lost interest in food

Hi everyone wonder if I could have some help please, Harley is 13 weeks old and has been on wainwrights dry food since we had him he seemed really keen at first and I made it interesting by getting a bag each of the different flavors and alternating them each day.
The last few days he is fussy with his food and only picking at it when he feels so i tried to make it more inviting by adding a bit of mackerel and the oil and he wolfs it down but I cant help think I have made it worse as he expects it all the time and will turn his nose up when its plain. anyone else have this problem? also he loves to have a raw egg on the kibble from time to time which again he wolfs down just want him to get the nutrients he needs to grow.

thanks

Yeahh I get the problem sometimes, I normally take it away if they dont eat it and give it them later in the day or even the next, makes them realise theres nothing else haha,
but he is younger than my dogs, maybe mixing abit of wet food in with the dry each day?

ok thanks for the help, can anyone suggest any good wet food to mix in? and would it still be ok 1-2 times a week to feed some oily fish?

cheers

They do pedigree pouches in home and bargains for puppies, its about 39p a pouch and they are good and yeah oil fish is good especially sardines

We add a little cooked cooled chicken to Rockys kibble which also makes it a bit more interesting for him, sardines are great too.

Sorry have never fed Rocky a wet food as it is mainly water anyway.

Hannah&Michael UK wrote:They do pedigree pouches in home and bargains for puppies

I'd stay away from Pedigree, not great food at all.
I too had this problem with Zeus and found mixing different things made him eat it up. Along with the Wainwrights dry, they also do Wainwrights wet trays, which I used to mix in.
You can also mix in fish oil and doggy gravy.

I moved Zeus onto raw food about a year ago and haven't had this problem since, he scoffs every bowl ,every time.

Dont give ur dog pedigree its all soya it offers no nutritional value at all natures menu is really good here are some foods you can look at .
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/natures-menu-pouch-junior-dog-food-with-chicken--lamb---rice-300gm
http://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/merch-groups/merch-groups/natures-harvest/natures-harvest-puppy-complete-dog-food-with-chicken---rice-395gm
These foods are 95% meat the rest consists of rice and vegetables.

Thanks all great advice

Ur welcome you pay a bit more for the good stuff but its better for your dog in the long run

Theres nothing wrong with pedigree pouches as a mixer, too high protein dog food if not weighed and your dog isnt exercised right can lead to joint problem because high protein content makes dogs put on weight, best dog food you can get is eukanuba its expensive but the best, I also find purina salmon and rice a good dog food, also some dogs end up with upset stomaches if the protein content is to high.

what exactly is right with pedigree dog food as a mixer? its full of soya it shouldn''t be sold as a dog food in my opinion. if you arent giving your dog regular adequate excercise you shouldnt have a dog in the first place.

There is nothing wrong with soya, soya ends up as tofu, so I serious doubt your opinion, there fore as a mixer there is nothing wrong with it, its actuallybetter to give your dog than raw/canned or cooked fish, and not everyone gives there dogs adequate exercise as 20 minutes for a dog off the lead is adequate a day by the rspca

well actually if you want to waste your money on a food that offers absolutely no nutritional value and ends up on the grass 2 seconds later, thats your business. i dont come here for arguments just to offer my advice.

Well your advice isnt very good in this case is it. Nothing wrong with soya and as a mixer neither is wet dog food to get your dog back eating amd mixing dry high protein puppy food with high protein wet food can give the dogs diahorrea

This from the American Journal of Veterinary Research.
Just fyi


"The soybean contains large quantities of natural toxins or "antinutrients." First among them are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion. These inhibitors are large, tightly folded proteins that are not completely deactivated during ordinary cooking. They can produce serious gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer. Soybeans also contain haemagglutinin, a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together. Trypsin inhibitors and haemagglutinin are growth inhibitors."

I find sardines work really well as does salmon oil.

High amounts of cooked, canned or raw fish can cause a dogs death.

This is the latest research by the hills in 2012 Fyi
''As is often the case in nutrition, what's good for people is also good for pets. Despite the attempts of researchers to prove a link between soy and bloat, no studies to date show this link. Rather, breed, body type, weight and stress level are significant risk factors.5,6 Our research, and the research of others, continues to show that soy products are a superb source of bodybuilding protein, coat-nourishing vegetable oil and healthful fiber for dogs''.

