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Food Issues


nightgrace6
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Hi all,

Lately Effy has stopped chewing her food, she is on RC Junior and eats it but doesn't chew just kind of swallows it whole.. I also have her on a homemade mince of chicken carcass sardines etc which she loves, she also gets fresh bones, lambs neck, turkey neck, brisket, roo tail AND SHE WONT TOUCH THEM! its like she hasn't learnt how to chew, she will lick them and put them in the "too hard" basket.. there is nothing wrong with her teeth (vet confirmed) and I do not really want to change her kibble to a bigger one as she is radiant on the RC but I don't know how to get her to chew! I want her to be eating bones for her health and her teeth, she likes the meat off of them (sometimes instead of chucking the ones she hasn't touched when the ants come I will cut pieces off for her).

She is 11 weeks now and has had a bucket, elizabethan collar on her for about 2 1/2 weeks now, could this have contributed to her issue? the bucket was so big she couldn't use her paws to hold bones etc so she just didn't bother. I forgot to add she doesn't wolf or guts her food she is quite a slow eater just no chewing!

Any ideas/reccs/stories?

TIA

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Get a softer sort of bone with plenty of meat on it - chicken thigh would be good. Sear it very lightly in a frying pan as this helps release the flavour a bit - even add some butter to make it more tasty. Cut the meat/skin in towards the bone so there's plenty of places for her to get started. Wait until it's cool or you'll put her off even more :hug: then give it to her in a quiet place and leave her to it. Chances are that to start with she may not eat the bone, but learning to rip up the meat is a start.

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Thanks I'll give that a go tonight! My vet also gave me a small bag of large RC kibble that she has to chew, it takes her a while but she will have it after food as a tooth cleaner...

Maybe she is just being delicate (or lazy) as she grows she might be more inclined to go crazy over the bigger bones, she is 9.5 kilos at 11 weeks so she is a big girl and was chomping on bones the first few days we got her.. bloody bucket!

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I wouldnt worry about having a tooth cleaner at her age all her teeth are going to start falling out soon. Nutrition is a bigger concern then puppy teeth.

Are you sure she doesnt have loose teeth that are causing her pain?

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I'm only giving her the bigger kibble (1 or 2 as a treat) to assess that very thing, she was at the vets yesterday to get her stitches out and a shot so she had a general check up... because I am planning on showing her I got my vet to go over all her limbs etc and he had a look inside her mouth (checked for any abnormalities) and found nothing.

Last night whilst I was grooming/petting her I opened her mouth and actually touched her back teeth and tried to wiggle them..nothing is loose they look great, I know they will be falling out quite soon but by the looks of things not at the moment and she is still going nuts chewing her hard nylon bones, rubber and squeaky toys with her back teeth so I don't think its her teeth. I am no expert though. :hug:

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I have a 7 year old that is still a gulper. I wouldnt worry too much about it if you want to really get her into chewing bones give them to her instead of a meal. A hungry puppy will start putting in the effort.

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If you are worried about the rate she is hoovering her kibble, and I would be because Dobes are deep chested, then soak her kibble before you feed her. My pup inhales his meals and always has his kibble soaked.

My first Dobe was a very delicate and quite a fussy eater, but bones were no worries. Maybe its a case of too much variety too soon, perhaps pick one thing out of the ordinary and stick with that for a week, then try something different. That lightly frying idea sounds great too.

Doh! And then I reread it and see she's not a gulper, so my post is now defunct.

Good luck.

Edited by SmoothieGirl
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I gave her a wonderful turkey neck at about 5 and skipped lunch.. stripped all the hard fat off of it and cut it up a bit so meat was hanging off of the bone.. didn't touch it..

Maybe she just does not like them, I have wasted about 7 bones since tuesday evening and whilst they are not expensive I am not sure what the matter is..

I will soak her kibble a bit but then again I do not want her to be completely immune to chewing.. Does anybody know of the biggest big dog puppy kibble on the market.

Thanks for the advice so far :confused:

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  • 2 weeks later...

A hard thing to do with a puppy but I would starve her for 24 hours and then give her the food you want to feed her and only that. Catering to her every whim will only make her worse (been there done that !!!!). A 24 hr fast won't hurt her - promise.

Her gums could be sore as teething will start soon too but ours normally devour more bones once that starts and the chewing helps with the teething process. You can give them Tissue Salts (all natural) which help with the pain and inflammation of teething. The ones I use are - Martin & Pleasance Tissue Salts - COMB R (Erupting Teeth).

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