Golden retriever fussy eater

bazmc35

Hey all, have a question about my pure bred golden retriever were having an awful time trying to get him to eat. He'll basically eat everything but his dog food. We've tried him on good quality foods as recommended by vet with no luck. We thought we'd it cracked he started eating a good quality food hills science plan we even bought a second 12kg bag but as soon as we'd opened it he's gone off it. We tried leaving him and taking food bowl away etc but he's actually so adamant when he doesn't like something he'll starve himself and thus make himself sick. At the mo my wife is actually having to hand him bakers bit by bit just to get him to eat something! Any ideas what to do with him? Btw he's 17months old.

fatmammycat

bazmc35 wrote: »

Hey all, have a question about my pure bred golden retriever were having an awful time trying to get him to eat. He'll basically eat everything but his dog food. We've tried him on good quality foods as recommended by vet with no luck. We thought we'd it cracked he started eating a good quality food hills science plan we even bought a second 12kg bag but as soon as we'd opened it he's gone off it. We tried leaving him and taking food bowl away etc but he's actually so adamant when he doesn't like something he'll starve himself and thus make himself sick. At the mo my wife is actually having to hand him bakers bit by bit just to get him to eat something! Any ideas what to do with him? Btw he's 17months old.

At the risk of sounding like some kind of zealot, what you're describing almost word for word descrives my own dog at 4 months. I switched to a raw food diet around about that time and went from having a dog I had to 'trick' into eating, to a dog that verbally hurries me a long when preparing his food. Take a look at the raw food thread here and see if this might be applicable to your situation. It's actually very easy to do and prepare and your dog will thrive on it.

andreac

How long do you leave him before offering him his food or any food again? My dog went three days as he was holding out for something tastier. Does he eat other food like chicken etc? If so then he's being fussy and you need to get tougher.
Stop hand feeding him for a start, he's well able to eat himself if he wants to.

ISDW

Maybe think about it like a child, offer them burger and chips every day, or a nutritious meal with vegetables. Most kids would go for the burger. the food you're currently giving is full of additives and flavourings, so I would imagine most dogs would choose that over a better food with less e numbers in it. If you can do the raw thing, then that would be the best, however, if you want to stick to a complete food, then maybe try a good quality one, Hills is only sold in vets, and they get a cut of it, as of course they should, as they're selling it in their premises. Just because it is sold in vets though, doesn't necessarily mean that it is the best dry food there is have a good look at other brands, their ingredients etc, and buy a small bag, and try him. Royal Canin will give you your money back if your dog doesn't like the food, and there are other good quality foods out there.

A dog won't starve to death, not eating even for a few days is fine, one of my dogs sometimes goes 2 days without eating, nothing wrong with him, just sometimes he doesn't want food.

tk123

My GR will eat anything so I've never had this problem lol! Are you giving him treats as well as his food that might be filling him up? Have you tried switching to a different bowl - somebody on here had the same problem at one stage and it turned out the dog didn't like the bowl!
Hills IMO is complete rubbish though so he's probably doing you a favor not eating it - GRs can have sensitive tummies and I don't know anyone who fed (before I educated them lol) Hills and didn't have a dog who was either hyper and/or had stinky peanut butter poos. Maybe look into a food with a higher meat content to make it more appetizing or even one that's made with fish - they usually love smelly fishy food. I feed my GR raw and he loves it. I give him some dry food too for treats and training rewards and use Taste of the Wild. I wouldn't go mixing stuff into the food to entice him because he'll probably not want the food without the extras but you could try soaking the food in warm water to bring out the smell?
Take a look on zooplus for options - they often do sample packs so you can get a smaller bag to start with. They have loads of foods with good quality ingredients that cost the same as Hills etc.

RAW ftw for us though - my guy's coat is amazing since we switched - really thick and shiny, great poos, no farts or mucky ears, lovely clean teeth and it doesn't cost a fortune. It's much easier than it seems and there's even a few options for buying frozen pre-made mixes/blocks/chubs for convenience.

barbiegirl

Our retriever cross was the same then we put her on Robbie's Rice and Chicken. She eats every day now. Plus her coat and general health is great.

Taceom

Our Golden Retriever was very fussy (and still can be if the mood takes him). If he doesn't eat his food I take away the dish after a few hours and offer it to him again the following day. He has often refused it on a second day too but never a third. In the beginning I did try different brands of food until I got to know what brand seemed to suit him best, but I never changed food just because he wouldn't eat it. He always has a plentiful supply of water nearby, and I don't think a day or two without food has done him any harm.