# Finding a food that works...



## RaeRae1706 (Nov 4, 2010)

Sunny has either been on raw or a high quality kibble his entire life. We had another dog that had allergies, so his food was based on that. Before the other dog passed, he was getting pickier about eating, and wasn't finishing meals. After she passed it got worse. Tons of tests have been run and the vet can't find anything wrong. His fur is limp and lifeless, his belly is almost bare. I got av really good coupon for purina. I have never purchased a product from them before, because from everything I read corn is bad, random meat from rendering is bad etc. Well I filled his bowl and he ate with a gusto I have not seen in a long time. Now I have this dilemma about what I know about feeding him and what he seems to want. What would your do? Thoughts/opinions on purina? 

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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

Not eating a good food does them no good, but eating a bad food isn't all that helpful either. I'd see if you can try some samples of food that has acceptable ingredients and see if he likes any of those.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

What kind of Purina is it? I really like Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, and someo f the other Pro Plan stuff as well.

I would rather have him eat than not eat. Once he is eating well and regularly again, you could always try switching him over to a different food. But, if he eats it and his coat begins to improve, it just might be that it really works for him. My childhood poodle lived to be almost 20, eating Purina and Pedigree.

How old is he? How is he apart from the condition of his coat and his lack of appetite? How is his energy level? What do his stools look like?


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

I always have a rotation of dry food (three at the moment), and good rotation of wet foods as a topper. This helps keeps my dogs interested in their food so far.

What brand were you feeding before? I will list a few good foods my dogs love below:

1. Acana Wild Prairie (going to switch to Grasslands a few times a year)
2. Acana Pacifica
3. Merrick Grain Free Real Duck & Sweet Potato

I also use the grain free Merrick and Wellness wet foods as a topper (just a very small amount mixed in), and my dogs love meal time.

Also, Fromm grain free dry foods are good as well. I will add Fromm dry food once in a while to change things up as well.


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## RaeRae1706 (Nov 4, 2010)

His energy was down for a while, but that was when the other dog passed. Now his energy is great. He recently turned 3. His stools are normal, occasionally a tad soft. I have tried merrick, acana, orijen, TOW, diamond, and nutro. If he gets hungry enough he will eat half a bowl (1 cup a day). If I top it with wet food he eats the wet parts and licks the rest. When I poured the purina (smart blend lamb and rice) he came running, wagging his tail and being obnoxius. We did the usual sit and wait until released to eat, and he ran over and gobbled it up. Before this he would be released and walk away from the dish.

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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

I'm a big proponent of great food for dogs. I feed Tayla a mainly raw diet. I think it's her best health option. However, if she wouldn't eat it it won't do her any good. So if you find something that they like, feed it. Just see if you can add a few fruits/veggies to the diet in the form of treats or snacks.


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## goldentemperment (May 16, 2012)

Has Sunny been on raw since your other dog passed? Raw doesn't do much good if you feed chicken to a dog who has a chicken allergy. Likewise, if you feed kibble that has grains to a dog that has grain (/corn) allergy, you'll have problems as well.

Have you ruled out environmental sensitivities/allergies?

If you've ruled out both chicken and corn allergies, and Sunny has had food sensitivity issues with raw, then you might have to go back to the drawing board. Have you tried different proteins (beef, duck, fish, lamb, etc) to see if there's any difference on those?

Good luck. I hope it all works out.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Wow haha sounds like your dog likes junk food (that's what I call Purina...nothing personal on your choice of foods). My cat is the same way too. He got into some other cat's cheap store brand and loves it. He won't eat the high end foods I buy sometimes. 

Purina might have some kind of flavor boost, or something to make it taste better maybe?


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## RaeRae1706 (Nov 4, 2010)

He was refusing all raw, which meant I was picking up sun warmed (I live in Tucson) meat off of the porch. Wasteful and gross  he refused goat, rabbit, venison, green tripe, chicken, beef heart etc. He ate a little if the cats came outside. Almost like he needed competition. On one hand I am so happy he ate, on the other I hate feeding him what I perceive to be crap. 

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## RaeRae1706 (Nov 4, 2010)

I am trying to cut back on his snacks too... my daughter figured out he will sit/down etc if offered carrot sticks, scrambled eggs etc. He wouldnt get much, but enough that I think he should instead he having dog food (meat). 

