just rescued one male older adult GP...need info on getting him to eat

by barb
(Tennessee)

this GP was rescued by my husband from walking in the middle of a state highway....took him to the vet to check him over... main problem right now is we cannot get him to eat...he is healthy other than having heart worms which we're going to treat him for...he's very friendly...no problem with my Aussie...but he just REFUSES to eat dog food...now..offer him a bowl of chicken and beef (cooked by yours truly) and he'll lap it up...but I want him to eat a balanced meal as hiw coat is HORRIBLE (very thin bald in places).....any help here would be appreciated, as we have tried EVERYTHING we know of....mixing dry kibble in with yummy beef/chicken..he spits out the kibble....mixing the kibble with a can of wet food...he walks away.....chicken and beef aren't going to last forever with him...so...any help?

Comments for just rescued one male older adult GP...need info on getting him to eat

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Jul 04, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Balance Meal
by: Great Pyrenees Club

You can start here.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/a-handy-guide-for-starting-your-dog-on-raw-food/
Jul 04, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Try culturelle
by: Nashville

Breed seems very sensitive. Our rescue did same thing. Healthy dog. Vet said to try culturelle probiotic and it made all the difference. We do blue dog food and a tablespoon of wet to add inventive. Thanks for rescuing him.
Jul 05, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		Picky eater
by: Nashville

Our GP rescue was very picky and I went crazy trying to find a way to get him to eat. The vet recommended Culturelle probiotic (Costco is pretty inexpensive) and this improved his eating habits and his loose stools. He eats without being forced twice a day. He gets Blue food and some wet to make it less boring. It seems to be a sensitive breed unlike my previous lab who ate any time anywhere. Good luck.
Jul 05, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Eating habits of GP
by: Anonymous

I have a GP, a year and a half old and he is a very fussy eater. Like yours, if I feed him chicken or beef he is all over that but not so great with kibble. I experimented with a number of different kinds and have now found that he likes Orijen brand 6 Fish. It is expensive food but he does not eat a lot of it. I also give him another type of food at breakfast (in a roll that I slice up for him). He seems to like that as well. I thought there was something wrong with him too as he would not eat, especially during the winter but I talked to our vet and she said that he was healthy and would eat when he was hungry.
Jul 09, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Getting your Pyr to eat
by: Craig

I have fostered over 20 rescue Pyrs in recent years. The best food for them is raw chicken; they all love it. You can add supplements of yogurt with different fruits and veggies blended in (smoothie).

The local grocery store butcher might set these aside for you.
If you can get to a nearby chicken processing plant, you can usually buy chicken backs from them cheap. (Make sure the ribs are not attached....long bones can splinter and catch in the throat.

I had one Pyr that I actually had to add kibble to his raw otherwise he would pass stool with difficulty.

Good luck
Jul 10, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Mine likes
by: Jeanette

Milo eats Kibble if wet with water only. Eats 1 cup. USA 8 ounces is what I mean. It's 200 millimeters.
Well anyway when we got him he would not eat. He would lay down and guard the food bowl but would not eat it. He still eats what looks like small amount considering his size. I hand fed him which he likes . Now he eats ok but it took a month of hand feeding.
He like fresh fruits and veggies now. I read that pyr dogs have a very efficient digestive system like st Bernard's do.
Have you tried cooked liver. ? How about that?
Jul 11, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Raw Feeding
by: Donna

Raw is great as said by Craig.

It is very important to ensure they get about 50% edible bone (chicken leg quarters, necks, backs), 30% muscle meat (heart, pork, bison, duck, tripe lamb, beef) and they must also get about 5-10% organ meat (liver, kidney).

Feed 2% of your dog's ideal body weight.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/a-handy-guide-for-starting-your-dog-on-raw-food/

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