# Hates Kibble



## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

Hey,

Just got a new puppy about a week ago - 3 months old. For some reason, he seems to HATE kibble and prefers moist food.

We got a bag of Nutram from the breeder - that is what he used to eat there but since he has been with us, he seems that he would rather starve than eat that. We also tried feeding him with Nutro small breed/puppy but to no avail.

When we experimented with canned Medi-Cal and Nutro, he ate that! I have even tried moistening the kibble with a little bit of water and that does not work. If we mix the kibble with a little bit of canned food, he licks the kibble but does not consume them...

Any suggestions?


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Is his weight normal for his age?


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## Ninja (Nov 1, 2010)

I am HAVing the same problem. My dog gets so stubborn with food and will not eat kibble for days. I have brought him to the vet so many times to rule out any medical problems and he always came back with a clear bill of health. I actually had to cook up chicken for him and mix it with the kibble in order for him to eat. I think we have created a picky eater. He holds out even longer now :nono: Anywho I want to follow this thread to see what people say.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Ninja said:


> I think we have created a picky eater..


I think you have too :biggrin1:
They're so sweet and cute that it's hard not to spoil them.


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

We took him to the vet for his second shot of vaccinations - 3 days ago, and his weight was 2.8 kg...close to 6 lbs.

Ninja, it's so frustrating!! I am assuming that the kibble is better for his teeth...we have been keeping in touch with his breeder and she initially said that it was not a big deal and he would not starve...then today, she said to just feed him whatever he was willing to eat and that she had no idea why he was not eating kibble...she suggested taking it away for a few days and then introducing it to him again...

Did he eat his kibble when it was mixed in with chicken?


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## Ninja (Nov 1, 2010)

Jan, you are sooo right lol  

He did eat his kibble when we mixed it with chicken. We honestly struggled for months. Taking his food away made me feel so bad. The vet told us he was at a healthy weight and we should not worry but he still felt very skinny. So I started gradually changing brands of his food, trying out many commercial brands until I finally learned about the healthy organic foods. When I mixed chicken with the commercial brands he would simply pick the chicken out of the bowl and eat only that. THEY ARE SO SMART! Currently we are feeding him the Solid Gold Wee Bits. We add some white meat chicken to it and mix it well and now he eats both the kibble and the chicken. This food does have some grains I think and I will be looking for something else after this bag but for now that's what he's eating. 

I read online if you warm the food it may be more appealing to your dog because it brings out the aromas. Or if you add chicken broth to it they might seem to like it more.

These did not work for me but maybe it's another option you can try. I know how stressful it can be. :frusty:


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

My suggestion is to stop trying to please him- and simply feed him.
Offer the dry kibble 3x a day- breakfast, lunch and dinner. Leave the food out for 20 min- then pick it up until the next meal. He gets NO treats, no chicken, no chewbones etc. At the next meal, do the same.
Right now he is 'holding out' until something better comes along. He will eventually get hungry and eat- this can take 2-3 days. Do.not.give.in.
Trust me it will work!! I used to have a very very picky eater- she now eats her meals when they are put down.


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

I will definitely try the suggestions...btw, how old is your pup? I'm just looking up online any other reasons why they would not eat their kibble and puppies in the midst of teething can be a reason...mine is only 3 months...


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

MopTop Havanese,

I agree with you...he might be taking the food for granted because it is always there. I just have to get over the feeling of being a horrible mother by taking away his food...are you sure he won't starve?


