Darn! DoggieFood.com does have the EcoNatural Dog Nip treats that only have 2 ingredients. Also, the Orijen cost the same if not a little more than my local pet store that carries it, and same with THK. Their sale price for THK Zeal cost the same as the regular price in my local store. Zukes Z-Ridge Carrot bones are same price as NK9S.

Thanks Val! Trust me, the diet changes weren't because she was being picky--it was all medically related. I'm taking a hard line on her with this and it's been 10 days of on and off self starvation with her on the Nutro now. I know what you mean about picky dogs being created and I refuse to fall into that trap :-). But it still bums me out that she doesn't like her food and I hate being "the mean one" locking her into her crate until she gives in and eats at least a little. I was looking for something to supplement her food with that wouldn't mess with her stomach.

When we adopted Nut at 4 months old, the pound was feeding her Puppy Chow. BLECH! So first thing, started transitioning her off Puppy Chow and onto Wellness puppy chow. She ate GREAT on night #1 with 3/4 PC and 1/4 Wellness. Problem was that within 4 days of getting her she ate less and less and became deathly ill--at first when she wasn't eating we thought it was stress. Then she had diarrhea and we again thought it was stress and the transitioning of the food. She also started vomiting too. So, she refused all food, developed diarrhea and then started vomiting. She looked bright and alert, though, and was still playful. We didn't know her well, so we had no idea that her being quiet and laidback was actually lethargy for her and a sign of illness. We adopted her on a Tues, and were going to give it until the next Monday before we took her in to the vet, but Friday morning she came out of her crate, drank some water and then vomited the water up. That's when we rushed her in and found out she had Parvo. *sigh*. We had adopted a puppy with Parvo. She had probably contracted it while being a stray and wandering around, and the pound gave her the vaccination too late. $900 later and a weekend of touch and go and she pulled through but had to be changed to a bland diet.

She LOVED the bland diet. LOVED it. After 14 days we started her back on 1/2 Puppy Chow and 1/2 Wellness. She ate ok, but then it started going downhill. A friend whose older dog had just died gave me 3 cases of Science Diet puppy chow for free. The vet said to start feeding her more, that 2 cups of food 2x a day wasn't enough for her energy level, and we had the canned science diet laying around so we started adding 1/4 can in with her kibble--just enough to coat it--and she gobbled her food up well for weeks. She was NOT a fan of Wellness and would NOT eat it straight anyway, but loved Puppy Chow (NOOOOOOO!!!!!). So, by putting the canned SD in, it helped mask the fact I completely transitioned her over to Wellness.

About a month later she got incredibly thin. Every rib, every bone on her back was sticking up and she started having loose stools that turned into water and explosive diarrhea. She stopped eating again. I tried putting her on the bland diet to see if that helped her stools (so, another diet change) for a week and it didn't help even though she was now eating like a pig since it was homecooked rice and chicken. We took her into the vet and he said it was either whipworms or giardia. Gave us a Panacur suspension and a couple other drugs. He also said to stop the bland diet , go back to what we were doing (Wellness Puppy and SD canned) and up the food by 1 cup per feeding. The Panacur worked wonders almost immediately, but within 2 weeks her stools were soft and watery. Did one more round of meds and Panacur and she firmed up a little, but that was it.

That's when I started suspecting she had an allergy or intolerance to the Wellness or SD. I cut out the SD and tried to feed straight Wellness. She hunger striked for a week and still had soft stools, so that's when I decided to try a different kibble and went to Nutro Puppy Lamb and Rice. She firmed RIGHT up and was excited about it for a week, and now she's back on hunger strike. I'm sticking to my guns now though--she's gained some weight, she's not sick anymore, and I think her system is tough enough to take the starvation route until her stubborn butt gives in now. I was just looking for something else to add in that might make her a little happier with dinner if she goes a month or so. I really don't want her to keep starving herself during such a crucial growth period. She's so teeny as it is, I'd like her to have a chance to fill out.....

Guess I'm just whining LOL! I'm tired of the picky dog who refuses to eat.....

Maybe spice up her food with parmesan cheese or canned food or a supplement like Nupro (NOT Nutro) or Missing Link. When I fed kibble I did a mix of kibble and canned food and rotated the canned brand and flavor every 3 days for variety. I also mix Nupro supplement with my dogs' food always no matter what I feed. Nupro is liver flavored and comes in powder form that you can mix with water to create a yummy gravy. Maybe something like that would be more enticing for Nutmeg and supply her with extra nutrients at the same time. Missing Link is a supplement very similar to Nupro, I just personally prefer the ingredients in Nupro a bit more. You can get Nupro samples to try before buying too, if your local specialty pet food store doesn't carry them you can always email the company and ask for samples directly.

If you want more info on Nupro here's a link: Nupro Supplements

I understand the need to have changed Nutmeg's food so many times and that was entirely unavoidable for sure. But now that you know Nutro works for her I would stick with it until she gets over her picky streak. Then later, when she's eating the way you want her to, you can try other foods.

Didn't read the posts.. haha, how often do I write that, but an 11lb bag lasts Koda about a month- he is 55lbs.

Thanks Val! I called and left a message for Nutro for a sample. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread....

friesianet wrote:

Thanks Val! I called and left a message for Nutro for a sample. Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread....

Nupro with a "P". I know they get confused all the time. No worries, very rarely do threads ever stay on the original topic for very long. I will admit I inadvertently hijack threads all the time.

Thanks--I was typing on my phone at the time, my bad :-) I followed the link you gave and left a message on their answering machine asking for a sample. I explained I had a picky eater dog and wanted to see if she'd eat it first.

