# Not eating



## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

So I found a brilliant puppy food that I want to keep Winston on. It has 4 ingredients in it, turkey, seaweed, calcium and rice. Its a non allergenic food so contains no wheat and had amazing reviews online. 

When I first got it, Winston couldnt get enough, now he's just not eating it! I dont know whether i need to maybe mix it up a bit, as after all, i wouldnt like to be given the same thing every day! So I'm thinking of maybe giving him this food for breakfast and lunch and then freeze dried raw for dinner. What do you all think? I really dont want to change his food but I want him to enjoy meal times too


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Its the eternal dilemma with Chis lol. You can buy the best food in the world, but it is no use whatsoever if the dog won't eat it!
Do they do a variety that isn't turkey? Rotating your proteins is a good idea.
Is it a dry food? If it is maybe try adding hot water, to make it easier to eat but also to bring out the flavour. Or mix something wet and smelly into it, most dogs enjoy canned foods and there are some good ones on the market now. If it is a wet food try standing the dish on warm water before you serve so it is a bit warmer.
With an adult dog you can be strict and let them miss a few meals, but a puppy needs to eat regularly. Is it only this food he is refusing, or is his appetite generally down? Could he be teething? 
Adding the freeze dried raw for one meal sounds like a great idea, does he eat that readily?


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

I know lol he loved pedigree because it smelt rotten! Now he's eating something healthy and he's not interested haha

Sorry I should have been more specific, its wet food, it comes in a tray rather than a tin and I put a small handful of dry food in with it too. The dry food is very small and he eats it easily. 

I dont think it is his general appetite as he is so well in himself. I take him for walks and we're currently going through the stage where he does not want to walk unless his mum treats him for doing it! and he loves the treats, he'd eat a whole bag if he could, and they're the same brand as his food! go figure! 

He's not tried freeze dried raw yet, but I would like to introduce it to him, so I'm going to pets at home tonight to see if they have any, and introduce it slowly to his current meals then eventually give him it as a whole meal at night 

I will definitely try putting the bowl on a warm surface to make it a bit warmer, is there anything you have known to be added to the food to make it a bit tastier to them? 

I've never had a problem with any of my old bigger dogs eating anything that was put in front of them, guess its all part of the chi charm hehe! fussy little thing


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I don't think [email protected] stock any freeze dried raw foods, your best bet would be a Pets Corner. They stock ZiwiPeak and Orijen, although I don't know if they have the freeze dried Orijen yet.
If it is already wet the only thing you can do is serve it warm to increase the smell/taste. I wouldn't start adding things to get him to eat if you can avoid it. Do try other flavours if they make them. Maybe try a similar product but a different brand?


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

Wicked Pixie said:


> I don't think [email protected] stock any freeze dried raw foods, your best bet would be a Pets Corner. They stock ZiwiPeak and Orijen, although I don't know if they have the freeze dried Orijen yet.
> If it is already wet the only thing you can do is serve it warm to increase the smell/taste. I wouldn't start adding things to get him to eat if you can avoid it. Do try other flavours if they make them. Maybe try a similar product but a different brand?


They do make other flavours, they have duck and something else, I'll have a look tonight  I didnt think we had a pets corner in my city, I've just been on pets corner website and turns out we do! I've only lived here my whole life haha so i'll definitely be going there too. Thank you for your help


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## SarahJG (May 25, 2013)

What brand of food is it that you're using?


