# He's suddenly decided he hates his kibble



## azzure (Dec 10, 2011)

Duffy (age 3) has always been an unenthusiastic eater. I was feeding him Costco premium kibble, with chicken or hamburger mixed in, but ran out one day and since Costco is 45 minutes away, I bought a small bag of premium Rachael Ray Nutrish food at the supermarket. He loved it and chowed down the small bag, plus a couple more 12 pound bags since. 

Suddenly yesterday he's decided he hates the kibble. He will eat the meat around it; is still very happy to get table scraps and teeth cleaning chewies, but won't touch the kibble. He will eat it if I hand feed him!! Don't know what to do now. Are there any brands of kibble that Goldens are guaranteed to love?

Thanks for any ideas.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Some dogs like and will do great on a particular brand and formula while others will not. 
For example my boy does not do well on chicken or other sources of poultry. The food I feed him the protein source is salmon and he also does not do well on corn. The food I feed also does not contain wheat, corn or soy. 

I also do not feed him any table scraps or add anything to his food with the exception of some fresh fruits and vegetables occasionally, basically whatever is in season. I don't give him any fruits or veggies that are on the list that are harmful to dogs.


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## Zee9 (Dec 21, 2016)

Ours did something similar when we gave him some sausage and liverwurst. He threw that tantrum for 2 days. We just stopped with the Sausage treats and he’s back to normal. Adding some salmon oil might help. 


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Zee9 said:


> Ours did something similar when we gave him some sausage and liverwurst. He threw that tantrum for 2 days. We just stopped with the Sausage treats and he’s back to normal.....


This is 100% the answer. Duffy is a healthy Golden Retriever in his prime. (If you have any doubts, take him to the vet for a checkup and blood panel to set your mind at ease.) He will not starve himself to death. 

Purchase a good quality kibble for him (do a little research if you have any reservations, I give my picky eater Purina Pro plan sensitive stomach - there are no guarantees about dog food for any picky eater) and *stop *feeding him people food, stop hand feeding him and quit worrying about his lack of eating completely. No treats, no people food for a couple of days. Just his kibble. Put it down, give him 15 minutes to eat it and then take it up. Offer it again at the next meal. Repeat. Dogs are ok to go a couple days without eating. It won't last. Remind yourself that your Golden is better off than a little too lean than a little too heavy. Again, consult the vet on his weight, he can probably lose a pound of two without hurting him.

Duffy would prefer to eat people food to dog food. Do not feel guilty. On his own, he would be eating deer poop and road kill so a little kibble won't hurt him  My Collie is exactly like this and I have taken to feeding him only once a day which works well for him, I think he is good and hungry when meal time rolls around and we rarely have issues.


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## azzure (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks for the good advice. I actually think this may in fact be a "tantrum", brought on by Thanksgiving turkey and ham treats. He is absolutely healthy and raring to go otherwise.


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## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

My puppy went through a phase where he didn’t want his puppy food after getting some food out of my older golden’s dish. I did pretty much the same thing. After a couple of days, he was back to his own food.


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## azzure (Dec 10, 2011)

Duffy is eating his kibble again. Obviously he was conning us!


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## Jnoel21 (Sep 20, 2017)

Mine goes through spells of kibble tantrums and I tried to just stick to my gun about it. They aren’t going to starve themselves as another poster stated. I have tried almost every high quality kibble on the market so I know it’s just my Bridget being a PITA! I try to limit the table food because once they have that - the kibble obviously doesn’t look as good. Can’t really blame them


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