Can someone please help and give me a magic potion to make my dogs EAT?! Mungo won't eat more than a mouthful at a time and thinks i'm trying to poison him and Gracie just won't eat- except what she can steal from the other dogs. :rolleyes:

what can I do? Have tried tripe, museli and kibble foods and now they are on canned with mixer but they still won't eat. Gracie looks alright as she was previously ok at eating and a bit chubby but Mugo is looking tight and ribby. They are wormed regularly and have recentley been done, no other health probs, plenty of exercise, regular feeding times, limited time with food, what else can i do?

Any ideas?

Try boiling up some pasta.  I have a dog who went right off her food.  I spent a fortune buying in everything I could think of to no avail.  I boiled up some pasta (put a stock cube in the water for extra taste) and she eats it all mixed up with a tin of meat.
I also find boiled eggs are good at encouraging eating.

I know its hard for you i went through this a while back myself. Try the pasta and chicken route for a couple of days then get them back on their food. Dont get tempted to chop and change foods just because they refuse to eat something as you are teaching them not to eat as something better will be offered if they hold out hence the circle has begun. Decide on a food that you want to give them and stick to it. If they dont eat it within 20 mins then take it up untill next feeding time then give fresh food. (I feed twice a day as bengi wont eat it all in one go so i split their daily intake in two portions) They will eat when they get hungry and remember they can go for several days without food. If they stop drinking fluids then its the vets asap. they might be testing you to see if you will give in. If they still havent eaten after 3-4 days doing this then i would take them to the vets to get checked out, hope this helps.

I wonder how long they have been doing this? Has something started this off?

I feel for you as mine is not at all food orientated and as mummys we do tend to worry a bit. However, provided they are healthy dogs they will eat when they are hungry. Personally I wouldnt feed for 24 hours, just in case they do have tummy upsets, and then try again. I know lots of dogs wont eat in warm weather which is understandable, but my dog has always been a little leaner than I would like (better than a podgy pooch I know but...). I got a really good tip on here which worked wonders which was to offer Chicken Ice Cubes. Yum!!

I just boil up a chicken carcas, strain it and blend it and then freeze in ice cube trays. It was a great way of getting a little food and water down him and he loves them. They make good treats too and are full of goodness. It then struck me that it might be nice to add a little to his food and his appetite picked up no end! I usually leave them to defrost in the fridge overnight so that they are slushy and then mix one or two with his food each time he seems to go off eating. They are quite pongy and I would imagine quite tasty so im not suprised he likes them. Just thought it might be helpful to try this rather than changing their food altogether. But like I say I really do understand and when they wont eat you will try almost ANYTHING. I hope they pick up soon.

thanks for all of your replies.

Mungo has been bad at eating from the begining but i do take some of the blame as when he did eat i would try to get him to eat more and now feel i may have overfaced him. :-(  perhaps he felt bloated afterwards and this put him off. However i was very aware of this with Gracie and was careful to resrict portions from day one to just what she needed for her weight/age and now we have the same again. My last dog a GSD was incredibly bad with his food and i can't believe i've got another 2 like it!
Before you question what i am doing to make these dogs like this  (:D) Alfie (gsd) had no interest in food at all and eventually died at 15 months due to a gut problem that had been with him from birth. :-(  So you can see why i'm worried but MUngo and Gracie will steal food when they have turned their noses up at meals. Mungo will spend 1/2 hour trying to get a frozen pea out from under the fridge after not eating a lovely bowl of his own food! :D I have tried stuffing Kongs to see if that would fufil his 'stealing' tendencies ( as other RR owners have said theirs are all theives!) but to no avail.

The OH is ready to shoot them as after Alfie nearly drove him round the bend he won't feed them any more. Of course HIS dogs eat everthing and anything put in front of them!!! but they are labradors and if they didn't eat they must be dead :D

Already feed 2 meals a day and smaller portions 3 times didn't work.
Time limit 10 mins, they seem to be worried about the Labs next to them but if you take them away they just look for where they've gone (even on the other side of a glass door)
Mungo finds meal times stressful and we have conciously (sp!) NOT made an issue of him not eating. I don't think he feels threatened as he is the boss, but ANYTHING puts him off, a fly, a helicoptor,you moving etc etc.

