Suggestions on What to Feed My Picky Older Dog

[Can_tFindMyWhip]

I have a Greyhound who is 12. She has always been a picky eater and she has never had normal, erm, poop. Throughout her whole life, she has never been really excited about a meal, and would kind of pick at her food as she pleased, rather than scarf it down like most dogs. The cat frequently finishes her food for her. Currently I have her on some Science Diet Digestive Care and she doesn’t seem to like it. I also don’t like paying for it. My vet seems to have something to gain by only recommending that particular brand, so I am asking you all for suggestions. I’d really like to find some food/diet that she will like because she is getting up there in age and could use some extra weight on her bones.

The only kind of bagged dry food that this dog has ever really liked is the Chef Michael’s stuff that was pretty artificial and gross. She likes wet food, but I can’t find any that agrees with her guts.

I have been making rice and warming up peanut butter and mixing it in with the Digestive Care and she STILL isn’t interested in it. Heck, I’m more interested in it than she is.

[jetsmom]

All 3 of my dogs love Taste of the wild (high prairie formula…bison and venison). It’s a fairly highly rated grain free dog food.

[lauralite]

I had this problem last year with my ancient border collie mix. I eventually had to put her down as her arthritis got so bad she was having trouble walking, but in the last year or so of her life I tried a bunch of different things to get her to eat.

The thing she liked over every other food? Trader Joe’s lamb and rice canned food. That stuff extended her life by a good 6 months, if not longer.

[sisu27]

My mum has a 9yo Doberman and an 8 yo Standard Poodle. Both have struggled with gut issues for years. The Dobe will eat anything and the Poodle is picky. They have been to the vets numerous times. Nothing diagnosed. Been put on ID diet. On expensive Probiotics from vet. My parents lives are all about poop with these 2. They travel a bit in an RV and the dogs are a worry. They wake them up at night having to go out to poop. The most recent kibble they have been on was Now from Petcurean. Previously Orijen/Acana. Nothing has worked.

I have finally, after years of trying, convinced her to try raw. Prepared raw. Easy and less expensive per pound than the kibbles she has fed. Its early days (week 1) but they are FINE. The Poodle had started to pull his own hair out in various locations on his body and looked very itchy. He has stopped that. Normal poops and no vomiting for either. They are excited for their meals…even picky Poodle.

I can’t say its the solution for everything but raw fed dogs are now proven to live longer. Dogs in the 70s lived an average of 17 years. Modern dogs live an average of 9-10 years. Raw fed dogs live an average of 3 years beyond that. Could it be an environmental issue? Maybe but I think food is something I can control that makes a difference.

If thats not something you would be willing to try then perhaps a dehydrated food. Honest Kitchen is awesome and smells good enough for human consumption. All my dogs have loved it.

Adding fish oil can encourage many picky dogs to eat and its good for them.

Good luck!

[yellowbritches]

My picky, picky dog seems pretty pleased with the switch we’ve made to Wellness. She eats it fairly readily most days. I add canned food and hot water to her dinner (I want to see her eat at least one entire meal, and I put her sups in her dinner). Both my dogs (my little one is a bit finicky, too) really dig that. For whatever reason, that does not work for breakfast!

[Can_tFindMyWhip]

Every wet food I have tried has resulted in explosive diarrhea, not matter how gradually I try to introduce it.

sisu27, could you elaborate about what kind of raw diet you use? My cursory research has found a few different takes on it.

[sisu27]

Sure. Preface by saying my Dobes and Jagdterrier had/have iron guts. I have not had to be very careful about introduction/change at all.

Many years ago I started with Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw. It is easy to find and available in Canada (where I live) and the US (Dobe used to come with me to FLA etc). It is fully prepared and complete. I initially started without fasting. Some people will say you must fast for at least 24hrs. Neither of my dogs had any sensitivities to specific proteins so I started with beef and then began to rotate my proteins. One would usually start with poultry.

At one point I provided a grain free kibble meal and then a raw meal. Separate meals entirely. Eventually switched to 100% raw.

A few years ago I sourced out local, smaller companies that sold prepared raw. Far less processed than Nature’s Variety and I like local. Usually organic etc. The 2 companies I buy the most from are: http://www.congoraw.com/
and http://www.bigcountryraw.ca/

Both those sites provide some helpful info.

I feed a basis of prepared meal type raw (rotate proteins) which includes some mashed up fruit and veg (dogs cannot digest cellulose so fruit and veg is best utilized pureed or cooked). I add coconut oil and fish oil. I make my own bone broth and freeze in ice cube trays. A few times a week I offer: meaty bones, chicken necks, duck necks, chicken wings, lamb legs, duck feet. The meaty bones and lamb legs offer recreational chewing (clean teeth) the others are fully consumed. I also make my own fruit and veggie blend (kale, spinach, pear, apple, carrot, blueberry and kelp) which I add at least once a day.

For some dogs I highly recommend adding canned pumpkin (not pie filling - no added anything) at least in the beginning and a pro bio.

I keep tweaking a bit as I go. My dogs knocking on wood do not have health issues. Their coats, teeth, poops are all amazing (as far as a dog poop can go lol). I just lost the Dobe to heart disease but up until his last day he looked incredible. That doesn’t sound like a testament to my regime but he was my 4th Dobe in a row to die from the disease and he was symptom free until 4 days prior to his death. He was 9…my 2 previous males with the disease had died at 8 and 6. I don’t believe he would have lived that long nor that well if not for his overall generally very good health. That disease is a genetic breed issue above anything else unfortunately.

My Terrier impaled herself on a pitchfork and the emerg vet thought she was 9 months instead of 9 years.

Most vets are no help when it comes to nutrition. I have done a TON of research. I previously worked in the pet food industry and do believe kibble is a very poor choice of food.

Honestly I don’t understand most peoples aversion to feeding raw. It is not prohibitively expensive for most, it is easy to buy/feed, it just feels like the right thing to do and so far I can’t argue with the results.

I hope that answers some of your questions. All just my experiences, opinions and findings. If you would like anymore info feel free to ask!

[yellowbritches]

Just a side note…I swear to god, as soon as I posted about my finicky dog, she decided to be finicky again. Just to spite me. She did decide she was hungry this am. :lol: