Sparks Won't Eat Ground Beef

[Wonder]

and I have 39 lbs of it left

I thought he was gonna love it and I could hide his 3 antibiotic pills in it. No such luck

He will only eat the raw chicken and I just stuffed 3 pills down his throat. That's gonna suck having to do twice a day for another week.

He did eat ground turkey so maybe I'll try that again with the pills hidden in a turkey meat ball

[Batmom]

Did you try cooking it to see if he'll eat it that way?

[Guest Swifthounds]

Raw ground beef doesn't give off as much smell as chicken does. You can try taking a meat ball sized portion, sprinkle it loose on a plate, and microwave it until it cooks a bit and releases juices. Wait until it cooks to just slightly warm and offer that. If he'll eat that, step two is to do the same thing but sprinkle it over a small portion of raw.

 

A lot of dogs are off put by new items or textures. There are lots of tips to getting them interested. Once they start eating, you can wean back the fuss.

[Guest greybookends]

I have to warm hamburger for Bill sometimes to get the juices flowing and the aroma going before he will eat it. If you sprinkle it with just a little garlic powder it will also help. The more it stinks the better they like it.

[Guest RWM]

They can get finicky when it comes to different types of meats. My two definitely have their preferences. I would try squirting some salmon oil or anchovy oil on the meat and mixing it in. Not only is this healthy, but the scent might stimulate your hound to eat the beef.

[Wonder]

Did you try cooking it to see if he'll eat it that way?

 

This is where I'm being silly- the thought of cooking it grosses me out

It has organ matter mixed in and I just can't get myself to cook it. Not sure why

 

I'll try the micro

 

Course now he's not eating his raw chicken qtr right now either. Augh!!

 

I've been struggling for over a year to get him to eat. He hasn't lost any weight in the past year but I wanted to do raw so that I didn't have to fight to get him to eat. Now it's starting all over again

[Guest Ola]

If you're not letting the food come to room temp before feeding you could try that. Sometimes even getting it a bit warmer makes it more appetizing. Or on the flip side, try offering it partly frozen - sometimes the texture is better this way for some dogs.

 

You said it has organ meat in with the ground beef - is there other stuff in there as well? It's not at all unusual for dogs to reject ground with a bunch of stuff mixed in (veggies or supplements). If they don't like one thing in the mix they will refuse it. Not sure, have you introduced them to organ meat separately already? Because that is a common thing to get rejected at first.

[Guest greybookends]

Hmmmm... has he been secretly communicating with Bill?

[Guest Swifthounds]

If you're not letting the food come to room temp before feeding you could try that. Sometimes even getting it a bit warmer makes it more appetizing. Or on the flip side, try offering it partly frozen - sometimes the texture is better this way for some dogs.

 

You said it has organ meat in with the ground beef - is there other stuff in there as well? It's not at all unusual for dogs to reject ground with a bunch of stuff mixed in (veggies or supplements). If they don't like one thing in the mix they will refuse it. Not sure, have you introduced them to organ meat separately already? Because that is a common thing to get rejected at first.

 

[Cully]

Hmmmm... has he been secretly communicating with Bill?

 

 

I'm sure that Bill would say to sprinkle it with magic Burpdog crumbs.

[Greytlady94]

Kraft Easy Cheese works best for my guys.

[Wonder]

If you're not letting the food come to room temp before feeding you could try that. Sometimes even getting it a bit warmer makes it more appetizing. Or on the flip side, try offering it partly frozen - sometimes the texture is better this way for some dogs.

 

You said it has organ meat in with the ground beef - is there other stuff in there as well? It's not at all unusual for dogs to reject ground with a bunch of stuff mixed in (veggies or supplements). If they don't like one thing in the mix they will refuse it. Not sure, have you introduced them to organ meat separately already? Because that is a common thing to get rejected at first.

 

Nothing else added but organ and it came in a frozen tube.

I did try heating it up a little and he did eat it but he loves his chicken and will eat that no problem.

I have to have him eating in a room with the door shut or he won't eat it. Figured that out the hard way the other day

[juliemac]

Riley can smell pills of any sort in his raw food ... and will walk away from it even though he's a certified food hound.

