Boss won't eat!

[Boss*sMom]

He just looks at the Blue Buffalo, he wont eat it anymore. He ate it for a couple of days but now nothing, he is drinking. What can I do to help his appetite?

[I<3mypit]

It's a possibility that he just doesn't care for the food.

[Boss*sMom]

This is extremely frustrating.

[Curly_07]

This is the 4th dog on here in the last 2 weeks turning down/having issues with BB. One of my coworkers is also having this issue, and feeds BB. I wonder if the food is bad? Coincidence? Idk...

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[Boss*sMom]

Okay, so just to *test* it I tried to feed Boss Man's rejected BB food to the other dogs (3 of them) 2 wouldnt touch it, and 1 took a few bites and left it alone.

After reading up on PBF and a talk with the vet, we are trying to eliminate possible proteins from the list of things he could be allergic too. Since he wont eat the BB, and the Authority broke him out, and all I had close to me was WalMart... I bought a small bag of PurinaONE puppy (lamb based) food, and 2 cans of lamb wet food, HE ATE EVERY BIT OF IT!!!! I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW Now we just hope he doesnt have a reaction from it, I also sprinkled some powdered milk puppy formula on top, since he was 5lbs underweight and hasnt been eating, he really needs to put on some weight in a bad way.

Guys I really hope this works out, I want my wee man to be healthy, I need him to be, he is my right hand man and I love him the world over ten times. All of this is putting us into a financial bind, with high priced foods being wasted, and vet bills right and left, but you do what you have to, thank goodness we had an emergency vet fund (I highly recommend this for all pet owners) but it is now drained and Boss still has his neuter/tail docking surgery to go...

Right now, I'm just happy he has a full belly.

[patty]

Good to hear Boss ate. I'm sure you know, but if he hasn't eaten in a few days take it slow and easy with small feedings. Don't let him gorge.

Can he eat chicken? If so, do you have a Costco card or know someone who does? Perhaps this food would be OK for him
http://shop.costco.com/en/In-The-Warehouse/Kirkland-Signature-Pet-Food/Puppy-Chicken-Rice-Vegetable-Formula.aspx

Hope your baby feels better real soon.

[Celesteandthebullies]

My grandmother's Toy Poodle is VERY picky, but will eat Taste of The Wild Pacific Stream

[Boss*sMom]

We dont have a Costco anywhere near here, never even seen one actually. And its hard for me to get to a pet store that sells high end foods. If he doesnt react to this food we will be keeping him on it. Thanks for telling me to take it slow with the food since he hasnt eaten.

I do have one question, going by the BB guide he was supposed to eat 4 cups a day, the guide on PurinaONE says 2-1/2 cups at the most... Is that enough? It doesnt seem like it to me?

[Boss*sMom]

Chicken might be what he was reacting too, but we arent sure. Really wish I could afford an allergy test on him, just cant wing it right now

[rgyoung777]

I do have one question, going by the BB guide he was supposed to eat 4 cups a day, the guide on PurinaONE says 2-1/2 cups at the most... Is that enough? It doesnt seem like it to me?

Instead of relying on the rather unreliable feeding guidelines on the bag of any food, go by the food's caloric content. Looking at the kcals per cup of each food will help you determine how one food compares to another. If you were feeding a serving of Simply Nourish (that was what he was eating before you tried the BB, right?) that had "x" calories, all you need to do is figure out what the caloric equivalent of the Purina One (or whichever food you end up going with) would be and feed him that amount. Also, regardless of what the guidelines on the bags may claim, the best gauge of whether your boy is getting enough food (or too much/too little) is going to be your boy himself. If he's getting fat, decrease the food slightly. If he starts to look too ribby, increase it. From poking around online, it looks like both the BB puppy formula and the Simply Nourish puppy formula both have more kcals/cup than the PurinaOne puppy formula, but since you've got both bags in front of you, it'd be simple for you to check that. That means you'll need to feed more of the Purina to match the kcals he was getting from eating a denser, richer food.

Also, if the bag of BB he's refusing to eat was something you just recently purchased, I'd take the open bag back to the store where you purchased it, tell an employee that he's refusing to eat it (and that your other dogs avoided it as well), and ask them if there's anything they can do for you. Some places will allow you to do an exchange or may even give you a refund.

Finally, In the long run, when you're eventually able to figure out what ingredients he's intolerant of, if you decide that you'd like to feed something higher quality (that will end up going further than the Purina due to greater caloric density), you can always order his food online and have it shipped to you--that way you're not limited to the food that is available within driving distance. It also might be possible to contact a few companies via phone or e-mail and ask them for samples of their food so that you can see if he'll eat it before you invest in a big bag of anything.

[Boss*sMom]

I do have one question, going by the BB guide he was supposed to eat 4 cups a day, the guide on PurinaONE says 2-1/2 cups at the most... Is that enough? It doesnt seem like it to me?

Instead of relying on the rather unreliable feeding guidelines on the bag of any food, go by the food's caloric content. Looking at the kcals per cup of each food will help you determine how one food compares to another. If you were feeding a serving of Simply Nourish (that was what he was eating before you tried the BB, right?) that had "x" calories, all you need to do is figure out what the caloric equivalent of the Purina One (or whichever food you end up going with) would be and feed him that amount. Also, regardless of what the guidelines on the bags may claim, the best gauge of whether your boy is getting enough food (or too much/too little) is going to be your boy himself. If he's getting fat, decrease the food slightly. If he starts to look too ribby, increase it. From poking around online, it looks like both the BB puppy formula and the Simply Nourish puppy formula both have more kcals/cup than the PurinaOne puppy formula, but since you've got both bags in front of you, it'd be simple for you to check that. That means you'll need to feed more of the Purina to match the kcals he was getting from eating a denser, richer food.

Also, if the bag of BB he's refusing to eat was something you just recently purchased, I'd take the open bag back to the store where you purchased it, tell an employee that he's refusing to eat it (and that your other dogs avoided it as well), and ask them if there's anything they can do for you. Some places will allow you to do an exchange or may even give you a refund.

Finally, In the long run, when you're eventually able to figure out what ingredients he's intolerant of, if you decide that you'd like to feed something higher quality (that will end up going further than the Purina due to greater caloric density), you can always order his food online and have it shipped to you--that way you're not limited to the food that is available within driving distance. It also might be possible to contact a few companies via phone or e-mail and ask them for samples of their food so that you can see if he'll eat it before you invest in a big bag of anything.

Thank you SO much!! I will look at the bags of food when I get home. I really appreciate you breaking it down for me, I know that PurinaONE isnt the best of foods for him, but at this point I just want him to eat. I do find it weird that my other little monsters wouldnt eat the BB, I will call the store today and see if they will take it back or exchange it.