Our Sheltie has become a really fussy eater

I bought a 12 lb. bag of Fromm and mixed it half and half with his Proplan, He eats some but not what I would call a success at all. We tried a spoon of canned dog food mixed in, and that caused him to show a little more interest...again not what I would call a real improvement. Since we are boarding him starting Tuesday I contacted the kennel where he is going about his recent fussy eating habit...they said they will do what's needed to be sure he gets his food including a small amount of canned food to encourage him as we did. When we get back home we will make an appointment with our Vet for his input. First fussy eater we ever had, and it's very frustrating indeed.

Bob
 
Hanne said:
Bob are you sure you do not give too much food ???
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He gets about 3/4 cup twice a day. I will try Piper's moms method of removing uneaten food after 10 minutes and see if there's a change...however on Tuesday he goes to the boarding kennel so it will be a week until I can restart his feeding lesson. I will write more on this when I have something new to report.

Bob
 
Bob R said:
He gets about 3/4 cup twice a day. I will try Piper's moms method of removing uneaten food after 10 minutes and see if there's a change...however on Tuesday he goes to the boarding kennel so it will be a week until I can restart his feeding lesson. I will write more on this when I have something new to report.

Bob
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how big is he? Hanne might be on to something...
my two 28 lb shelties only eat 1 cup/day- 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evening
 
Even Piper, when he was growing and still young only got at most 3/4 of a cup all day. Do you perhaps mean that he gets 3/4 cup /day or 1 1/2 cups /day because if its 1 1/2 cups then yes as Hanne said perhaps your dog is stuffed, not just picky lol. Also I would wait until your back from your trip before you start removing the food. No point doing it and then stopping.
 
Ok our Sheltie is 29 lbs. at a recent weigh in at the vet when he was getting his Bordatella treatment. I verified quantity with my Wife and she feeds Lucky 1/2 cup twice a day and probably another 1/2 cup in treats...so a total of 1 1/2 a day. so not the 3/4 cup twice a day I had said previously but equal to it.
He regularly ate this much and ate it with interest...until the last two week where he has become increasing disinterested in his food...this includes his Proplan Chicken and Rice formula which always was fine. His recent Fromm Beef Frittata blend...no interest at all even with hand feeding.
Ok now if your familiar with Proplan they have two food shapes in the bag...one is a triangular shape and the other is a freeform shape (don't know what else to call it) he will selectively eat the freeform shape and totally avoid those triangles...and this is with hand feeding this morning. So we are baffled, and hoping the kennel will be able to work through this. They told me they are prepared to deal with fussy eater...so I wish them luck with Lucky. This is a sad thing for us.

Bob
 
One important thing to know is that you feed much less of the quality foods than you do of brands like Purina. My six Shelties all weigh an average of 20 pounds and get 1/4 cup twice a day of Fromm. And even at that, I have to keep an eye on their weight. As puppies reach adulthood, we cut the amount down, so Hanne may have hit on a big part of the problem. Your dog doesn't need all the food he's getting.

We feed 1/2 cup twice daily to puppies until they're about six months old and then we start reducing the amount (of a food like Fromm that is nutrient-rich). If you're going to make the switch to Fromm, you would give your boy less than he's getting now....at 29 pounds, perhaps 1/3 cup twice daily and less than 1/2 cup of treats. Unless he's very active or does performance sports, he really shouldn't need that much food.

I'd also advise against hand feeding him. I learned the hard way with my dogs that they will not starve themselves, as harsh as that sounds. If you hand feed, unless he's sick, you perpetuate the problem. As suggested, put the food down and take it away in 10 or 15 minutes. After a few times of this, he WILL eat! It's harder on you than him, and be prepared to wait it out, as long as your vet has given him a clean bill of health.
 
Thank you Ann...I trust your experience. I know hand feeding a dog is an unproductive practice, but in this situation it's more of an experiment to see if Lucky will eat anything. He always ate good and reliably, and now he barely even rearranges the food in his bowl. So we will see what happens with his week long stay at the kennel with the active environment they provide and the more experienced dog people they employee.
I'd like to see him eat his Fromm, and control the quantity as you suggest...sadly he will not eat a single kibble of it...not even hand fed!

Bob
 
Hanne said:
Your Sheltie is 29 lbs - how big is he ??
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He is a larger size sheltie. I don't have a measurement to give you. However the Vet told us he is in excellent condition..not overweight at all. He should be EATING!

Bob
 
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