# Puppy not eating kibble without additions



## Amber2011 (Aug 14, 2011)

Our 19 week puppy is currently being fed Acana puppy and junior food. Recently she stopped diving in and finishing the whole bowl (3 times a day) so we started to add things like mashed up sweet potatoes/carrots, oil from tuna cans and the actual tuna etc to encourage her. This was probably a bad idea because now she rarely eats the food without an additional treat. She is holding out for the good stuff. 

Our dog walker mentioned that some puppies do not like the taste of Acana (puppy and junior) and suggested we add canned puppy food to the kibble, or look at changing the food entirely. 

She is still putting on weight, but we are worried that she isn’t growing enough. Should we change the food or add canned puppy food to the kibble? Does anyone have any advice? Thanks


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

don't want to rock the boat here, but the only time Ruby has been in a crate is in the back of the pick-up. She's not cried at night since 3 nights after she was weaned.


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## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

oops, somehow I've got this ^^^^^ post in the wrong thread :, could admin please move it into "lonely in the crate" thread


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## jakersmomma (Jan 3, 2010)

Okay, harrigab, that is funny because we tried to crate train as well and my hubby could only take about 3 nights of the crying and Jake's been in our bed ever since. Wouldn't have it any other way. 

As far as the food goes, yup, you are pretty much screwed. Jake gets an "addition" with each meal. It's usually something we had for dinner at his dinner time and leftovers for his mid day meal. I put things in there like rice with chicken, if we have tacos, he gets a little bit of each thing, obviously not the things that are bad for dogs (onions etc). It's not usually a big deal, I only put a little in, then add a little warm water and mix. Sometime's he's a stinker and picks out the goodies, but not usually. Chicken broth is a good adder. He will not eat fish, isn't that funny?? He's a beef and chicken kind of guy, especially partial to anything poultry (go figure since he's supposed to be a bird dog!!) 

You might break him of it, but very rarely have I seen Jake eat his food without his "adder". To me, it is worth it to not have to worry about him not eating. He eats Orijen dog food, which is a great food IMO. Good luck!


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## macrowe1 (Nov 4, 2011)

Amber: I wouldn't add anything. Kibble is sufficient nutrition. Dogs like canned foor because of their taste, but it's 90% water. I've worked as a vet tech for 5 years, and this happens fairly frequently. You are starting a vicious cycle, believe me, I did it with my dog. I'm not familiar with that brand, my dogs eat Blue/Solid Gold/Evo. Your dog will eat when it's hungry, you shouldn't add anything to it. If you have heard that the kibble isn't favored by others, then try switching. Would gradually switch though so your pup doesn't get an upset tummy. If you think she isn't growing properly, I would take her to see the vet, just in case. She may have picked up a little virus or some type of worms, which is common. Hope this helps!


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## Vizsla Baby (Nov 4, 2011)

We've tried several different foods for our puppy and she does the exact same thing. She's just not a voracious eater (unlike our dachshund). 

We add chicken, chicken broth, a few spoons of canned food - but sometimes none of that does the trick & she just won't eat. 

My feeling is that when she's hungry, she'll eat.


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## Emily1970 (Apr 21, 2011)

Riley is the same way. He stopped eating the kibble he had been on since he left the breeder altogether so we had to switch fast. We were told he'd eat when he got hungry. Well he didn't. Took him to the vet who said it's common for V's. We now feed him taste of the wild and add half a can of taste of wild wet food. That is the only way he will eat at all.


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## Amber2011 (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks for suggestions guys!


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## anne_wilcrest (Oct 20, 2011)

I had this problem with my Penny - I picked her up from the breeders at 10 weeks, and she was pretty under-weight, also the runt. (They were free-feeding her, so it wasn't that she didn't have the food to eat)

I finally figured something out!

I use her regular dry kibble and then take just one or two of these freeze-dried turkey treats, break them up (they crumble really easily) and then put hot water on top of the mix and stir. 

http://www.drugstore.com/products/p...m=pro_treat_raw_naturals_f&CAWELAID=909775802

She started eating twice as much and finally had the growth spurt she needed to catch up with her siblings!


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## datacan (May 15, 2011)

Our cat is a very picky eater and whatever is left over gets mixed gets mixed with dog kibble and is served to our V. He's practically the food disposal unit.
We also mix in our leftovers, if suitable for him.


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## SandraDee (Oct 19, 2010)

I'm learning that dogs are just like kids, my kids anyway. If you ad treats in with their regular food, it will become expected and good luck stopping it without it causing a lot of tantrums.

I have also learned that, just like kids, dogs won't starve. When they are hungry enough they will eat. If your dog doesn't like the kibble you have, try a different brand. Scout hated the first kibble that we had, but wew stuck with it for a long time. he never starved, but ate slowly. As soon as we switched to a different kibble, he clearly liked it a lot more, because he started eating it very quickly.


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## RxSlappy (Nov 26, 2011)

Our V is also a picky eater.

Initially my husband and I were worried because the V wouldn't eat all of his food immediately. I tried mixing his food with canned food, wetting it with chicken broth, crumbling freezed-dried liver on it... you name it, we've mixed it in. Eventually the smarty-pants V would figure it out, get bored, and stop eating again.

We've figured out two things with our V:

1. If we feed him really tasty treats (pieces of cheese, liver, etc) he will refuse kibble in hopes that these treats will show up again. --> No more super tasty treats for this guy.
2. We are currently a single-dog household. When family members dog-sit for us in their home (2+ dogs) our V will eat all of his kibble right away. (!!!)

So... now we give him his kibble every morning knowing he will eat it eventually in a 24-hour period and that he is too smart to starve.

We love our Vs so much because they're so intelligent, but it takes a lot of work and discipline to outsmart these guys!


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