Dry kibble
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DappleDoxieStaff
lisamak
Renee
ocnside
8 posters
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Dry kibble
Julian eats Nutro with vitamins sprinkled on top (Nuvet)
He has eaten this since he came home. He is now turning his nose up at it and walking away...I had to switch to wet food for breakfast...
So I have always given him dryfood moistened with water as I am afraid he will choke on the dry food, which he will not even touch without gagging so I stick to moist.
Question: Will he ever eat dry food or should I switch brands now bc he does not seem interested in that kind?
Of course he eats his dental Blue bones and Lamb sticks stuck in a kong!
He has eaten this since he came home. He is now turning his nose up at it and walking away...I had to switch to wet food for breakfast...
So I have always given him dryfood moistened with water as I am afraid he will choke on the dry food, which he will not even touch without gagging so I stick to moist.
Question: Will he ever eat dry food or should I switch brands now bc he does not seem interested in that kind?
Of course he eats his dental Blue bones and Lamb sticks stuck in a kong!
ocnside-  
- Number of posts : 718
Location : NC
Re: Dry kibble
Well, there are probably a few ways to look at it.
One is, if you are feeding him a high quality diet, and he is just being a stubborn ass, then you wait him out. He will eventually eat what you offer him. No dog will starve themselves to death.
But, you might take this opportunity to re-evaluate what you are feeding him and if it is the best choice.
A great site to guide you is www.dogfoodadvisor.com. Just a quick look shows that Nutro only rates a three out of five stars. I generally shoot for a five star rating when choosing kibble for any fosters. My personal favorite is Taste of the Wild, but I have had success with other brands as well.
Another consideration is that kibble really can be drying, so soaking it in water like you are doing is good, as is adding some canned food.
A lot of us use The Honest Kitchen too, which is a dehydrated raw.
One is, if you are feeding him a high quality diet, and he is just being a stubborn ass, then you wait him out. He will eventually eat what you offer him. No dog will starve themselves to death.
But, you might take this opportunity to re-evaluate what you are feeding him and if it is the best choice.
A great site to guide you is www.dogfoodadvisor.com. Just a quick look shows that Nutro only rates a three out of five stars. I generally shoot for a five star rating when choosing kibble for any fosters. My personal favorite is Taste of the Wild, but I have had success with other brands as well.
Another consideration is that kibble really can be drying, so soaking it in water like you are doing is good, as is adding some canned food.
A lot of us use The Honest Kitchen too, which is a dehydrated raw.
Re: Dry kibble
You say you're feeding Nutro but that's a brand - not a 'variety'. If he's getting the chicken and he's sick of it, try their lamb or their fish (and vice versa). You can mix some canned into the dry so he's forced to eat the kibble which is going to be a lot more affordable long-term frankly.
And if he's being choosy about it - no treats. Unless its small treats while you're training, you're just telling him its okay to act like a brat at meal time (not that he's really acting that way , but its like a kid that won't eat his dinner then gets dessert). If you're shopping at a big box retailer that carries Nutro, other options to try would be Innova, California Natural, and Natural Balance. All of those brands offer kibble and canned, they also offer grain-free varieties and a ton of protein choices. Another good brand (usually my go-to for recommendations) is Taste of the Wild - dry and canned, grain-free, and a wide variety of proteins to try out.
I do nutritional consults all day and I always tell folks - you can't let a dog become a picky eater at a young age - inappetance is a huge sign to watch for as a symptom of illness as animals age and if he's turning his nose up now, you'll never know if he's turning his nose up or if he's not feeling well. Make sense?
Good luck!
And if he's being choosy about it - no treats. Unless its small treats while you're training, you're just telling him its okay to act like a brat at meal time (not that he's really acting that way , but its like a kid that won't eat his dinner then gets dessert). If you're shopping at a big box retailer that carries Nutro, other options to try would be Innova, California Natural, and Natural Balance. All of those brands offer kibble and canned, they also offer grain-free varieties and a ton of protein choices. Another good brand (usually my go-to for recommendations) is Taste of the Wild - dry and canned, grain-free, and a wide variety of proteins to try out.
I do nutritional consults all day and I always tell folks - you can't let a dog become a picky eater at a young age - inappetance is a huge sign to watch for as a symptom of illness as animals age and if he's turning his nose up now, you'll never know if he's turning his nose up or if he's not feeling well. Make sense?
