mpk Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hi all, My 11 month lab has for the last 6 months been on skinners field and trial. He does really well on it and liked it lots. He has of late not been eating it well at all and this morning very nearly flatly refused it. With a little encouragment he ate half a bowl. I have added a little ham this morning and he has ate it so I know it's not an eating or illness issue. My question is : what are you all feeding ? Is there something a little more exciting that is still good for him. We thought about maybe adding a little gravy but there is a lot of salt in it! Maybe some meat etc etc ? All advice appreciated cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis F Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 Hi, I feed chudleys working crunch with a bit of meat mixed in, and mine seems to be doing rather well in that Lewis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Give him some proper food (raw meat) wean him onto it slowly though add marrow bones, supliment with heathy table scaps and fish easpecialy oily ones (raw salmon heads are great), you will never look back and when you get your sourses of aquisions sorted it will cost only the fuel to pick it up Dogs aren't supposed to eat chicken feed, have thier teeth cleaned etc. i am also starting to believe that a bit of fur like an odd bit of rabbit pelt can be good for thier digestion and passing of stools. I don't feed it yet though have noticed the difference when he eats one picked up as carrion (again perfectly natural and won't make a fit correctly fed dog ill) though try it with a chicken feed reared animal and you might get puke and the trots. I had my three year old at the vets last week and he commented on what good muscle structure he had and seriously asked " what are you useing to clean his teeth, they are great" my response was you don't need to clean a dogs teeth for them if you don't feed them rubbish and guess what non of that awfull smelly breath and hardly ever lets gas out from the other end. Edited May 21, 2011 by kent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 My dads girlfriend is a chef so she provides us with lots of healthy scraps to supplement the dry food. I also feed them with a lot of raw meat, like goat meat or from time to time my Brother-in-law will have a dead sheep which I will butcher up for them. I also feed them rabbit raw with the bones & all. My dogs have never had a problem with eating any of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WGD Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 If he refuses it, take it away. If that happens a couple of times he won't refuse it for long. Pander to him now and you'll have a fussy eater on your hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazle Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 My dogs eat a complete food mixed with table scraps for breakfast at about 7am, if there are no scraps a quick squirt of fish oils helps. For dinner, 5pm, they get another bowl of complete or a raw rabbit skinned, gutted with the head and feet cut off - they crunch it up in short time. At 8pm they get a raw chicken wing or rabbit leg for supper. Any fat or meat offcuts from cooking are mixed in with breakfast, and a light dusting of SA37 every couple of days. They seem well on it. I would happily feed them the rabbits in fur but the wife is afraid that if they get used to eating thinks in fur they might start eating other peoples dogs, some of which are little bigger than rabbits. She's got a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackley Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 I have thought about feeding raw meat but I pick up on a very large prestigeous shoot so I was worried about my dog eating the birds as they will have a taste for raw flesh. I have seen other dogs eating rotton carcasses in the past which I feel just aint right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk Posted May 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks for all your comments, I have fed him today with some meat and a mix of dry biscuit and this seems to have cured it ! Raw meat does seem like something I could pursue but I also worry slightly about the taste of raw meat and picking up etc? I can imagine it is very good for them though as it is full of nutrients as it has not been cooked and this is how they would eat in the wild. I also have given scraps from dinner including veg gravy and other bits and bobs. I think he was just getting a little bored of the dry stuff but problem is now cured thanks again . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 I have thought about feeding raw meat but I pick up on a very large prestigeous shoot so I was worried about my dog eating the birds as they will have a taste for raw flesh. I have seen other dogs eating rotton carcasses in the past which I feel just aint right Ok, do you not think your dog knows that a pheasant might be a bit tasty? of course they do Rotten meat "carion" is eaten on a finders keepers basis by most keen dogs, if i make any fuss over it i might get issues with retrieves i suppose so i abide by doggy rules on that one. you might think it not right but a natural fed dog will come to no harm. Credit your dog with the intelect to know thier job, but if you fear it being an issue your dog will make it one as they pick up on such things. Mine will work fox with total gusto, yet retrieve rabbit and hare with reverence at the same time i shot a