Picky Eaters

Question
I have 2 gsd.  One is 1 year old and the other is 2.  Both  males intact.  They were both at the vet in May for their physicals.
They are both taking Omega 3 1200mg daily,Ester C 500 mg,1 Cosequin daily and  they get a Digestive Enhancer in their food.
My concern with the 1 year old is constant scratching and seems his coat is a little coarse and he is a fussy eater.  I switched his food from Pro plan Chicken to Orjens Red Meat and he also gets the fish.  Mixed in with that he gets either a couple of tablespoons of Evangers beefy meat or dried salmon bites. So the concern with him is his fussiness with eating and the scratching.
The 2 year old is a better eater gets the same but he also has days where he won't eat good.  Thanks for your time

Answer
Lorraine,

It sounds like your one year old may have some allergies. I would suggest trying an elimination diet. California Natural is a good choice for this because of the limited ingredients and varying formulas. You want to put him on one food and leave him on that food for 4-6 weeks to evaluate any improvement. If you do not see an improvement in the scratching, switch to the next and repeat the 4-6 week evaluation period. When you see an improvement with the scratching, you will be able to compare the food he is eating to the ones that did not work and they will give you a short list of likely allergens. The canned food suggestions are specifically chosen to limit additional ingredients to the diet so that you can limit the number of suspected allergens but you can also choose to solely feed dry during this trial if the canned is too pricey or hard to find locally. Just keep in mind most limited ingredient foods are low in protein and your boy will thrive, in the long run, on the higher protein diet adding canned provides.

California Natural (CN) Chicken Meal & Rice  (CN Chicken can)
CN Grain Free Chicken Meal Formula  (Merrick 96% Chicken can or Evangers 100% chicken)
CN Lamb Meal & Rice    (CN Lamb can)
CN Grain Free Lamb Meal Formula (Tripett Lamb can a picky eater favorite or Nature's Variety Instinct Lamb)
CN Grain Free Venison Meal Formula  (EVO 95% Venison can or Evangers 100% Venison)

Natural Balance (NB) Sweet Potato & Fish  (NB Fish & Sweet Potato)


I'm not sure which Omega 3 you are giving so just in case, it should be in the form of fish oil, not flax. Also, fish oil has been shown to deplete Vitamin E so it is a good idea to supplement both. I like Aunt Jeni's Fish Oil & Vitamin E because it covers them both but you can do separate supplements as well.

As far as being finicky, other than stomach upset or bad taste from the supplements a healthy dog will eat when they are hungry. You may want to try giving the supplements (including the digestive one) after their meal instead of mixing anything in to their food. If you do this and they still seem finicky to you, I would stop feeding any treats so they get *nothing* except their meals each day. If you are training or doing something where you absolutely need to give food rewards, use their kibble so they aren't holding out for something better at meal times. Finally, don't stress! They will eat if they are hungry :) If you do everything suggested here and they still don't seem overly interested, you may be giving them too much food so you can slowly decrease the amount of food at each meal until you feel easily ribs (you don't want to see them, just be able to feel them). Here is a chart to help you with that - http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-evaluate-your-dogs-weight.html

I hope you find some of this information helpful!

Tracie Fowler
Triangle Pet Supply
www.TrianglePet.com