# Picky Piper



## MaceeChocKisses (May 19, 2015)

Hello everyone... My new puppy Piper is a very picky eater and I want only the best for her... First of all Piper is 7months old... I adopted her one Feb7 from her loving breeder..So it's only been a week. She came to me pre spoiled and pretty much housebroken... She is a tpoo... I prefer Fromm 4star... But she is used to table food and Cesar Classics... So when she wouldn't initially eat her kibble I started boiling chicken... I've tried all variations of mixing to try to get her to respond to kibble but she just won't eat it! I'm concerned about dental issues... Never had a dog on all soft food... Does anyone have any suggestions... Loving my new cuddle buddy but she doesn't like mommies meals...


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

When I got Merlin, my Tpoo, he came from the breeder at 16 months. He was also fed cheap kibbles and mostly Ceasar. When I brought him home, he was very skinny, only 5 pounds, and the most finicky eater I had ever seen. I tried Fromm and other foods but ddn't have much success.

He was so difficult that I decided to try feeding an all prepared raw, after much consideration. I have never seen a dog eat food with so much appetite ! My other dog loved it too. Merlin thrived on it and gained 1 1/2 pound in about 2-3 weeks.

Also, I don't know why, but now he will eat kibbles as treats, which he didn't like before. So he ears well and is no longer finicky. He is in great shape too. Best decision I ever made !

If you give in and prepared all kinds of stuff for him, you'll soon be caught in a spiral. I suggest you stick to what you decide to give him, and no table scraps or homemade stuff. Unless you want to do that all his life...


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## MaceeChocKisses (May 19, 2015)

I really don't think I can stomach the raw diet... Im glad it's working for you... My fear in sticking to the kibble is her becoming sick from being stubborn and not eating... I think she weighs a little over 4lbs... Her first vet visit with me is tomorrow... Your Merlin is a handsome little guy!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Sometimes it is the size of the kibble that will make a dog not like it.......try a really small size kibble.... there are quite a few made just for toy sized breeds. Also if you are going to use a topper or canned food get something better quality for sure, and start getting your pup used to a toothbrush!
Feeding all soft food isn't good for the anal glands either! You need to have nice firm poops!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

At seven months she could have a sore mouth from teething - that, plus the excitement of changing homes, could account for her reluctance to eat. I would stick with what the breeder was feeding for a few weeks, and then gradually introduce your own preference. There are very mixed opinions on whether kibble cleans teeth or makes problems worse, so I would not worry too much about that at the moment - a suitable chew will probably do more good. If you can't face raw it is not difficult to feed a balanced home made cooked diet, and if you cook up batches and freeze in portions it doesn't take much time, especially for such a tiny dog. There are lots of ideas for improving the palatibility of commercial diets or making your own on DogAware.com: Diet & Health Info for Man's Best Friend


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Teething might be the problem . I agree with slow transition from her exsisting diet to her new diet.

80/20 old to new mix day one, then 40/60, 60/40, 20/80 finally 100% new food. The only finicky eater in the house is Gracie , she getsToy breed Blue with a topper of Blue wet ( basically a tiny dollop of whatever Flower is having) the kibbles are much smaller and easier for her to chew, mind you she does often skip meals and she would rather have people food I just don't feed her that.
I would check in with your vet to make sure she is fit especially, since she is young and small, about your concerns. Also Gracie free feeds, the poodles do not they get fed twice a day.


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## MaceeChocKisses (May 19, 2015)

I have been reading all day about feeding raw :yuck: (imo) But I don't have to eat it :amen: So I called the store where I do my food shopping... Asking about NV raw medallions ... And they have a sample of Primal so I'm gonna go grab some samples... In reading I found out that a lot of picky eaters thrive on raw... Also the young lady at the store said her pickiness is prob mostly because of her being table /scrap fed... And I absolutely don't do that! So I'll let you all know how this goes


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Good Luck


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## MaceeChocKisses (May 19, 2015)

Thanks Twyla I'm gonna add it gradually...


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## MaceeChocKisses (May 19, 2015)

*Update*

It took 2 weeks but Piper is now eating kibble... I also tried the raw but she wouldn't touch it! Now she's eating Fromm 4star sprinkled with warm water. She doesn't hesitate at all... I don't think she likes chewing it up... But she's eating! :smile:


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## blueroan (Dec 28, 2015)

Hey! Yay on the new family member!  

My last dog was 7mths as well. We also quickly found out that he had been free fed...sort of...

He would grab ONE kibble, run away and eat it. Then he might come back for ONE more. Since he was already skinny, that wasn't going to cut it. 

We did have trouble getting him to eat anything at first, even though we had some of his old food. He would just do the ONE kibble at a time. 

Eventually, we set down the bowl and timed him. Then picked up the bowl and he didn't get any more until dinner. Then same deal. He got the idea pretty quickly as in "I'd better eat now because there will be no food until later." 

After he got the idea, we did tend to leave the bowl out after dinner so if he needed a snack he could get some more. Then eventually when he grew totally out of puppy stage we took that away.


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## MaceeChocKisses (May 19, 2015)

Yes as soon as I put the bowl down she is gobbling away... Lol I'm so happy she is eating!


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