West Highland Terriers

Westie_Owner

Hi folks im new to the board so just introducing myself. Im steve im 23 from cork and i have a 6 month old westie puppy called ruby. Shes a super dog and love her to bits. She is in top shape and a very healthy and happy god but a very fussy eater. We have been to the vet at least 4 or 5 times about this and it isnt a physical problem its just she is fussy. We have her on the royal canin junior 33 puppy dry nuts and we also have tins of the RC Sensitivity control tin food that the vet gave us to vary her diet so she wouldnt be fussy. She said we could use this all the time if we wish. I feed her in the morning and at around 6 at night but she is just so fussy its dribing me crazy. One minute she could gobble the whole lot up and the next she could go 2 days without eating.

andreac

What would be her feeding routine? Do you leave her with the food or take the bowl away after a few mins?

Westie_Owner

andreac wrote: »

What would be her feeding routine? Do you leave her with the food or take the bowl away after a few mins?

To be truthfully honest i normally leave the food down for an hour even though i shouldnt and maybe thats why she is after getting into a habit. But saying that even when i put her food down she doesnt even come over to sniff it just ignores it at times. I know she may not be always hungry but she is way to fussy.

andreac

Ok, well what i would do is, maybe feed her slightly less than the recommended portion just for a few days.
Leave the food down, leave it with her for 15/20 mins then take up the bowl even if it hasnt been touched and do not offer anything until next mealtime.

Do not give any treats either as you want the pup to be hungry for the next mealtime.
Repeat the process again and even if the pup doesnt go near the bowl take it away and dont offer again til next meal.

The pup will soon learn, that if it doesnt eat when its given its dinner that it gets nothing else until next meal.

By feeding a smaller dinner it just might encourage the pup to eat it all.
I wouldnt try adding anything to the food as this can just make them even fussier.
Trust me a dog, esp a pup will not go hungry so will eventually eat, but dont worry if it doesnt eat much for a day or so. It can take a few days or a week to get into a routine.

As long as there is no medical reason why the pup isnt eating it should settle into a routine as long as you stick to it.

Westie_Owner

andreac wrote: »

Ok, well what i would do is, maybe feed her slightly less than the recommended portion just for a few days.
Leave the food down, leave it with her for 15/20 mins then take up the bowl even if it hasnt been touched and do not offer anything until next mealtime.

Do not give any treats either as you want the pup to be hungry for the next mealtime.
Repeat the process again and even if the pup doesnt go near the bowl take it away and dont offer again til next meal.

The pup will soon learn, that if it doesnt eat when its given its dinner that it gets nothing else until next meal.

By feeding a smaller dinner it just might encourage the pup to eat it all.
I wouldnt try adding anything to the food as this can just make them even fussier.
Trust me a dog, esp a pup will not go hungry so will eventually eat, but dont worry if it doesnt eat much for a day or so. It can take a few days or a week to get into a routine.

As long as there is no medical reason why the pup isnt eating it should settle into a routine as long as you stick to it.

Thanks very much for all your advice it is very much appreciated . The vet said i could mix the RC Sensitivty tin food with the nuts but my dog doesnt seem to like them mixed only separate. How could i handle the two foods???

andreac

Do you have to feed the tinned food? Does she get an upset tummy or something as this is usually for that kind of thing?

I know those tins are very expensive so if you dont actually have to feed it i wouldnt. To be honest, feeding all diff things will cause her to be fussy so i would just stick to the nuts as its a complete food and she doesnt need anything mixed in.

Westie_Owner

andreac wrote: »

Do you have to feed the tinned food? Does she get an upset tummy or something as this is usually for that kind of thing?

I know those tins are very expensive so if you dont actually have to feed it i wouldnt. To be honest, feeding all diff things will cause her to be fussy so i would just stick to the nuts as its a complete food and she doesnt need anything mixed in.

About a month and a half ago she had a little tummy upset which wasnt anything major so the vet put her on the Tinned food for two days and she totally loved it. We where at the vet last week just for a look at her adult teeth to see if they where coming through correct and the vet asked me how she got on with the food and i told her that ruby loved it and could she use it all the time and the vet said no problem. I really just want her to stick to the nuts only though.

andreac

You can use it all the time but its very expensive as far as i know.