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

I have 2 thoughts about this. If the bag is a new bag of food and wasn't opened and he hadn't been given any of it before, it could be bad food. I found that out the very hard way when my dogs refused to eat out of a new bag of the food that they had been eating for some time. I got stubborn and told them it was that or nothing....oh boy was that a mistake. One dog wound up in the doggie hospital for a couple of days and the standard poodle wound up sick as a dog. uke:uke: She threw up from the bottom of her toes and I'll never touch another product Ellen Degeneres has any part of.
The second thought is that our dogs can wrap us around their paw and demand 'better' food...usually OUR food and they learn after a few days that being picky will either get them their way or your way.
Havanese are not prone to an illness from low blood sugar from not eating so a couple of days shouldn't hurt your dog.
If this puppy has been eating that brand of food and doing well on it then I would throw the bag of food in the trash if it hasn't been opened and get a new bag and tell him to get over it and eat when he's ready. I'd also have the vet double check him to make sure all is well


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

Ninja said:


> Jan, you are sooo right lol
> 
> :


Be careful with chicken broth. There's a lot of salt and fat in it.
So he's a little spoiled....that means he's loved. Heck, I like to be spoiled too :biggrin1:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Some of this could be teething related, they are at that age where the kibble might hurt to eat more so than the wet food.

I've done the picky eater dance and its pretty common for this breed, I've actually home-cooked for my dog for almost 3 years and there are days she will refuse chicken or steak w/ rice, but they will eat when they are hungry enough.

And water is more crucial for survival, if they are drinking normally, thats a good sign

Kara


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

fazillas said:


> MopTop Havanese,
> 
> I agree with you...he might be taking the food for granted because it is always there. I just have to get over the feeling of being a horrible mother by taking away his food...are you sure he won't starve?


Listen to Katie... He is training you. You've got to change the dynamic. Healthy dogs, even puppies, WILL NOT starve themselves.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Thumper said:


> Some of this could be teething related, they are at that age where the kibble might hurt to eat more so than the wet food.
> 
> I've done the picky eater dance and its pretty common for this breed, I've actually home-cooked for my dog for almost 3 years and there are days she will refuse chicken or steak w/ rice, but they will eat when they are hungry enough.
> 
> ...


OTOH, many puppies WANT to chew like maniacs when they are teething. I figure if they can chew the chair legs, they can probably handle kibble. :wink:


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

I have noticed that he has been chewing and gnawing on stuff a lot...and pretty intensely so maybe teething is part of a problem?

I am confused as to what to do about that...should I feed him his canned food or try with the kibble (because kibble is hard, would it not be more relieving for his ache than canned food)?

If I do go for the kibble, should I continue taking it away after 15-20 minutes of not eating?

As for drinking, he does not seem to be drinking a lot but I am assuming that he must be be because he does pee quite frequently.


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

Dog food sounds and smells so amazing...why would anyone refuse it...? Come on, Steak and Rice? Chicken?


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Good Morning! 
The chocolate pup in my avatar is 4 1/2 months. He isnt the picky one- in fact that boy loooooves to eat- he is my rolie polie olie!!
Trust me, they wont starve- It's YOU that has to be strong and NOT give in AT ALL---:biggrin1:
If you are truly worried, you can take the pup to the vet and have a full blood pannel done and ask for a bile acid test also. If they have liver shunts that can cause them not to want to eat because it makes them feel yucky when they do.
But it sounds like you have a healthy picky pup! :biggrin1:


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

Eli is 5 months old and I give him 1/3 cup dry kibble and mix in a teaspoon of warm Wellness puppy food 3x a day. I put the food down for about 20 minutes. He usually eats 1 - 2 times a day, rarely 3 but I still give him the food because he's little. He starved himself for a few days a couple of weeks ago but went back to eating normally - for him. Honestly, a lot depends on his activity level and how much training we do. I normally don't give him a lot of treats (maybe a very, very small dog biscuit a day). 

