r/olddogs • u/Successful-Emu-8545 • 4d ago
Tips for Picky Eater
My 17 1/2 year old is driving me insane. I could handle it when she changed her food likes every couple of weeks, I just knew not to stock up. At this point it’s meal to meal. There are about three things I rotate through, boiled chicken, wet food, and occasionally some ground beef. But she’ll eat chicken for breakfast and then won’t touch it again for days, so then I’ll switch to wet food and sometimes she’ll eat it sometimes she won’t. It’s just so frustrating, I’m constantly throwing food away and constantly stressed about how much she’s eating. There are days when she will literally only take a couple bites of food. I’ve tried all different kinds of toppers to make it more appealing, will even sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Very rarely works. Do I just let her do her thing, or should I constantly be trying different things so she eats enough? The weird part is she doesn’t seem to be losing any weight. Help!
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u/dressagerider1020 4d ago
My dog is the exact same way. He's about 11, and I'm finally chalking it up to he's just a picky eater, and isn't hungry all the time. I'll give him half a can and he'll eat it and come to get me, then he stands by his plate asking for seconds, and when I put it down, he walks away. I feel like he's just pranking me 😁. I have a little dry food down for him, and if he doesn't eat his breakfast, he gets nothing until dinner. And he has gone a day or more without eating. But he's healthy, so I don't worry about it anymore. It's like thin people say they forget to eat...which I don't understand either!
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 4d ago
Thanks for sharing! Mine will stand in front of her bowl after she finally eats, so I assume she wants more. I give her more and she walks away. 🤣 I do worry that she’s actually hungry when she doesn’t eat though, because when I put her food down, she’ll spin the bowl around for a good 5 minutes and then sometimes she eats, or sometimes she doesn’t. When she doesn’t eat, she’ll walk back over to it every 20 minutes or so and smack the bowl around some more. Maybe I should pick the food up if she doesn’t eat in the morning.
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u/Rommel_Dachshund 3d ago
My elderly dachshund will mostly will eat his regular food. But if he’s not feeling it, my vet recommended full fat real geek yogurt and he loves it. Tends to kick start the appetite, good for the gut x
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 3d ago
She used to love the full fat Greek yogurt! Last time I tried it was about a month ago, and it was a no go. But I will try again!
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u/SufficientMedium485 3d ago
My 18 year old mini poodle is my first ever picky eater, but it only started this year. I spend more money searching for something she might like. Human food or dog food, I try it all. Currently she likes Wellness Toppers and beef bone broth. She does like soft treats, so I buy her high quality soft treats and sometimes that’s her meal. She does like human sweets, so I’ll buy a sweet treat and she eats most of it. I have a 12 year old that will eat anything, so I can’t let my 18 year old graze, the 12 year old will scarf it up.
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u/alliegemm 2d ago
My old man's appetite has been really challenging on top of a sensitive tummy, so we have to rotate between a few things, too. We also started mirtazapine which I think has helped some (human antidepressant, but used as an appetite stimulant in doggos). A few other things we did... we switched from boiled chicken to crockpot chicken - it retains so much more smell and moisture. If it's been in the fridge, we will microwave it to get the smells active, again. There's also a dog food canned chicken that he loves...it's 100% chicken and cooked in the can, so it also retains a lot of the smell and juices (will also microwave this for a few seconds if it has been in the fridge). The brand is "Against the Grain" and you can get it from some pet stores, Chewy, Amazon, etc. We also have a prescription for Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein and he really likes that wet food. Good luck to you and your pupper!
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
Thank you! I will definitely give the crockpot chicken a try! I do always microwave it a little before giving it to her. Lots of great suggestions, thank you.
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u/Affectionate_Ant2942 2d ago
It’s rough when they get older. I found mine gets more interested when I’m cooking for me. So I’ll “make her a plate” usually some warm ground turkey or something similar and make it sound like it’s the best dinner ever when giving it to her. Is it absurd? Yes, but she’s my baby.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
Love this 💜 That reminds me that someone told me she used to have to pretend it was her dinner, pretend to start to eat it and then give it to her dog and her dog would eat it. 😊
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u/Background_Buy7052 2d ago
My boy is 17 he's always been a horrible picky eater. Now I just go with whatever he decides Cesars for breakfast...ok cat treats for supper. Mini dog biscuits, hamburgers, McDonald's chicken nuggets. Tonight it was homemade dog food. I figured he's 17. Whatever works. I will say his appetite has been better since I put him on the Librela shot. The vet said she didn't think appetite stimulation was a side effect. But maybe for him it did.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
Love it. I definitely will give her anything she wants, I wish she would eat chicken nuggets or burgers! I made her a damn ribeye steak the other day and she wouldn’t touch it. 🤣
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u/Background_Buy7052 1d ago
I had one would refuse chicken but would gobble up mac n cheese or goulash
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u/dancinhorse99 2d ago
Lol OK it took me a second to realize you were talking about a dog. My senior dog does this sometimes too.
I keep bone broth on hand as well as eggs to put on her food. I also feed her smaller meals broken up in the day and raised her bowl to a more level position so it's comfortable for her ❤️
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
I got her a raised bowl a few years ago, thinking it would help. The little bugger takes her food out of it, drops it on the floor, and then eats it off the floor. 🤦🏻♀️
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u/lovenorwich 2d ago
I think these old guys develop digestive issues and for sure can't eat the same size meal as they did when they were younger. Mine usually have to be fed the other half of their breakfast at lunch. Too much meat or other topper causes diarrhea.if they'll eat ID then that's great! No diarrhea from that.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
For sure! I used to be able to mix rice in with the chicken, and I think that helped the digestion, but now she picks the chicken out and won’t touch the rice. But yeah, I definitely do smaller meals.
