Caro
Moderator
I forgot to mention too, when Tully was off her food I'd actually bake it in the oven or make little tuna patties (and oven bake or light pan fry), she liked it crunchy and warm. And I think she thought it was like human food!
Picky Eater Suggestions Needed
- Thread starter Ann
- Start date
Ann
Moderator
Thanks for all the tips, everyone! No luck last night. I tried mixing cottage cheese with his food and he just licked the cottage cheese off the kibble and left it. 
This morning I tried my last-dtich, go-to solution and mixed yogurt with the food and he nearly cleaned it up. The freeze-dried food is coming today, (ordered yesterday, love Chewy!) so I'll try that with dinner.
This morning I tried my last-dtich, go-to solution and mixed yogurt with the food and he nearly cleaned it up. The freeze-dried food is coming today, (ordered yesterday, love Chewy!) so I'll try that with dinner.
Sharon7
Moderator
Best of luck at dinnertime, Ann! When Ally was ill with kidney disease and pancreatitis we jumped through hoops every meal time for 6 months.... it is so frustrating. Hope the new food works and he's a clean-plater!
Hi Ann,
I can relate to your frustrations with food! I am glad you found some yogurt that works! My previous Sheltie had stage 4 kidney disease when we adopted him and I vividly remember nights crying trying to get him to eat. I agree with alot of the above suggestions like bone broth and cheese like foods. We found GREAT success with Hilarys Blend foods. It's a homemade food with recipes and my pup with kidney disease liked it so much that he actually gained weight. Which is rare for renal problems. She has lots of recipes that use all sorts of different meat products. Most Vets will have her info for renal diets but we bought her stuff on Pets Drug Mart online. It can be expensive to get started because of the recipe book and suppliment you need to buy. But all 3 of my picky eaters, 2 cats and a dog, loved her recipes. Eggs were also a go to for us. We would boil and egg and then crumble it in his soft food which encouraged him to eat. Or naturally smoked bacon and bacon grease. Not the healthiest but small amounts which we phased out over a few days.
Hope the yogurt and freeze dried food continues to work!
I can relate to your frustrations with food! I am glad you found some yogurt that works! My previous Sheltie had stage 4 kidney disease when we adopted him and I vividly remember nights crying trying to get him to eat. I agree with alot of the above suggestions like bone broth and cheese like foods. We found GREAT success with Hilarys Blend foods. It's a homemade food with recipes and my pup with kidney disease liked it so much that he actually gained weight. Which is rare for renal problems. She has lots of recipes that use all sorts of different meat products. Most Vets will have her info for renal diets but we bought her stuff on Pets Drug Mart online. It can be expensive to get started because of the recipe book and suppliment you need to buy. But all 3 of my picky eaters, 2 cats and a dog, loved her recipes. Eggs were also a go to for us. We would boil and egg and then crumble it in his soft food which encouraged him to eat. Or naturally smoked bacon and bacon grease. Not the healthiest but small amounts which we phased out over a few days.
Hope the yogurt and freeze dried food continues to work!
Sharon7
Moderator
Ann, how is your pup liking the new food? Hope he's eating well.
ghggp
Moderator
My vet said to try human baby food when my dogs got old and frail and stopped eating... Heating it to release the aroma's like Caro suggested?
Ann
Moderator
I'm afraid to say it but so far, so good, Sharon. The first night, he didn't eat much of it. Then yesterday morning, I gave it to him with no supplements or anything mixed in and he cleaned his bowl! I gave him his supplements separately mixed with his favorite yogurt, so he got those down too (since there are several he really needs). Ate dinner again last night, and breakfast this morning. I'd like to say we're on a roll, but there have been times where his interest in something new peters out.
I do think that mixing supplements in with his food is part of the problem. He's always been finicky about anything that doesn't belong in his bowl. I do use baby food, and pumpkin...he loves both, but Stoneyfield Organic yogurt will get him eating every time. So far!
Thanks for checking, and all the tips, everyone! For anyone who might be interested, I'm feeding him Grandma Lucy's Artisian Freeze-Dried Complete Chicken formula. They make several varieties: lamb, venison, pork and a few others. If this works, I'll keep him on it, rotating the proteins. It's a bit more expensive but still cost effective and sure smells fresh and yummy!
Calliesmom
Moderator
Callie was on Grandma Lucy's the last year or so- she had either rabbit or turkey.....
it really did smell good....
it really did smell good....
Caro
Moderator
You're so lucky to have such a wide variety of foods to try. There is literally only one food that Tully can eat now and it's full of corn and makes her fart and poop a lot. No wonder she's helping herself to dead pigeon.
Ann
Moderator
Well, now he's renenging on the freeze-dried too. The only way I'm getting him to eat is to mix yogurt with it and can't even get him to eat it all that way. I started him on a round of docycyclene this morning for his Lyme disease. He's had recurrences through the years that don't always manifest with typical symptoms, and the last time he stopped eating we treated him with doxy and it resolved. So I'm going to call my vet in the morning and get some more and hope this does the trick.