I have a 2 yr old rescued Shepherd. It’s been a nightmare trying to get her to eat. She was sick at the Vet’s and they gave her Hill’s Prescription a/d to get her to eat, but then I read bad reviews about the liver content in it. I’ve tried top quality canned food (Royal Canine/Natural Balance) and she turns her snout up at it.
For the last few days I’ve been feeding her dry Natural Balance kibble mixed w/ 2oz. of real canned chicken and she ate the whole bowl !!
Is this ok to feed every day?
8 Answers
We had the same situation with my Shepard when we bought her. She has a very sensitive stomach. We ended up putting Chicken Broth, or Beef Broth on her food to get her to eat. It’s easy on her stomach, plus it adds some flavor to it. I don’t know about the canned chicken, I would think it wouldn’t be too bad every once in awhile. Maybe go between the canned chicken and the broth??
By the way… they really love it if you warm the broth before you pour it on the food…lol. good luck!
I give my dog canned chicken all the time ( although i do feed him his kibble and wet food mixed in (not both at once either one or the other). For picky dogs ( if you dog decides she wants to turn her nose up at the current kibble, my dog did that a few times) Get Orijen (its a natural kibble as well) my dog wont eat anything else now. For wet food, try Prairie,avenger’s and Merrick, i have had good luck with those, Right now my dog is deciding he only want people food, so I’m not giving him any “Wet” right now. Just a little cheese with the kibble.
You dog should be fine with the diet you’ve said, i would however try a canned dog food every now and again, as it has vitamins etc in it. Although the kibble and chicken should be good. As long as it’s more kibble then chicken (she still needs the vitamins,nutrients etc).
Think of it this way people food, is much better then the “crappy” Grocery store/low quality dog foods :). Most high qualtiy dog foods are made with human grade ingrediants.
Canned anything designed for human consumption usually contains large amounts of additives, salt and chemicals; it probably isn’t the best thing to be feeding your dog. Onions and garlic are toxic to dogs, so make sure you don’t feed any processed meats which have been thus seasoned. If you do feed meat it should be plain, freshly cooked and unseasoned.
A good-quality dry food such as Wellness or Solid Gold is recommended or alternatively, you can prepare a natural food diet out of plain boiled chicken, mince, rice, broth and supplements and fish oils. Make sure you clear any diet you make yourself with a vet or canine nutritionist first to make sure your dog is getting the right nutrients.
Many dogs are reluctant to try new meals, but a healthy dog will eat when it gets hungry. She may turn her nose up at it the first couple of times it’s presented but by the time she’s ravenous she’ll eat. Don’t change her diet all at once – gradually introduce new foodstuffs alongside old ones to avoid upset tummies and digestive problems.
It should be alright, just check the sodium content to make sure they aren’t adding a salt-rich broth. If they are, get a reduced sodium canned chicken and she should be okay. Honestly, as long as it’s real meat (and being sold for human consumption, it is), and there aren’t a lot of preservatives, it should be okay and healthy for your dog.
If you can’t find a reduced-sodium or sodium free canned chicken, try tuna fish (not albacore) packed in water or get the cheapest chicken cuts you can find, cook and grind it and add it to her food.
If you want to try 1 more canned dog food, try Authority lite products. My dog took right to it, since there’s more meat and less filler.
The canned chicken is normally high in salt content and other preservatives which can be harmful to your dog. The best solution (if you want to continue to mix chicken with her food) is to boil boneless chicken breasts and mix that with her food. That way you know she isn’t getting any of the additives that are in canned chicken.
How about Turkey Chili with tons of veggies. All you do is saute ground turkey breast with onions. When it’s fully cooked, add two cans of crushed tomatoes. Then, I add onions, green peppers and red peppers and beans. You can also Chili seasoning. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes on low-mid heat. Serve it in a mug. You can add fat-free or reduced fat cheese to the top and let it melt. This is a modification of an old Weight Watchers Turkey Chili Recipe. In that recipe, you can add green zucchini or yellow squash. I do that sometimes. It makes a great lunch or a light snack. It’s also loaded with veggies. Other great ideas: -Scrambled Eggs -Cut up grilled/sauteed Chicken Breast and fresh broccoli -Pasta with sauce -low-sodium, all-natural turkey from the deli on whole wheat bread. -Pastina
The old tried and true diet for sick dogs is boiled ground beef and rice. My Mom always feed her dogs this. That was prior to the great pet food that we now have. I do not think that canned chicken would hurt her. If it is good for humans, it should be ok for dogs. But I would vary the menu if you want her to continue to eat.
This should be OK to feed her but you really should check the nutrition label it may contain high sodium if so opt for a low sodium version I feed my dogs Hill’s Prescription w/d food and she is fine and loosing weight as needed.
GOOD LUCK HOPE YOUR DOG CONTINUES TO EAT HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!