March 16, 2012
My 13 year old dog is allergic or doesn't like many foods. Can you recommend the supplements he will need that he won't get from his raw food?
Full Question:
I have a 13-year-old, healthy, Pekingese who has been on the Nature's Variety raw food for 90 days or so before he refused to eat it. He is an incredibly fussy eater (except for any junk food he gets a hold of, i.e. hamburger, sausage patties, treats etc.). Up to today, he has refused to eat anything for almost 4 days. Today, I brought home freshly ground raw food from a local natural pet food store and he ate it. The mixture he likes is the ground turkey backs with added veggies (75% meat/25% veggies).My concern is with such a restricted diet, what supplements does he need to stay healthy? Or can he stay healthy eating that mixture alone? He doesn't chew bones, and is allergic to or dislikes a number of foods so it's difficult to keep him eating. He's pretty good at detecting added supplements to his food so caplets are preferred but I can do my best to sneak what he needs into his food. Can you recommend the supplements he will need that he won't get from his raw food?
Thank you.
Cindy's Answer:
If your dog is picky to begin with, adding a bunch of supplements to his food is going to make it harder to get him to eat.
It sounds to me like he may have you trained to give him what he wants. A healthy dog won’t starve himself. With that said, at age 13, I’d rule out hidden health or dental problems that would make him reluctant to eat. A dog that has refused food for 4 days would be a concern to me. Most healthy dogs that are picky about their food have been made that way by their owners, accidentally.
Since I don’t know what’s in the mixture you describe, I can’t say that it’s balanced long term. Nature's Variety is balanced for long-term feeding, so I would try to get him switched back over to that and it will eliminate the need for added supplements.
Cindy Rhodes
It sounds to me like he may have you trained to give him what he wants. A healthy dog won’t starve himself. With that said, at age 13, I’d rule out hidden health or dental problems that would make him reluctant to eat. A dog that has refused food for 4 days would be a concern to me. Most healthy dogs that are picky about their food have been made that way by their owners, accidentally.
Since I don’t know what’s in the mixture you describe, I can’t say that it’s balanced long term. Nature's Variety is balanced for long-term feeding, so I would try to get him switched back over to that and it will eliminate the need for added supplements.
Cindy Rhodes
100% (2 out of 2)
respondents found this answer helpful
Can't find what you're looking for?
100% (2 out of 2)
respondents found this answer helpful