I would echo what others have said. Put the food down, leave it for awhile, take it away until next time. Make sure he gets enough exercise and if you can't get out for a long walk, play or train with him for awhile. He will not starve himself. Good luck!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

*Maddies Mom*

Maddie is the same way with her food. We started her with the food the breeder sent us home with a chicken based formula. Bob wanted her to eat a different kind another chicken formula. Then I learned about not having meal in the food now she eats kibble that I hope is good for her. Blue buffallo. She was about ten weeks old when I was worried she wasn't eating. During my food study I found Halo chicken stew and it is sold in small cans like the size of cat food. The pet store gave me a free sample I only put about 1/4 tea spoon in with her 1/4 cup dry and she ate the whole bowl full . Before that it would take her all day to eat her food. I had tryed taking the food away after 20 min for several days. . The small can lasted a week. I found out that it should be eaten with in three days. So now I make her her own wet food I stewed a chicken ( after we ate our share) and made like puppy soup. I did not add salt. I took what I cooked and cut the chicken really small. Then spooned the soup in to ice cub trays. After it was frozen I put each cub in separate sandwich bags. I micro wave the frozen cubs for about 30 sec and mix it in the kibble . 
I really like her eating the whole meal all at once it makes house training so much easier


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## rokipiki (Oct 15, 2010)

Roki was a pup who was so impatient to get his bowl that he was barking all the time I was preparing the food for him. Kibble plus a little yogurt od a teaspoon od wet food. Problems started when he was four and half months old - he was teething and my mother came to stay with me for a while. She was so sory for "poor little puppy" who is eating that horrible kibble. When I was at work she gave him more and more wet food. It took him a week to became fincky. I tried everything - changing his kibble, bribin him with delicious human smoked turkey, changing his kibble again, adding soup, heating wet food and mixing it with kibble... it went on for months because my mother couldn't stand to starve her littel friend. 
Two weeks ago I decideed thet he will get kibble and when he eats up his kibble, he will get a spoon of wet food or a teaspoon of fresh goat cheese. And nothing else. After three days he realized that being hungry is not fun at all. My vet said that dogs can go without food for days, but that they will not starve themselves to death (cats might starve themselves). Try to give him some B-compex vitamines. You can't overdose. I also realized that the size and form of kibble matters to some dogs. Roki likes eating smaller bits. Right now he is on Royal Canin mini adult (triangular bits). I give him Orijen Regional Red as treats. he loves that but won't eat it from his bowl - maybe they are too big. 

Marina&Roki


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

krandall said:


> Listen to Katie... He is training you. You've got to change the dynamic. Healthy dogs, even puppies, WILL NOT starve themselves.


Couldn't agree more..it's very easy to be trained by these little furby's....Kipling started getting a sprinkle of parmesan on his kibble to encourage him to eat...when it wasn't there he refused the kibble..till the day we ran out of parm for a day....funny...after sticking his nose in the air for a bit....he gave in and now he eats just his kibble. No add's. Twice a day - 1/4 cup. All is fine and regular.

Does he get treats? Yep....cheese stick...yep...carrot..yep...but at meal time it's kibble and he's eating it.

Part of this is a decision for you - how complicted do you want feeding to be? It's one thing when you're at home but when you take your dog with you on a trip, do you want to be in a position of packing food and warming it etc? Kibble is much easier...


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

krandall said:


> OTOH, many puppies WANT to chew like maniacs when they are teething. I figure if they can chew the chair legs, they can probably handle kibble. :wink:


Sure, they certainly can chew, but I guess I was looking at it from the angle of when their teeth hurt a certain way, they just don't want to eat..

I know if my teeth hurt, i'm less likely to want to chew anything...but, then again...I don't think pain is a constant during teething, it probably comes and goes, like infants when they have bouts of crying and in seemingly pain one minute, but an hour later, they are chewing on frozen waffles, lol

Kara


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## Feisty (Nov 20, 2009)

Okay this has been a subject I've had to deal with a lot. Ari is a picky kibble guy too. He will go days without eating if he thinks that something better might come along (ie special food in his bowl along with the kibble). With perserverance I can get him back to eating just his dry kibble twice a day at regular times....if my husband doesn't wreck it by adding our meat to his kibble. I have found that if I give him a little bit of chicken or beef from my hand at a time unrelated to his kibble, he's fine. Put it in and I have to start again. 
The trick is to be persistent and just put in the dry kibble. I even leave it down all day and if he gets super hungry and finally eats breakfast right before dinnertime then he doesn't get dinner. He waits until the next breakfast. 