Do you think it is possible Gracie has learnt from Mungo not to eat her food? Although he certainly doesn't get more attention for it.

I will definatley try your suggestions and will post how i fared.

Thanks again
Helen

Helen what are you feeding at the moment?  Dry, wet, what brand?

In fact, let's rephrase that - what would YOU like to be feeding your dogs at the moment?

At the moment Mungo is having tinned meat (vitacaine) and mixer (pedigree)
Gracie is having Chudleys Supreme museli and small amount of tinned

They are having this as don't know what else would be good for them?
Have been trying to get Mungo to eat complete as he was growing but he has now stopped (just as well as he's reached breed maximum! can't have been that undernurished!) so gone on to meat and mixer in vain hope it might inspire him.

Any suggestions as to what would be best food?

Have you tried tinned Chappie? My dogs find that irresistible.

I wouldn't advise Chappie since I opened it once to find a length of knicker elastic in it!!! 

Helen - do you want them to eat dry or wet food?

If you want them to eat wet food, I think Nature Diet is excellent: www.naturediet.net

If you want them to eat dry food, I think Burns and James Wellbeloved are both very good: www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk and www.wellbeloved.co.uk

If we're talking taste factor, there's no doubt that 99.9% of dogs would prefer Nature Diet to Burns or JWB, so if that's your main concern, try Nature Diet.

On the other hand, feeding ND to 2 dogs could work out quite expensive, so you might want to mix Burns or James Wellbeloved in with it, and cut down on the amount of ND you need.

Burns and JWB both will send samples if you request them, but ND don't do samples.  You can usually buy all these foods in most pet shops, so if you want to try them out, that would be a good idea.

We feed our Bichon on Burns minibite, less than the daily rec amount mixed with a spoonful of Nature Diet. I also warm the ND in the microwave for 10 sec before adding the Burns. It makes the smell stronger. He is the ideal weight for his breed.

>>If you want them to eat dry food, I think Burns and James Wellbeloved are both very good: www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk and www.wellbeloved.co.uk

I checked out those sites and I wonder, are those generally considered among the best foods you can get in UK?  I will admit to just quickly checking out the sites (I will study them better later), but the foods seem grain heavy to me.  Especially the Burns.  WB, in my quick check, is a little harder to figure out, but I imagine it to be grain heavy too.

They certainly seem superior to foods like Pedigree and Purina but still....

Your thoughts?

>are those generally considered among the best foods you can get in UK? <

yeah unfortunately they are probe. Britain is so far behind some of the other civilised countries when it comes to pet foods,it makes me so angry Most people here dont know any better or different,and the above foods you mentioned are superior to the average range of foods available here!So that must tell you something :rolleyes:

I feed wafcol salmon and potato,but i dont add any grains or muesli to their diet,i do however add plenty of meat and bones.

Which countries would that be Hailey? :)

Sorry, which countries are they? :)

America,Australia and Malaysia. :)

Have you been to these countries?  I've  been to Australia and I must admit the dogs looked good and healthy but then the stores were full of completes generally manufactured by the same companies as here.  I have also been to Malaysia, not such a healthy looking dog population in fact some appalling sights.  Been to several countries in South America, same story as Malaysia.  All I have seen of North America is Miami Airport and didn't plan to see that :o but certainly from posts on here the "natural" brigade don't seem too impressed with the food sold there. I suppose there maybe a few niche manufacturers in these countries but I seriously doubt the "average" dog is fed anything like better than the quality we have in the UK

>>I seriously doubt the "average" dog is fed anything like better than the quality we have in the UK

I seriously doubt that the "average" dog owner reads boards like this.  We should do far better than average, IMHO.

Yes you should, but I will have to take your word that you are not as I have not visited N.America  :)  In the UK we seem to have got this feeding thing well sorted, our population is very healthy, thankfully :)

>>In the UK we seem to have got this feeding thing well sorted, our population is very healthy, thankfully

I'm convinced.  And now I am off to buy some Purina.

