[Muttjunky]

I rescued Freddie one year ago, he is about 8 years old. We also have two other rescued buddies. Freddie ate the dry orijens for about eight months, then turned away. Went for a complete physical and all is great. No issues. Good teeth and gums. Great blood work. He acts healthy and happy and playful ..until mealtime. I made the mistake of thinking in the beginning, when he turned his nose up at the orijens, that maybe he didn’t feel good, so I made boiled chicken and rice, and by doing so, I created a monster. He’s even starting to push the rice away and demand more chicken, which he wolves down. While I don’t mind cooking for a sick dog at all, it’s now obvious that he is just as stubborn as the day is long, and I don’t want to continue cooking constantly for him. It’s like a standoff by his bowl, who will crack first. I’ve never had a more stubborn dude and I’ve had many fuzzys. He needs dog food with all the nutrients, I’m thinking something that maybe resembles chunks of chicken? Wet food that has chunks? Also, I can’t leave it down till he cracks, due to my other two. I’ve already tried a few, but he only wants chicken breast at this point. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I’d like a wet food that is chunky, looks like chicken? Has good palatability….Help!

[anonymous]

What is the big deal about adding a spoonful of real food (chopped cooked chicken breast, lean cooked hamburger, a bite of scrambled egg) mixed in with the kibble. Feed twice a day, measured amounts, pick up after 10 minutes and store in fridg offer at the next meal time.
Let him skip meals, as long as he is drinking water, if he doesn’t eat times 3 days (he will) consult your vet.
Always have fresh water available, in fact add a little to the kibble and or presoak kibble, especially for seniors.
All kibble is like cereal, no matter how much you pay for it, dry and boring.
How would you like to eat nothing but cheerios for the rest of your life? You might be inclined to skip a meal or two, lol
Ps: If you boil a chicken breast in a little water you will have a pseudo broth (3 day supply) that you can pour over the kibble along with a bite of chicken
Zignature is a quality dry food, maybe he would prefer that? My small breeds vomited when I fed them Orijen, also, the product has changed.

[Muttjunky]

I do that, he leaves the kibble like it’s poison. I certainly don’t mind adding in real food, as long as he is actually getting some kibble into his body too. He isn’t right now, unless it’s accidentally stuck to a chicken chunk. OK, skipped meals will be next, just hated it cause he’s only like 15 lbs. I need to man up I think. Thanks for the reply anon101

Ps) great idea on the pseudo broth.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by Muttjunky.

[anonymous]

Thanks. I just added a suggestion in my prior post.
Yup, tough love.
I have found that dogs enjoy food the most when they are really hungry and haven’t eaten for a few hours. I avoid canned food, it is easier to find skinless, boneless chicken breast and such in the reduced price section of my market and cook and chop it up for them, cost effective too, you can always use your freezer.
Ps: make sure you boil/simmer the chicken long enough to eliminate the risk of salmonella.

[Muttjunky]

Thanks again anon101…didn’t know that about the orijens. Do you mix the chicken into Zignature brand at your place? Fred would just pull the chicken out of the bowl. And 100% agreed, hunger is the best motivator. It’s me that needs fixing, just wanted to hear it from someone else. Thanks!

[anonymous]

I mix it in, in fact I have to use a dome dish for one of them so that he will eat slowly.

I also add a splash of water, they gobble everything down.

I am using Zignature Whitefish (the least sodium of the Zignatures) as a base and I am impressed.
I will try Salmon and Trout next.

[anonymous]

Just pick up the kibble after he has taken out the good stuff, store in the fridg and offer at the next meal time, eventually he will eat it. It should be good for at least a day or two, three at the most.
Ps: Give him 10 to 20 minutes to eat before picking up.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by anonymous.

[anonymous]

Another idea, mush the kibble together with a big tablespoon of Mighty Dog canned food and a splash of water.
Dogs love this stuff and it comes in small cans and can be found at the local market.
Use a plastic cover to store the food in the fridg, good for 3 days….maybe 5 (sniff first)
I had an old Peke and this was the only food he would eat, the vet said it was fine.
Maybe he would just prefer soft canned food? With seniors, sometimes you just have to go with what they are the most comfortable with.

[Muttjunky]

Excellent idea, thank you so much.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Muttjunky:
If your dog is inclined to eat the chunks of meat and not the kibble when mixed in try running the chicken (or other meat) through a blender. I do this for my cats making it the consistency similar to baby food. You can even add some water to it and play around with the consistency.

I would try a different kibble, there’s many good ones out there. Don’t box yourself into one brand. Perhaps he’s trying to tell you Orijen does not agree with him.

Fresh Pet might be appealing to him as a new food or even as a topper for kibble. They have several different types/forms of recipes in their line-up. I am currently topping my dog’s meals with their Vital Whole Blends toppers:
https://freshpet.com/our-foods/our-brands/vital/whole-blends/

Fresh Pet also makes baked kibbles. My dog really liked the chicken recipe; he actually chewed each bite. I think the dried veggies & fruit were appealing to him. I haven’t fed it in a while.
https://freshpet.com/our-foods/our-brands/fresh-baked/

Check out Fresh Pet on the review side for more info too:
/dog-food-reviews/brand/

Good luck!

[Muttjunky]

Thanks Bobby dog the Fresh Pet rolls look really neat, will pick one up tonight. Has in it exactly what I make for Freddie, but also has the nutrients I am missing…thanks

[anonymous]

Per the search engine:
/forums/search/freshpet/

[Bobby dog]

You’re welcome!

I like some of the roll recipes better than others for my pup. I have to pay attention to fat %’s and calories he tends to gain weight on high fat foods. However, he always enjoys them no matter what recipe.

If you decide to use a roll as a topper you could easily try the blender trick if he decides to pick through the kibble and eat only the roll. Remember to reduce the amount of kibble fed if you use it as a topper.

[Bobby dog]

A few canned foods to look into that “looks like chicken” are Weruva and Tiki dog. They have pics on their sites of their recipes.

I only feed Weruva’s Human Style or Dogs in the Kitchen, last time I checked the Kobe/Kurobuta line was canned by Evangers.
http://www.weruva.com/dog-cuisine.php

Tiki Dog:
http://www.tikipets.com/tiki-dog/
http://www.tikipets.com/tiki-dog-gourmet-carnivore/

Another canned food that my dog and cats really like is Life’s Abundance. The Turkey & Shrimp in broth and Chicken and Crab in sauce were really big hits with my pup. They look more like stews with seafood; they have pics too. I only order directly from their site:
http://www.lifesabundance.com/Category/DogFood.aspx?realname=20250332&cat=0&hdr=&Ath=False&gclid=CKz3iJ3Ri9QCFQWHswodTqsDgQ

[Muttjunky]

Bobby dog I bought Fresh Pet vital chicken roll last night…he LOVED it!! I’m so happy, now he’ll get the nutrients he needs, thank you so much!

[Bobby dog]

You’re welcome! 😉

Check out the canned foods I listed in my other post as well. From your comment they might be another option for your pup. It’s always nice to have a back up plan.

One other option is making balanced home cooked meals. I have been doing this a few times a week for a few years now. I am currently using Carnivore Blend supplement from Balance IT. The recipe options are great and easy to concoct using their Autobalancer recipe menu. You pick the ingredients and it tells you how much supplement is needed to balance the meal. Their customer service is very helpful if you have any questions.

https://secure.balanceit.com/

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