Fussy Eater

[alishiamay]

I have a 1yr old cavalier king charles. We have tried him on dozens of food! At first he'll eat the kibbles, but then after 2 or 3 days, he wont touch them! we have fed him just chicken and beef, but his coat isnt very healthy, very dull and dry. I dont know what to feed him! Any advice??
thanks

[Sarah]

If you review other articles about "picky eaters" you will find that MaryAnn talks about t/d which is a food supplement that you put on your dogs food.

MaryAnn gets it at her Vet, so I'm not sure if you can purchase it at a pet store. I don't know what you are feeding your dog, but if the food is not high quality some dogs know that, and simply refuse to eat what is bad. I don't know how you have prepared the meat for your dog, but you should boil the chicken, and serve your dog raw lean ground meat, not cooked ground meat.

You may want to give a dry kibble, and mix some can food with it, or put some meat with it, or ask your vet about t/d. At any rate, present the food to the dog for 20 minutes, if he hasn't eaten then pick the bowl up and offer it again in the evening.

If your dog has not eaten in more than 3 days, I would call the Vet to make sure nothing physical, or internally wrong with the dog.

Hope this helps

[MaryAnn]

t/d's are not available at any pet store that I am aware of. They are dental nuggets that clean and scrape off the tarter. When my little gal pulled her "Hunger Strike" I immediately called our Vet's office and they suggested I mix just a tiny little bit of a/d in her food. That seemed to do it. However, it must be mixed with kibble and not fed by itself. Before you do that...have you tried mixing a tablespoon or two of warm water into the kibble? Dogs, like humans, do like a little variety now and then. Dry food gets old after a while.

Just remember, a dog will not starve if food is placed in front of them....put it down...wait 20 minutes...if they don't it...pick it up until the evening....they'll eat when hungry. During this time however...do not feed treats. When training... feed kibble as a treat one at a time.

[Sarah]

Whew, glad you came along MaryAnn and saw these postings and corrected me.

[MaryAnn]

No problem Sarah. You are very knowledgeable. All my posts an a/d; t/d's; w/d, etc.... I see can get very confusing.