Can I give my picky dog chicken feet? What's the best diet for him?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Causes of a decrease in appetite are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infection, he ate something gross that is upsetting his stomach, he ate something that is stuck, food allergy/intolerance, Inflammatory Bowel disease, Addison's disease, new treat/food/table food. Sometimes this can be behavioral as well, he is waiting for something better like the Pedigree. If there is not other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy then that is likely the problem. If you recently got a new bag of his food the company may have changed the formula or there is a issue with that bag of food. If you really don't want to feed him Pedigree then hold your ground. Offer his normal food, you can add water to it to make it more tempting, and if he doesn't eat it then pick it up. Do not offer treats or any other food and then he is not fed again until his next meal time. You can also consider feeding him once daily. If he is otherwise sick, please repost with his symptoms and we will provide advice. I hope this helps and I wish you and Puku the best!

What a cute puppy! With him being 7 months old and a small breed dog, I think that Lucas is slowing down on his growing. This can cause a reduction in his appetite. I find that the more that we change a dog's food- the more pickier they become. I would stick with one brand, offer 1/3 of slightly less than the daily recommended amount (they sell dog food, so the more he eats the more you buy) three times daily. Give him a set amount of time and then pick up the bowl. This will create some urgency. He will eat if he is hungry. The more we change and add things, the more he will wait to eat to see what good stuff will be added. I would keep track of his body condition score- you should be able to feel his ribs with a little bit of fat cover, but not see them. As long as he is in good body condition, I would not worry. Some dogs are not food motivated and will just eat what they need. If you have any questions about his weight or body condition score, you can ask your veterinarian. I don't think that grain free food are necessary. Dogs are omnivores.

Boiled chicken breast can be fed during times of gastrointestinal upset but it is not a balanced diet for long term use. If Akki is behaving normally, choose a good quality dog food for feeding. Quality brands include Royal Canin, Orijen, Canidae or Acana just to name a few. Discontinue feeding treats and biscuits. Feed him on a schedule. Dogs his age can be fed twice daily. Prepare his food at the scheduled time and leave it down for 15-20 minutes. You can add warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate his appetite. Pick it up after the time is up whether he has eaten or not. Repeat at the next mealtime. Do not offer any other food or treats between meals. Do not switch diets frequently. Doing so may lead to gastrointestinal upset or can create a finicky eater. Be firm and be consistent. Do not allow him to train you to feed him what he wants, when he wants. If he is exhibiting other symptoms (lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain) then have him examined by your veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury.

Your instincts are right on this one. It sounds like she is just a [picky eater](https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater). Small breed dogs tend to be picky eaters, and this is accentuated when the owner gives in and feeds people food. I know it is hard, but you have to try and slowly break this habit by refusing to give her the boiled chicken and only her dog food. Most dogs can go up to 3 days without eating and most will give in within a day or two when they realize nothing else is coming and their only option is the [dog food](https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food) that is available to them. It sounds cruel, but this is the only way to break this habit. You can also make sure that you are offering highly palatable, high quality [dog food](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-food). Typically grocery store brands are generic and low quality. Try foods like Royal Canin, Blue Buffalo, Halo, or Evo to see if these appeal to her picky nature. You can add canned food to her dry kibble to entice her to want to eat it regularly.

There is no one "best" food. Choose a diet that is easy for you to buy, that both will eat and both do well on. What they have done is train you to feed them what they want. To break this habit will require patience and consistency. If they aren't already, start a regular schedule for feeding. Dogs thrive on routine, so this should be easy for them. Prepare the meal and put it down for 30 minutes before picking up whether they have eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Now, here is the tough part......do not feed them anything between meals. Don't worry, they will not starve. They will eat when food is presented eventually. Switching diets may lead to stomach upset and can reinforce the finicky behavior.

Some dogs are just picky eaters or are not very food driven. So we have some dogs, like your typical labrador, that will eat anything and everything within 30 seconds of it being put down, and others that are more picky and graze throughout the day. There are not necessarily medical drawbacks to leaving her food down throughout the day, or at least leaving it down for a few hours in the morning and a few in the evening. Sometimes unfortunately with dogs who are picky we just have to be tough and not offer them a different food every time they decide they aren't excited about their current one. We can predispose dogs to food allergies if we are changing their foods all the time and we do get allergies later in life it is much harder to find a good diet for them. I would choose one food and stick with it, and she will eventually get hungry and eat it. The exception is toy breed puppies which can develop hypoglycemia if they go too long without eating https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952329 , but adult dogs should be able to tolerate this. I am a fan of the purina pro plan line, which is available at most pet stores and is good quality, they also have dry diets, wet diets, and their Savor line has kibbles along with softer/chewy kibbles which my dogs love. If there is some treat that she is very fond of you can mix it in with the food that you want her to eat and slowly decrease the amount of the treat each day so she gets used to the other food. Some people find putting some low sodium chicken broth on the food can entice them to start eating a food and you can slowly decreas the amount placed on the food, or warming food up slightly makes it more appetizing.

There is a great calculator in the PetCoach library. Find it here: https://www.petcoach.co/healthy-weight-calculator/ It can be used to estimate Parker's ideal weight. You can also ask your veterinarian to show you how to assess Parker's body condition score (BCS). A BCS and body weight paint a more accurate picture than one or the other. In the meantime, continue to feed as you have been. Dogs thrive on routine, so try to keep a consistent schedule for feeding. Prepare his meal then leave it down for 15-20 minutes before picking it up whether he has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any food or large treats between meals. Tiny rewards for training or good behavior are allowed. These treats should take no more than 1-2 seconds to eat. Do not despair, he will not starve. Parker will eat when he is hungry. Try to avoid switching diets as this may cause gastrointestinal upset or create a finicky eater.