pictures!

[jdumin]

charlotte still isn't eating dog food  , but other than that, she has pretty much adjusted.  much less cowering and jumpiness.  still loves the bed tho!  here she is with freddie, playing in the yard.      and there she is with her best friend simon.     if anyone has any suggestions about getting her to eat, that would be great.  i've cut out most of the treats, but i'm scared to totally stop bc she literally hasn't eaten any dog food.  *sigh*

[Kiahpyr]

They both look great!! I'm sure she'll come around soon!

[K9ldy00]

I think tuna would entice her to eat especially because it's good and smelly.

[jdumin]

hehe, she actually ate some of my tuna yesterday!  weird, our other dog wants nothing to do with it.

[jdumin]

good ideas... i never thought of eggs!  scrambled?

[princessnmi]

My great dane Brody went through a "stage" where she would eat one bite and then be done. We took her to the vet and the vet said she was healthy and just to keep offering her food. I put yogurt on her food for 4 feedings and now she eats it all the time. I also give them scrambled eggs on occasion. But the yogurt when mixed in covers the kibble and Brody ate it. Good luck

[shangrila]

Charlotte is beautiful

I suspect that the main reason she isn't eating because she doesn't like the flavor of your dog food. Zoey will stop eating when she gets bored of a food, but when we use toppings she is anxious to eat everything. Tina already listed some good toppings. In addition to those, I would say leftover bits of meat, beef/chicken broth, and warm rice.

[jdumin]

We feed science diet dry and this wet food called Merrick (http://www.merrickpetcare.com/) which our local pet store recommends highly.  Apparently the owner will even eat a can to show you the quality of the food is human quality, even though made for dogs.  They make cat food too.  My Freddie LOVES this stuff, especially because it comes in a variety pack, so he gets Cowboy Cookout one night, Thanksgiving Dinner the next, etc.  He still will get bored with it eventually tho -- that's when feta comes in handy...  Definitely we've tried chicken, steak, etc.  (Basically pieces of whatever we're having.)  But Charlotte still seems too scared to eat downstairs in the kitchen.  She's fine upstairs in bed (she'll eat a few bites of dry or wet food there).  She also gets into this obsessive compulsive thing where she runs in a circle -- through the downstairs, up the main staircase, through the upstairs, down the back staircase, and again and again and again until we go get her, pet her, and bring her to where we're sitting.  she does the same thing outside - around and around and around in circles.  hmm.

[Kelly89084]

It's time consuming but have you tried hand feeding her her meals?  At least until she gets used to things there.  I had to do that with a cat we had in the past.  After he got used to us and his new home he started eating just fine on his own.

[jdumin]

I'm definitely interested in learning about what is a better food!  Where exactly do I find this?  I don't care about the cost, I just assumed Science Diet was a good food because it's what my parents fed our dogs growing up, but I'm sure a lot has changed/improved since then!!  Please let me know!

Charlotte doesn't seem to be interested in the hand feeding either.  I think that actually freaks her out more.

She is sooo loving by the way, she is a huge cuddler, and a big hugger -- she comes right into your arms if you squat down and hold them out palms up, low to the ground.

Went to the vet the day after we got her - he says she's really healthy other than being 10 lbs underweight.

[kathryn]

Cinder was a very picky eater and we couldn't keep weight on her for the longest time.  Then we switched over to Natural Balance Ultra Premium and she eats that like a champ.  We also started adding different add-ons but she will eat the kibble by itself and really likes it.  I looked at the Merrick brand but couldn't afford it and I also looked at the Chicken Soup.  I got samples of both of those and tried with the girls and they liked them okay.  Right now I am also switching my foster puppy over to the Natural Balance and he hasn't had any problems with the switch over.  Maybe try and get sample bags from the company you are interested in and try them with her.  By the way, she is gorgeous.  Sorry this is so long of an answer and hope it helps.

Kat

[jdumin]

thanks!  btw, that is the best picture of your doggy.  did you have it taken professionally?

[shangrila]

How long have you had Charlotte? Now that you have mentioned she will eat upstairs in bed but not downstairs, I am thinking it is not the food flavor that is her issue but her stress level. Especially since you mentioned the circles - circle running is something zoey will do if (and only if) she gets stressed out and scared.

[jdumin]

we've had her a week tomorrow. 

she actually ate something tonite!  merrick venison stew.  phew.  she ate about a cup of it, with some feta.

[Leah...]

Lemme think.

Some add ons to the kibble:

Grated cheese
barbeque sauce
warm gravy
yogurt
tuna
cooked eggs


hmmmmm, that's all I can think of right now.  I'll add more if I think of any.

Good luck.

Tina

JUST MY 2 CENTS!!! i think pampering her will only teach her to wait, and she will recieve. i would have food (no add ons!) available to her 24/7, even at night (only if she sleeps in a crate). cut off all treats unless training, and keep that at a minimal. praise her when she eats, but let it be self rewarding! hope this helps! Leah