Hi Everyone

I have posted on here a few times now about Molly being a fussy eater.  I have now resigned myself to the fact that she always will be and that I am not strong enough to resist those brown eyes pleading for my steak (and that I acyually don't mind making her dinner myself).  So now I'm making food for her.  The trouble is she picks out the bits she likes and leaves the rice/pasta and most of the veg.  So now my next concern is to turn this food into more balanced meals.  She obv. can't be getting all the nutrients she needs from a bit of meat & gravy.  I do try and mix half of my home made food with half her dried food but will that give her enough of what she needs?  and she still manages to leave most of the dried food - crafty little minx.

She's now 9 mths old and has a plate of Caesar in the morning (only commercial wet food she'll touch and still only when she fancies it!) and then my concoction in the evening.

So, can anyone suggest a good book of doggy meals - also is it ok to make & freeze a batch?  I don't really want to go down the raw route as we have a distinct lack of butchers round here (people too posh) and also what is a good supplement/supplements to give her?

Thanks

Rather than drive myself crazy, I would let her skip a meal or two if she is going to be picky.  She will eat when she's hungry. 

If she is eating half commercial complete and half meat with a little bit of veg or grain  - she will be fine. Break up, powder in a blender or soak and mush the complete, if you are using dry.   Buy a good quality dog vitamin (your vet probably stocks them) and she will be absolutely fine.

Or - get another dog.  Competition at meal time works wonders for most picky eaters!

Stacey

Oh Clair,it sounds like our dogs are twins,you have described my dogs down to a tea.
I would also go for a good doggy mutti vitamin,and remember that not every single meal needs to be perfectly balanced,this is acheived over time,as long as she gets all she needs during the week she should be fine.The one supplement i wouldnt do without are alfalfa tablets,they have a huge amount of vits/mins. and they also stimulate appetite so i make sure they get 1 each twice per day.Putting the dry food thru the blender sounds like a good idea,give it a try and let me know if it works in fooling the little fusspot :D

Good luck

christine :)

Of course she prefers beef steak, so do I but I have to eat cornedbeef sometimes and like it. Don't worry too much or else she will have you even more well trained than she does now, by all means try to find a food that she likes and add the table scraps to it, but apart from that I would stop pandering to her at least for say 3 weeks. If she is still the same then may be you will have to try to find out why, dogs do not normaly try to starve themselves to death. ;)

She may like Nature Diet have you tried it?

I forgot to add,the one thing that i know will guarantee that my dogs will lick their bowls clean is iff i add baked liver,they even eat all their dry food when i mix the liver in which is a total miracle,sometimes i boil it and pour the broth over their bickies which they also love.The only downside is you cant give liver more that twice per week due to the high levels of vit.A it contains,it's bl**dy typical i finally find something they would do backflips for and i have to hold back on it!The only time i use it is when i havnt got a meal pepared and i HAVE to give them dry food,i think i could mix dirt in with it and they would eat it,LOL.

I put a chunk of lambs liver in the oven on 150C. and bake for 20/30 minutes,then i chop it up into tiny,tiny minute pieces so they cant pick them out,when i dont have broth available i let the pieces soak in a little hot water for a couple of minutes and then i pour over the dry and mix very well.

Hope some of this helps.

good luck

christine

Hi jackie

We have tried Naturediet - that was the first on our list!  She ate it for a few weeks but now she won't touch it.  My sisters lab thinks it's fantastic as he ends up getting everything Molly doesn't like!

I think I'm going to stick with the half dry complete and half my own food - changing things around so she doesn't get chance to get bored.  Trouble is, tuna she eats but it gives her the runs and sardines she won't touch which I've been told are two good ones to get a fussy eater going!

Think I might try some liver as Christine has suggested as she's had liver cake in the past and loved it.  Mind you - it might spoil her even more!

My pair wont touch tuna or sardines either
Dont forget about the alfalfa tabs,i have definatly seen an increase in their appetite since giving these.

Claire i wish you the best of luck with Molly,may the force be with you :D

christine

Hi Christine,
Where do you get Alfalfa tabs from?

Sarah.

Hi Claire,

Can't believe the girl is 9 months already, mind you my young one is getting near 1 year.

If she has survived till now and not too skinny then you are doing ok..

One of my girls I am sure never eats as I never see her head in the bowl but she is the more chunky out of them all.

Changing food is honestly what causes it. 

Homemade soup is a good source of nutriants have you tried that. Mine all love it.

BFN Pam

Mali Fan,
you can get alfalfa tablets from any health food shop.

christine