Dog is a fussy eater

csh_2

Hi, Well, I say he's a fussy eater, he's not really just that he likes what he likes and he'll starve himself if he doesn't like it!

I usually give him mixer and some wet meat or fresh fish, he loves fish esp tuna and freshly caught trout!
The problem I have with him is he'll only eat tuna or chicken flavoured dog meat and he gets bored of this, and starts to leave it no matter how hungry he is.
BTW, he's a lean border collie and burns fat/food quickly so he has no 'spare' meat on him. If he doesn't eat for 2 days cos hes in the huff it really shows.

When looking at the pet food section I noticed all the dog stuff is meat flavoured but all the cat stuff is fish flavoured.
How bad would it be to give him cat meat?:o Is it really that different from the doggy stuff??

TIA

Hintza

Part of me says you need to be stronger and he will eat soon enough but then the other part says just for an easy life if he eats cat food that would be fine with me.

But you know yourself the more you pander the worse it will get (assuming no unerlying medical issues) then at some stage you will need to make a stand.

csh_2

Thanks Hintza, I went 3 days without him eating anything because I only had lamb and beef dog meat to offer him. His stomach was rumbling so loudly you could hear it over the TV and his ribs were sticking out.
Doesn't seem fair to starve him til he gives in if he just doesn't like it, I would rather starve than eat liver or prawns!

Hintza

Cat food it is then........:)

tori.k

do check the tin label as some cat food has a lot less meat in then then dog food does, so i would guess you would have to feed them more, we found out our JRT loves cat food/fish when she went off the kibble and took herself off to visit the neighbours and ate snicker their moggies dinner, she was soon put in her place by the cat, we are lucky she seems to have settled on butchers but has a tin or two of sardines each week or whatever left cheap from morrison's fish counter, i have noticed she doesnt cast as much as she did now she eats more fish

Dave101t

no one is a fussy eater, man or beast, when they are starving....

foreign_correspondent

cat meat is no good for dogs long term - the nutrientional needs of both are different.

A healthy dog will not starve itself - it seems you are caving in before he is though, so he has learnt how to get you to provide him with his favourite dinners!

Have you tried soaking his kibble/mixer and stirring in something tasty? (eg, sardines, cottacge cheese, scrambled eggs, natural yoghurt, meat or liver?) - as he likes fish, he may well enjoy a mashed up sardine mixed in with his food!

Have you tried using a fish based dog food as a mixer like CSJ salmon, or fish4dogs? (CSJ will send you a sample to try him on if you email them)

http://www.csjk9.com/ProductCart/PC/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=45&idcategory=5

http://www.fish4dogs.com/Categories/Dog-Shop/dog-food.aspx

Is he interested in raw meaty bones?

NuclearWinter

It's expensive, but if you're willing to pay the price then Orijen 6 Fish is 70% fresh fish.

Alternatively Acana Pacifica by the same company is effectively a slightly cheaper, lower protein version that contains 55-60% fish (they've recently changed it to 60% but a lot of the previous formula is still in stock).

Both are entirely grain free. Zooplus sells them in this country.

chris_n_tj

I was always told it was bad to feed dogs cat food and visa versa, but I could be wrong. As for a fussy dog, it takes me back to mine. he was very fussy and would only eat chicken, it was my own fault of course, as we fed him. We were told to put food down for 10 mins, if it wasnt eaten then to take it up. We did this for 3 days, (by now I am pulling my hair out and woried) On the fourth day he cleared his dish. I am not saying its good for everyone to do this, but I was told in the long run it was best for the dog. My dog now eats when its put down, and if he does get a treat food I feed it at a different time so he knows its just an extra. (Believe me he knows the difference) I would also ask your vet to check him out, just to be on the safe side. you could also ask his adivice on the feeding. Just dont feel guilty if its just him being picky, after all we all like the finer things to eat dont we. And its ok as a treat just not evey meal, mores the pity. Good luck.
Chris n TJ

giantmutantbroccoli

I'd assume that the levels of vitamins and minerals in cat food are different to that in dog food, because the nutritional requirements are different for different animals. It's also long been a suspicion of mine that cat food has less meat in it and is generally of lower quality than dog food (at least for the cheap brands) but I don't really know.

If he's starting to leave food that he normally likes he can't be hungry. Have you taken him to a vet to check there's nothing wrong with him? You mentioned his stomach rumbling when he skipped meals, I'm sure that's a normal reaction but if he's windy before he eats it could be lowering his appetite.
How is his sense of smell? It could be that the strong smell of the fish/chicken based food is what gets his appetite going, in which case could you try to make the other foods smellier? Maybe by warming them up a little bit.

I know you say you sympathise with him, but this isn't like an aversion to just one type of food. He's refusing to eat anything that isn't exactly what he wants, and if there isn't something wrong with him then he is acting like a spoiled little kid. Border collies are smart dogs which suggests to me that he's knows how to work the situation.
My experience of dogs is that it isn't usual for them to be that fussy. They might have a couple of foods that they dislike, but not to that extent. If however he's figured out that refusing to eat means you fuss and put more appetising food on the table, he will use that to his advantage. He won't starve if he goes without food for 3 days! Definitely talk to your vet first and get him checked out, but if there's nothing wrong with him then continue feeding normal dog food. He will eat before he starves! If he gets coaxed, cajoled and fussed over while he's not eating he may well continue the behaviour, and if refusing to eat gets him treats and better food there's no way he's going to stop.

I had a similar problem with a cat I was looking after. He had bad teeth, so I had to start mashing up his food for him. As time went on he seemed to be unable to eat the mashed up cheap food, and would cry and wail about it (very noisy cat!). I gradually moved onto more expensive softer foods until he was on hill's science plan. When I gave him back to my parents he had a list of dietary requirements a mile long, and was the most fussy demanding cat I ever saw - he'd abandon a meal halfway through . I visited him two weeks later, he was back on the (mashed up) cheap stuff with no problems. How? Well they fed him outside, which meant he had to compete for his food with the local crow/magpie population, and the threat to his food really motivated him to eat it!

As FC says, you can get fish-based dog food. It smells very strong, which can only be a good thing, and it's rich in oils and omega 3, even the dried food. I've been feeding bits of it to my rats They do a wet food, mostly salmon I think, and a good quality dry food.
http://www.fish4dogs.com/

Pearbear

I too was told it was bad to feed cat food to dog by one vet whilst another tells me there is not much difference. For growing pup they require high protein.

I have a very fussy dog too. We started giving him a bit of the cat food to get him to eat his food. Recently through further reflection, the though of having to give him up because i can't provide for him and finance awakening. I know i had to just stand my ground. I gave him the amount of food that was stated in the packet and if he didn't eat he didn't. He stood his ground and didn't eat it. Then I tried different techniques. Instead of giving him all his allocated amount in his dish i would hand feed him. (I'm giving him dry food), and he loves it this way. we play games, teach him tricks and he gets his nuts (as my vetcalls it) he would eat it no problem. He also has a toy ball that you can put dry food in it and he plays with that. In the end he eats what he is suppose to just found different ways of giving it to him.

I found cheaper but higher protien compared to big names. Its called Harringtons, you can get it in Lamb or Turkey. I compared it to Bakers and Pedigre and it came out thrumps. 6KG of Pedigree would of cost me £1297 and 5KG of Harringtons cost me £5.95. I couldn't see the price for bakers but opted for Harringtons. Give him that with dab of sardines. Sardines or tuna should last him days.