Good luck!
Re: Dry kibble
**you can't let a dog become a picky eater at a young age - inappetance is a huge sign to watch for as a symptom of illness as animals age and if he's turning his nose up now, you'll never know if he's turning his nose up or if he's not feeling well.***
DingDingDing!!!
Pick the best kibble you can afford - that has no active allergens for your dog, add in the odd bite of wet from the same line as a treat, change the protein within the line if it makes you feel better (mine all eat Diamond Naturals. Big dogs like lamb, little ones the chicken, and we toss in beef occasionally), and call it good.
I put food out, they eat in 15-30 mins ... or it gets picked up. They don't miss a lot of meals around here!! They eat well.
DingDingDing!!!
Pick the best kibble you can afford - that has no active allergens for your dog, add in the odd bite of wet from the same line as a treat, change the protein within the line if it makes you feel better (mine all eat Diamond Naturals. Big dogs like lamb, little ones the chicken, and we toss in beef occasionally), and call it good.
I put food out, they eat in 15-30 mins ... or it gets picked up. They don't miss a lot of meals around here!! They eat well.
Re: Dry kibble
My only suggestion is be careful when switching foods. He's a puppy, right? Not all dogs needs the high calories or protein that some of the top kibbles will give. You don't want him getting a ton of extra energy that will turn to fat.
If/when you switch his food, do it slowly (over 7-10 days).
He may just be testing you, but chances are you'll be able to find a food he likes better. I'd strongly recommend you take a look at the site Renee suggested, but also try to find a puppy food with similar guaranteed analysis that his current food has. Another thing to consider is the better quality foods are usually more expensive, but theoretically you should be feeding less actual kibble. Honestly, though, some pets don't do well on rich foods such as Innova, but I know a lot of people who like Blue Buffalo, Taste of Wild, Wellness, etc.
If/when you switch his food, do it slowly (over 7-10 days).
He may just be testing you, but chances are you'll be able to find a food he likes better. I'd strongly recommend you take a look at the site Renee suggested, but also try to find a puppy food with similar guaranteed analysis that his current food has. Another thing to consider is the better quality foods are usually more expensive, but theoretically you should be feeding less actual kibble. Honestly, though, some pets don't do well on rich foods such as Innova, but I know a lot of people who like Blue Buffalo, Taste of Wild, Wellness, etc.
thminis-  
- Number of posts : 1139
Location : Illinois
Re: Dry kibble
I knew I could count on awesome advice as usual and for that I thank you all!
I feed Nutro lamb & rice bc he is allergic to chicken, we ended up in the ER earlier in his life with an allergic reaction...
The Blue Brand dental bones he eats, he loves so I may try that or taste of the wild, I will check out both to see if there is lamb...
QUESTION: Should I continue with the vitamin Nuvet if I go to a richer kibble?
M
I feed Nutro lamb & rice bc he is allergic to chicken, we ended up in the ER earlier in his life with an allergic reaction...
The Blue Brand dental bones he eats, he loves so I may try that or taste of the wild, I will check out both to see if there is lamb...
QUESTION: Should I continue with the vitamin Nuvet if I go to a richer kibble?
M
ocnside-  
- Number of posts : 718
Location : NC
Re: Dry kibble
How many meals a day is he having? I switched mine to adult kibble at 6 months old - they both seemed to lose interest in lunch at about that age so I switched to adult kibble and 2 meals per day.
Snifter&Toddy-  
- Number of posts : 2071
Location : England
Re: Dry kibble
Have you considered flooding his kibble with warm water. It may increase his enthusiasm for his kiible and it's good for his general health.
CSollers-  
- Number of posts : 376
Location : Abingdon, Maryland
Re: Dry kibble
I appreciate all of the advice and am in the process of switching Julian to Blue Buffalo puppy lamb kibble and canned (for Breakfast) until he reaches 1 year (that is 4/5 stars) then I will switch him to Blue Wilderness which is 5/5 stars. I do not see a lamb variety...I know he is allergic to chicken....any advice here???
