[Kryss]

Hi,
I have a 12yr old american yellow lab. My problem or really his problem, is he won't eat his dog food... this has been going on for a while... we've tried changing to a different food, previous one's that he has loved, but he will not touch anything until he's really hungry.
I should mention that my fiancé and I USED to feed him a lot of table scraps, we have stopped this already though. The dog food thing started before the table scraps.
Also, we have a cat. Chance- our dog, loves the cat food. Obviously, its bad for him, we know that...

Chance is a VERY VERY picky dog. Any ideas what we should feed him?

We're on a limited budget with a baby coming...

[artlady]

Have you checked his teeth ?
Many times older dogs get tooth decay and dry dog food becomes too much of a chore.
I would try softening his food with a little broth and see if that helps.
You can find other products to treat any tartar buildup that is caused by not eating the dry food.

[Kryss]

I should also add that he has been to the vet, and aside from some arthritis he is healthy.

[Kryss]

His teeth are the same, we know that he likes the small kibbles or cat food size...

But we could try some wet food next I guess...

[shazamataz]

Unfortunately there are a lot of things that can cause a dog not to want to eat, especially an elderly dog.

My first thought was the same as Artladys, his teeth.
You don't have to feed wet food but at this age you should be feeding a dry food specifically formulated for older dogs... these dry food have different nutritional value than ones for puppies and adults, as well as that they are also usually softer and contain more water.

If you don't want to do this you can also get his regular dry and put it in a pot or bowl then pour about 1 cup of boiling water over it, leave for about 15 minutes to half an hour and then serve. The dry will soak up the water making it mushy.

[Kryss]

That sounds like a good idea with the water and dry food... but. We don't know which dry food he'll eat...

Any ideas?

[shazamataz]

Mine love Royal Canin, it's rather expensive though so I mix it with a cheaper (but still good) dry.
It also smells very strong which I think is why they like it so much.

Other than that mine get Natures Gift which unfortunately again, is an Australian brand.

[Kryss]

I'll look around stores next time we go out...

I personally don't know how I'd feel about the Royal Canin one though... strong smells are not the best for me right now. Do you know if they sell either of these in the states??

[shazamataz]

Royal Canin is available as far as I know, not sure sure About Natures Gift though.

And yeah didn't think about the smell + being pregnant!

Apparently a really good one I have been hearing about is Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul... we can't get it here in Aus but apparently is great.