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

I use pets at home own brand called Wainwrights a dogs best friend


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I too only discovered Pets Corner recently, they carry a lot of quality brands, and seem a lot more ethical than [email protected] There are plenty of good dog foods and treats to choose from, my only complaint was that their frozen food selection was a bit limited. (Just Natures Menu/Prize Choice blocks in my local one)


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## SarahJG (May 25, 2013)

I've not tried that. I'm feeding Naturediet wet food (which you can get from [email protected]), which is grain free. Both the dogs eat that, and like it. Frodo now has one meal raw as well, which is Natures Menu minced thicken. It includes bone, so he gets that benefit as well. He ADORES his raw food: it disappears in about 10 seconds! I've just sent away for a sample of Ziwipeak, as I'd like to transition both pups to that. Everyone seems to agree that Ziwipeak is the best.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

I would say that Nature diet is a better wet food than Wainwrights. Ziwi Peak is good, all mine love it, but the very best food is still raw. It is the least processed, most natural way to feed. Glad Frodo is loving his raw, mealtimes only last 10 seconds in our house too. (Except when it is a bone, they last about 5 minutes lol.)


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## SarahJG (May 25, 2013)

Stella; I don't want to hijack Winstonsmum's thread, but I wonder if you have any advice to offer about feeding bones? As I've said, Frodo's raw meal is going down a treat, but he doesn't seem that interested in bones. He chewed the first one I gave him very enthusiastically, but when I retrieved it, he didn't seem to have actually eaten much. After that, he's had a cursory nibble, but more or less ignored them. I've just bought a pouisson (sp??) and am going to try him with a piece of leg from that - but he's yet to actually properly eat a bone!


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

How many treats do you give Winston? Could he be getting full from treats and therefore not hungry at meal time?


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Most dogs have to learn how to eat raw food, and build up their jaw strength. Start with a soft easy to eat bone, the Poussin (Cornish hen for all you Americans lol) is ideal as all the bones are tiny, I would start with the rib sections, or maybe the wings. Make sure the bones that you offer are meaty, when the term 'raw meaty bone' is used the emphasis should always be on 'meaty' rather than bone. When the dog is enjoying the meat they tend to get stuck into the bone too. Bony meals are the absolute favourites here


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

I agree that he could just be a bit bored with eating the same food. Try adding a bit of variety and see if that works. Lilo gets bored if I feed the same thing too many times in a row. She loves Ziwipeak so much, she will eat it no matter what, but I can tell if I've given her just that for a few days she becomes increasingly less enthusiastic about it. When eating raw meals, if I feed the same meat too many times in a row she sometimes doesn't want to eat. Can you believe it... eating the best diet a dog can eat and still turning her nose up at it!  If only she knew what the average dog eats and how lucky she is. lol


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Lol yeah, threaten Winston with Bakers, that should make him eat up his meals!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Wicked Pixie said:


> Lol yeah, threaten Winston with Bakers, that should make him eat up his meals!


hahah My friend feeds Bakers... what a horrible food. The poor dog hates it. I look after him often and it's hard to get him to eat. Let's just say he looks at Lilo's meals with envy...


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## Rach_Honey (Jan 13, 2012)

Have you tried Winston with any tripe? X


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

Thanks for the advice everyone  i havent tried him on tripe but id like to! Anything you can recommend?  i just want him to have varied meals it must be soo boring eating the same thing lol

Ewww bakers! Id never give my dog that so threats may well work haha! I was told its the equivalent to us eating a mcdonalds every day!


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

There are E numbers in Bakers that even McDonalds refuse to use lol. Pretty scary to think that is the top selling dog food in the UK :/


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## Rach_Honey (Jan 13, 2012)

I buy the pre-minced tripe from pet shops. I think it's prize choice? I've bought the blocks before, and oh my god you need a strong stomach 😵


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Tripe is pretty whiffy, I think that is why dogs love it so much. Totally worth getting over the stink (I am used to it now and hardly notice) as it is a doggy superfood, it has all sorts of good stuff including good gut flora, and enzymes that help to keep teeth clean. It is really good for upset tummies and tempting finicky eaters. Also because its calcium to phosphorus ratio is balanced, it is the ideal meat to add to kibble/complete diets.


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## zellko (Jul 3, 2013)

My little guy is like a 3 year old- if I've never tasted it, I don't like it. lol He won't even take Zukes or Buddy Bites.