 

He's also very clear that he likes his hamburger with ketchup & mustard ... and done medium-well. Bun is optional.

 

So that it doesn't go to waste, may I suggest:

1) mixing it 50-50 with a raw food he DOES eat

2) putting it in a Nesco in the garage for awhile

3) boiling it with minimal water and brown rice (I double the water needed for the rice, and add the beef at ANY time along the cooking process ... usually with a bit of garlic ... to make a stew-like mixture that is freezable and which my hounds eat when their tummies get issues).

 

Good luck! Is he related to Bill in any way, btw?

[sobesmom]

Throw a bunch of it in a crockpot. If you're feedlng frisky- add in some sweet potatoe and stuff. You don't have to mess with it. Just scoop and serve. Put the rest in the fridge, scoop and microwave. Dinner for a week.

[Guest Ola]

Hmm, not sure if I would actually cook it. Does this product have the bone ground in as well?

[Guest greyhound9797]

Riley can smell pills of any sort in his raw food ... and will walk away from it even though he's a certified food hound.

 

He's also very clear that he likes his hamburger with ketchup & mustard ... and done medium-well. Bun is optional.

 

So that it doesn't go to waste, may I suggest:

1) mixing it 50-50 with a raw food he DOES eat

2) putting it in a Nesco in the garage for awhile

3) boiling it with minimal water and brown rice (I double the water needed for the rice, and add the beef at ANY time along the cooking process ... usually with a bit of garlic ... to make a stew-like mixture that is freezable and which my hounds eat when their tummies get issues).

 

Throw a bunch of it in a crockpot. If you're feedlng frisky- add in some sweet potatoe and stuff. You don't have to mess with it. Just scoop and serve. Put the rest in the fridge, scoop and microwave. Dinner for a week.

 

 

If Sparks is on a raw diet, I doubt Mom would be giving him rice or sweet potatoes and the spices and vinegar in condiments aren't conducive to a raw diet either. I hope you're not giving too much of those...?

 

Sandra in FL

[Guest Swifthounds]

Since the issue was with beef combined with organs, I would try some raw beef (either a piece of a roast from the store or a bit of ground chuck) and see if he eats that. Organs can be a big turn off to dogs. If he eats the plain beef, you can then try cutting the beef/organ in with regular beef.

 

Seconding the "no" on junk like sweet potatoes, rice, pumpkin, blah..

[Batmom]

No reason not to include things like rice and sweet potatoes if he likes them. OP is trying to feed a dog, not prove a point.

 

P.S. to Kari: If he liked it better warmed up some, could also try adding a teaspoon or two (literally; not too much) of honey or molasses. Dark molasses in particular is good at hiding other flavors.

[kamsmom]

Kari when I was trying to get Ivy to eat I had to cook the hamburger meat. I added in egg noodles and she loved it. For pills I have had the best luck with turkey dogs. I cut them up into pieces and then stuff the pills inside. She swallows them whole. Good Luck.

[Wonder]

I am feeding him raw so don't want to add in extra crap. Thanks though for the suggestions.

 

This morning I gave him some off the beef, slightly heated and a chunk of tripe.

He wouldn't touch it.

 

Last night and this morning I was able to use cheese for his pills. That worked

[Guest Ola]

Since the issue was with beef combined with organs, I would try some raw beef (either a piece of a roast from the store or a bit of ground chuck) and see if he eats that. Organs can be a big turn off to dogs. If he eats the plain beef, you can then try cutting the beef/organ in with regular beef.

I agree - and I've found that some dogs have preferences as far as what type of organ it is and the animal it comes from. For example, he may not like beef liver but be ok with beef kidney. Or he may not like beef liver but be ok with pork liver and chicken liver. Ahh, the things we do for our dogs!

 

Have you tried it partly frozen (could do it with a small amount just to see)? Maybe the issue is that it smells too much, rather than not enough.

[Wonder]

I've tried everything now and he just won't eat it.

Lucky loves it though so he's going to eat it and I'm not going to force it with Sparks.

He can just eat the chicken