Aren't American foods the ones that are reputedly full of roadkill and euthanased pets?

All I can say is, thank God I don't live there. :)

>Aren't American foods the ones that are reputedly full of roadkill and euthanased pets?<

The lower end food perhaps.

I belong to dog websites from all three of the countries i listed,and i get so jealous when i hear of the foods they have avaible to them.

Timberwolf organics
innova
EVO
Natural Balance
California natural
Solid Gold

There are literally dozens and dozens more. The above are just the dry foods,they have freeze dried,raw and everything inbetween etc. etc. etc.

So these are what the majority feed in the USA?

So why do so many Americans assure us that all commercial dog food is made this way? Are they lying? Surely not!

>So why do so many Americans assure us that all commercial dog food is made this way?<

I have never heard anyone say that ALL american commercial dog foods contain roadkill,i have however heard that alot of the lower end foods do!

The foods i listed only contain meats "fit for human consumption",some have only organic ingredints.

>The foods i listed only contain meats "fit for human consumption",

Oh good. Like all dogfoods manufactured in the UK, then.

>>Like all dogfoods manufactured in the UK, then

Perhaps.  But why wonder?  You list the ingredients of what you feed, I will list the ingredients of what I feed and we will see.

I'll feed any from manufacturers who are members of the PFMA.

>>I'll feed any from manufacturers who are members of the PFMA.

Wow.  Is that anything like AAFCO?

The ingredients, please.

Have you looked at the link?  A list of ingredients will not tell you if it is fit for human consumption, membership of an association or, indeed, the regulations in force in a particular country will.

>> list of ingredients will not tell you if it is fit for human consumption,

And fit for human consumption does not mean people would normally eat it (have you seen the link?).  I prefer to feed my dogs food from ingredients people would eat.

The ingredients, please?

People eat sausages, have you seen the ingredients in those?

>>People eat sausages, have you seen the ingredients in those?

Indeed I have and it is pretty gross.  Which makes you wonder.  Exactly what does Purina put in their dog food that people WOULD NOT eat?

Oh, BTW and FWIW, I love sausage.  :-)

My dogs have rarely turned their noses up at things on the basis that I wouldn't eat it :) 
The days when humans would eat all but the squeak of an animal are long gone and I really don't think it would be ethical to throw away all that we would waste.  I really don't see the problem, as long as it is safe to feed I can't see why anyone would object as long as the dog doesn't.

Isabel, I am so glad you said that because I have to admit I do think there is a little too much emphasis on the qualities of different branded foods.

It's horses for courses.  People choose foods for their dogs based on their prices, ingredients or suitability to the dog.  Pet food has come such a long way in the last few years that I really think the people who argue so much for the nutritional content are basing their judgment on what they would prefer, not what the dog would necessarily prefer.

>>The days when humans would eat all but the squeak of an animal are long gone and I really don't think it would be ethical to throw away all that we would waste.

I couldn't agree more.  If the dogs are happy to eat it, and lets face it dogs will eat just about anything and they are happy, healthy and look good what's the problem?

>>what they would prefer, not what the dog would necessarily prefer.

Of course.  My kids would prefer to eat Snicker Bars for supper.  I prefer they eat something a bit more nutritional.  Even if the government assures me Snickers Bars are safe.

>>I really think the people who argue so much for the nutritional content

If the nutritional content (ingredients) isn't important, why even list them on the packaging?

Nutritional content is different to ingredients. Why list them? Because it gives some people so much fun to try to prove their inaccuracy, perhaps? ;)

>>Nutritional content is different to ingredients.

Oh yeah?  What is the difference?

'Ingredients' is a general term; chicken, rice etc. 'Nutritional content' means the levels of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins etc.

Is there any way then for us to determine the "nutritional content" of an ingredient, for example, chicken?

Without knowing exactly which part of a standard chicken you mean, not exactly, although I daresay scientists somewhere have analysed an entire chicken for relative proportions of fat, protein, calcium etc. If you think it matters, perhaps you might like to do your research.

