My Standard Poodle is a very picky eater & is losing weight.

Question
MY STANDARD POODLE IS NOW OVER A YEAR OLD...WE STARTED HER OUT ON EUKANUBA SHE ATE THIS GREAT FOR A WHILE THEN WE NOTICED THAT SHE WAS NOT EATING HER FOOD VERY WELL SO I SLOWLY SWITCHED TO THE LAMB & RICE FLAVOR OF EUKANUBA. SHE THEN ATE THIS GREAT FOR A WHILE & IN MAY SHE CAME INTO HER 1ST HEAT & AT THIS TIME SHE WEIGHED 43 POUNDS. WELL EVERY SINCE HER HEAT SHE HAS NOT ATE AT ALL WELL? WE HAVE TRIED EAGLE DUCK & OATMEAL HOLISTIC, BILL JACK, SCIENCE DIET, & EVEN JUST A INEXPENSIVE STORE BRAND.  IT IS THE SAME STORY EVERYTIME...SHE WILL LIKE IT FOR A DAY OR TWO THEN SHE WON'T EAT IT.  SINCE MAY SHE HAS LOST 3 POUNDS & LOOKS TOO SKINNY TO ME! I EVEN TOOK HER TO THE DR. WHO SAID YES SHE IS ON THE SKINNY SIDE BUT HE WOULD RATHER HER BE TO SKINNY THAN OVER WEIGHT.  HE SUGGESTED PUTTING A COUPLE TABLE SPOONS OF TUNA OR CHICKEN OR BROTH ON HER FOOD. WE TRIED THIS & IT WORKED GREAT FOR A FEW DAYS NOW SHE SNUBS THIS!  PLEASE HELP - SHE IS MY LIFE, I LOVE HER ALMOST MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF & I WOULDN'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO HER!  THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!
GODS BLESSINGS,
MICHELLE

Answer
Some dogs are just plain picky.  You may spend your time switching from food to food to food.  You can also try plain yogurt on the food to make it more palitable and also cottage cheese.  You might try buying a bag of each different kind of food she will each and then roatating them to fool her.  There is also Satin balls that you can make that will help bulk her up.  I have yet to see a dog that will turn up their nose at a satin ball.  Here are the directions. The link to this site is here:  http://www.njboxers.com/satin-balls-recipe.htm

Satin Balls - The Original Recipe



The following recipe was sent to Wellpet by Diana Carreon, R.N.,C.  It quickly became one of the most requested posts on Wellpet.

Ingredients

10 pounds hamburger meat [the cheapest kind]
1 lg. box of Total cereal
1 lg. box oatmeal
1 jar of wheat germ
1 1/4 cup veg oil
1 1/4 cup of unsulfured molasses
10 raw eggs AND shells
10 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together, much like you would a meatloaf.

Divide into 10 quart freezer bags and freeze.

Thaw as needed and feed raw!

Uses

"I take a frozen pack to dogs' shows with me, kept on ice, and never have had any trouble with it spoiling, even in the heat of Texas summers..."

"All my dogs go crazy over this stuff...but you have to be careful, it will put weight on the dogs pretty fast if you feed enough....I feed a pack a day...half in am , half in pm."

"When I want to increase the weight on a dog, I feed more; so far I haven't got to the point where they won't eat anymore, and believe me, Satin has eaten a lot at one setting. It will put on the weight, make the coats soft and blue black (on black dogs at least, that's all I have)."

"The dogs stop all the itching and chewing at their coats/skin, their eyes get this bright look and the energy level goes out the roof (not that Belgians need any more energy)."

"The bitch that I got this recipe for is a picky eater, but when she in on the food (I long ago stopped trying to "bury" it the other food; they just hunt it down to eat first, and making a mess trying) she eats much better. It seems to whet her appetite."

Comments

Per the information received after having the Satin Balls recipe checked by several vets/labs:

Satin Balls is a total canine diet. It can be feed by itself or as a supplement, for however long you wish. My dogs have been on Satin Balls for over a year; the only time that I have fed it alone is when I had a sick dog needing to be built up or an underweight dog that I plan on showing.

The only problem with feeding it by itself is figuring out the amount. It will put weight on a dog in a few days...that's why it is so great to feed just before a show. If you have a dog that is in good weight, but you just want to build coat/endurance, you would have to figure out how much to feed (cal per kg), or you would end up with a fat dog in a very short time. At one point, I let Satin eat as much as she wanted, just to see how much she would consume. I never got to that point! After a pound pack, she was still looking for more, so I stopped. I have been told a dog will stop eating when full on it, and that you can then gauge the amount needed to maintain weight!

I just find that per the pocketbook and ease, my dogs do very well on it as a supplement.  I give about a 1/4 pound each night to maintain beautiful coats, energy level, and a full appetite...no picky eaters here.

Just don't try to hide it in the kibble...they will make a mess throwing out the kibble, digging for the Satin Balls!  My dogs have never gotten sick on Satin balls...not even when I am at a show and feed only that. I feed less kibble, so I save money there. There is also less stool to pick up as the dogs are able to digest all of the Satin Balls.

I have been playing with the recipe. I now use the Knox Joint Gelatin instead of the plain Knox unflavored gelatin.  Since this is high in Vitamin C and protein, and is good for the joints, it would be good for the dogs. They don't seem to mind the added flavor.

I am also adding Flaxseed oil.  They probably don't need the added oil, but so far I have not seen it hurt anything.

Fix some up and let your dogs enjoy. They will love you forever and forever!