# I don't think Hudsen likes his Duck and Sweet Potato Fromm anymore!!



## Blondie (Oct 10, 2009)

Sounds like your picky eater may need a little tough love. I wouldn't give up on the duck and sweet potatoe. It's a fantastic food. Put the food down for 15 minutes and take it up after that. At the next meal time, do the same thing again, placing the food down for 15 minutes. He will eat eventually. I would not put any wet food on top or mixed in, until he is established in the new food routine. I do add green beans and other healthy foods to top off on occassion. I really like The Honest Kitchen for a food topper. You can also use it as a complete meal. It's a dehydrated raw food that you mix with water.


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions! He did eat his food this morning with a little coaxing. I didn't put any Merrick on it...butttt (and I know this is bad) I put a few of his kibbles in my hand and made him sit, then he ate it as a treat, then I put the bowl near him and he ate it all.... But if I were to give him his food, then take it up after 15 mins., he wouldn't get to eat again for 10 hours or so? Is that okay? When I do give him his dinner, do I double it if he never ate breakfast or just give him his 1.5 cups he didn't eat in the morning? 

Thanks,
Jordan


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I'd just give him the 1.5 cups for supper, don't double it as he won't be used to it and it could shock his system, ie diarrhea or vomiting - not fun! Is it just his breakfast he won't eat or is picky about supper too? If he's fussy about his meals in general, stop giving any bones, table scraps, cookies, treats, kongs, etc during the day. I think you have a few options here:

You could try to stimulate his appetite a bit before breakfast. Take him out for a long walk at a brisk pace - no smelling the roses! Wait a half hour after the walk before feeding and see if he wants it. If not, give it the 15 minute rule. Depending on your schedule, either wake up 90 min earlier than normal so he's getting his breakfast at the same time OR if you have time, wake up at your normal time and do the walk so he's getting his breakfast an hour or so later than normal. He could need more time from his supper to feel hungry (especially since from supper to breakfast most dogs don't do as much activity, so a slower metabolism leads to slower digestion and he migt just be too full still in the morning.

Another option would be to use his breakfast kibble as training treats. Do a 30 minute training session with him and use the kibble as reward for his responding to cues. Work on loose-leash walking, sits, downs, increase the length from where you are when giving him cues, stand, stays, etc. 

If he's more interested in his supper than his breakfast, give him less in the morning and more at night. Like 1 cup in the morning and 2 at night so you're not struggling to get him to eat so much in the morning. He could also be done the majority of his growing (he's around a year, right?) and 3 cups might just be too much for him. Usually around 12 months, dogs are done growing taller and spend the next year or so filling out. If he's burning less calories from growing, then he could be eating less to compensate. Especially if it's hot and he's not as active in the day.

All the above looks into why he might not be interested in his food. If you try some of the above and he's still not interested, then it could be just a palatable thing. (I hate to just assume right off the bat that he's not interested because he's picky). Definitely try the walk thing. Nothing like some exercise to stimulate the appetite!

If it a geniunely palatability thing, then you can either stick with the tough love rule of 15 minutes, find a food he likes to eat (which might involve switching foods every few months or so), or continue putting a topping on a meal. It's really up to you - your dog, your house, your decision.

Call me silly, but I think a dog should like what they're eating. If you do all of the above AND the 15 minute rule for a week and he's still not eating, I'd personally switch food. I'd try either the Orijen red meat or the Innova red meat or the Evo red meat. Everything your guy has been eating was chicken or fish - not palatable to a lot of dogs. Ranger was on Orijen 6 fish for almost a year and never turned up his nose so I thought he liked it enough. Then I got him Evo red meat (small bites) and he went CRAZY for it. I could hardly keep his nose out of the bag! (Then I switched to raw - I've never seen him so excited for a meal!) Most pet food stores have samples so you should be able to go and ask for a few. Buy a small bag first and then try mixing it. I know some people feed their dog a few different brands of food and switch it up when the dogs start to lose interest. There is NOTHING wrong with that as long the dog does well on both foods.

