My pup is losing interest in dry food.

My four month old lab mix pup skipped a few meals of dry kibble. I tried to get him to eat some out of my hand. He would put the kibble in his mouth and then he would drop the kibble on the floor.

I started to put some fish oil on the kibble and he seemed more willing to eat then but that trick only worked a couple of times. My wife put leftover juice from a cooked ham on the kibble and he ate all the kibble. A coworker told me to mix in some wet/canned food every other day. She recommended Pedigree Little Champion food that comes in a pouch. I mixed that with the kibble and he devoured the wet food, ate some of the kibble but left most of the kibble.

Should I mix in canned food with his kibble every other day as she suggested? Should I buy a different kibble? I am curently using Royal Canin Medium Puppy Food(kibble). Is there tastier kibble out there? Should I buy Salmon Oil to drizzle on the kibble? Is it possible that his teeth are hurting him and the kibble is hard to bite into?

Thanks!

Could be teeth?!

But I think that the food you are feeding is NOT good!

I would try some of these foods.....and also try feeding all Raw/canned food.

Canidae is a VERY good food
Eagles Pack is also a VERY good food
Innovo too!

And I think that all these foods come in a Raw form!

I would definitely try a higher quality food. Anything without corn especially!! Innova and Nature's Variety: Prairie seem to be very palatable.

Or take the plunge and feed raw. It's worth it and only a fool dog turns down raw meat

He is at his prime teething stage - those baby teeth are going to start falling out and his poor mouth is probably hurting him something awful.

I would avoid adding anything to his food, as you may be on the way to creating a finicky dog.

Instead, I'd soak it with some lukewarm (not hot) water to soften the kibble and make it easier for him to eat.

Frozen bananas are GREAT for teething puppies - it soothes the gums and they are tasty, but they can be messy so watch out for that.

I agree with shadowfacedanes. Don't give in to the puppy's pickiness. I know it is tough (we have a picky puppy), but it will help you so much in the future if you just let your dog skip meals.

Yesterday, our 7-month old puppy didn't eat his breakfast (complete with salmon oil, ground flax, and water). After 1 hour (far too long to offer food), I picked it up and thew it away.

That night, he joyfully ate his Innova adult dry without anything added to it.

You might try different kibble, but I would check his teeth out, and maybe have a check-up with the vet just to be safe. Ultimately, though, he'll eat when he gets hungry enough.

Thanks for the reponses.

I tried to switch him to Canidae kibble but he didn't like it. What brand is known for good taste?(and healthiness)

So, should I stick to dry food(with added water) for now or switch to canned?

stick dry. we use nuetro

Dirk,

We fed Canidae for a long time and at first, my dog liked it. Then, he was kind of mildly amused by it, and eventually he was repulsed. He would smell it and walk away. At first, we would throw some things in his food to make it more palatable for him, but eventually we noticed he would sit and wait for us to add things. If I pretend to add something, that would make him more interested, as well.

We tried being tough and taking the food away after 20 minutes if he didn't eat it. He got the point, and he loved his Canidae again and ate it at every meal. When we started supplementing salmon oil, he went crazy for it.

Eventually, he fell back into a picky phase and decided he didn't like it anymore. Once again, he would wait for us to either add things or "pretend" to add things. We decided it was time for a switch.

We switched to Innova adult (green bag) and he loved it...at first. Now, 2 weeks after feeding the Innova, he isn't really interested in it. It's the same routine as the Canidae--he waits for us to pretend to add things. As I mentioned before, we held out a few days ago and threw away the food (with salmon oil) that he didn't eat. He loved his dinner and he has been pretty good about eating in a timely manner since that.

If you switch your dog's food just because he doesn't want to eat it, then you're going to be at the mercy of his pallate. Even if you change to something that he really likes at first, he probably won't like eating it every day.

I suggest you stick with Canidae (either dry or canned) and let him work his pickiness out on his own. If the puppy weighs above 10 pounds skipping a meal isn't going to hurt him at all.

A few things that you should take into consideration:
-Our dog eats his food much more happily if we scrub his bowl right after feeding. (Rinsing doesn't usually do the trick--we have to wash it really well)
-Is your dog thoroughly exercised? Our dog is usually hungrier after a TON of exercise (not just a 30 minute walk--I mean serious exercise).
-Do you keep your dog food in the bag or in a plastic container? Foods can go stale when kept out of the bag and some dogs are very sensitive to that.

Good luck!

Herschel, thanks for taking the time to write your experience with food pickiness. It is very helpful information.

Last night, I bought a small bag of Castor & Pollux puppy food. I decided to buy the healthiest(hopefully) brand on the Petco shelf. I was tempted to buy Natural Balance but all they had was the all life stages food and I thought that puppy food might be tastier. I'm not sure why I think that.

My pup seems to like Castor & Pollux. He ate it out of my hand when I opened the bag. I then mixed the Castor & Pollux with Royal Canin to transition the change. He nibbled the Castor & Pullox out of the mix and left pretty much just the Royal Canin. I think I will stick with Castor & Pollux because it looks like a very good food.

Is Castor & Pollux highly rated? I heard the name mentioned a few times on this board so that influenced my decision.

Dirk, did you buy the C&P "Organix" or the "Ultramix"?

The Organix is a really nice food, the Ultramix (sold as a Petco Exclusive) is nice but totally overpriced compared to other brands that include similar ingredients.

If Petco is your only choice when it comes to shopping for food and the price doesn't matter, it's definitely okay, but if you have independent pet or feed stores nearby, check out what they have to offer.

Mordy, I bought the Ultramix. Petco is right around the corner from me. I would be willing to drive for a better food/price. I'll look around for the Organix. Thanks for the tip.