I don't know who you mean by us.  I couldn't, I don't think JG could claim to :) don't know about you as you haven't let us know your qualifications in this are yet but I'm sure a decent Nutritional Lab Technician could.

>>you haven't let us know your qualifications in this are yet

Of course I have.  This time, I will type slower.  :-)

I read, I research, I question.  Formally, I have no qualifications.  My arguments are no more valid than yours.  However, unlike you, I have concluded in my research that ingredients ARE important.  There are different quality foods.  Ingredients do matter, in dog food, just as they do in people food.  THAT is the reason they are required to be listed on the label.  You don't have to have a degree in animal nutrition or even be a top dog show judge to find out what an ingredient is and whether or not it has a benefit to a dog.

But speaking of what one of us hasn't let the other know yet, what food do you feed or what are its ingredients?

>Formally, I have no qualifications.  My arguments are no more valid than yours.

Exactly.

>Ingredients do matter,

Yes. But your idea of what's perfectly acceptable differs from that of others - and even from that of the ultimate consumer - the dog! And that's what this thread is about - finding a food that Helen's dogs will eat, whether or not it suits your (or anyone else's) idea of what it should be eating in a perfect world. The most perfect food in the world won't do any good to the dog if it won't eat it.

So no qualifications.  Not even a little qualification in study skills enabling you to understand research?  Do you have access to information we would not then, like peer reviewed scientific journals or have you just been trawling the net and reading single interest books?

>>I really don't think it would be ethical to throw away all that we would waste.

And there is no point.  Not when there are companies like Purina that will buy that crap and put it in their crap food.  :-)

And who says it is safe to feed?  The government?  Who defines safe?  The government?  Whose link was that you wanted to be sure I looked at?  The government?

>>I can't see why anyone would object as long as the dog doesn't.

I might not object.  I say again, let's see the ingredients in the food you feed.  If I have an objection, I will do my very best to explain it so you can understand it.  You might not agree with me but again, I will do my best to help you understand why I feel the way I do.

And now, the ingredients, please?

JG has given you the link.  Yes our government regulates animal feeds. 
All the rest is just covering the same grounds.  Lists of ingredients don't tell you what is fit for human consumption the regulations do.

>>Yes our government regulates animal feeds.

And if you can't trust the government, who can you trust?

>>Lists of ingredients don't tell you what is fit for human consumption the regulations do.

And briefly looking at the link, it says that while the regulation requires ingredients going into pet food be fit for human consumption, they are ingredients that people wouldn't normally eat.  Like sterilized poop, I guess.  People could eat it and it wouldn't hurt them, but they wouldn't normally eat it.

Hey, if you want to blindly trust the government, you go ahead on and do that.  If you think government approval is a stronger indication of quality than your analysis of the ingredients, you go ahead on and think that.  I prefer not to blindly trust the government and I prefer to buy food containing the best ingredients I can find.  We'll let others, who may be following this thread, decide which of those processes they think is most likely to result in the healthiest dog.

Thats fine by me.  If anyone thinks it is necessary for a food to be attractive to humans before it can be safe and nutritious for dogs I'll leave them to ponder over their lists of ingredients :)  I'll continue to put my trust in the regulations and the condition of my dogs.

>>I'll continue to put my trust in the regulations and the condition of my dogs.

You don't trust yourself to analyze the ingredients in the food you feed your dogs but you do trust yourself to determine their condition?  Hmmmm.  Perhaps there is some kind of government official or representative of Purina that has told you your dog is in good condition.  Who can tell?

Let me ask you this.  Would you agree that GENERALLY speaking, a dog is MOST LIKELY to be healthy if fed mostly meat than if he were fed mostly grain?

If you are so certain that you are feeding a quality food, why do you continue to refuse to post the ingredients?  It certainly isn't because you're shy.  :-)  If posting the ingredients requires too much effort, just tell me what you feed and I will look up the ingredients.  I will be happy to give you my opinion and afterall, giving opinions is a lot of what we do here, right?  Is it because the ingredients in the food you feed are not something you are able to defend?  That's what I think and, I suspect, that's what many others following this thread think too.  You can continue to be evasive on this question if you want, but doing so speaks volumes to us all.