My dog only wants chicken and rice. How to get her to eat kibble?

Dogs can be picky eaters, especially if they are given a choice of what to be picky about. I would not feed dairy products such as curd or too many fruits as this can cause digestive upset and diarrhea. If he likes chicken and rice, you can add the vitamin (or a liquid vitamin supplement to it) or even some veggies such as carrots or broccoli, however trying to get him on a balanced commercial diet is best. You'll want to put down the food for 15 m to give him a chance to eat, and then pick up whatever doesn't get eaten. While transitioning, you should not give any people foods, snacks, treats, other items, etc save for his regular meals. It may take some time, but a dog won't starve and they'll eventually try out the food. Sneaking in a little chicken or even low-sodium broth in with the food may also encourage eating in those 15 m windows.

Your vet is correct that this is not a balanced diet for Chachi. Chicken and rice is fine as a short term diet when dogs have GI upset, but should not be given it as a daily diet. Your vet is also correct that you may have to starve her in order to get her to eat her dog food. I recommend offering her only a dog food. Put the food down in the morning and leave it from 15-20 minutes. It should be dog food only. Then after the 15-20 minutes, take the food away, and she gets no other food until dinner that night. This is extremely important! She needs to learn to eat what is offered to her, and giving her additional food during this time ruins that lesson. At dinner time, again put down dog food for 15-20 minutes, taking it away after that time even if she hasn't eaten it. Again, no food until breakfast the next morning. You have to be strict on this, and not give in. No more chicken and rice, dog food only. She will learn that the only food she gets is the dog food, and she will start eating it. Good luck, I hope this help!

As you probably realize this is not a balanced diet for a growing puppy. If you haven't already I would recommend trying various canned puppy foods with a little chicken and rice mixed in. If he absolutely won't eat you can talk to your veterinarian about whether or not it is safe for you to leave food out and wait for him to eat when he's hungry - this could take a day or even longer. If you don't mind cooking for him you could also ask your veterinarian for a referral to a nutritionist to help create a recipe for a balanced home cooked diet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend Purina Pro Plan shredded blends chicken and rice. This specific diet is very palatable and also very good in terms of nutrition. You could also consider adding dog grade gravy to her food which may improve her appetite. Another thing you can do is add pieces of chicken to the kibble at least for now to encourage her to eat. Good luck!

Having a good source of a special treat like chicken is a blessing and a curse! IT sounds like he's learned that he can hold out for the food stuff. I would recommend very intentionally, slowly increasing the amount of kibble while decreasing the amount of chicken over about 2 weeks. Wetting and warming the dry food can make it more appetizing to him as well. Make sure to shred/cut the chicken as small as possible to mix with the food. Additionally, put the food down for 15 minutes, then pick it up and offer again later (2-4 times a day). If you wet and warm the food, just throw it away and start over each time. Also for a healthy, adult dog, it's ok if he goes a day or two without eating while you're transitioning. Good luck!

It's probably because she likes human food more than she likes her dog food. She should only be eating dog food, as too much human food isn't healthy for her. To get her back to eating her dog food only, I would mix the dog food and human food together, and over time, slowly decrease the amount of human food and increase the amount of dog food until she is eating dog food only. Do not give her any treats during this time, and once she is eating only dog food, do not give her any more human food.

I would try mixing the dry and wet food together to see if Aira will eat that, and if she does, gradually decrease the amount of wet food you give her until she eats the dry food only. You can also try that with boiled white meat chicken (no bones). Mix it with the dry kibble, and over time gradually decrease the amount of chicken until she is eating the kibble only. I hope this helps!