The Vet and previous advice is accurate. A healthy dog will not starve.
However, I've got a few gentle suggestions you can try.
1. Pick a brand dog food that you like and is in your price range. The better the quality of the dog food, the better it is for your dog. However, I fit my dogfood to my own life style. I eat average food, so I feed my dogs fairly average food. If they develop problems, then I spend the extra money to get better ingredients. But most dogs will thrive on grocery store brands, such as Purina dry food. But, pick one that you trust and stick with it.
2. No more table scraps, no more people food. And no treats, until you have feeding under control.
3. He's a small dog with small teeth, and he may not like the new textures, so try two things:
A. At the normal feeding time, put the food on the floor, and add one or two tablespoons of warm water to soften the food. If he sniffs and laps the "sauce" ... it is the texture, not the flavor, that bothers him. If he then eats the food, you can slowly wean him off the water over the course of two weeks.
B. If he still doesn't like the food, then add 1 teaspoon of ketchup to a cup of warm water, stir well, and add two tablespoons of that flavored water to the dogfood... then put it on the floor for him. If he doesn't scarf it down, then go the route that Poly recommends.... because he was spoiled by the previous family, and he needs to learn that he's not getting steak anymore
Let us know what happens...
- Hank Simon
However, I've got a few gentle suggestions you can try.
1. Pick a brand dog food that you like and is in your price range. The better the quality of the dog food, the better it is for your dog. However, I fit my dogfood to my own life style. I eat average food, so I feed my dogs fairly average food. If they develop problems, then I spend the extra money to get better ingredients. But most dogs will thrive on grocery store brands, such as Purina dry food. But, pick one that you trust and stick with it.
2. No more table scraps, no more people food. And no treats, until you have feeding under control.
3. He's a small dog with small teeth, and he may not like the new textures, so try two things:
A. At the normal feeding time, put the food on the floor, and add one or two tablespoons of warm water to soften the food. If he sniffs and laps the "sauce" ... it is the texture, not the flavor, that bothers him. If he then eats the food, you can slowly wean him off the water over the course of two weeks.
B. If he still doesn't like the food, then add 1 teaspoon of ketchup to a cup of warm water, stir well, and add two tablespoons of that flavored water to the dogfood... then put it on the floor for him. If he doesn't scarf it down, then go the route that Poly recommends.... because he was spoiled by the previous family, and he needs to learn that he's not getting steak anymore
Let us know what happens...
- Hank Simon
