Fussy eater!!

[mlynnf50]

Hello, I have just come home with my new 12 week old Selby, I was told to feed him 3 times a day with cooked human minced beef and little of Pedigree puppy mix, the only thing is he doesnt seem interested in it, I make it fresh for evey meal.  I wonderd if there is something I could do to get him to eat as I dont want him to loose weight, he has a biscuit and goats milk for supper before bed and loves it, should I try him on the quaker and goats milk just to give hime something different, or am I just worrying for nothing.

[ginnygirl]

Ginny wasn't interested in the food her breeder recomended so I added warm water and she preferred it like that when she was younger, I gradually added more dry than soaked kibble till she eventually ate the dry kibble without water. I have tried a couple of dry kibbles till we settled with one that suits Ginny... and me in terms of quality; I inroduced them gradually, I would give her a small amount from my hand and if she liked it I added it to her usual food increasing till she was eating only the food I want. I now feed her Burns food which she likes and her weight is nicely maintained on it. It may be the change of environment, moving into your home affecting his appetite. You could try introducing small quantities of a food of your choice till you find one that suits you and your dog. I think its a case of experimenting and you will find one that is suitable for your dog. Good luck !

[sueneil]

Puupy will be feeling strange in a new environment and wanting to explore might be more important than eating just now. Also there is no competetion from litter brothers and sisters. Keep trying! soaking mixer with warm water will make it smell tastier.

[mlynnf50]

Thank you for you replies, I have tried putting some goats milk on his food this morning and he was still not interested and this evening I put some really diluted oxo on it and not interested, should I be worried, he is active and drinking and full of beans i am now going to try and put some pasta in his food.  If I was to change his food what composition should I be looking for.

[Karma]

Ok - don't keep adding different stuff to his food. 
Pups often go off food when they first move... and by adding so many different things you are going to create a very picky eater.

Personally I'm not convinced that the food he is on is very balanced, as cooked human mince won't contain all the nutrients he needs.... dog food is specially formulated to meet the whole nutritional needs of a dog or pup - there are other ways of feeding (personally I feed a raw diet) but you need to ensure it is nutritionally balanced).
Pedigree isn't the greatest dog food out there in terms of quality of ingredients and amount of additives, but that's not really the issue at the minute.

As long as he is active and drinking, then let him decide when he is ready to eat.   

Personally, in the long run, I would be swapping the biscuit over to a better quality puppy kibble and swapping the mince for a wet food, but I wouldn't change anything about a pups food in the first few days of moving in, as it can really upset their tummies...

[mlynnf50]

Thanks karma for your reply I will hang in there a bit longer as he so full of beans, sorry to be thick but what do you mean wet food (tin dog food) what sort and what should I be looking for. He is at the moment driving me mad, its always the same time of night I think he thinks I am another dog to bite to bits.lol

[Karma]

Ah - welcome to the mad half hour!!! 

Wet food can be tins or pouches - again, I'd look for something with no additives, a high named meat content and as few fillers (cereals) as possible.   

[Sharon]

Autumn came home on a food called Field and Trial, was told she was eating it 4 times a day........she point blankly refused to eat it for nearly 3 days in the end I gave her Royal Canin Junior and we haven't looked back since, she loves it.  We didn't have any upset tummies either which was excellent.

[LILYMAY]

JWB do a puppy food sachet - which is very good.

[B52]

Bracken was quite picky when she first came home - missing her siblings no doubt, and the competition for food...

I put fresh food down for her, and she just picked at it - I lifted it until the next feed.  In a few days, she was finishing her bowl...  She is fed James Wellbeloved Puppy with some Wainwrights wet food mixed in.

She also gets treats - helps with training - pieces of banana, cheese - and some frozen pieces of carrot (helps with her teething)

Keep with it -

[mlynnf50]

Hello,  thank you all for your replies, he seems to have sorted things out himself, I will take your advice and when this bag of food is nearly finished i will try and introduce what you have advised. thank you all.
He has been out for his first expadition and loved the deep snow and cried when he had to come in!!!! they are very vocal and quick to let  you know what they want. bless him.