# I've got a fuss pot!



## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Okay so Nina has so far been a great eater. Gobbling her meals quicker than Lola. However for 2 months now she is really requiring LOTS of encouragement to eat her meals. We've tried everything to help her to eat as well as ignoring her and taking the food away but sometimes she just doesn't eat one of her meals in the day yet I know she is starving. 

So I've come to the conclusion that she is just not keen on BH, although Lola loves it. I feel 2 months is long enough and she's made her point that she doesn't want it anymore.

Dilemma is what do I feed her? I don't really want to feed them differently but Lola loves her kibble and really doesn't chew on chews/bones/stag bars like Nina does so I would worry about her teeth if she went on to wet. I was in our local pet boutique getting Megs cat food today and picked up a couple of naturediet packs to try. Of course Nina has just polished a serving off with great gusto. Lola was intrigued by the smell and so she got a serving too. I'm not sure this is a food I want to feed them but I just wanted Nina to enjoy a meal, that she did.

I know raw would be best and we do it now and again but we aren't ready for the complete switch with still needing day care a couple of times a week.

I would really love your input here.. Do I try to keep Lola on her kibble and feed Nina Naturediet (or something else of your suggestion) or do I try to persevere with Nina on barking heads kibble (even though at this stage I think she has proved her point). 

I should say that Nina is very slight at just under 7kg. She's not losing weight but she's not gaining either and I would like her to be closer to 8kg as she's long and although vet says she's fine I think she's skinny!


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Welcome back Ruth! We had Poppy on Lily's Kitchen grain free kibble as her adult food and although she absolutely loved it, for some reason her poos were never firm. Someone on here suggested adding a bit of Naturediet because it contains ground bone so is a good 'stiffener'  Well she love love loved it! We then swapped the Lily's for BH (still plus ND) and she loves that too and has slightly better poos but still not the best. I'll get to the point in a minute! Last week she had a bad tum with blood in her poo (from scavenging we think) so I cut out the BH and stuck to ND (and anti biotics!) because last time she was ill I did the chicken and rice thing and I think it was all too much at once and made things worse. Anyways, my point was that she completely loves it and so far her poos are excellent so I too am considering swapping completely to ND. What was your question again?  Oh yeah, it seems like a good food with the only reservation in the reviews being the white rice, so I'd be tempted to keep Lola on what she likes and try Nina on the ND for a while....thinking time for you if nothing else xxx Now breathe


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks Marion, that helps. Out of interest what do you pay for your packs?

Nina ate the food with such enjoyment, I feel guilty for forcing the kibble over the last few months. If I could find a good reliable source of recipes and was certain I had the quantities correct, I would make the food myself.


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

R&R seemed to go off BH - I think they just get a bit bored of it, I have the a. Raw duck neck as a treat the other night - both enjoyed it, then Ralph threw all his back up after 10 minutes! 
We have changed from BH and are now on Arden grange I think the next one we will do will be Origen - that's a good quality one (think that's the name?)
My vet told me it's always better for a dog to be slightly underweight than over weight x


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks Tracey! My two love raw. I gave Nina a raw egg for breakfast this am as she wouldn't eat the BH. She's in food heaven today.

The only problem is it's almost double the price to feed Nina on Naturediet.. Cost isn't really an issue but is if she's going to keep chopping and changing and being fussy.


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

My local pet store stocks it, (along with LYD's) I've been contemplating it, I think my two would love it - especially ruby, she adores wet food! X


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

Molly is on home made food it's lamb (looks sort of like a mini meat loaf) she loves the stuff. Her teeth are fine as we brush them daily. She does chew on antlers and other chews but I wouldn't worry about Lola's teeth if you brush them she should be fine on a wet food. If Lola likes her kibble I would let her be and just switch Nina. Molly didn't like dry kibble at all she did at first but often would go days without eating she is only 6.8 kg or 15 lbs...I think she looks skinny but the vet says she is the perfect weight. He said that it's better for them to be on the slim side than chubby cause then they are more at risk for health problems. 

