[f18fdg]

My lab has grown up on Eukanoba (spelling?), but for the last few months he has refused to eat it. I tried mixing it with other food such as Kibble and Bits, but then he just spits out the Eukanoba or just won't eat. So can anyone recommend other high quality dog food since some people say Kibble is not the best thing to give a dog, plus it makes his poop very difficult to pick up.
As far as the Kibble goes he seems to only eat every other day. I thought he may have eaten something that got stuck in his stomach since he has thrown up a couple times, but since he goes to the bathroom normally I really haven't worried about it. So is eating every other day normal for a lab?

[labman]

What is normal for a Lab is to devour anything it gets a chance to and look for more. That doesn't mean there are aren't labs that it is hard to get to eat enough to hide their ribs. In any eating problem, it never hurts to have vet check. From there, you make a decision the dog's body condition. Most healthy dogs that won't eat are overweight. See http://www.puppychow.com/products/po...condition.aspx Cutting back and thinning them out should fix the problem. You may as well stick to the Eukanuba.

Put down the dish with what the dog should eat, and give it 15 minutes to eat. Then take it up. Do not give it anything to eat until its next scheduled meal. In a few days, it should be eating what it needs. Continue to check its ribs and adjust the food as needed. This is not easy. I had a Shepherd go 3 days on a few nibbles. I was a wreck, but she was fine. It is almost unknown for a healthy dog not to eat what it needs. Unfortunately, in too many cases, it is less than the package says, and less than the owner thinks the dog should have. Many dogs are quite good at holding out for tastier chow. Like kids, sometimes it calls for tough love.

As for the kibble, yes many people bad mouth it, but they have little to prove something else is better for dogs. I don't let emotional appeals to what goes into it cloud my judgment about how well most dogs do on it. I have feed Eukanuba, and it produced about the same small, firm stools as Pro Plan, Iams, and other similar chows. I wasn't much impressed when I had to clean up after a dog on the expensive, highly rated Royal Canin. Remember some of the people bad mouthing Eukanuba are selling something more expensive.

[TUCK]

F18fdg, is your lab a single child? The reason I ask, dogs are like people, especially labs. I have three yellows and the are all three different in many habits even though they live closely together. When I had just one, the oldest, I would place her for out and she would casually eat as she wanted. Mostly she wanted my attention as she wanted to play as much as she could. She was an inside outside dog at that time, stay outside while I was at work and then came in when I got home. It would take her all night to eat all of her food. When I adopted a 5 month old lab when the oldest was a year old, she let the pup know who was the boss and then began eating all her food at one time, then nuzzling out the pup and eating some of hers till I would intervein. I had to get on the oldest and set her straight about who's was who's. So then she started just suckin down hers and then licking out the pup's bowl when done. Now I have three with the youngest being three and they all suck their food down so as to not leave any for the other. Occasionally, their rutine gets a bit off with my traveling and leaving them under the care of some neighbors, (they stay outside all the time now) and one of them will not eat much or at all. My youngest, who is the omega and quite submissive to the other two, will not eat much or at all while she is in season. The middle one is particular about not cleaning her bowl. When I clean her bowl, it doesn't smell like hers and I have a hard time getting her to eat out of it. Unless there is something medically wrong, they will eat when they get hungry enough. labman gave a good suggestion about putting food down for 15 minute or so and then remove it till the next feeding time. I would worry too much.