I did try lots of different high quality premium foods in order to find one he liked. He seems to have preferences. He didn't like Nutro and he liked Now even less. I just put him on Blue Mountain and he's gobbling it up as soon as it hits the floor. but the novelty will probably wear off soon. 

Someone mentioned feeding only wet food. I have a friend with a 4 year old miniature poodle who refuses to eat anything crunchy including treats and he has VERY bad teeth! I would stick to dry. 
Hope that helps.


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## Ninja (Nov 1, 2010)

My dog didn't even touch the chicken broth...I guess he knew if wasn't the real chicken ound:


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## Ninja (Nov 1, 2010)

My mother also messed up my pup's normal eating of kibble. So did my grandfather! My mom started cooking up chicken and my grandfather gave him table scraps. I tried to explain to them this is not th way but no one listened. They thought I was crazy for saying he will start to become picky. :crazy: That's why now he' extremely picky. THEY CREATED A MONSTER...a cute monster :biggrin1: 

Honestly once you start changing foods for a dog they will keep holding out for something better.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

On the other hand, if you have time and desire to cook for your pup, why not!!! Bugsy eats homecooked (with a tiny bit of kibble) in the morning and raw at night. Even my two standards eat kiblle with home cooked in the morning (50%50% but the percentage sometimes changes depending on how much home cooked I have) and raw at night. I don't think I would enjoy eating dry cereal my whole life either, and dry kibble doesn't help to clean the teeth, it actually sticks to their teeth if anything. I do agree that whatever you are feeding should be offered for 15 to 20 minutes and then promptly removed until the next feeding. 
Good luck.


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

Hey everyone,

Just got home from out of town and it's past 12. We may have had a breakthrough with the kibble and the little monster. Will update in the morning.

G'night


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## Feisty (Nov 20, 2009)

Ari tried to go so long without eating more than a couple bites of kibble per day for several days at a time, that he would vomit up bile. This was alarming but eventually he got too hungry and he ate the kibble reluctantly. He would watch me make lunches and my breakfast and wait for some. Then if refused he'd just walk away without touching his bowl of kibble. He refused even with canned food on it, in it, under it. It is hard to make them go hungry but they are such finicky eaters that you have to stand your ground and wait them out. Eventually they eat wheat is put in front of them. At 14 months Ari is now quickly eating his breakfast and dinner right away. It took that long to get it all sorted out.


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## fazillas (Nov 3, 2010)

It has been crazy the last few days so here is the update:

We got Orijen and he gobbled it up like crazy...so here I am thinking 'YES! We found the HG of kibbles'...yeah right.

The next morning for breakfast, he wanted nothing to do with it...nope. But he did gobble up his Nutram...and that was the food he hated before we got Origen. So my husband and I just looked at him, then at each other and shook our heads and went on with our day. 

Come that evening and he decided he wanted neither the Orijen nor the Nutram...we even mixed the two kibbles but he stayed away from the bowl. Then, I got a little bit frustrated...okay, very...and took a kibble and shoved it in his mouth and he ate it. After that, he ate all his food...

Now, if I put a kibble in his mouth, he will eat the rest of his food on his own...

Um...weirdo


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

fazillas said:


> The next morning for breakfast, he wanted nothing to do with it...nope. But he did gobble up his Nutram...and that was the food he hated before we got Origen. So my husband and I just looked at him, then at each other and shook our heads and went on with our day.


I feed Eli Orijen too. Actually, I throw away more Orijen than ever gets into him which is a darn shame. He only eats 1 or 2 meals out of 3 per day. It can be frustrating but I see that he's growing normally. I can't feel his bones and he has some serious heft to him when I pick him up so I try not to worry.