Molly's food is a lot more expensive than when she was on dry kibble but she eats her meal in one shot now before she would go without food so guess for her dry kibble wasn't appealing!


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

Tilly went off her BH at about 8 months, so I started to add a little bit of naturediet just to make it a bit more interesting. We've never looked back! 

We buy it from pets at home for 99p a pack and each pack lasts 3 days; she has a 6th of a pack mixed in with each meal. Could you mix it in for both girls? Tilly's poos are very firm and smooth and she enjoys her food more. Win win


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Do nutriment deliver over there? it maybe worth giving them a call to check, they are always helpful, Dudley loves it, there is really no waste so you may find they need less of it. I do still use dry occasionally and plan to feed dry when we are away for convenience but I always notice the difference with soft poo's the next day when on dry. Dudley got a bit bored with puppy BH too but I think that maybe because there was only 1 flavour, he was fine on adult though, just decided to try Nutriment one day and he is always super excited about eating now.


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

RuthMill said:


> Thanks Marion, that helps. Out of interest what do you pay for your packs?
> 
> Nina ate the food with such enjoyment, I feel guilty for forcing the kibble over the last few months. If I could find a good reliable source of recipes and was certain I had the quantities correct, I would make the food myself.


I use Amazon subscribe and save which is a lot cheaper than the shops:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Naturediet-...TF8&qid=1403290454&sr=1-1&keywords=Naturediet

I asked Poppy 'do you want your tea?' tonight and she licked her lips


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Lottierachel said:


> Tilly went off her BH at about 8 months, so I started to add a little bit of naturediet just to make it a bit more interesting. We've never looked back!
> 
> We buy it from pets at home for 99p a pack and each pack lasts 3 days; she has a 6th of a pack mixed in with each meal. Could you mix it in for both girls? Tilly's poos are very firm and smooth and she enjoys her food more. Win win


Is it ok to mix wet with dry? I always thought they couldn't be mixed as are digested differently.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

DB1 said:


> Do nutriment deliver over there? it maybe worth giving them a call to check, they are always helpful, Dudley loves it, there is really no waste so you may find they need less of it. I do still use dry occasionally and plan to feed dry when we are away for convenience but I always notice the difference with soft poo's the next day when on dry. Dudley got a bit bored with puppy BH too but I think that maybe because there was only 1 flavour, he was fine on adult though, just decided to try Nutriment one day and he is always super excited about eating now.


Totally love the idea of nutriment. I've been on the website so often. They don't ship to us. Maybe one day *sigh


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

RuthMill said:


> Is it ok to mix wet with dry? I always thought they couldn't be mixed as are digested differently.


Isn't that raw with unraw? (If that's a word!)


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

No problem at all with mixing wet food and dried, it is also worth a try soaking the dried food as some dogs prefer it that way.

I would not worry too much about teeth and food. Molly was on a mix of wet food and dried when I first got her and ended up eating mostly wet. When she had her bought of pancreatitis I ended up home cooking for her and she now eats a cooked wet mix of food. She has been on this homecooked for almost 2 years now and still has lovely clean teeth.


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## Lottierachel (Mar 3, 2013)

Mazzapoo said:


> Isn't that raw with unraw? (If that's a word!)


Yeah I think you're right, Marion. I know you can't mix raw with dry food, but I think a cooked food like naturediet is fine.

Going to check out that amazon link to see how much cheaper it is to order online! X


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

Hi Ruth, is Nina on the adult version now?
If I were you I would add a little taster of nature diet to the BH, this will normally get them eating well again. I would also do the same for Lola as she will not be happy if Nina is getting a tastier meal than her 
I have done this with Weller and one carton will last a few days using it this way, so won't be too expensive.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

wellerfeller said:


> Hi Ruth, is Nina on the adult version now?
> If I were you I would add a little taster of nature diet to the BH, this will normally get them eating well again. I would also do the same for Lola as she will not be happy if Nina is getting a tastier meal than her
> I have done this with Weller and one carton will last a few days using it this way, so won't be too expensive.