bunny yesterday evening, gutted it and gave him the still steaming liver. I suppose its like saying don't feed them raw lamb or they will worry stock as for feeding furry critters leading to eating other dogs catweasle i can assume thats just a sad joke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 If he refuses it, take it away. If that happens a couple of times he won't refuse it for long. Pander to him now and you'll have a fussy eater on your hands. i do agree with that one, to such an extent that my dog will sometimes stash a chop or something in his gob unseen after breakfast and carry it into the car as a pack lunch so i don't clear it up- he is getting real sneaky with it too At the same time he is often happy to bring me some to share when i stop in the kennel when he eats indeed if i go to the kennel when he is nearly finished i can almost garantee he will bring me over a lump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazle Posted May 21, 2011 Report Share Posted May 21, 2011 as for feeding furry critters leading to eating other dogs catweasle i can assume thats just a sad joke No, it's not a sad joke, it's a real worry for my wife. Our dogs are large and strong yet they are well socialised and play well with other dogs a tenth of their size. My wife worries that they might see small furry things as prey, so they don't get to eat fur. I don't know if this is possible, but I prefer not to find out. They have no prey-drive, and I'm happy about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted May 22, 2011 Report Share Posted May 22, 2011 dont worry to much about the morning feed as some dogs just dont want it. my two cockers both stopped eating their morning feed, my first one i was worried about so i kept chopping and changing, in the end i was wasting my money and time because by the time the bag was half empty he stuck his nose up to it. the other is only 1 but will not eat a morning feed now so i dont worry about it. i now feed one meal a day but top them up with bits if they have had a hard days work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwen3513 Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 hi my dogs have mainly kibble proplan lamb & rice, i do a few times a week add extras not all at same time mind such as tinned sardines/mackerel in oil or in tomatoes, a raw egg, tuna, and will feed a few chicken wings or tripe as the main meal or as a snack mainly to help keep teeth clean. they also have a tiny tidbit saved from our tea as a treat along with treats given during walks and training. they are fit strong and have shiny coats jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk Posted May 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 Didn't think of a raw egg, that's not a bad idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaniel Posted May 23, 2011 Report Share Posted May 23, 2011 I have my Lab on Pero, which is a salmon based dry food formulated for Labs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 No, it's not a sad joke, it's a real worry for my wife. Our dogs are large and strong yet they are well socialised and play well with other dogs a tenth of their size. My wife worries that they might see small furry things as prey, so they don't get to eat fur. I don't know if this is possible, but I prefer not to find out. They have no prey-drive, and I'm happy about that. its still funny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwen3513 Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 mine enjoy a bit of plain yoghurt too, a spoon or two soon gets them wolfing down breakfast jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweazle Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 its still funny That's women for you . She also loves hamsters but is terrified of mice, because they have long tails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_0787 Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Hi all, My 11 month lab has for the last 6 months been on skinners field and trial. He does really well on it and liked it lots. He has of late not been eating it well at all and this morning very nearly flatly refused it. With a little encouragment he ate half a bowl. I have added a little ham this morning and he has ate it so I know it's not an eating or illness issue. My question is : what are you all feeding ? Is there something a little more exciting that is still good for him. We thought about maybe adding a little gravy but there is a lot of salt in it! Maybe some meat etc etc ? All advice appreciated cheers My dog has done exactly the same! He was on the Skinners puppy and we just started to mix in the field and trial salmon and rice and one day he just refused to eat it. He did this for 2 weeks eating it eventually but was not interested in it. At first adding sardines helped but this sooon stopped. We weighed him and he dropped 0.8kg in a week so we took him to the vet who suggested tring him on grilled chicken and boiled rice for a few days, we did and he eats it in 10 seconds flat! We thought it was him being fussy, but maybe its a problem with a batch of skinners?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpk Posted May 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 that's a little strange ?? He has been on a combination of dry and wet food and has no more issues. I would be intrigued to see if anyone else has had this problem . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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