My puppy only eats chicken & rice. How do I get him to eat dog food?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on May 1st, 2017

  Unfortunately, it's not likely to be a nutritionally balanced diet for Pocholo, and as a growing puppy, he needs higher amounts of protein, calcium, and calories to support his growth. He really should be eating a puppy formulated food, and you may have to get tough with him to eat it. You can try mixing together pureed chicken with with puppy food so he can't just pick out the chicken, and over the course of two weeks, increase the amount of puppy food and decrease the amount of chicken puree until he is eating the puppy food only. Being tough on him would mean putting his food down for 15-20 minutes in the morning, and then taking away after that time even if he hasn't eaten. He then gets NO other food until his next meal time, no treats or human food at all. This is very important. Then at dinner time, put his food down again for 15-20 minutes and take it away after this time even if he hasn't eaten. No food again until breakfast the next morning. He needs to learn that he needs to eat when he's given food and he won't get any other food at all. Try the pureed chicken first with his puppy food to see if that works before getting tough. Good luck, I hope this helps!

  

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• Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

  Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

  Published on April 25th, 2018

  Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend that you consider feeding him a diet that is composed of the same protein and carbohydrate that is part of the his previous diet while it arrives. This means that if his food was mainly a chicken and white rice diet then you would ideally feed him a diet with that for example. This would be fine and he is more likely to tolerate it well. Good luck and have a good night!

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful