Advice needed

[Grandad 99]

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We acquired our now 11 year old Bichon Friese when his owner died 3 years ago. We were told that he had recently had 14 teeth extracted. His food was Harringtons dried Lamb and Rice so we have carried on with this.

Recently he has been taking longer to eat it and 3 days ago totally refused it.
We suspect that he is having trouble with his teeth although the vet made no comment when he had the checkup with his booster jab last week.

Tried him with some tinned Pedigree mixed with the Harringtons and he quickly ate the Pedigee and left the Harringtons Next meal was just Pedigree and was eaten in a flash.

I don't like the idea of all soft food and would like advice on what would be a suitable compromise between the two

 

[JudyN]

First, I think you need to tell your vet that he's refusing kibble and you suspect he has dental problems, and get them dealt with. Dogs can lose all their teeth but still manage to eat kibble, so he could well be in discomfort.

 

[JoanneF]

Definitely vet. But - is there a reason you don't want him to eat wet food? Although to be honest, Pedigree isn't particularly good quality, there are better alternatives.

 

[Grandad 99]

Vet booked.

If there is a problem and it can be cured he can continue with what he has always had. If not I will ask for more help

 

[JudyN]

Do please let us know how he gets on

 

[Grandad 99]

Vet confirms no problems with teeth or gums so it must just be a sudden dislike.

Never having used wet food I'm open to suggestions for alternatives to Pedigree (which he loves)

 

[JoanneF]

You have a lot of options.

Many people feed raw, it is simple and clean - you can get frozen ready made raw so no prep is needed (apart from defrosting).

You could try to find a dry he likes, or try semi dry. I feed one of those, Platinum, and they will send you free sample bags. Link below -

Dry Dog Food |

Or stick with wet, but as mentioned there are better quality foods.

Have a look at www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk It is an independent dog food comparison website which scores all types of foods (dry, raw, wet) out of 100. You can set filters for your dog's breed, weight, age etc. and for your daily budget; then you can add in any specific needs you have such as aiming for weight loss or avoiding specific ingredients. The website will automatically show the foods listed in order of what the assessors believe is best quality, and it also will show daily feeding cost (calculated from your dog's age and weight) so you can see what gives you best value for money. It has its limitations but it's a decent place to start.