Need High-Caloric, Irresistible Kibble

[JJNg]

Mafi has a very good appetite, for things that she loves. But for many years, her interest in kibble has waned. She'll pick up a bit if I try a new kibble that she likes, but she usually loses interest quickly. I can put in meaty add-ons, but she'll inhale the meat while working her way around the kibble. She also likes a little competition - she'll walk away from her food in the middle of eating, then I'll hold the bowl for her which often draws her in. When the other dogs take an interest is when she'll eat.

 

She's always been picky, now is picky and a diva. But she's down to 42 lbs from her baseline 45, so I'd like to get more calories into her.

If you're confident that she's completely healthy, then IMO, it's less an issue of finding a higher calorie, more palatable food, and more an issue of training her to eat what you want her to eat. I find that when you change things around and add a variety of extras to try to get her to eat, you're actually creating an increasingly picky eater. You end up teaching her that if she holds out, she might get something better, or more attention.

 

My solution to this is one that most owners don't like. Pick one or two high-quality dog foods that you want her to eat, and then feed set meals 2-3 times a day. Simply put the food down, and take it away after 20 min regardless of how much has been eaten. No add-ons, no coaxing. If you feel the need to use add-ons for taste, pick a couple that you know she's liked in the past and stick with those consistently. No need to keep changing things around.

 

A healthy dog will not starve herself, and she will eat when she's hungry. When first making this change in feeding routine, some dogs may go 2-3 days without eating, but this won't hurt her if she's healthy. And once they learn the routine and realize that there is no alternative, I find that most dogs end up eating better than they did before. It's ok for dogs to skip occasional meals - some just seem to regulate their own intake to maintain weight. Once you're on a good schedule, I think it's fine to give small treats and snacks through the day, as long as it's in small enough amounts that it doesn't interfere with appetite for regular meals.

 

If she continues to lose weight, I'd still be concerned that there's an underlying health problem that's starting up. How is her current body condition?

[3greytjoys]

My vet echoes jjng's message. Again, as long the dog is healthy without an underlying medical condition.

 

After 4 years of pulling my hair out over one of our hound's lack of desire to eat, I try to feed a healthy, high calorie packed kibble. I do add water, especially at night when she's more likely to eat. Yes, there are days here and there that she completely skips all meals. Our higher calorie kibbles are 504 calories per cup and 468 cal. cup. She currently prefers a lamb and rice kibble (which probably has a stronger scent) at 430 calories per cup. They aren't particularly irresistible foods. I fed Wellness(?) puppy kibble but eventually went back to adult foods. I do change her kibble a couple of times a year, taking up to 4-6 weeks for a gradual change. Whatever the new food is generates more interest from her, even if I go back to the original food 6 months later... it becomes new again.

 

Here's what I found with our low eater:

She tends to skip meals until later in the evening. (I was told she may have eaten at night at her kennel but that was 4 years ago.) She needs to go potty before she eats. She eats less during hot weather. Her desire for food is reduced for a number of hours after exercise, even a walk (similar to people). That's fine since we're not supposed to feed 1 hour before or within 2 hours after hard exercise anyway (due to risk of bloat). She is the omega dog (last in our pack) and has severe separation anxiety. I don't know about Mafi's personality but for our girl, I've come to the conclusion that most of her eating challenges stem from being anxious. All the stars must line-up perfectly for her to feel comfortable to eat. I have to be sitting (relaxed) within her sight. All other hounds have to finish their food first and go back to sleep on their beds before she'll consider looking at her bowl. If she's in the mood to eat, great! She takes a few bites, then patrols the room for everyone's whereabouts, then goes back to eating. If she won't eat during that meal, the untouched soaked food is put in the refrigerator until the next meal time, then reheated. If another hound hovers near her full bowl she'll either eat or attempt to protect the bowl until I come remove it. I've also tried a high calorie gel substance from the vet, but didn't notice measurable weight gain. It was not a long term solution in our case. I think our girl has a super high metabolism on top of her anxiety. We've seen all her ribs ever since her adoption day almost 4 years ago, and no vets have found any medical problems in the past 3 years. (She arrived with nasal mites but those were treated successfully.) People who have dogs that do eat have no idea how fortunate they are!

[greyhndz]

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My solution to this is one that most owners don't like. Pick one or two high-quality dog foods that you want her to eat, and then feed set meals 2-3 times a day. Simply put the food down, and take it away after 20 min regardless of how much has been eaten. No add-ons, no coaxing. ...

