# Food Woes



## IdahoLiving (Jun 20, 2013)

So Jetson, my nine month old TPoo, came to live with me a little more than five weeks ago. He had been eating Purina Pro Plan kibble (free fed throughout the day) and a home-made "stew". The breeder told me that she would occasionally substitute canned Blue Buffalo for the stew and if I chose not to do the stew, I could easily substitute the BB canned on a permanent basis.

He did not have much of an appetite those first few days. I ended up purchasing a trial size bag of Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Bites, which he loved. I bought a bag of Blue Freedom kibble (the grain free), and offered that as a free fed choice. I would heat up a tablespoon of canned BB and mix that with the thawed Bites. He ate well and his poops looked good (maybe a little dry, but overall, good). He rarely ate the kibble, maybe a piece every day or two when he was bored. He gained back the weight he had lost those first few days and was looking good.

I noticed that he was a little itchy, nothing bad. I took him in for his first grooming as "my boy" and the groomer commented that he had some dry, flaky skin on one of his ears. She asked what I was feeding and told me that BB can make some dogs itchy and flaky.

I decided to keep the Instinct, but switch over to another canned food. After all he wasn't eating much of the kibble, so I left that as it was. I switched over to Merrick, slowly adding it and decreasing the canned BB over a week. His poop became fairly soft, kind of stinky, HUGE (relative to what they had been) and more frequent. 

Back to the specialty store. They recommended I try the Limited Ingredient Diet canned Natural Balance. I purchased a couple of cans of the Duck, and got a sample bag of the Natural Balance Limited Ingredient duck kibble. 

I made the switch a lot quicker this time. He likes the Natural Balance kibble a lot better and will actually snack on a piece here and there throughout the day. He is still scarfing down the Instinct Bites, but he will leave a little of the Natural Balance canned I mix the Bites with, which is weird. He usually licks the bowl until it shines. I also gave him two tablespoons of canned pumpkin (over a two day period) to help settle his tummy and firm his poops up. 

Should I be concerned that he is leaving a little of the canned in the bowel? He is still enthusiastic about his two Bites/canned meals a day (breakfast and dinner), and he is eating a little more of the kibble now. 

He does not seem to be as itchy as he was on the BB. And his eyes aren't as weepy as they were on the BB, either. 
Sheilah


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If he is the right weight, bouncy, and his poop looks good, I would not worry about him not eating every scrap. At nine months he will probably have finished his main growth phase, and need rather less food than when he was a growing pup, and it is possible that the new combination of foods is more nutrient intense. Both of mine needed far less food from about that age, by at least 10 - 20 per cent.


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## IdahoLiving (Jun 20, 2013)

Great! He looks good. His coat is shiny and he is active. He is so little, relative to my other two dogs. I worry about him.
Sheilah


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

I would drop the BB. I've heard of too many dogs having issues with it.


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## IdahoLiving (Jun 20, 2013)

georgiapeach said:


> I would drop the BB. I've heard of too many dogs having issues with it.


Yep. He is now off it entirely.
Sheilah


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## Jamie Hein (Aug 17, 2013)

If he does good with the Nature's Variety raw bites then why not leave it at that? Or if that is not an option then maybe you could stick with that same brand. If he does good with their raw bites then he might do good on their kibble or canned food. Perhaps he is eating too much? I know that if a dog eats too much food that it can give them a loose stool. If he has too much food that also might be why he is leaving some of the canned food. Maybe he isn't crazy about the canned so he leaves it and eats what he likes. If it is variety you are looking for you could just switch up the different flavors of the Natures Variety raw bites. That is what I did when I fed that food.


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## IdahoLiving (Jun 20, 2013)

He could very well be getting too much food? He is getting about a 1/4 cup of the Instinct Bites mixed with a tablespoon+ of canned food, twice a day. Plus 24/7 access to the dry kibble. 

I am not sure why I don't like the idea of feeding just the Instinct Bites? Adding that tablespoon+ of canned food is probably more for me than for him. I am still feeling my way with feeding a small dog. And we didn't get off to the most positive start, considering he refused to eat the first couple of days I had him! 
Sheilah


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

My dog wouldn't eat very well, especially at breakfast. I took out the kibble for breakfast and just fed her canned at that meal. She has not given us any trouble since. For some reason, she doesn't like the kibble first thing in the morning even though I tried various brands. I also read somewhere that it is important for the dog to get enough moisture in their diet. If the dog ate raw food, it would have plenty of moisture. So I think a mixture of canned and kibble can be a good thing for the dog.


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## Jamie Hein (Aug 17, 2013)

IdahoLiving said:


> He could very well be getting too much food? He is getting about a 1/4 cup of the Instinct Bites mixed with a tablespoon+ of canned food, twice a day. Plus 24/7 access to the dry kibble.
> 
> I am not sure why I don't like the idea of feeding just the Instinct Bites? Adding that tablespoon+ of canned food is probably more for me than for him. I am still feeling my way with feeding a small dog. And we didn't get off to the most positive start, considering he refused to eat the first couple of days I had him!
> Sheilah


That sounds like too much food. The instinct bites alone at 1/2 cup daily is probably enough. The bites are properly balanced so you need not worry that your dog isn't getting the right stuff. There are varying feelings about free feeding too. Some people think it is fine, I am one who doesn't like that. If you are always filling a bowl of food you can't tell how much your dog is eating which can lead to the dog becoming overweight or over eating or if your dog is sick you won't find out as soon as someone who does strictly meals. If Kennedy isn't feeling well I know right away since I can clearly tell he hasn't eaten his meal.


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## IdahoLiving (Jun 20, 2013)

I have never been a free feeder. But he was used to getting his kibble that way, and I do carefully measure how much a put in and I keep a close eye on the amount left in his kibble bowl at any one time.

I think we might get to the point where he is only getting the Instinct Bites. He really does look great and he finds the Bites very palatable.
Sheilah


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## Jamie Hein (Aug 17, 2013)

IdahoLiving said:


> I have never been a free feeder. But he was used to getting his kibble that way, and I do carefully measure how much a put in and I keep a close eye on the amount left in his kibble bowl at any one time.
> 
> I think we might get to the point where he is only getting the Instinct Bites. He really does look great and he finds the Bites very palatable.
> Sheilah


Thats good. Kennedy who is extremely picky liked them too. I had a really hard time finding something he would happily eat without me doing a little dance haha.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I have to agree, I think it's too much food for him to finish. Molly is an 11lb mini and gets 1/4cup of wet or raw in the morning and 1/4 cup of kibble to graze on during the day and usually, if I've also been 'treat happy' sometimes the kibble is still there the next day! LOL! 
The amount she eats in a day will also depend on how much exercise she's had....


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