# Lion never eats



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

He is supposed to get a bit over 1/2 scoop of ZiwiPeak per day. Overall, he usually finishes about 1/4 scoop. I no longer offer him food in the morning because he won't touch it. If I give it to him at noon, he sometimes eats that. He will eat his dinner on occasion.

I think he is just being picky- he wants treats and raw meals. I just don't want to add anything into his food until he is eating consistently, because I know he will start holding out for better stuff.

I can tell he is losing weight because I can feel all of his ribs now. I just don't know what to do. The tough love thing is only partially working- he will eat at the next meal if he skipped the previous one, but then will skip a meal after that. He just isn't getting enough food. What can I do?


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

I would stop anything but one food source for the time being. Nothing else until he is eating well. I am dealing with an extremely picky eater right now too and I feel your pain...it SUCKS!


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## Kaila (Nov 10, 2009)

I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I would imagine that a dog's metabolism (like a human's) is most active in the morning. If he's not eating "breakfast," that could impact his appetite for the rest of the day.

Can you start with a meal he really enjoys, like raw food, in the morning instead of later? Then his metabolism will likely be kick-started and he'll probably want to pick at the ZP later in the day.

You can also add fish oil and/or a cheese supplement like DentaTreat to give him some extra calories for the meals he IS eating.


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## Barneys_Mom99 (Nov 27, 2011)

Barney is not an enthusiastic eater either. I do something that helps me know he gets his daily food. Maybe something like this would help you?

I use kibble, and when I measure out my 1/2 cup for the day for Barney, I take some of it and put it in other containers. I keep those in two places in the house (out of reach). Then, during play time usually after meals and potty, I made a big deal about getting the containers down, and we do training time together. We practice come, sit, down right now. He likes to eat the kibble from my hands as a reward. This may be bad from a hand feeding perspective, but I feel like he gets his daily food, enjoys it, and is learning commands. I try to do it near meal time so I don't throw off his pooping schedule.

Good luck with figuring out what will work with your dog.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

Kaila said:


> I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I would imagine that a dog's metabolism (like a human's) is most active in the morning. If he's not eating "breakfast," that could impact his appetite for the rest of the day.
> 
> Can you start with a meal he really enjoys, like raw food, in the morning instead of later? Then his metabolism will likely be kick-started and he'll probably want to pick at the ZP later in the day.
> 
> You can also add fish oil and/or a cheese supplement like DentaTreat to give him some extra calories for the meals he IS eating.


That is a good point, not eating breakfast could keep him from wanting to eat the rest of his meals. Sometimes he gets hungry around 12 and will eat his breakfast then. I would keep him on that type of schedule, but when winter term starts I have to leave at 8:30 am so I can't feed him at 12. 

I will look for a supplement or something to add to get him extra calories... He is so picky, it is so frustrating.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

I feel your pain. Unless its cooked chicken breast axle isn't particularly interested in food. He's just too busy playing and guarding the house, when he's nearby he will take a mouthful but won't eat a whole bowl of food. I've taken to mixing a bit of the chicken breast into his food to get him to eat more coz he was looking thin. He mostly tries to pick it out but he does get some of the other food in while he's at it so I'm taking that as a win.


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## carrieandcricket (Dec 6, 2011)

OzChi said:


> I feel your pain. Unless its cooked chicken breast axle isn't particularly interested in food. He's just too busy playing and guarding the house, when he's nearby he will take a mouthful but won't eat a whole bowl of food. I've taken to mixing a bit of the chicken breast into his food to get him to eat more coz he was looking thin. He mostly tries to pick it out but he does get some of the other food in while he's at it so I'm taking that as a win.


I had that problem with Cricket today. She usually eats around 11 or noon and this morning, she didn't take her bone so I just left it there I figured she would eat tonight, but sure enough she went back for it. I think sometimes they aren't as hungry as other times.


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

Baby is the same I'm always having to switch foods or flavors for her she eats raw then won't touch it after a few months then she's back on grain free kibble for a bit then back to raw lol some days she will not eat breakfast an we have to tell her to eat her food 100 times before she will touch it sometimes she'll go all day and not eat or will only eat by hand lol ninja is complete opposite if he ever missed a meal I'd be rushing him to the vet he is a glutton! Goodluck picky eaters are the worst some times I have to put the food up and she goes til night no eating I can't leave it out ninja will eat it instantly lol


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Barneys_Mom99 said:


> Barney is not an enthusiastic eater either. I do something that helps me know he gets his daily food. Maybe something like this would help you?
> 
> I use kibble, and when I measure out my 1/2 cup for the day for Barney, I take some of it and put it in other containers. I keep those in two places in the house (out of reach). Then, during play time usually after meals and potty, I made a big deal about getting the containers down, and we do training time together. We practice come, sit, down right now. He likes to eat the kibble from my hands as a reward. This may be bad from a hand feeding perspective, but I feel like he gets his daily food, enjoys it, and is learning commands. I try to do it near meal time so I don't throw off his pooping schedule.
> 
> Good luck with figuring out what will work with your dog.


I am glad I am not the only one that does this. Usually if Jaxx has a lot of food leftover from his evening meal then I will use it for training in the evenings. He does not seem to mind the difference between that and treats and he gets all hyper when I use the food as a treat for training. He has always loved to play with his food and carry it back to his bed at times so I figured I could use it for training if he liked to play with it so much.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Have you tried Honest Kitchen food and add raw to it! I really love this food as it offers a variety of flavors all in one (ex. vegetables, vitamins, etc) All dogs love table-scraps and to them THK is like table-scraps but in a great way.


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## Nancy (Feb 4, 2009)

I have a picky eater too and one that will eat anything u give him....the picky one drives me crazy cause she is so tiny I know she has to eat...she is around 4 pounds...She goes off her food every so many months...What I do is add some boneless,skinless chicken breast cooked to her reg canned food...she usually will eat at least the canned but hardly any kibble..this goes on for weeks at times then I wean her off the chicken then she is good again for a few months...I don't know if she is just bored with her food...so I change that up as well ...sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't...so I feel for you too...


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