 

A healthy dog will not starve herself, and she will eat when she's hungry. When first making this change in feeding routine, some dogs may go 2-3 days without eating, but this won't hurt her if she's healthy. And once they learn the routine and realize that there is no alternative, I find that most dogs end up eating better than they did before.

 

If she continues to lose weight, I'd still be concerned that there's an underlying health problem that's starting up. How is her current body condition?

 

It's great in theory, Jennifer, and I absolutely agree with this training method, but it doesn't work in a 6-dog house. Suppertime is systematic here for survival purposes. Everyone has their own specific spot and is fed in a certain order. They also seem to have figured out that if they don't finish quickly, the bowl Nazi's will come around and push them out of the way so they can steal the food.

 

Do you remember Kody from many moons ago? His nickname was "One-Kibble Kody") because he was a slooooooooow eater, but since he was alpha and the biggest, he wouldn't be bothered. Mafi is the same way - she's a very slow eater, always has been, and gets distracted easily. Her body condition is excellent. She's lost some muscle mass but she's active, can go for long walks without a problem and still stands up to give hugs.

[JJNg]

It's great in theory, Jennifer, and I absolutely agree with this training method, but it doesn't work in a 6-dog house. Suppertime is systematic here for survival purposes. Everyone has their own specific spot and is fed in a certain order. They also seem to have figured out that if they don't finish quickly, the bowl Nazi's will come around and push them out of the way so they can steal the food.

How does it work with your current feeding routine with how Mafi is eating now? What happens when she loses interest and walks away from her bowl? I believe that the main contributors to picky eating habits are using a variety of add-ins and constantly changing them to entice the dog to eat, as well as the social interaction of coaxing and making meals a big deal. You can eliminate these components without changing your feeding routine. When Mafi loses interest in her food, just take it away until the next meal.

 

Or if you want to give her more time to eat undisturbed, would it be possible to feed her in a crate, or behind a baby gate? This would likely only be temporary until she figures it out and starts eating more consistently.

 

Her body condition is excellent. She's lost some muscle mass but she's active, can go for long walks without a problem and still stands up to give hugs.

If she's is good body condition, do you think at least part of the 3 lb weight loss is just from that loss of muscle mass? If so, I wouldn't be too concerned about trying to get her to eat more.

[greyhndz]

 

If she's is good body condition, do you think at least part of the 3 lb weight loss is just from that loss of muscle mass? If so, I wouldn't be too concerned about trying to get her to eat more.

 

I honestly don't think so, Jennifer. Maybe .5 lb, but she's very ribby and almost every thoracic vertebrae are visible. 3 lbs on a bitty girl like Mafi really stands out.

 

I agree with you about not giving her unintended reinforcement for picky behavior, which is why I wanted to find an irresistible kibble that would grab her attention (and I wouldn't feel compelled to). Her habit while eating is to just walk away from her bowl, and go out to the yard or, if weather is bad, she'll go upstairs to her bed. Segregating her is possible but knowing Mafi, she'd stop eating and whine (she takes after me ). It sounds as if I'm making excuses, but it comes from almost 10 years of living with this little galga and her habits. She will, without fail, walk away from food to seek human attention. Eating has never been her priority. (Well, except for when she first arrived home -- I turned around for 30 seconds and then found her standing up on the kitchen counter.) This is why I was hoping to find a calorie-dense food in small volume.

 

So today I went to an excellent pet food store where they only carry quality products. At the owner's suggestion, I bought a small bag of Prairie turkey Instinct kibble - no grain, but not the extremely high protein content that Evo has. It has 440+ k/cal per cup. She ate virtually all of it, mixed in with Merrick canned. I'll wait to see how it's going over the next few days, and if she's eating well, I'll continue to feed it.

 

Thanks so much for the suggestions!

[3greytjoys]

One more thing I've noticed with my low, ultra-slow eater who thinks she must chew each kibble 10 times before swallowing... Even though her teeth and gums are fine, she gobbles a much greater quantity of kibble and much faster if it has been soaking until it's very soft/mushy (e.g. her leftover kibble with water that was in the refrigerator for hours, then re-warmed).

 

As Jennifer mentioned, I often block off all the other hounds away from my slow eater to reduce her meal time stress level. That helps a lot with our pack of four hounds with an occasional visitor.

 

I'm glad you found a kibble that may work well for Mafi. I'm very interested in reading how much it interests her over time.