Finally, if you want to keep the same food and he's still not eating - toppers can be added. I'd cut it with the wet food though. Expensive plus no wonder he's not eating his kibble! No dog wants dry food when they could have wet. But you did say he was picky BEFORE the wet food was added, which is why I posted all the possible explanations above. Anyway, for toppers - you can add "healthy" items. I used to a crack a raw egg in ranger's kibble a few times a week and mix it around in his kibble, shell and all. If I was making a salmon or tuna sandwhich, I'd drain the water it was packed in into his bowl over the kibble. Some people add a sardine or two (they're very rich so don't add too many!), a tsp of yogurt or cottage cheese. Again, there's nothing wrong with adding toppers into your dog's food if you want to. Just try to keep it as healthy as possible - don't buy the Iams "sauces" or "gravies" that are sold - that's garbage for your dog. 

Hope some of this helps! I'd really look into the reason WHY he's not eating in case there's a plausible explanation. Too much food, not enough exercise before hand, not enough time to digest between supper and breakfast, etc. and then start making adjustments that way. Good luck!


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

I just picked up bags of Pork and Applesauce and Salmon a la Veg for Enzo. I still have a ton of the Duck and Sweet Potato left. My plan is just to switch it up every so often. He'll get one kind for breakfast, another for dinner, and I'll mix them occasionally. I feel like the protein variety will do him some good.


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## kwiland (Aug 27, 2009)

Winnie is fed the Fromm Duck & Sweet Potato food, and he loves it. But Winnie won't eat all of his food at once. He's fed all of his kibble in the morning. Winnie is very precise, enough so that he cracks me up. In the morning, he divides the food in his bowl _perfectly_ in half. And he eats half right away. The remaining half gets eaten during the day, and by night-time it's all gone. I have to giggle at how he rations himself. 

If it were me, I'd not worry. But that's because my dog is kind of odd. Maybe your dog just doesn't want to eat all of his daily food at once. 

Best of luck!


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

If it was me, i would be very carefull, about adding things to his food, or switching around, seems you have a pickie eater , if you keep switching, and cater to him, this will produce a lifetime problem.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Copley is also being very picky about his Chicken Ala Veg Four Star, and he is not a picky dog. I've been feeding Fromm Four Star Chicken Ala Veg for a few months, but I'm not too thrilled with the goldens' coats. It's probably because they usually eat more of a 30/20 protein to fat ratio, and Fromm has less, but I'm not as happy with the food as I expected. (I wish Solid Gold's grown up dog food had the same protein/fat ration as their Hund-N-Flocken puppy (28/14). Do you think there is any crucial phosphorus/ calcium etc differences in puppy food that makes it bad for adults?)


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

What about the surf and turf, grain free, that is 30 percent protein.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

goldensrbest said:


> What about the surf and turf, grain free, that is 30 percent protein.


I do have a bag of Surf&Turf that I use for treats. The kibble is super-small for keeping teeth cleaner- smaller than kitty food. I know many , many dogs do well on grain free foods, but I really like keeping some grains rather than potatos. 

Do you feed Surf& Turf? The dogs go crazy for for it- they love it.

I love that Fromm raises their own chicken etc. Solid Gold is made at Diamond- which stinks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_Gold_(pet_food)


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

My dogs get kibble once or twice a week (they are mostly raw but Towhee needs to be able to tolerate kibble for her seasonal times with the breeder) and they currently have Surf N Turf grain free -- I have to say they are almost as excited to eat the Surf N Turf as they are about the raw food  

BTW: With feeding raw, I need to periodically supplement with potatoes, rice or other grains to keep their weight up, while they are intact at least, but personally prefer to cook it up myself. I think the variety is good. Their previous bag of food was TimberWolf (Wild & Natural) and Towhee came back from 3+ weeks of eating it exclusively with her coat looking really good. Like their regular raw food, I switch the kibble as well -


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

Yes, got all three on surf and turf, spirits poops were loose on totw, the breeder had him on that, so i slowly got him on the fromm, i also have pork and applesauce, kooper, and brodee also get that, not spirit.


