Labrador - fussy eater?

[I_A_P]

Just a pondering whether any of you have a lab that's a fussy eater? We have managed to get ours on a diet he seems happy with now of a biscuit and cooked chicken.

He had always been picky over food and still now sometimes leaves the odd meal.

We find he's very sensitive as in if hrs had something else other than his food ( even dog treats) he can sick them back up almost immediately. It's not something we have ever had with labs before!

Like I say we seem to have sorted what is right for him but would be interested in any other experiences.

 

[windand rain]

Unusual for labs to be picky but mine is too. She will only eat a small amount of anything and wont touch some things at all. She will eat almost anything you are eating but doesnt like potato of any kind or dog food with potato in it. Doesnt like crisps which I thought every dog liked not that she would get many doesnt like many dog foods prefers cat food and as she only eats a very small amount we do sometimes give her cat food. Wont eat dried food on its own has to have meat and gravy on it the list goes on.
Will go for weeks without eating at all if you dont pander to her eating foibles but then I have never had an animal that you could starve into submission the horses wont eat wet hay, the cat wont eat any cat food not in jelly they are all very definite about it too.

 

[I_A_P]

Interesting, ours seems to be picky over things in the way it makes him ill rather than him just being a fussy eater.

 

[Willeeckers]

Yup, our old girl is very fussy, always has been. She would rather see if anything else is on offer first than eat her food!!

There has been occasions in the past when she would eat if I hand fed it to her, but offer her the bowl and she'd turn her nose up at it

She's got worse as she's aged (now 16yrs) and we have to keep changing what she eats as she will go off something if she's fed it constantly. Some days she wolfs her food down and asks for more, others she barely touches it but is more than happy to be fed treats!

She has always been quirky for a lab, far too clever for her own good and constantly questioning if its worth her while to do as she's asked!! Still love her to bits thou

 

[gingerthing]

My lab has the odd day when she's into whatever you're eating, but wont touch her own food, and until a few months ago she would only eat if I was the one to put the bowl down for her - she wouldn't take food off my OH!

Weeks of him feeding her whilst I was in the room seemed to solve it though and now she will happily settle if being fed by OH

 

[Echo24]

How old is your lab? I've known some get fussy when they hit maturity and older dogs that go off their food.

Do you change his food whenever he stops eating? Some dogs learn very quickly if they don't eat their meal, they'll get something extra tasty instead!

 

[I_A_P]

He's now turning 4, he's always been like it we have never immediately changed his feed as like u say they become wide to it. Usually take it away after a while then put down again at next meal time. It's more that a lot of things seem to make him very sick. Like we gave him a doggy treat at Xmas Nd a couple of minutes later he was sick. He can only seem to stomach his plain biscuits and cooked chicken.