[M X]

I have a 50lb adult dog that has always been very picky with his food. He will go without eating for 4-5 days if I buy a food he doesn’t like.
I have tried a ton of the top rated foods but he he doesn’t seem interested in them. Most of the food would go bad since one 25lb bag would last 3 months.

I was recommended Pro Plan Sport by many people but never tried it due to it containing terrible ingredients.
I broke down and tried it, only to find that all of my dogs love it. My picky dog now eats daily and begs at the food container.

I’m stuck in a dilemma with staying with this low quality food he loves or try (and probably fail) to find a 4 or 5 star food that he’ll eat.
I want to get him on a better food, but can’t find one that he likes enough to eat regularly.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions on what I should do?

[anonymous]

Why do you think this is a low quality food? If the food agrees with him, what’s the problem?

Take him in for annual vet checks, if anything is wrong with his diet it will show up there.

Also, you can use the kibble as a base and add a little something, scrambled egg?
I suggest always adding a splash of water too.
Hope this helps:

https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/choosing-the-right-diet-for-your-pet/

More Nonsense from Holistic Vets about Commercial Therapeutic Diets

[crazy4cats]

Hi MX-
Sounds like ProPlan is a 5 star food for your dog! Just keep an eye on his stools, coat and energy level. It’s impossible to tell the quality of the ingredients by the label. For example, not all chicken meal or corn is created equal. Some meals may have a lot more bone than muscle meat than others. There are also different grades of corn. You have to trust the company to do the right thing.

I used to think the same as you. But, there are a few posters on here that have changed my mind. I now feed Purina occasionally as well. I mostly keep an eye on the calories, fat and fiber now. I have two neutered labs that can easily get chubby if I don’t. I’m also staying away from kibble that uses mostly legumes as their carb.

If you do add anything to your dog’s diet that is not complete and balanced, try to keep it under 15% to ensure he is getting all the important nutrients to keep him healthy. I add a little canned or commercial raw to their kibble which are complete. But, then I also add leftovers, eggs, or fish occasionally.

Good luck! I’m glad you found a food he likes!

[M X]

Thank you both for the replies.
I like that you both went with the idea that if he’s happy and healthy on this food, then is a good food for him and I think that’s how I am going to look at it until I can find a better quality food that he’ll eat daily.

I had some ingredient specific question about the Purina Pro Plan Sport and I created a new post in the Dog Food Ingredient forum.
/forums/topic/analyzing-pro-plan-sport/

[Author]

Posts