I don’t know what it is about me but I can speak from a lot of experience because this is my second dog that is very fussy when it comes to meal time. I do not believe in feeding our pets people food and table scraps on a regular basis so why and how they get to be so finicky about their food I just don’t know. I wish I could eat like them sometimes; I sure would be able to lose a lot of weight!
I cannot just leave food laying out all day for this little “princess of a diner” because out of 3 Chihuahuas, we do have one that would gladly eat everyone else’s food. So that adds to the problem as well. We do have to feed each dog in their own crates.
Before our little “skinny mini”, Teena, I had a Lhasa-Poo on the tiny side who was also a very picky eater. I tried everything I could to fatten her up, can food, dry food, the packaged ground meat food, a mixture of the all, if she did not want to eat, forget it! For sure she was not a morning dog and when she did eat it was mostly the evening meal. But she was very healthy . . . and so is Teena.
The thing is, dogs are smart and they won’t starve themselves. When they get hungry they will eat. I know we worry more than we should. Sometimes we just joke that she is on her diet today, on the days she chooses not to eat . . . and then she will eat everything I give her for days in a row. Go figure!
I do know that cats can also be quite finicky and they should be placed on a particular diet as soon as you get them and keep them on it, just as a pup. People food is not a good idea. To overcome the problem of the fussy diner is to try and find a good tasty nutritious dry food and mix it with a tablespoon or two of a nutritious canned dog food. Usually the folks at PetSmart or PetCo can be a lot of help. Just don’t feel you need to resort to cooking for the pets as they will not be getting all they need. It is not to say that our spoiled dogs don’t get a rare occasional plate to lick or a scrap now and then. Once in a while is fine.
I know it is psychologically hard to think like a dog and what they want and need. Wouldn’t that be great . . . and easy to be able to know and communicate with them? They are smart, though, and surely won’t starve. Do what you think is best for them, what works for your dog or cat. They won’t go on a hunger strike, I assure you.
What we have found to work most times for our two smaller is Chihuahuas is the good dry food mixed with a little wet food, a teaspoon of yogurt once a day to provide all the good bacteria for them and a couple drops of honey twice a day to keep their sugar levels where they should be for tiny dogs. We mix their food with a little hot water. That was the diet that one of the pups was on when we got him. Aside from our one Chihuahua who is on a light Beneful Dog Food Diet, this is the recipe we give the other two and they are very healthy. We humans just worry naturally about everything.
So if you have a finicky eater like I do, don’t get scared and start cooking for them as that will make the situation worse and they will never eat their own proper foods. Continue your own usual dog food routine suggested by the pet professionals, add a little variety with different can food flavors and unless the starvation diet goes into weeks, be assured your pup knows exactly what he is doing. If you have real concerns, call your vet for his documented advice. Our dogs really are smarter than we give them credit for.
