TLDR: my dog is insanely picky; I’ve tried everything; nothing worked long term. Then I tried raw food and it worked like a charm. But I’m worried about the side effects that a lot of vets say raw feeding can incur. Advice please!
So my dog (7 year old male Pomeranian); is the pickiest goddamn eater I’ve ever encountered. I serve him up some gourmet shit that the average dog would only eat in their wildest dreams; and he still refuses it. I’ll give him wet food with bone broth and salmon oil. I’ll give him fresh food, with pumpkin, yogurt, goats milk, cracked eggs, coconut oil, or peanut butter mixed in. I’ll give him homemade food with crumbled up treats as a topper. I’ll try feeding him out of Kongs, lick mats, snuffle mats, my own mtherfcking hands; and still- it’ll take me like 30 mins and a bunch of coaxing and prodding to get him to eat ~maybe~ a 1/4 cup. 1/3 cup is a great day for him. (Should mention he’s only 4lbs).
And yes- ik I should prob just employ patience & wait him out; bc ik that my continual pandering is prob not helping & possibly even making things more difficult. Sorry to say I just can’t help it. My anxiety is way too sky-high to watch him go without food. So if that’s your only advice; just know that it’s nothing I’m not already aware of; and that- right or wrong- it’s nothing that I’m gonna actually make use of
Anyways, I finally broke down and shelled out the money for some freeze-dried raw food; and with literally ZERO prompting he GOBBLED UP an entire 1/2 cup (more than I’d ever seen him eat in one sitting; potentially more than I’d ever seen him eat in one day). He’s also never before eaten actual dog food without concerted prompting from me- even his treats he usually needs me prompting him to eat. Additionally, I’d never seen him eat directly out of a bowl before; prior to this it had to be puzzles or my hands. Now obv raw food distributors make a lot of claims regarding the health benefits; but I’m skeptical; which is why I’m posting. Most vets seem to agree that it can be dangerous long-term; and I don’t wanna do anything to endanger my dog. I’m also terrified by the things I’ve read about the link between grain-free diets (like raw diets) and heart problems. On the other hand; it’d be amazing if he’d eat the proper amount of food each day; without my needing to sacrifice hours of my time literally arguing with him about it lol.
What are your thoughts on raw food? If I supplement with baked treats that include grain will that be sufficient for his nutritional needs? Or if I feed him a mixture of raw and kibble? Or can I go totally raw? Or should I not include any raw in his diet at all? Any advice is appreciated!
So my dog (7 year old male Pomeranian); is the pickiest goddamn eater I’ve ever encountered. I serve him up some gourmet shit that the average dog would only eat in their wildest dreams; and he still refuses it. I’ll give him wet food with bone broth and salmon oil. I’ll give him fresh food, with pumpkin, yogurt, goats milk, cracked eggs, coconut oil, or peanut butter mixed in. I’ll give him homemade food with crumbled up treats as a topper. I’ll try feeding him out of Kongs, lick mats, snuffle mats, my own mtherfcking hands; and still- it’ll take me like 30 mins and a bunch of coaxing and prodding to get him to eat ~maybe~ a 1/4 cup. 1/3 cup is a great day for him. (Should mention he’s only 4lbs).
And yes- ik I should prob just employ patience & wait him out; bc ik that my continual pandering is prob not helping & possibly even making things more difficult. Sorry to say I just can’t help it. My anxiety is way too sky-high to watch him go without food. So if that’s your only advice; just know that it’s nothing I’m not already aware of; and that- right or wrong- it’s nothing that I’m gonna actually make use of
Anyways, I finally broke down and shelled out the money for some freeze-dried raw food; and with literally ZERO prompting he GOBBLED UP an entire 1/2 cup (more than I’d ever seen him eat in one sitting; potentially more than I’d ever seen him eat in one day). He’s also never before eaten actual dog food without concerted prompting from me- even his treats he usually needs me prompting him to eat. Additionally, I’d never seen him eat directly out of a bowl before; prior to this it had to be puzzles or my hands. Now obv raw food distributors make a lot of claims regarding the health benefits; but I’m skeptical; which is why I’m posting. Most vets seem to agree that it can be dangerous long-term; and I don’t wanna do anything to endanger my dog. I’m also terrified by the things I’ve read about the link between grain-free diets (like raw diets) and heart problems. On the other hand; it’d be amazing if he’d eat the proper amount of food each day; without my needing to sacrifice hours of my time literally arguing with him about it lol.
What are your thoughts on raw food? If I supplement with baked treats that include grain will that be sufficient for his nutritional needs? Or if I feed him a mixture of raw and kibble? Or can I go totally raw? Or should I not include any raw in his diet at all? Any advice is appreciated!