Just try her without it for a few days and maybe use it as a treat every now and again once shes eating properly, maybe once a week as a treat mixed in but the nuts should be more than enough for her.

Sure see how you go with what i suggested and if it doesnt work after a week or so then try something different.

mymo

I had the same problem with my older dog, at 10 months the vet said he was very thin, by his first yearly booster he was very underweight. It was hard to see as he's very hairy.
Is you dog ok weight wise? Mine wasn't so I asked the vet for advice.
My vet said to get some chicken(I got thighs as they were cheap, but remove bones before giving to dog) or other meat and boil it up with rice and some veg(i did it all in oven in a casserole dish)and add a little to the dry food to entice him to eat more. It worked and he's now two and normal weight for about 6 months now, I cut out the casserole gradually over a couple of weeks once he filled out.
I also took the food away if he didn't eat it straight away(well about 10 mins as he often stops and walks around, has a drink and goes back for more), but he still doesn't eat the recommended amount on the Royal Canin bag, but his weight is ok and he's a lunatic bounding around all the time so it's obviously
enough.

Just remember they know that you'll break before they starve;)

Westie_Owner

mymo wrote: »

I had the same problem with my older dog, at 10 months the vet said he was very thin, by his first yearly booster he was very underweight. It was hard to see as he's very hairy.
Is you dog ok weight wise? Mine wasn't so I asked the vet for advice.
My vet said to get some chicken(I got thighs as they were cheap, but remove bones before giving to dog) or other meat and boil it up with rice and some veg(i did it all in oven in a casserole dish)and add a little to the dry food to entice him to eat more. It worked and he's now two and normal weight for about 6 months now, I cut out the casserole gradually over a couple of weeks once he filled out.
I also took the food away if he didn't eat it straight away(well about 10 mins as he often stops and walks around, has a drink and goes back for more), but he still doesn't eat the recommended amount on the Royal Canin bag, but his weight is ok and he's a lunatic bounding around all the time so it's obviously
enough.

Just remember they know that you'll break before they starve;)

Her weight is perfect she is the perfect weight for her age. Its just pure fussyness and stubborness with her. We never ever fed her once from the table yet she is more interested in what we have than her own food. Its very frustrating ya know.

mymo

Westie_Owner wrote: »

Her weight is perfect she is the perfect weight for her age. Its just pure fussyness and stubborness with her. We never ever fed her once from the table yet she is more interested in what we have than her own food. Its very frustrating ya know.

Yeah i know, my younger dog was like that for a while, and she's small and cute so it was tough.
She's a year now and still tries "the eyes" at dinner time, but I will always resist!

Westies can be VERY stubborn so now is the time to put your foot down, or you'll be in a whole heap of trouble soon. (I find walking away the easiest, just go back to take the hopefully empty dish)
Good luck!:)

anniehoo

mymo hit the nail on the head there.

mymo wrote: »

Just remember they know that you'll break before they starve;)

Theres nothing wrong with what you're feeding her.A lot of animals arent as lucky to be fed such a well balanced diet."Fortunately" for us our food is soo highly flavoured and it smells fantastic to them you cant blame them for tryin to get something more tasty.

Westie_Owner wrote: »

she is more interested in what we have than her own food. Its very frustrating ya know.

Dont get caught up with this as you'll just end up feeling guilty for no reason at all. I give my cat a "treat" of tuna mixed with his food once or twice a week along with a cod liver oil capsule(loooooves it). He constantly "begs" when im eating my dinner but i dont give in.

Guarantee after 2/3 days of being "consistent" i.e no treats/no additions to her food/same time..she'll be fine.

boodlesdoodles

As a Westie servant, I know just how fussy they can be and how flipping stubborn too. Perseverance is the only solution. Don't give into her! It is hard but I understand you're problem it took me nearly 2 years to get my fella sorted food wise. Just don't let her dictate.