offer her a meal of it and give her 15-20 minutes to decide to eat it or not. If she doesn't by the time is up...take it up and put it away until next meal time (ie...this should be at LEAST 6 hours later depending on how often you feed, I recommend feeding AM and PM only).

Offer it to her again, if she refuses again repeat the above step until she decides to eat it.

Remember, you are not starving her...she is choosing not to eat. You are providing a meal for her and she is refusing to eat, so don't feel bad about anything.

Think of it this way...if a human kid refused to eat a healthy meal, would a parent be responsible if they just gave them whatever they wanted to eat? Nope. You in this case are the responsible parent :biggrin:

Finally, a right food choice. Pick something within your budget, because most high quality or premium foods are AT LEAST $2 per pound, but since your dog is pretty small...this really shouldn't be an issue!

Pick a food that has no grains in it since grains are pretty useless for dogs and can be the root of many allergies in dogs.

Pick a food that has the highest amount of protein in it. Protein is what dogs thrive on and is an essential part of their diet. Grain free foods have the highest protein, but are made with potatoes which are a bit better for their systems but still pretty useless.

Pick a food with limited ingredients. Go and read labels and count the number of ingredients. The less the better.

You want the first few ingredients to be NAMED meat meals. Ingredients are listed in order of weight BEFORE processing and since meat meals are devoid of water content, you can be sure that a named protein source is the main ingredient. The more named meat meals the better. Variety is great! 

Visit Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble to get a good idea of dog foods. This is a non biased site that rates foods on nothing but what their ingredients are. You will find every and all foods available on the market today. I don't recommend foods that fall below a 4 star rating out of 6 stars. 

Good luck and don't hesitate to post up any and all questions :biggrin:


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

welcome aboard! so glad you came to talk to us!

[email protected] cesar bistro!

I personally feed Taste Of the Wild dry and Blue Buffalo canned mixed. I also have picky eaters


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