BTW, I tried pouring a little beef broth on her kibble and it perked her interest up a little. She just about cleaned her plate tonight. First time she's eaten anything significant for 2 days.

Good to hear that. Chicken broth is also a good idea.

So we got our ziwipeak samples today!! 4 trial bags of venison which Cheyenne LOVED of course. So impressed with the size and quality of the samples!

arooroomom wrote:

So we got our ziwipeak samples today!! 4 trial bags of venison which Cheyenne LOVED of course. So impressed with the size and quality of the samples!

I can't wait to see what I get....How long did it take to get your samples? 4-5 weeks?

cmanding wrote:

I can't wait to see what I get....How long did it take to get your samples? 4-5 weeks?

She contacted them about samples on Feb 4th so if she got them yesterday that was over 5 weeks, just under 6 weeks. A little longer than it took my samples to arrive.

When did you request samples, Claudia?

I heard back from a rep from Ziwipeaks on Feb 25th saying they would send samples.
So maybe I'll see something at the end of the month or in the beginning of April.

Probably, it'll be there soon enough. I had forgotten about my request when my samples showed up on my doorstep. Felt like a kid on Christmas morning when I got my package!

I had forgotten too! I came home to a package at my door and I was a little confused as I hadn't ordered anything recently. It was a nice surprise!

Guess what I just got?!



I was hoping for the Venison/Fish formula, but I'm happy with the Venison that I received!

I can't wait to see how Ginger likes it and how her belly will do on it.

We Love ZiwiPeak!

SHUT THE DOOR - ZiwiPeak has antlers, too?!?! DUDE!!!

CoffeeK8 wrote:

SHUT THE DOOR - ZiwiPeak has antlers, too?!?! DUDE!!!

oh yes, my dear kate!
not sure how Ginger will go for the antlers, so i may 'have to give them to Nikolai'...we'll see...

i broke open the trial pack of venison, and gave her 1 small bit. she took it every so tentatively and put it on the floor. i gave 2 more small little bits, and she took those ever so gently and put those on the floor. i picked up one of the bits off the floor and she licked it and put it back on the floor. picked up other 2 small bits off the floor and gave it to her, and she licked it and put it on the floor. gave her 1 more new small bit from the package which she licked, then bit into it and finally ate it! then she proceeded to sniff the other bits on the floor and eventually ate it....

oh boy!

i gave 5 small bits altogether...i'll give her more at dinner and go from there...

Uh, yeah... if Ginger isn't into those antlers, Nikolai would be HAPPY to give them a good home. ;-) He totally LOVES that smoked rib you gave us, too. He lays on his back and chews on it with all four paws in the air, with this big, totally ridiculous smile... I gotta see if I can catch it on video for you. It's a hoot.

I hope Ginger does OK with it! Nikolai is kinda "eeeh" toward the ZiwiPeak - if I put it in his Kong with a little peanut butter or cream cheese, he thinks it's pretty great, but just mixed with his THK or in with his kibble and a little egg, there are some pieces that get left behind. I also experimented with some chicken liver (brought to just barely a boil in chicken broth), and he's not really a fan. He's not a part of the "clean bowl club" when it comes to anything with liver, I think...

CoffeeK8 wrote:

Uh, yeah... if Ginger isn't into those antlers, Nikolai would be HAPPY to give them a good home. ;-) He totally LOVES that smoked rib you gave us, too. He lays on his back and chews on it with all four paws in the air, with this big, totally ridiculous smile... I gotta see if I can catch it on video for you. It's a hoot.

Yes! Video of that please!

...and Sorry!...This is a first!!
Ginger LOVES the antlers!! Shocked me!
I gave her the one with the marrow exposed, and she took it right away and is now gnawing at that like it's the best thing EVER!







She is going to town on this antler!
It better not cause soft poop! This could be her 'bone' of all 'bones'!!

Nice loot, Claudia! They were very generous with you! I got deer hooves with in my package, wish I could have gotten one deer hoof and one antler. I still haven't given Dakota his deer hoof although I'm positive he will love it. I may have to get some ZP deer antlers sometime. Glad to see Ginger found something she loves to chew, that'll be great for her teeth!

Huskyluv wrote:

Nice loot, Claudia! They were very generous with you! I got deer hooves with in my package, wish I could have gotten one deer hoof and one antler. I still haven't given Dakota his deer hoof although I'm positive he will love it. I may have to get some ZP deer antlers sometime. Glad to see Ginger found something she loves to chew, that'll be great for her teeth!

Yes, I am VERY pleased with what I received!
I really didn't think she'd take to the antlers at all, but I'm happy she did! I hope she doesn't get bored with it because I've noticed that if it's too much work, she'll lose interest...the 3 antlers may last her forever!

If the venison agrees with Ginger...I'll have to add ZiwiPeak Venison/Fish to her grocery list!

Wow nice haul!

While Nikolai is kinda whiney that there are no new "Ginger hand-me-down" toys in his future... I am totally thrilled for her. I'm so glad she likes them! Nikolai also thinks antlers are like, the.best.thing.ever. And they do last a really, really, REALLY long time. :-) Good, thick, antlers like those totally rock.

I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed that venison agrees with her, too!

CoffeeK8 wrote:

While Nikolai is kinda whiney that there are no new "Ginger hand-me-down" toys in his future...

Well, there is that 'other' beef rib bone that she probably will not eat because as far as I can tell, beef does not sit well with her tummy....