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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

RaeRae1706 said:


> He was refusing all raw, which meant I was picking up sun warmed (I live in Tucson) meat off of the porch. Wasteful and gross  he refused goat, rabbit, venison, green tripe, chicken, beef heart etc. He ate a little if the cats came outside. Almost like he needed competition. On one hand I am so happy he ate, on the other I hate feeding him what I perceive to be crap.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


 
I tried both Rusty and Melfice (my cat) on raw, and they refused to eat it too. It's funny because they are "carnivores", yet won't eat raw meats haha. I'm going to give raw a try again, but so far all of the raw foods have gone to waste


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## RaeRae1706 (Nov 4, 2010)

When we had the other dog he would wolf down a whole rabbit, no problem. So weird.

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## Tayla's Mom (Apr 20, 2012)

It actually took me several tries to get Tayla to eat anything raw. I started giving her just a little piece here and there. The first time she walked away, the second time she tried it but spit it out. Then she ate it and there has been no going back with her since then.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

Tayla's Mom said:


> It actually took me several tries to get Tayla to eat anything raw. I started giving her just a little piece here and there. The first time she walked away, the second time she tried it but spit it out. Then she ate it and there has been no going back with her since then.


Rusty did the same thing. He would spit out the raw food, and then look at me like: "So where is my real food buddy?!?!" haha

Maybe I need to keep at it, and try again soon


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## Reese9 (Jan 11, 2012)

> If he gets hungry enough he will eat half a bowl (1 cup a day). If I top it with wet food he eats the wet parts and licks the rest.


This popped at me. So if he will only eat canned food, why not buy high quality canned food an only feed that and slowly transition some dry back into the mix?


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

My daughters cat was rescued and ate nothing but Friskies wet and dry. I told my daughter to buy some high end food because she was gaining weight and shedding like crazy. She turned her nose up as the good food and ate little for two days. Now she eats less than half of the junk, lost a pound or two and the shedding is much better. Vet said she was living on Big Macs with the Friskies. The junk is all artificial flavors etc. that why they think it tastes so good.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Melfice said:


> Wow haha sounds like your dog likes junk food (that's what I call Purina...nothing personal on your choice of foods). My cat is the same way too. He got into some other cat's cheap store brand and loves it. He won't eat the high end foods I buy sometimes.
> 
> Purina might have some kind of flavor boost, or something to make it taste better maybe?


 
My two adult Goldens love their junk food-_Purina Pro Plan SSS_, very much and are doing really great on it. 

You'd be surprised how many members are feeding their Goldens this Junk food brand.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Here's a thread you might find helpful-

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ecipes/69410-susan-wynn-dvm-nutritionist.html


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## RaeRae1706 (Nov 4, 2010)

Thank you! He is now refusing the purina also. For two days he loved it and so far he hasnt touched it again. He had a few carrot sticks from the baby today, I wish I could figure this out!

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## Michele4 (Oct 28, 2012)

I would keep him on whatever he was on before ,maybe add a little can food to make it more appealing . I know it's not he greatest thing for them but maybe a chopped up hot dog in the kibble? The goal is to get him to eat. If he does eat it that way every day put a little less of it in with his food.


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## morbidangel (Dec 19, 2011)

*sounds just like nishka ... with only RC EUKANUBA & HILL'S AVAILABLE & She refuseing to eat them all .. it was a difficult time ...

1 MORE THING HOW MUCH exercise IS YOUR DOG GETTING ? could be that after loosing his bud his not getting the physical workout his body needs.. more workout bring more appetite ...

nishka has always been a picky eater , i know times when she would leave raw / cooked chicken just to eat some raw cabbage ..

she hates bananas oranges .. loves pineapple / watermelons .. i feed her home cooked in the morning & kibbles in the night ...

try this recipe - meat of your choice (Lamb,chicken)*
*green beans 
carrot
sweet patato 
& any other vegetable you want
cut them in small pieces (kibble size ) **
now take a pan add some olive oil put the vegetables / add some uncooked rice & some water . A pinch of turmeric (anti-cancerous ) Turmeric For Dogs | Dogs Naturally Magazine .