He eats kibble for lunch and dinner with warm water and we wait for about 5 minutes to soften...he seems to be interested again and I decided to keep the Nuvet as his vitamin http://www.nuvet.com/products.html?sectionid=17
He eats kibble for lunch and dinner with warm water and we wait for about 5 minutes to soften...he seems to be interested again and I decided to keep the Nuvet as his vitamin http://www.nuvet.com/products.html?sectionid=17
ocnside-  
- Number of posts : 718
Location : NC
Re: Dry kibble
Most grain-free foods are 'all life stages' so you wouldn't need to keep him on a puppy formula currently unless he's underweight. 6 months is when I usually advise folks to start switching - and the vitamins are your call. Vitamins for dogs are like vitamins for people - unless we need them for a specific reason he's probably peeing them out. He's on a good quality food and if he doesn't have a health issue (that you'd need to use a probiotic for or a luxating patella or similar that you'd want to start him on a glucosamine supplement early)...its probably not necessary.
Make sure to look very closely at the labels as most 'other protein' foods will still have chicken in the ingredients or in most cases eggs (not sure if he reacts to those). The Cal Natural grain-free is one protein only (so the lamb is just lamb, no other proteins) and Wellness does Simple Solutions (lamb, duck, salmon) which are also only the 1 protein (the SS does have rice in it). The Blue Wilderness comes in a salmon variety I've seen and at least one other variety but can't recall what that variety is (I can see the bag in my mind, its a pretty, shiny green LOL). I also think the Natural Balance LID (limited ingredient diet) is grain-free and 1 protein only.
Hope that helped and didn't confuse the situation more. But again, because of the reaction he's had to chicken you really need to check those labels. Always make sure you're looking at single-source protein foods so no accidental reaction.
Make sure to look very closely at the labels as most 'other protein' foods will still have chicken in the ingredients or in most cases eggs (not sure if he reacts to those). The Cal Natural grain-free is one protein only (so the lamb is just lamb, no other proteins) and Wellness does Simple Solutions (lamb, duck, salmon) which are also only the 1 protein (the SS does have rice in it). The Blue Wilderness comes in a salmon variety I've seen and at least one other variety but can't recall what that variety is (I can see the bag in my mind, its a pretty, shiny green LOL). I also think the Natural Balance LID (limited ingredient diet) is grain-free and 1 protein only.
Hope that helped and didn't confuse the situation more. But again, because of the reaction he's had to chicken you really need to check those labels. Always make sure you're looking at single-source protein foods so no accidental reaction.
Re: Dry kibble
@lisamak
Thank you for all of that...I have to find something without chicken....how about duck? I do not see lamb in wilderness (blue) without other proteins. I am so scared after his reaction....
Thank you for all of that...I have to find something without chicken....how about duck? I do not see lamb in wilderness (blue) without other proteins. I am so scared after his reaction....
ocnside-  
- Number of posts : 718
Location : NC
Re: Dry kibble
ocnside wrote:@lisamak
Thank you for all of that...I have to find something without chicken....how about duck? I do not see lamb in wilderness (blue) without other proteins. I am so scared after his reaction....
Canidae makes a kibble that was very effective with one of my past fosters. He had poultry allergies as well. I believe it was called Canidae Pure Land. It was a white bag with some red on it. Only Lamb and pork as the protein.
Re: Dry kibble
Blue Buffalo makes the Basics line which is completely chicken free, the Wilderness does contain chicken meal in all its varieties. I'd suggest going to Natural Balance or California Natural where you can get just 1 protein, no chicken, and have more than 1 protein to rotate through (the Cal Nat does salmon, lamb, venison and even kangaroo). The Nat Bal also has like 5 or 6 proteins you can go with. If you can't find these locally you may want to look at online sites like onlynaturalpet.com, doggiefood.com, etc. - they carry a ton of options and usually have flat-rate or low-cost shipping.
Re: Dry kibble
Awesome info......................thank you
ocnside-  
- Number of posts : 718
Location : NC
Re: Dry kibble
I heart the wonderful people of PA, and their willingness to share their expertise!!!
Pugsaunt-  
- Number of posts : 6877
Location : On the shores of Penny's Marina in Sparks, NV
Re: Dry kibble
Pugsaunt wrote:I heart the wonderful people of PA, and their willingness to share their expertise!!!
Me too :)
ocnside-  
- Number of posts : 718
Location : NC
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