# Dog food drama



## gsdmom (Jul 1, 2010)

Ok so Riley and RAW was a nightmare, you had to get all the skin and fat off the chicken and it had to be a certain size of he would not eat it. I suppose this is still an option but not ideal right now. 

So I have tried:
Eukanuba Priemum Performance
Solid Gold Wolf King
Nutro performance

Now if I mix Nutro canned with these foods he will gobble it down, he will not eat it dry. He has been eating 9 cups a day 3 in the am 3 in the afternoon and 3 in the evening. The person I got him from was feeding Iams and he was eating maybe 4 cups a day. I want to cut out the canned food but he will not touch the food without canned in it. How long should I wait to give in? 

any foods out there that dogs just love to eat? cost is not a problem I dont really care how much it is if he will eat it and its good for him.

Thanks


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

lots of dogs that are picky eaters LOVE taste of the wild.
but please research the possible ethoxyquin (spelling?) use in taste of the wild before buying it.

none of the foods you mentioned are very good foods.

Orjien is highly recommended on this forum. it is a dry food.

my dogs love blue buffalo canned food too. its a so so canned food, not great, but MUCH better than anything from nutro.


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## gsdmom (Jul 1, 2010)

Maybe I will have to track down taste of the wild then because I want to cut all canned food out, but he will just not touch dry  I have never had a picky dog before.


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## bdb5853 (May 21, 2010)

Picky dogs are CREATED. A healthy dog will not turn down food. You need to try some tough love.....

Put the kibble down (plain, no canned or toppings) and leave it down for 15 minutes. If he doesn't eat, so be it. Take it up and no more food or treats (only water) until the next time he is supposed to eat. Again, put the food down and leave it for 15 minutes. Repeat until he eats. I have never heard of a dog refusing to eat when food is offered like this. It may take a day. It may take several days, but he WILL eat. And then you will have a dog that eats what is offered and happily. No more picky eater.

You must take the emotion out of the equation. If you offer food, and he doesn't like it, don't put canned or some kind of mixer in it to entice him to eat. Just make up your mind on what YOU want him to eat. Then feed it. 

He will eat it. Eventually.


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

My German Shepherd loves Taste of the Wild-wetlands and don't worry about ethoxyquin in this product, as of May they found a supplier who does not use it. But as number 14 on the ingredient list, their would be less in this product than in the spices you put on your food. My dog also loves Fromm's Duck and it is a outstanding dog food made in Fromm's own manufacturing plant. My GSD also loves Orijen Red, but that is very spendy, but it is the best food on the market now that P&G bought out Evo's parent company. Check him out...

http://3toestony.shutterfly.com/


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## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

NINE cups a day? That seems like FAR too much according to most other GSD owners, doesn't it?

Anyways, I have a picky eater on my hands. Part of it was probably caused by me but he would sometimes go days without eating. I mix him wet food in his dry once a day and I don't mind doing this at all since he enjoys it sooo much better. It's nice to see him really throughly enjoy eating. Usually in the AM he gets wet mixed in and the PM he eats dry kibble.

I am currently feeding Acana and Orijen. Acana is a bit cheaper in most cases, a little less in protein, but still GREAT quality food and a lot of picky eaters seem to like it.


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

with taste of the wild i worry about if what is on the back of the bag is TRULY the real ingredients. i dont see how they can REALLY make a dog food with such a good ingredient list so cheap.


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## 3feathers (Oct 29, 2008)

Jacksons Mom said:


> NINE cups a day? That seems like FAR too much according to most other GSD owners, doesn't it?


That's exactly what I was thinking!!! WOW! My boy is 105 lbs. and is a working dog (so needs a bit more than the average pet) and he only get 4 cups a day of Evo or Go! Endurance Formula.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Why would you want to cut out all canned food? Canned food is generally more species appropriate and adds much needed moisture to a commercial diet, it's also a great way to add a variety of protein sources, which is incredibly important to any kind of diet. 

That being said, if you've decided that for whatever reason you wish to eliminate canned food, remember that YOU are the boss, YOU decide what the dog eats. Dogs will not starve themselves in the presence of food. Period. Wait as long as it takes for the dog to eat the food, but do not give treats, toppings, etc in the meantime. Allow 15 minutes to eat, and if the dog doesn't give in, then pick it up, put it away, and offer the exact same thing next mealtime, with nothing offered between feedings. 

