ANOTHER FOOD QUESTION SORRY!!

[welshies]

I own a welsh springer spaniel who is 4 now. We have had terrible trouble finding food he will eat ever since he a pup. Unfortunatly the only thing he will just about is bakers and only the mixer (soft stuff) as he picks out the hard bits if you feed him the complete! I know, i know it's macdonalds for dogs, but really we have tried all sorts, i have thought about just giving him something and thats that he'll have to eat it but he just starve himself. It's almost like he doesn't like the hardness, but we will only feed him dried food, no meat please! He's just not a foody dog, not to fussed about treats either, he'll eat them when he's good and ready! I would really like to feed him working dog food as, apart from the attractive price, he is so active and fit he is pure muscle and we think he could do with that little bit extra, he also tends to loose wait quite easily. Never thin but just not quite up to weight. Was thinking maybe one of the horse feed brands that do dog food, like baileys etc? Thats actually the only thing he really like - he steals my horses baileys feed balancer!! And there carrots, only cos it's not his of course! He also smells my mom eating arrange 10 miles away! He looks suprisingly good on Bakers but it can't be doing him any good! Any suggestions? Also, most working stuff comes in big bags and we don't want to buy a massive bag to throw away!!

 

[Maesfen]

Do you have any Kennelgate stores near you? Our nearest is Shrewsbury, 22 miles away but they do a complete that our dogs go wild for! It's called something like Working Complete, Breeder Pack (15kg) If you pm me your address I'll send you some down to try if you like. Better still, it is only £7.50 a bag!

 

[pocomoto]

Sorry you will probably hate this post but it sounds to me like your dog is crying out for variety and is hooked on the salt content in the soft dried food, just like McDonalds!

I feed raw mostly bones and like you was dead against it originally, trusting my vet and the dog food companies, till I lost a dog through intestinal cancer and it opened my mind. I was horrified when I researched what was allowed into dog food without regulation and in the last 10 years no commercial food has gone into a dog of mine!

My dogs love fruit and one will pick his own Blackberries, they also have vegetable meals once a week with carrott and usually in season greens of some kind, blitzed in a food processor with cold pressed oil and eggs and they love it.

But even if you are dead against raw feeding think about cooking your own dog meals, use google to get some recipies, it will be a lot better for the dog than dried food and will probably increase appetite. I really wouldn't want to eat crackers every day for life.

The biggest problem is getting away from the idea that a dogs diet must be balanced at every meal. If you pick a week in which to feed a bit of everything and don't overcook the food I think your dog will eat most of what you prepare.

It's always a problem with one dog as there is no competition and they become a bit fussy, thats when you have to say its that or nothing. One of mine would not eat fish when an only dog but they both devoured a sea bass each tonight for tea and it didn't touch the sides.

 

[Oneofthepack]

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but we will only feed him dried food, no meat please!

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Why no meat?

Just wondering as you could make his food much more palatable by cooking up a 'porridge' of chicken mince and grated carrots as he likes them, keep it in the fridge and mix a couple of tablespoons with some boiling water to warm it up and make a gravy, then soak a good dry food or working dog mix for a couple of minutes to make it tasty. Or likewise if you are really anti meat then open a tin of sardines in oil and mash one up with some warm water to soak his feed. The opened tin will keep in the frdige until you've used all 3 sardines. If he has bones or chewy toys his teeth will get cleaned that way instead of the hard food.

 

[welshies]

Thanks for the replies both, something to think about. When i said no meat, i ment tinned dog food, i dread to think what is in it and when he has to have it at families houses etc it up sets him. Plus there is his teeth, you say treats will to it but he does have many treats as he never wants anything. I agree with vriety, but again this upsets him. I don't agree he s hooked on the salt etc as he has always been funny about food, since he was 8 weeks. He'll love somehing for five minutes, thn all of a sudden it's like you're poisoning him! He also won't eat soaked dry food.