Fussy Dogs - My Thought Ponder For The Day

[Dame Aussie]

We had two Chi x siblings from the same litter, they were both starvos.....

So was our Boxer....

Lili my Aussie is a starvo, will eat ANYTHING and will do ANYTHING for food. Mosley isn't like that, although he will eat anything given to him, he's just not as desperate about it, although when he was a puppy we used to have to scatter his food he'd eat it that quickly :laugh: So yeah, all my dogs are pigs :laugh:

I don't think it has to do with any specific thing really, down to the dogs personality would be my guess. Interesting though.

[Guest donatella]

I've never heard of starvo? I presume that means guts??

The Chi I fostered was a guts. The first night I had him he ate the entire contents of Lucy's food bowl dry biscuits without coming up for and she just sat there looking at him wondering wtf he was doing.

I think mine just have it too good.

[Diva]

I wouldn't say mine are fussy, but they definitely self-regulate and don't eat just because there is food down. They will only eat as much of a meal as they want, and they will skip a meal occasionally, especially if their exercise has been less than normal that day. Not unusual for some of the sighthounds.

[huski]

All my dogs and even my cat are massive gutses. Some dogs definitely have more food drive than others and some dogs do only eat to survive. However that IMO isn't the same as fussiness which I do think is generally created by the owners. My dogs don't get a choice, they eat what I give them. The only thing my beagle won't eat is the Dr Bs BARF patties - she literally went almost two days without eating as she refused to touch it. In that instance I give her that one - it so extremely out of character I figured there must be a genuine reason she wouldn't eat it.

[trinabean]

My thoughts on this are - check there isn't a medical condition.

Amber was fussy from a pup. I used to whinge a bit about it and join in discussions on here. People would say to take her food away after 10 mins and that she wouldn't starve herself. When all the time the poor pup wasn't well. Had the same thing with a cat. Just thought he was just fussy, nope sick.

I had a similar experience with Bruno. He was not eating well even when I picked him up from the breeder. He's never been a good eater and is not food-motivated (painful at obedience classes). He frequently went on hunger strikes, sometimes for days at a time. I've felt so guilty for his fussiness/ refusal to eat and it's been a battle to keep enough weight on him.

I now know that he is sick. I do envy those whose dogs will, and are able to 'eat whatever is put in front of them.'

[Daisys Mum]

My two aren't fussy.... They eat what I put in front of them and they lick the bowl clean :laugh:

If they don't eat their food then I know there is something wrong.

[moosepup]

Same kiwi! Mine aren't fussy about food but for awhile there Moose was fussy about what it was served in, the only thing I could get him to eat off was an ice cream container lid. :laugh: I think he didn't like having his nose touching the side of the deep bowl so I did pander to him and got him this and no problems since... :D

I do vary the flavours of BARF I get them so maybe that stops them being fussy but I think they'd eat whatever I put in their bowls.

I think some dogs just don't like certain foods and other dogs are just spoilt. :)

[Rosetta]

Most of my customers with fussy dogs who refuse to eat kibble often cook meat/pander to their every need. And in a lot of these cases, they're just giving meat/pasta/veggies and the dog may be missing out on vital nutrients. One thing I've learnt from here is that if you're going to do the RAW diet, you need to be mindful of the dog's needs - especially puppies.

Little dogs do tend to be a bit fussier (just anecdotally) but then again they are more likely to have owners who will cater to their needs (not in all cases, but a fair amount).

:laugh: Spoilt dogs come in all sizes.

Mine will eat any sort of kibble providing there is something yummy mixed through but try and serve it up plain and no go

[Podengo]

My dog, rabbit and cat are all greedy and will eat until they burst if you kept feeding them! Food is not left down at my house, if you don't eat it in 10 minutes it is picked up (or else another animal will eat it). The rabbit has access to greens and hay all day, but his pellets get taken away otherwise the dog eats them.... Same with the cat food, and the dog food has to be picked up or the rabbit and cat will have a go at it... Eat or starve here LOL. Elsie will even steal vegetables from the rabbit, she won't always eat them, but she will ruin them so he won't!