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## Hollowaysal (Mar 7, 2013)

I'd forgotten about tripe, I might give that a go for mine. I used to feed it to my bulldog all the time. If you buy the white tripe from the butcher and boil it in milk it hardly smells at all. He used to love it. I've noticed that Delilah isn't that keen on her food anymore, loved it at first. Are all chi's so fussy???? Lol


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

The white tripe sold for humans has been washed and bleached, and all the good stuff has been taken out. It is the green, unwashed tripe, fed raw that is so good for dogs. Unfortunately it stinks to high heaven!


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## Hollowaysal (Mar 7, 2013)

I never knew that about tripe, ummmm not so sure now!! Lol might have to stick with the odd can of wet food instead. :thumbright:


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

Do they have tripe in pets corner or is it something I'll have to go to the butchers for?

I really want to give him some tripe tonight and see what he makes of it


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

Rach_Honey said:


> I buy the pre-minced tripe from pet shops. I think it's prize choice? I've bought the blocks before, and oh my god you need a strong stomach &#55357;&#56885;
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I've seen the natures menu frozen minced tripe in [email protected], me and Winnie may take a trip there tonight! Pets corner close at 5.30 and i dont think i'll get home and there in time to have a look


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

You will only find green tripe in pet shops, butchers will only stock the white type. Prize Choice make 400g blocks or large bags, the large bag is better quality tripe IMO, and it is free flow so you can just defrost the amount you need. Pets Corners and [email protected] stock Prize Choice. If you have any independent pet shops it will be worth checking out what frozen tripe they stock too.


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## Javier'sMommy (Jan 20, 2013)

I agree with everyone about changing it up. Francesca will eat anything put in front of her but Javier is a picky eater so I change flavors every 2 days because any longer than that & he won't eat. I mainly feed them S & C's freeze dried & pre-made frozen raw. His favorites are the Duck Duck Goose & Chewy's Chicken but I also feed the Dandy Lamb & the Rabbit. I even try to rotate brands about every 3 months so I also buy Primal & Nature's Variety pre-made frozen raw.

I bought some frozen green tripe for Javier once, let it thaw just enough so I could slice off a small bit to give him & he would NOT have anything to do with it. He took one whiff & turned his head, wouldn't even look at it. I couldn't help but agree with him because it was stinky, made my house smell like we had a cow who hadn't been potty trained. Next trash day, it went. 

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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

haha I am not looking forward to the stinky smell but if it makes Winston happy, ill handle it  lol


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

Hey ladies, just thought I'd give you an update! I went to pets at home and got a couple of other flavours of Winstons food, we mix it up now and he has different flavours for each meal, I'm noticing he finishes the bowl of food now  

I also introduced tripe to him for his dinner and.. wow.. you were not exagerrating about the smell!! But little Winnie loves it and has it every night! As does our cat, Simon (he caught one whiff of it and decided there was no way he was getting left out of that one!) 

So i have two very happy, stinky breath animals every evening now hehe!


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

That is brilliant news 
Tripe is such good stuff that you learn to live with the pong lol. Plus they do tend to eat it very quickly, so you dont have to endure it for long! Now he is used to it you can use it if he ever has an upset tummy, it is very handy stuff to have around. I always feed tripe if they are under the weather, been sick or had a bout of diarrhoea, it is very easily digested and replaces the good bacteria in the gut.


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## Winstonsmum (Jul 2, 2013)

Wicked Pixie said:


> That is brilliant news
> Tripe is such good stuff that you learn to live with the pong lol. Plus they do tend to eat it very quickly, so you dont have to endure it for long! Now he is used to it you can use it if he ever has an upset tummy, it is very handy stuff to have around. I always feed tripe if they are under the weather, been sick or had a bout of diarrhoea, it is very easily digested and replaces the good bacteria in the gut.


I'm so pleased he took to it so well, and he always gets so excited for his evening meals! And I love seeing him excited and happy  Depnding on what I'm having for dinner, he usually has a bit of boiled rice in there with it too, or potato.


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