Dog won't eat but must take meds w/food!

[danisgoat]

Is she underweight, where you need to worry about it? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. Put the food down, wait, pick it up. She will not starve herself to death.

In regards to her doxy, give it to her in a Greenies Pill Pocket. They is how we gave our dogs their doxy.

Good luck!

 

[k9kreationz]

I'll be honest, I used to free feed Miko (sorta, the food would go down in the AM and I'd leave it there for him to eat it when he wanted). When he needed to take meds, like Nova does, I had to hand feed him every meal to get him to eat first, then give his meds.

After that, I realized why people say you shouldn't free feed. LOL. And I fixed that issue after his meds were done. So yeah, I hand fed him for weeks. Oh the things I do for him.

Sounds like the wetting of food is working. Another idea is you could mix good food with the junk food. Or do you think she'll just pick out the good stuff?

I'm not sure if you can afford this, but what about something like Honest Kitchen? I'm not saying to give her a full meal, but what if you just added it to the kibble and wet everything? Thoughts? You'd be mixing "good wet food" with good kibble and everything gets wet. Thoughts?

 

[Lysette85]

Where did you get the idea that wet dog food is unhealthy? Wet food usually comes closer to a natural diet than kibble does-especially protein wise. You just need to look at the ingredients and try to steer clear of wheat gluten, soy, and other fillers. Merricks is an awesome brand if you would want to give that a try-and it won't break the bank, either. You can mix kibble in with that if necessary.

Have you thought about switching brands of kibble? If you try a new kind and your dog doesn't like it, most stores will give you your money back.

 

[Mally's Mom]

I never heard that wet dog food is unhealthy. I just heard that dry kibble is better for their teeth in the long run.

I agree that trying another brand of kibble for Nova might do the trick.

 

[Lysette85]

I never heard that wet dog food is unhealthy. I just heard that dry kibble is better for their teeth in the long run.

I agree that trying another brand of kibble for Nova might do the trick.

Yes, I believe if you aren't brushing the dog's teeth, wet food will probably cause tartar build up much quicker. For a long time people used to say that dry kibble was better for their teeth because crunching on it cleaned their teeth. Turns out most dogs swallow the food whole. BUT, wet food does stick to the teeth on the other hand. I should have thrown in a tooth brushing suggestion with the wet food suggestion I brush my dogs teeth 2-3 times a week. Shelties are prone to gum disease I heard.

If other kinds of kibble aren't working-or if you just really want the dog to eat what you're buying, I agree with Danisgoat that the dog should eventually eat if it gets hungry enough...it just seems like it would be nice to find something the dog will eat on its own and enjoy it.

 

[Nova]

In regards to her doxy, give it to her in a Greenies Pill Pocket. They is how we gave our dogs their doxy.

Yea, the problem is that the vet told me not to do that- she has to take it twice a day, on a full stomach, or else she'll throw it up or get the runs, negating the purpose of the meds. She already threw up once after taking it on an empty stomach, so, Other than that, she's really tolerant. I could shove it down her throat and she wouldn't mind. LOL

 

[Nova]

Where did you get the idea that wet dog food is unhealthy? Wet food usually comes closer to a natural diet than kibble does-especially protein wise. You just need to look at the ingredients and try to steer clear of wheat gluten, soy, and other fillers. Merricks is an awesome brand if you would want to give that a try-and it won't break the bank, either. You can mix kibble in with that if necessary.

Yea, it's not necessarily that it's unhealthy, it's that it's bad for their teeth. My family's last Sheltie had terrible periodontal disease even with brushing. Plus, I just can't afford the expensive dry food and wet food.

Have you thought about switching brands of kibble? If you try a new kind and your dog doesn't like it, most stores will give you your money back.

I have thought about this, and I have bought almost every single healthy brand of dry food in the entire Pet Supplies Plus store- Nova just wants the garbage brands. It's like a child who wants McDonald's instead of veggies. So frustrating!

 

[Nova]

Sounds like the wetting of food is working. Another idea is you could mix good food with the junk food. Or do you think she'll just pick out the good stuff?

The wetting of the food DID work! She licked her bowl clean! I'm not out of the woods yet though; I have to wait and see if she decides that it tastes that good tomorrow morning, too. LOL

And I think she'd pick the good stuff right out of a mixed bowl- Shelties are waaay too smart for that kind of wizardry.

I'm not sure if you can afford this, but what about something like Honest Kitchen? I'm not saying to give her a full meal, but what if you just added it to the kibble and wet everything? Thoughts? You'd be mixing "good wet food" with good kibble and everything gets wet. Thoughts?

I have never heard of that food, but will definitely look and see how much it is, even though my ultimate goal is to NOT have to feed her wet food, because it is a hassle, it's more expensive, and it's not as good for her teeth as it could be.

 

[Nova]

Where did you get the idea that wet dog food is unhealthy? Wet food usually comes closer to a natural diet than kibble does-especially protein wise. You just need to look at the ingredients and try to steer clear of wheat gluten, soy, and other fillers. Merricks is an awesome brand if you would want to give that a try-and it won't break the bank, either. You can mix kibble in with that if necessary.

I should have been more clear, I'm sorry: wet food that is healthy is beyond my budget, especially when I'm buying Nova top of the line dry food. Most of the cheap wet foods are not very healthy- they have fillers, are made with weird by-products, and are damaging to their gums and teeth.

Have you thought about switching brands of kibble? If you try a new kind and your dog doesn't like it, most stores will give you your money back.

Ohhh yea, the Pet Supplies Plus girls know me and Nova by name now. LOL We were in there every other day, it seemed, because she just did not want any of the healthy brands. I did have her on "Taste of The Wild" which she would eat, but not any more than what I finally bit the bullet and bought her: Blue Buffalo's "Wilderness", which she actually will eat- when she feels like it (but not the normal Blue Buffalo- go figure). I had to switch her food due to the recall of "Taste of The Wild" and just did not want to have to flip-flop her back, so we stuck with Blue Buffalo Wilderness.

 

[k9kreationz]

I have never heard of that food, but will definitely look and see how much it is, even though my ultimate goal is to NOT have to feed her wet food, because it is a hassle, it's more expensive, and it's not as good for her teeth as it could be.

Hmm. It is wet food. Basically its dehydrated food that you rehydrate. But, I figured the thing you could do is just rehydrate a little, and that should last awhile. BUT, yup, you gotta put hot water in it and let it sit before feeding it. It's definitely a hassle, it's why I didn't go that route, lol.

I have to agree with the hard food though. My older dog has kidney failure and since feeding him homecooked food (aka soft wet food), I have to brush his teeth everyday, because it gets really bad within a few days. When he was eating kibble, his teeth didn't get that bad that fast. But then, he was one that actually chewed his food.

Good luck. Fingers crossed that wetting the food works tomorrow.