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

Thank you so much! Ranger, those are great suggestions. We do walk in the morning before work, and I do notice that he is more inclined to eat after his walk. I guess I've been trying to get him to eat before his walk so that I know he has pooped after eating breakfast. When we walk before breakfast, he won't always poop before I have to leave for work and it worries me that he has to hold it all day until I get home.... Maybe we can start our walk a little earlier, so he has a little more time to poop after breakfast... I think you are right about not being hungry in the morning. I was off of work all summer, so he ate his breakfast later in the morning, now that I'm back to work, he is half asleep when I try to feed him, since it's much earlier. I have to literally call him out of his bed a bunch of times and sometimes I have to go give a little shake and lots of hugs and kisses to get the sleepy puppy up! haha. He comes to the kitchen all sleepy-eyed. hahaha However, when I was working before the summer, he had no problem eating his food the second I put it out. I do notice that he eats breakfast a little faster on the weekends (we sleep in a little, so he gets it 2-3 hours later). I will defintely try some of your suggestions though! I agree with the growing theory... He just turned a year, so maybe his appetite is changing and he isn't as hungry. 

Yes, he is still a little slow to eat at dinner time if it's the duck, but he will eat it within 15 mins of me putting his food down. I never put the wet food on his dinner because I have more time to wait around for him to eat than I do in the morning... I really, really don't want to give him the wet. Great idea with the egg...I've tried yogurt, bananas, green beans, cucumbers, and PB and those both work fine in the AM too! 

Sam, I think I'm going to do the same and switch up the flavors. Good idea to keep different ones in the house. I gave him the whitefish for breakfast a couple times (he loves it!) and have been giving him Duck for dinner. This weekend, I gave him all duck with no toppers, and he did well... I'm really starting to think he just must be too tired to eat in the morning... I definitely can tell that he prefers the fish falvors over the duck though. I give him the Evo Herring Wild Cravings treats and he LOVES those.. so maybe he is just more of a fish guy!

Thanks again everyone. Tomorrow, I'm going to walk him first and then feed him breakfast and see if he is more eager to eat. We'll see how it goes.


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## tjoliver (Oct 17, 2009)

What about trying Nature's Variety? It is specially formulated so that you can easily rotate between flavors like chicken, rabbit, duck. The owner our favorite pet store says her dog loves the variety. I am thinking about switching over to that myself. Good luck with whatever you choose!


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## tjoliver (Oct 17, 2009)

I just realized that my last message sounded like I would be eating the nature's variety haha just wanted to clarify things that I would be switching JP over to that food lol


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## Enzos_Mom (Apr 8, 2010)

The Fromm 4-star line is also formulated so that you can easily switch between them. =)


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## HudsensMama9 (Dec 17, 2009)

Tjoliver, your post made me laugh when I went back and re-read it  Good idea though. Yes, like Sam said, Fromm's flavors can be switched around too. 

Ranger, I walked Hudsen 2.5 miles yesterday morning and this morning, then fed him. Yesterday, he only ate 1/2 cup or so, but then he gobbled up his dinner!! Probably because we took another 2 mile walk when I got home from work. Then a friend called and wanted me to meet her and her dog at the lake, so Hudsen did a lot of running and swimming after dinner as well. He was exhausted! This morning after his walk, he ate his breakfast right away. I think he must have been hungry from all the exercise yesterday. He was a little slow to eat his dinner tonight, but he did eventually. I like your idea of feeding less in the morning and then a bigger dinner..It does seem like he is more eager to eat his dinner. 

Tomorrow he is going to day camp. I really want him to eat breakfast at least an hour before he goes. Wow, I never thought we'd have this issue.. This is the same dog that I had to teach to sit and wait for me to say, "Ok" before he could eat...Otherwise he'd almost knock me over when I put down his food.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

Aw, glad to hear he's eating his meals with a little more gusto! Sounds like he's one of those rare, mythical golden retrievers who can self regulate their intake. Less energy output = less energy intake. Now that he's not using lots of energy for growing, he's not as hungry - which is why he's not knocking you down anymore trying to get to his food!:


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