Not eating dog food...

First I gave her dog food, it seems she doesn't like it very much she hardly eats it unless I hand feed her or throw them on the ground 3 at a time or so, otherwise she doesn't even touch it in her bowl, this worries me because she likes her BARF diet and not the dog food, unless I mixed the dog food inside the BARF diet...I feed her IAMS for puppies Large breed kind.


Any suggestions?


PS: She isn't skinny or anything, I'm just worried that she is not eating dog food.

 

Put the food down for the dog, and wait it out. They will come around.

 

I have a better option SKIP the dog food and keep her on her Barf diet. Why would you want to switch her over to dog food? Thats kinda defeating the whole person of feeding a raw diet right??

 

Ever try switching brands of dog food? Mine have distinct likes & dislikes. It might just be she doesn't like that food (but don't go out buying 30 bags of different brands ...just switch once over a 2 week period & see if that works). If you want her to learn to eat dry kibble w/out feeding BARF supplemented with it, give her a bowl full, set it down for about 30 min & what she doesn't eat pick it up. Do this twice a day. I had one go 5 days w/out eating (all but a handful now & then) but once she realized she wasn't getting ground meat mixed with her kibble & that I wasn't going to give in (out of sympathy & worry) she ate. I haven't had a prob since. But it just might be that she just doesn't like the food.

 

So, kind of just give her the only choice is dog food? I do want to feed her BARF atleast once a week.

 

Yep You need to stick with one or the other or do both at the same time Dogs systems work much better when u stick to one brand / type of feed Dont keep switching. If you mainly feed kibble then give raw food once a week, it could mess with their digestive system.

Now on the other hand if everyday you gave them kibble and raw food, it wouldnt because your dog's digestive system would be accustomed too it .

 

rocksteady also brings up a good point. Dogs only being fed BARF components 1 a week or every other week are more prone to end up with gastrointestinal distress or pancreatitis. And pancreatitis can kill if not treated asap. when your dog is not used to a particular food/diet [especially "human" foods], even a little "tidbit" can cause serious problems to your dog. While it may seem that you've given your dog a scrap here & there w/no problems, that doesn't mean that it will always be that way. A week ago we lost a client's Gr. Ch. show boxer to pancreatitis. As it turned out, she was feeding dry food, but occasionally giving BARF diet components. Stick with one or the other or both. Your dog will be fine any way you go, but if you go the BARF route, you need to SERIOUSLY study up on nutrition, canine nutrition, & possibly enlist some outside help to make sure your dog is getting a truly balanced & appropriate diet. A dog cannot live on raw beef or chicken alone & be healthy.