I also would stay away from Eukanuba and Nutro. Solid Gold is not bad. 
Orijen, Evo, Core, Instinct, etc. are all better choices.


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## gsdmom (Jul 1, 2010)

Thanks guys, as ar as the amount he eats, he just does maybe because he was so under weight when he was saved from the streets, and is still not at his ideal weight.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I agree, there is nothing wrong with adding canned food to your dogs dry food. Shellie my golden eats TOTW dry and I usually will mix in about 1/4 of a can with her meals, and stir it around just enough to mix it all together so most of the kibble is coated. That works great for her.


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## buddy97 (Mar 29, 2010)

Jacksons Mom said:


> NINE cups a day? That seems like FAR too much according to most other GSD owners, doesn't it?
> 
> .


no matter how underweight he may have been, i would think there might be a medical issue if he can consume 9 cups a day without getting sick or having massive amounts of soft stools.

you really dont want to try to put weight on an underweight dog too fast. do you have any pics? i he really still underweight? a gsd should definitely have a lean look.

id have a vet check him out if he is needing 9 cups of food per day. that is excessive for a gsd, even a very active larger gsd.

since you said cost is not an issue, i would go with orijen or acana grainless if kibble is going to be your primary feed.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

gsdmom said:


> Ok so Riley and RAW was a nightmare, you had to get all the skin and fat off the chicken and it had to be a certain size of he would not eat it. I suppose this is still an option but not ideal right now.
> 
> So I have tried:
> Eukanuba Priemum Performance
> ...


i can't speak for other dog foods, but please please don't use nutro products....they use menadione, which is a synthetic vitamin k...very

The Dog Food Project - Menadione (Vitamin K3)

since cost is not a problem for you, have you considered home cooked?

i feed my 13 1/2 year old shih tzu (with so few teeth) and she is doing very well...

nine cups? per day? wow. have you had him tested for tapeworm? or some other worm?


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## GermanSheperdlover (Nov 15, 2009)

Jacksons Mom said:


> NINE cups a day? That seems like FAR too much according to most other GSD owners, doesn't it?
> 
> Anyways, I have a picky eater on my hands. Part of it was probably caused by me but he would sometimes go days without eating. I mix him wet food in his dry once a day and I don't mind doing this at all since he enjoys it sooo much better. It's nice to see him really throughly enjoy eating. Usually in the AM he gets wet mixed in and the PM he eats dry kibble.
> 
> I am currently feeding Acana and Orijen. Acana is a bit cheaper in most cases, a little less in protein, but still GREAT quality food and a lot of picky eaters seem to like it.


 I overlooked the 9 cups,,WOW. My GSD weigh's 107 pounds and eats between 5 - 6 cups a day depending on how active he is that day. He sure can't be a picky eater if he is eating that much. I would really like to see a picture because it sounds like you are over feeding. Tony is my 6th GSD so I have a pretty good idea on how they should look. GSD's should stay on the lean side (not skinny) because of the possibility of hip-dysplasia.
I recommend you get your dog on a better food right away. But when changing foods you should always go slow and over a period of time.
I have to agree Acana and Orijen are the best 2 dog foods out there.
And she does not even mention that 
menadione sodium bisulfate can lead to major liver issues, bad stuff. Dogs do not need Vitamin K, PERIOD. This is just a synthetic version which is even worse.


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## gsdmom (Jul 1, 2010)

He is doing better now, we wormed him about a week ago or so and he has gined weight and has slowed his food intake. I can still see a little backbone and hip but I think he may need to just put on muscle I will get pics soon he is looking a ton better since I first got him


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## RCTRIPLEFRESH5 (Feb 11, 2010)

ruckusluvr said:


> lots of dogs that are picky eaters LOVE taste of the wild.
> but please research the possible ethoxyquin (spelling?) use in taste of the wild before buying it.
> 
> none of the foods you mentioned are very good foods.
> ...


i thought you had no problems with ethoxyquin in the dog food.


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## ruckusluvr (Oct 28, 2009)

RCTRIPLEFRESH5 said:


> i thought you had no problems with ethoxyquin in the dog food.


i dont!
but everyone needs to be educated and know about ehoxyquin. and make up THEIR own minds.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

Some warm chicken broth mixed with the kibble may help.


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## gsdmom (Jul 1, 2010)

Doc said:


> Some warm chicken broth mixed with the kibble may help.


Nope wont touch it lol


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