Yeh she's been on the adult version a little while now as she had got very interested in Lola's. She loved it at first. Real enthusiastic eater. Haven't seen that in a while with her until I gave her naturediet yesterday 

Definitely going to try the mixing this morning. We had a late night last night and they are still both snoozing 

Will let you know how we go with the mixture!

Thanks, you're all great!


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

So tried the mixing  

Nina delicately and nimbly picked around the kibble, even sucked the wet food off and spat the kibble out on the floor beside her bowl  can you believe that?? 

Lola didn't like the naturediet today and only ate the kibble out of her bowl! When I first put it down to her she looked at me like, mum what is this??? 

Arghhhhhhh


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## Mazzapoo (Jul 28, 2013)

Ha ha a pair of contrary Marys exerting their individuality!


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Mazzapoo said:


> Ha ha a pair of contrary Marys exerting their individuality!


As ever!!!


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## Tinman (Apr 23, 2013)

RuthMill said:


> So tried the mixing
> 
> Nina delicately and nimbly picked around the kibble, even sucked the wet food off and spat the kibble out on the floor beside her bowl  can you believe that??
> 
> ...


Ruby also has the skill of eating around her kibble and sucking it and spitting it out!


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## dmgalley (Aug 19, 2012)

Jake and willow both tend to suddenly go off their food even when they have been doing really well on it. We add boiled chicken or hamburger but that only goes so far. I feel that if she wants something different and you find a good one she likes go for it. I know it is a pain having them on different foods but let's face it, they are worth it! 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

It's just getting worse. As Lola didn't like the mix this morning I just gave her her own kibble. Now she turned her nose up at it and when I then mixed in naturediet she wouldn't eat that either. Lola has never been fussy. Nina's eating the mix and Lola's not eating now. Arghhhhhhhhh!! Poor Lola


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## Cat 53 (Aug 26, 2012)

Get them some nice smelly tripe.....bet they both enjoy that!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

Ruth, I've been looking at nutriments list of retailers and there are 2 in Co Cavern, not sure where that is from you, and there is a retailer in Guernsey too, now I know that won't help you but I'm just thinking if Nutriment can get the meals to them.... maybe worth calling them anyway, they really are a helpful bunch. Having said that there are 2 very fussy eaters I know of (1 a cockapoo) in our village who were still not excited by it.


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## 2ndhandgal (Aug 29, 2011)

Cat 53 said:


> Get them some nice smelly tripe.....bet they both enjoy that!


As a labrador cross Chance is not exactly fussy and eats her dried food happily - one day at my friends she was feeding her own dogs and added some raw tripe to Chances bowl as a treat, 5 minutes later a poor stressed Chance was still trying to pick the dried food out of the tripe


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## wilfiboy (Sep 18, 2010)

Hi Ruth you could try one of the 80/20 kibbles like Eden or Simpsons Premium they score highly on the All About Dog food page. 80 % meat/ fish 20% veg,fruit, herbs and no grains or cereals, they may do samples, might be worth a try. They are more expensive though...you may find Nina prefers it too x 

http://www.edenpetfoods.com

http://www.simpsonspremium.com


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## Marzi (Sep 17, 2012)

Dot has raw, the other two have kibble. Everybody eats their own food happily. They all regularly have wings or ribs and Dot loves a carrot.
If necessary they can eat each others and Inzi and Kiki often have something added to their kibble. 
In the end you'll give your girls what they like and eat


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks Marzi. Frustrating just because Lola was absolutely fine until I managed to get Nina eating something. It's like only 1 will eat at a time. Lola ate her kibble in the end this morning. It took ages. Nina is no bother now. X


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Dinner was fine tonight. Trick: get Lola started on her kibble while I prepare Nina's. Nina doesn't mind as she's busy watching me prepare hers. Both ate! Phew! Lola does love her kibble. She's not interested in the naturediet. Going to start introducing more raw. 

Dawn - I've contacted nutriment again. Thanks!


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