& let it cook my dog loves it & it's healthy & easy to digest (doggie biryanai )  you can add some yoghurt if you want too ...
*


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> My two adult Goldens love their junk food-_Purina Pro Plan SSS_, very much and are doing really great on it.
> 
> You'd be surprised how many members are feeding their Goldens this Junk food brand.


I would be willing to bet the majority of the members here feed Purina, IAMS, Eukanuba or something similar. It's just that a few regulars post in most nutrition threads who are very passionate about the subject. Most members don't even bother coming to these threads because they are happy with what they feed. 

Nothing wrong with feeding the more expensive brands, but it does irk me when some refer to the more common brands as junk food.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

msdogs we all have our own opinion. i say read the ingredients IN ORDER and compare.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

If you find a food/ brand you are happy with the ingredients, your dog is doing well on, then stick with what works for you and your dog. 

Each dog is different, some dogs will do great on one Brand while other dogs will not. 

I've tried various brands, some much more expensive than the PPP SSS, but the PPP SSS is what works for them so I'm sticking with it.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

murphy1 said:


> msdogs we all have our own opinion. i say read the ingredients IN ORDER and compare.


I say look at the long term track records and compare. I'm good friends with a vet who is convinced through what she has seen in her practice, that the majority of dogs do just as well if not better on the brands I mentioned. And she is in her early 50's, so she has seen plenty of dogs over the years.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

I've had many dogs over my life time. Back in the 90's I had two goldens who ate the foods you mentioned. About five years ago I educated myself on the ingredients in dog foods and was quited horrified to learn I was paying alot of money to feed my dogs corn. My last dog, a dogue de bordeaus and my current dog a golden have been fed Instinct and now Acana. The difference in the quality of muscle and coat I found to be dramatic. Shedding is considerably improved. So yes a dog will survive just fine but IMO do alot better on a higher quality food. Just think McDonalds to Mortons!


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## Medster (May 19, 2013)

I agree with you 1000 percent Murphy. There is only one reason for the use of by-products, animal digest and something labeled animal fat in dog food and that reason is PROFIT.


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## msdogs1976 (Dec 21, 2007)

OK. If you have had good success with the 'better' brands, that's great. But I do have enough sense to know a good healthy looking dog when I see one. My dog is not only surviving, he's thriving. But I'm sure some will just say that is due to good genes. 

BTW, I do believe in balance. I didn't say I'm pro Ol'Roy. I just don't think you have to go to the extreme and pay some of the outlandish prices of the 'premium' products. In fact most pet owners can't afford those. I can, but elect not to. But to each their own.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

murphy1 said:


> I've had many dogs over my life time. Back in the 90's I had two goldens who ate the foods you mentioned. About five years ago I educated myself on the ingredients in dog foods and was quited horrified to learn I was paying alot of money to feed my dogs corn. My last dog, a dogue de bordeaus and my current dog a golden have been fed Instinct and now Acana. The difference in the quality of muscle and coat I found to be dramatic. Shedding is considerably improved. So yes a dog will survive just fine but IMO do alot better on a higher quality food. Just think McDonalds to Mortons!


Yes I switched Rusty to Acana, and I see a difference with his coat and muscles. It was good before, but Acana seems to be a perfect fit for my golden. Before that, he was raised on Fromm and did very good on that too.

Also, I add some Merrick dry food and it's good stuff as well. Thinking of foods and results. My new dog which is a 10 month Brittany puppy (I got her at 7 months), I see a difference with her coat and fitness levels once I switched her to Fromm puppy food. The breeder had Kerrie on Pro Plan Sport, and I changed her over to Fromm within 10 days after I got Kerrie.

Kerrie's coat looks awesome, and she lost some weight on her sides. Now she looks fit and beautiful. Kerrie was not over weight, but now is more lean and fit etc. Next month I will switch her over to Acana, and I'm sure she will be very happy on it...just like Rusty


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> My two adult Goldens love their junk food-_Purina Pro Plan SSS_, very much and are doing really great on it.
> 
> You'd be surprised how many members are feeding their Goldens this Junk food brand.


I feed the junk to my golden and lab too...and they do great on it.


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