Why is my Shih Poo mix so picky about food, and what should I feed?

There can be many reasons for finicky eating: https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ My advice is to pick a high quality food and stick with it. The two brands that seem to be most palatable are Royal Canin and Purina ProPlan. Also, as long as your pet is healthy, its ok if he skips a couple meals. Dogs are smart and they often train humans to give them something else. Have him examined if illness or a medical cause is suspected. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I think it is worth a try, yes. If he still doesn't like it, then perhaps a slow transition to another high quality puppy food can be tried. I really like Royal Canin, Hills Science diet, Evo, Merrick And Eukanuba brands if you interested in other brand options. Best of luck with Boovs and getting him interested in his food again.

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.

I love Chow Chows! I have a red female Chow Chow who is almost 10 years old, and she is just the best dog. No, it's not true that Chow Chow's diets should be cut down on meat. I personally feed my Chow Iams dog food, and she does great on it. There could be a couple of reasons why Heisenberg is reluctant to eat. He could have a dental problem that is making it painful for him to eat, or it could be he is suffering from a medical illness causing a decrease in appetite. Due to this, I would have him checked out by a vet in the next couple of days. just to make sure everything is ok health wise with him. If he is healthy, then it may simply be that he doesn't like the flavor of food you are feeding. Royal Canin is an excellent brand of food, and he is close to needing to be fed an adult food. You could try switching his food to Royal Canin medium breed adult food, or using another brand such as Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. If you do switch his food brand, do it slowly to avoid any GI upset. I hope this helps!

As long as she eats and is not losing weight, don't stress out over it. It is true that smaller breeds can be a bit more finicky. Switching foods would not be recommended as it can lead to gastrointestinal upset and reinforce her finicky nature. Instead, try mixing in a bit of warm water or a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate the appetite.

Most dogs will not starve themselves. It is best to remove any and all extras such as people food and treats that are more enticing, and only offer her the dog food for a few days. You can either set it down for a period of 15-20 minutes and pick it back up and try again in a few hours if she doesn't eat, or leave it out free-fed for a day or so to give her a chance to check it out and try it. Some dogs may not be comfortable with certain types of bowls as they may clink against a collar or feel weird on their faces/feet. Changing things up by trying a bowl of a different material or adding a placemat or rug under the bowl may help encourage Sunshine to try it out and start eating. If she is refusing to eat suddenly when she was eating fine before, or is showing any signs of illness in addition to this (vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, painful belly, etc), then there could be an underlying issue causing it which should be checked out by a vet.

Dogs should be fed an age appropriate diet, either a puppy food, maintenance diet, or senior blend. The best dog food companies are Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, & Purina. You can not go wrong choosing one of these. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.