pulling my hair out

Hi im having real problems with feeding. I started feeding wainwrites dry food from the time that I got sasha and she was fine with it 2 weeks later she refused to eat it so I brought some doggy gravy which she ate a couple of weeks later she refused it again thats when I found this forum so I added sardines which she loved but the last 2 days she has refused it again she has hardly eaten anything I know its not the fish as I resorted to giving her just sardines just to get her to eat something and she gobbled it up so I know that she is hungry. She ate the food when first given to her. Dont know what to do im really worried that she is going to be ill if she doesn't eat. Ive tried taking the food up and giving nothing until the next feed she eats a couple of mouthfuls and then walks away. If I change her food she might do it again and that's not good for her either. Please any info about it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks one stressed out owner

We do have many other owners here who feed Wainwrights with great success and they would recommend it I'm sure. Sorry it's not a food I am personally familiar with, Rocky has Barking Heads which he loves and eats up.

Do you give any other treats or biscuits etc during the day which may be casuing a lack of appetite ?

That's what I thought might be the problem so I stopped the treats completely. Ive come to a block end now and don't know where to go from here

Have you checked her mouth recently she may have a sore tooth, maybe have a check over by the vet

Ive tried adding water to it to make it soft and still refuses

Hi Kathy a quick update just took sasha to the vets to see what they think. The nurse recommended that we go back to basics and just feed her a good quality dry food and nothing else. She recommended royal canin junior which I bought a small bag which is quite expensive but I don't mind as long as she eats to mix with the wainwrites for a couple of days to phase the wainwrites out completely. She also advised that when we are training her to use the food taken from her daily allowance as a reward so shes not getting different food all the time. Will let you know how she goes

Haven't tried Wainwrights or Royal Canin. At the risk of repeating myself, I raised Bacchus on Orijen Puppy until about 5 months but changed to Eden because of supply problems with Orijen ( it's imported from the U.S.) Both foods appear expensive when you compare weight for weight with some other foods but Bacchus weighs 20 kilos and I've just cut him back from 250gr to 230grams a day because he was becoming slightly overweight. This works out at just over £1 per day. Because of the quality, less volume is required.
What the nurse is telling you is correct. If you are feeding a good quality food you need to exercise a bit of tough love. Put the food down, give her 10 mins. and if she hasn't eaten take it away and give her absolutely nothing until next mealtime. Repeat this at every mealtime and I guarantee she will be eating normally within a week. You have done the right thing having her checked by the vet and have ruled out health problems. She has become a fussy eater because she has been allowed to. If you follow the above regime you will save yourself problems, and money, in the future.

Hi reuben you're completely right I was panicking because she wasn't eating rather than focusing on what was best for her should have just got a really good quality food for her even though it is more expensive I guess whats good for one dog isnt always good for another

janfrost489 wrote:Hi reuben you're completely right I was panicking because she wasn't eating rather than focusing on what was best for her should have just got a really good quality food for her even though it is more expensive I guess whats good for one dog isnt always good for another

Didn't mean to suggest you weren't feeding a good food. Wainwrights by all accounts is a good mid-priced complete. I don't think it was the food which was an issue, more her getting into a fussy habit. I was just passing on my own experience with regard to raising puppies. Although Bacchus is my first Staffy I have had dogs for most of my adult life and Staffies are no different from any other breed in that regard. Like myself, you probably love your puppy dearly and wanted the best for her and this led you to do the wrong things for the very best of reasons.
Like you, I have found this forum an invaluable source of information and help with raising, what is to me, a new and unfamiliar breed.

The vet said that wainwrites is fine but some dogs find it very bland and recommended royal canin but I guess she would as they sell it at the surgery I gave sasha a bit of the royal and she ate it fine when I gave her a bit of wainwrites she took it but just spat it back out so she obviously doesn't find it tasty. I have also had puppies before but have never encountered this problem either but then again there is such a wide range of products out there now its hard to choose correctly her dry skin should also clear up once she has a stable diet. So ive been told to stop stressing about her she is 7kgs now and is healthy in every other way so if she chooses not to eat all her food like you advised im just to take it up and offer it again next mealtime with nothing in between

I'm sure if you follow the vets advice things will sort themselves out. We do the same with Rocky in taking the kibble out as treats on a walk and submit it from his daily allowance.

Hi Kathy thats what she told me to do too

Chiquito drove me insane with his eating there for a while ... and I admit there are still some days when I roll my eyes and wonder what all the fuss is about, however I have learned not to stress about it.

As long as the vet and yourself are happy that you have a healthy pup, just keep on keeping on - she will not starve herself!

Chiquito is raw fed, and is still a fuss pot .. has even been known to turn his nose up at a breast of chicken or lamb bone a few times. To keep him interested I feed a variety of meats day to day, but do not give anything different/extra to what he has been offered until he eats whatever he has been given - he may be fussy but I am stubborn, and a grown up human, so I win

I have put her on royal canin pediatric for sensitive tummies and she seems to like it. Fingers and everything else crossed she carries on

Fingers and paws crossed here too  

And here

Hope it works!! Fingers and paws crossed here for you too  x