And this is there research for people when it comes to soya
''Soy products are used in a variety of human foods including baked goods, breakfast cereals, pasta, beverages, meat and dairy products. In people, diets high in soy are believed to reduce the risks of heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. Soy products also contain isoflavones (antioxidants), which researchers believe to be a potential weapon in the fight against cancer.2''

I run my dogs every week 5 plus miles and do in excess of two hours pulling each day. they are athleates in every sence of the word. they dont burn carbs or soya they burn fat and fat alone. i use Kronche Pemmikan bars so they run and burn without risk of bloat and thats in in excess of 3000 cal of fat yet both are lean. carbs and or soya are what they shite out and is no use whatsoever to dogs. dont confuse a dogs digestion with that of a human, its wildley different. my dogs mean the world to me and I depend on there health and fitness to get me out of some very tricky situations in a race.

Hannah&Michael UK wrote:Well your advice isnt very good in this case is it. Nothing wrong with soya and as a mixer neither is wet dog food to get your dog back eating amd mixing dry high protein puppy food with high protein wet food can give the dogs diahorrea

i didn't actually state to mix high protein biscuits with high protein wet food oh and btw you spelled diarrhoea wrong

Hannah&Michael UK wrote:Theres nothing wrong with pedigree pouches as a mixer

I'm sorry to say but there is, and it's proven. I don't think this forum is the place for personal opinions on things like this, that's for people to make themselves, we should only be stating facts.

Here's a breakdown of what's in one of these pouches:

Pedigree Puppy pouches (Lamb & Rice):

Ingredients:

Meat and Animal Derivatives (Including min. 4% Lamb), Cereals (min. 4% Cooked Rice), Oils and Fats, Derivatives Of Vegetable Origin, Vegetable Protein Extracts, Minerals.

Definitions:

"Meat and animal derivatives" is a generic term that covers all animals and parts such as heads, feet, guts, lungs, hair, feathers and wool! This term can be used to hide undesirable ingredients and allows the manufacturer to change the meat source from batch to batch to whatever is the cheapest available at the time of manufacture. Meat and animal derivatives are used in many successful pet foods because most consumers don't know any better

"Cereals" is a term used to cover many different grains used in pet foods. When you see this as an ingredient, it means that you cannot be certain what is actually in your dog food because they are not using a "named" ingredient. This allows manufacturers to use the cheapest grain available at the time of manufacture and this can change batch to batch

"Derivatives of vegetable origin" is a generic term used to describe by-products of vegetable origin. This is yet another term that is commonly used in pet foods that covers many different ingredients so that pet food manufacturers can use the cheapest available.

“Oils and Fats” Animal fats are a mixture of fats rendered from different animals. The source of these are diverse and include restaurant grease and factory by-products. The mixture of different animals makes it hard to avoid particular ingredients if your dog has an allergy or intolerance. First you can never be sure which animal fats are present and secondly they can vary batch to batch so that even if your dog can tolerate it, this could be different in a later batch of dog food. Always look for a product with a named fat source i.e. Chicken fat or lamb fat.

Now, compare this to something like James Wellbeloved pouches:

Lamb meat (min 26%), rice (min 4%), peas (min 4%), carrots (min 4%), sunflower oil, sugar beet pulp, linseed oil, calcium carbonate, seaweed, alfalfa, Potassium chloride, tomatoes.

Don't think it needs an explanation..
I know which I'd feed my dog.. Minimum 26% actual meat compared to minimum 4% meat derivatives? Actual vegetables included instead of derivatives... don't think I need to go on.

As a mixer its healthier than giving canned, raw or cooked fish, that was my point and being honest a lot of canned dog food high in protein gives puppies diahorrea and my other point was soya isnt bad for dogs and that fact is given by the hills who actually fund the American veterinary medical academy

I think the difference of opinion has run it's course on this thread.

We are all entitled to our opinions on what food is best but this arguing over who's right and wrong is going to end with someone saying something and everything escalating.

In order to maintain some harmony can I remind users to respect the opinions of others even if you disagree. This thread is now locked.