Picky Eater?

[Jennie O'Hearn-Pimentel]

My setter, Sebastian is so picky!  I have tried lots of different types of treats with him and there are very few he likes, including many of the healthy options.  I have also tried giving him different types of fruits and veggies, as well as popcorn, the only thing that he seems to like so far is grapes and hot dogs.  He has also been picky about the dry foods we have given him, luckily we seem to have found one that he likes and he is finally putting some weight on (he was quite underweight when we brought him home).  I was wondering if anyone else has a picky setter and if it is a breed trait or if it is just my dog. 

[Jennie O'Hearn-Pimentel]

Oops, thanks for letting me know, I won't give him any more. This is my first dog so I am still learning what I can and can't feed him.

[Ruth Findlay]

Hi Jenny, One of my girls can be quite picky when she is feeling hormonal. Lightly scrambled eggs well mixed in the plate with goat's milk yoghurt straight from the fridge makes a warm creamy snack she never refuses. Also a nice ripe avocado and raw tripe chunks (the frozen stuff - defrosted) can be a winner and also helps put on weight.

[Susan Mogony]

I had one setter who didn't eat at all at 9 months. I tried everything including chickenfilet baked and fish nothing he wanted to eat. I had to give him to food directly in to the mouth so he could eat it. This went on for so 6 months. After that it still was a terrible eater but he did eat the food himself. And at the age of 4 he was rather thick.
The other setters i had and have are all different. One eats very good the other eats picky but eats.
I know many setters and owners who have this 'problem' with there setters, food isn't always the priority with setter...walks have the priority. It's the character that also belongs to setters but don't worry to much, you can always spoil him a bit with food he likes ;-)))

[Ilona & Gina]

Had two very picky eaters. When I changed from commercial food to fresh meat, bones and veges, this changed dramatically. I also found out that carbs pile on the kilos. Even two table spoons of lentils or chick peas pile it on, whereas they can feed on meat and veges (which contain carbs, too) and are in great shape. If they have problems to go, I add either a teaspoon of natural yoghurt or a teaspoon of linseed to their meals. Blueberries make them go, too. Mine love bananas (not too much fruit though, makes them not go but run :)). Eventually you'll find out what he really likes.

And please have a search on the internet to look what they can't eat, which is chocolate (the best known NONO), avocado, grapes, onions. There is more on the list. Some claim that bones are bad, but this is a matter of ideology (as dog feeding seems to be anyway).

Good Luck!

[Paige P]

Dash is terribly picky. He's so tall and skinny, people are always telling me to feed him. Happily I found a solution by accident - friends came over and we grilled salmon for dinner. I'm a vegetarian, so I gave some of the left over salmon to Dash and wouldn't you know? He loved it. Switched to the salmon and sweet potato Blue Buffalo dry food and give him a little tuna along with a couple of squirts of fish oil on his food. He'll pretty much eat everything I give him, most days - and his coat is GORGEOUS! Oh, and I don't notice any fishy smell.

[Jennie O'Hearn-Pimentel]

I went online and looked up the list of things that dogs should not eat, it was much longer than I expected! Thank you to those who warned me about the foods that I shouldn't give my dog. I already know about chocolate, that one seems to be common knowledge, but the grapes, onions and avocado surprised me, particularly since avocado is a proudly announced ingredient in some premium dog foods!

[Kay Donnelly]

I've had experience of two picky eaters. My first setter was very picky and my present setter had no interest in food for the first 18 months. The common denominator was that both were only dogs!! Any others I owned were fantastic eaters and ironically they had the competition of other dogs!!! So is it more common in lone dogs!!!!! Just a thought!!!

[Carmel Murphy]

You might be right Kay, as your Travis is eating very well here in the kennels with other dogs around;o)) But having said that my picky eater is my Milo and he lives with other dogs!! But Milo has improved greatly on Arden Grange food and has put on 3 Kilos in three months!! He finally looks filled out and his coat is growing at last!!!! No longer a picky eater;o))