I kind of feel that dogs are like kids when it comes to eating, especially when babies and adolescence. Sometimes my kids ate like birds and other times like starving animals. I try to let their appetite guide their eating patterns because they're growing and their bodies know how much fuel they need. I never expected my kids to finish 3 meals a day, so I don't really expect it of Eli.

I'm not sure about changing the kibble every meal or offering him the choice of 2 varieties. It probably plays into his fussiness. I know it's hard but I suggest putting down only one type of kibble at a time. If he doesn't eat it, he'll catch up during the next meal.


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## pixie's mom (Dec 27, 2009)

My youngest has always been picky but she will try and steal food from her golden retreiver sister who is on weight maintenance. The golden finishes hers in records time. We actually split up the portion so she doesn't eat to fast. The havs sometimes go back and forth between each bowl. Some times they eat, sometimes they don't. I leave it down for about 30 min. then pick it up. I stay with feeding them about the same time each day. They always remind me when it's coming up. This also helps me know when it's time to go out to do their businesss.


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## Feisty (Nov 20, 2009)

A couple of pages back in this thread I said I'd switched Ari to Blue Mountain (meant Blue Buffalo) simple ingredients or something for sensitive tummy dogs. Well he was gobbling it up but he was also vomiting regularly. I hadn't made the connection to the food at first but there was no other reason for the vomiting which he was doing almost once a day for a couple of weeks since the day I started the new food (which has salmon as the first ingredient) (by the way he was perfectly healthy in every way - eating and drinking normally, normal energy, normal stools etc). I took him off and started a new food without the gradual switch that is recommended (because of the vomiting I wanted to get it out of his system). The day I switched him the vomiting stopped and it's been a week and no vomiting since then. Feeding this guy has been the most challenging thing to do.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

MopTop Havanese said:


> My suggestion is to stop trying to please him- and simply feed him.
> Offer the dry kibble 3x a day- breakfast, lunch and dinner. Leave the food out for 20 min- then pick it up until the next meal. He gets NO treats, no chicken, no chewbones etc. At the next meal, do the same.
> Right now he is 'holding out' until something better comes along. He will eventually get hungry and eat- this can take 2-3 days. Do.not.give.in.
> Trust me it will work!! I used to have a very very picky eater- she now eats her meals when they are put down.


Great Advice! And worth repeating it!

Dexter was my first dog to love and yes.......spoil. Lots of eating problems before Jack arrived. Once Jack arrived, no more eating problems....you either eat your food or Jack will eat it!

Get another dog! Your dog will eat for sure!

Ok....Dexter will still sometimes want to hold out when dh is in the kitchen and Dexter smells chicken cooking or dh is grilling deer meat and the boys get a whiff.

Dexter has heard this many times......"you need to eat" and now Dexter is really good about going back to the bowl and eating. If Dexter is not hungry, he will not eat and he will eat at the next meal. If Dexter does not want to eat his food, I will attempt to remove after telling Dexter to eat and then Dexter will eat the food. Dexter is two years old now. Dexter is NOT underweight, he could stand to lose about a pound or two.

But, when Dexter was a little puppy, I changed foods too many times trying to get Dexter to eat. It is very hard to ignore your little pup who is not eating. At times, I would take a few pieces of kibble in my fingers and offer it to Dexter and Dexter would eat (to get him started at eating). I did not make it a habit of feeding Dexter from my hands.

Both boys eat kibble that is mixed with about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Homemade Chicken soup. I make a pot of chicken soup and freeze by a heaping spoonful and I take out one frozen portion, microwave to thaw and the portion is shared between the boys. And, the food is consumed within 3-4minutes!

I never had a problem with Jack! From the very beginning when Jack was 
2 1/2 months old, never had a food problem except that he would eat too much food if it was available. Jack would eat all Dexter's food if I let him!

One more suggestion....If you are feeding 3x day, cut back to 2x day feedings.


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