HELP...is it too late?

[h0n33y]

my 2 yrs old dog has been used to eat dry dog food + warm water to make it soft...

so she wont eat a totally dry kibbles and even fruits (apples, pears, etc) she used to eat em though, until at some point we seldom give her fruits and only the soft kibbles (dry + warm water, let it for about 10-15 minutes to soften the kibbles)

how to make it right??? since I'm also aware that it might create tooth problem in the long run
I tried to give her dries, but she just licked the food for several times and then leave it just like that......

I tried for 1 whole day, she wont break, and I give her the usual (dry + water) for the second day, cos' I feel bad for her not eating for 24 hours
should I be / keep a FIRM COLD HAND to this?? I LOVE my baby so much....

2nd question, its been a debate that deworming a dog can be used by using human worm medicine, is that true?? I heard each side of the story, I would like your advises here, is it same?? or not ?? as we know that deworming pills for DOGS is more expensive than human's (per pills)

[Auddymay]

Try using less and less water. Start by cutting the water in half. Once she gets used to a little crunch, half it again. Finally, when she is used to that, half it again. Finally, stop it completely. One day is nothing for a food strike with a Chow. Also, the more anxious you are over the food, the more your Chow will pick up on that and be more stubborn. I cannot answer your question about worming, if the canine version works, stick with it.

[Sakura]

Hello,

I had the same problem before. My puppy is 1 year old. I used to feed him dry kibble since he was brought home. Once he had diarrhea and the vet asked to give him chicken/rice for few days. After that, he didn't want to eat his kibble anymore. I put hot water, home-made plain chicken or beef or salmon soup, or plain yogurt in his kibble and he started to eat. However, he stopped eating his "gourmet kibble" after a period of time! no matter what I put in his kibble (yogurt, roast chicken pieces, soup, etc...) he just didn't want to eat anything mixed with his kibble! He only ate yogurt, roast chicken or beef parts or licked soup! He totally ignored his kibble! (I was very very frustrated!) Sometimes he "accidentally" ate a piece of kibble, he immediately spited out!
Later on, I found this gourmet kibble was ruining his teeth. His back teeth were kinda yellow ish. I decided to change his kibble (switched Solid Gold to Orijen) and feed him dry kibble without adding anything. Initially he didn't eat for 2-3 days, and yes I felt very bad and struggled . My puppy learnt the hard way.
Now my puppy totally eats dry kibble every day and his teeth become much better. I give him Greenie and brush teeth to help clean his teeth.

Sakura

[h0n33y]

Thnx all, for the inputs...

2-3 days w/o eating, I'm not sure I can put up w/ that, but...its for her own good. I'll try lessen the water step by step, although I'm not quite sure she will touch it if its not soft enough

[Michael's Maggie May]

She sure is a beauty and looks healthy.

[chowling1964]

add a small amount of wet food with the dry and stop the water all together..This will work...

[Victory]

Remember this...NO dog, Chow or not will starve themselves, (unless they are mourning the loss of an owner then they might, but that only happens rarely). 2-3 days without food won't hurt, infact a day a week fasting is actually GOOD for them, their digestive tracks are very different from humans, and need to rest every once in a while. Her going hungry for a day or three is worth it to save her teeth which is much more important. She might be refusing the soft kibble because she already has a problem with her gums and/or teeth. so I'd follow Audy's suggestion and cut back on the water in the kibble, I would however push it though, give her half the amount of water for 2 days, then cut it in half again, for a couple of days and then again until it is just dry kibble. I'd also put down the food for 20 minutes only, then pick it up, eaten or not, and don't even offer it until her next feeding time. This will also help get her over her stubborness, remember YOU chose when she eats and what she eats, not her.

And I wouldn't use human worming medicine on a canine, different kinds of worms. Same with cats they get differnent ones too. Yeah I know the canine pills are more expensive, but they are worth it.

[Zhuyos mom]

My boy, Zhuyo, ate moistened kibble the last 9 years of his life. He had no teeth problems. You just need to balance what Barby chews ... give her biscuits/cookies, greenies, zukes bones, nylabones, etc... Also have her teeth cleaned by your vet once a year.

Heartguard is what I give my chow for worm prevention. It is not that expensive. You can even get discounts through online stores like Drs. Foster & Smith. Don't substitute human meds - dosage is important - you can do more harm by doing so. Also, there are many more types of worms animals can catch just by walking on grass but do not affect humans.

[Victory]

Heartguard is what I give my chow for worm prevention. It is not that expensive. You can even get discounts through online stores like Drs. Foster & Smith. Don't substitute human meds - dosage is important - you can do more harm by doing so. Also, there are many more types of worms animals can catch just by walking on grass but do not affect humans.

You know I was only thinking of intestinal worms--humans don't get heartworms so I wasn't even thinking that you wouldn't give heartwork prevention. That is SO important, and there is no human prevention for it. I give heartgard plus and it's not that expensive, you can even get part of a year's worth and then get another couple of months worth if you need to. I have two so I get part of the year first and then the last part of the year's worth. It's about $8.00 for each pill from my vet, so $16.00 a month, it's worth it because treating heartworm is a LOT more expensive.