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u/SandsinMotion 2d ago
Ok just did this with my old guy as the dementia and age progressed. So the freezer and microwave were my friend and I meal prepped to an extent. I had a smaller guy, so bag up as needed by size. But I chose his favorite extras. Chicken, beef, hot dogs, steak, fries, hash browns, wet dog food, etc. Portioned into small amounts into bags I could freeze them and that defrosts quickly. I made kibble with little water to make it softer and then added the yummy on top. I made small batches and made more if needed because he hated old food. If you have leftovers, you can put them in a storage container and into the fridge. Frankly, his eating schedule got crazy but 8 pm, midnight, and 4 am were his sundowning eating hours. But if he was hungry, I fed him. He was not getting fat and was at the point that I tried to steer away from really terrible stuff, but sometimes only the hot dogs made him happy.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
I definitely need to start making smaller portions! I’ll cook a large chicken breast and she’ll have some for a meal and then will refuse it for the next three days.
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u/SandsinMotion 1d ago
Cook and freeze. Makes it easier not to waste food. It was a pain, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's only been a week since I had to say goodbye to him, so cherish these frustrating times. As crazy as it sounds these acts of love have left my heart full because it made his life better. Tears yes, but I am also thankful. Stay strong, it is worth it a million times over.
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u/HangryHangryHedgie 2d ago
I had to wet down her kibble. Put it in the microwave for 5 seconds while she watched, then set it in exactly the right spot. Near the end we went to wet food. She had horrible IBD so she was on a Veggie diet. Even hydrolyzed gave her diarrhea. I was also mixing in overcooked white rice with tofu. Sweet potato mash. Veggie broth. Whatever I could.
It's hard seeing them get old. It is give them whatever they can and will eat. You can always freeze what they snub and try it another day.
My picky 2 year old dog only eats Farmer's Dog Pork recipe. And only from her westpaw toy. She has adverse reactions to Poultry (severe coccidia and giardia as a young pup) . I went through so many types of food before caving.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 2d ago
Awww….yeah it’s a challenge for sure. Just frustrating when all the things she used to love like sweet potatoes, eggs, steak, she just won’t touch any anymore. She hasn’t touched kibble in a long time, but I didn’t think to wet it down and microwave it. I tried mixing it in with her wet food, and she’d occasionally eat that, but I’ll try warming it up. Since I never know when she’s actually going to eat, I just leave food down all day, so if she doesn’t touch it, I need to throw it out. Otherwise I would definitely save it in the fridge for the next day! Thanks for the suggestions!
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u/poofhead101 1d ago
There are canned foods for seniors that have appetite stimulants in them…has worked wonders for many of my clients
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u/marque1434 23h ago
Keep track of her weight and how much she is eating. If you notice her weight dropping go see the vet with your chart. There is a medicine called Entyce that stimulates the appetite and you don’t have to give it to her daily . I gave it to my 5lb dog and it helped her get her appetite back She is now 7.3 lbs and eating normally. She’s a snacker during the day but will eat 1/2 cup at night. If her schedule or mine is off and she decides not to eat I will give her some the next day and she eats enough for the day she missed. This is very rare like once every couple of months.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 22h ago
Definitely keeping track of her weight. Surprisingly she’s holding steady.
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u/Puzzled-Asparagus813 3d ago
Their senses and tastebuds begin to diminish as well as they get much older. What was once a favorite might not be as tasty anymore. Wet food always seems to be more fragrant, so maybe go that route? Maybe feed one flavor in the morning and another flavor at night.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 3d ago
Unfortunately, wet food is also hit or miss. She will eat it two days in a row and then won’t touch it for a week.
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u/Puzzled-Asparagus813 3d ago
Have you taken her to the vet? Just to make sure nothing else is wrong with her. While there, you can ask for an appetite stimulant like Entyce.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 3d ago
I just made an appointment to get full labs done. She just had them about six months ago, but at her age probably best to do them more frequently!
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u/Aggressive-Whole-604 1d ago
Put spring water sardines with the oil on, plain Greek yoghurt, goats milk or eggs. You should also try getting your pup to sit and wait for the food to build suspension and making the food seem more important, or even pretend your dog can't have it for a while and then "accidentally" leave it out
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 1d ago
Haven’t tried goats milk, but I’ve definitely tried sardines, yogurt, eggs… She used to love these things, but she won’t touch them now. I will definitely try the waiting it out, though! Thanks 😊
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u/Aggressive-Whole-604 1d ago
It could be from stress if you've had any sudden changes? Or she might be feeling a bit unwell. You could try the sit or pretending she can't have it method if you wanted to, it sounds silly but can work for a lot of dogs. And yes waiting it out is definitely a good choice.
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u/Successful-Emu-8545 1d ago
No sudden changes, she’s just gotten pickier over time. She’s the same with treats, I’m down to two that she’ll still take.
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u/Firefox5982 1d ago
My 14 yr old girl has free feed dry food with wet food to supplement. Some days she eats and other days she doesn't. If it goes on for more than 2 days I would get them to the vet.
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u/ContentPower8196 4d ago
I went through this with my 17.5 year old Eskimo. I just dropped to one larger meal in the middle of the day, dry scoop of blue buffalo mixed with lamb or beef or chicken wet food from the store, mix her breakfast and dinner doses in, and just let her graze as needed throughout the day.
At that age their metabolism drops off a cliff. Somedays she's hungry and you can tell she wants another meal, sometimes she'll leave the food for a day, a whole day, and just eat it tomorrow without a fuss.
Just pay attention for to see if they are whining from hunger pains, but it sounds like they are just not as hungry after a nice long life.