# Fussy eater!



## Shail Barot (Apr 28, 2017)

Hello All,

I have a 2.5 year old Golden Retriever named Simba and we live in Mumbai. He currently weighs 30kgs (66.1 pounds) and is moderately active throughout the day.

To give a brief background, he has always been a fussy eater as long as it comes to dry food. I started out with Royal Canine Puppy starter pack when he was a kid. He stopped eating it within 2 months after which I switched to the Adult Royal Canine where I tried a sample pack of the Adult as well as the one that was exclusively made for Goldens, after which I ordered the 12kg pack. Once I started feeding it to him everyday, I could barely get him to finish his food and it was an ordeal. So much so that I had to discard away more than half of the 12kg packet. 

He started facing a couple of issues with regards to his skin (post here: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...3-2-year-old-gr-struggling-skin-issues-2.html) which is when someone on the forum suggested that I try out Orijen Six Fish Adult Dog food. It was quite difficult and expensive to source here in India and when I finally did, it was the same story all over again. Till today, I have to literally feed him each morsel with my hands and this would take nothing less than 20-25 minutes, twice a day! The food has done wonders for his skin though. 

I also read on this forum that I should pick up his food within 10 minutes if he doesn't eat it. I tried that too and he didn't eat for 2 days (4 meals). I tried adding cubes of Paneer (Cottage Cheese), lukewarm water (for the aromas to come out), and even adding curd. Nothing seems to get him excited. I have also been portioning out his food exactly as its mentioned on the packet so its not like I'm overfeeding him in the first meal. One day when I took him to my friends place for a Dog Party, he had cooked Chicken with Rice and some veggies for all the dogs. Simba gobbled up almost 400 gm of it in less than 2 minutes and then he went to sleep in one corner with a huge smile across his face. I had never seen him so relaxed after a meal. 

Living in a Hindu household, cooking meat/fish of any kind is a complete no-no which is why I don't have cooking fresh meals as an option. Imported Canned/wet dog food is quite rare to buy online and is insanely expensive. I have been asked to stay away from the Indian counterpart of canned food by my vet as the ingredients used aren't of the best quality.

Could anyone suggest an alternative to what I can try adding to his pellets to make it more appetising? I would not want to add a Pedigree/Jerhigh gravy since that means adding a substandard gravy to some really high quality pellets and Pedigree has got quite a bad name in India (https://petshopindia.com/dog-canned-food-wet-food/pedigree-dog-can-with-chicken-in-jelly-80gm). I could cook a vegetarian meal at home but I don't want to do that cause I know how important protein/meat is to them. 

His daily schedule: His first meal is at 7am after his 20 min walk, a small bowl of curd at 2pm after a brief walk, a Veggiedent Dental Chewstick for his teeth at 6pm after his 45 min walk, dinner again at 8pm and another Veggiedent at 10pm after his 20 min walk. Usually no table scraps, except when he sneaks a slice of pizza when no one is watching. 

Any advice would help. Thanks.


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## tikiandme (May 16, 2010)

I would just try to add some warm water to his kibble and let it soak for a few minutes. That might entice him. Or add a little meat or vegetable broth to the kibble. But it sounds like he is just like many other goldens, spoiled and catered to (like mine is) If a golden can goad his owner into steak, why eat hamburger? I would go back to basics. Feed him his regular portion of kibble, with warm water or broth if you wish, then pick it up after ten or fifteen minutes. Stay strong and don't cave. If he has no medical issues he will start eating when he feels hungry enough.


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## jpalamaro (Apr 1, 2017)

*Misery Loves Company*

I'm at wit's end also as Boomer (near 10 months) has gone from a good eater to not eating unless doctoring his food, and even then he will not finish. This started after a two-week regimen of rice, chicken broth, shredded boiled chicken to help get over his Giardia bout. Truth is, IMO, switching out his at-the-time Royal Canin Puppy chow to the rice/broth/chicken mixture was a very huge mistake which lead to the fussy eating, and now awaiting for something better than kibble. I put down his food twice daily and it breaks my heart as he snubs it. Then I weaken and lace it with something . . . last night a can of Campbell mushroom soup, which he gobbled down. 


I'm going to gut it out and do what most recommend and remove the dish after 10 minutes, and he misses a meal. Other than perhaps I creating this Frankenstein's monster he's healthy, vigorous, and a happy dog.


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