[pauline67]

i have given her james wellbeloved complete since we got her, she stopped eating so i changed her food cos i thought she was bored i gave her bakers complete but still she only eats a very small amont but will eat pigs ears (yuk) and chews what should i do surely she needs the proper food to grow healthy

[Todd]

Bakers complete is a very poor quality dog food in my opinion. Apparantly she doesn't like the taste of it either. Some dogs are more picky than others. What is her breed/age/size? Have you ever considered a raw or home cooked diet? These are both healthier and more appealing to picky dogs. Pig ears would fall into the raw type of agenda so maybe raw would appeal to her. If raw or home cooked is not an option, let us know and we can suggest some higher quality dog foods for her to try.

[Yogi]

I agree with Todd. There are many other options out there. More information would help.

[pauline67]

home cooked is not an option so if there are complete foods i can get it would be good

[MisterSquiggles]

Look around the board for some good food options (i.e. Canidae, Chicken Soup). In my opinion, the Nutro Natural Choice line is an OK food that is very widely available... not the best in the world, but a lot of dogs seem to love it. You probably have a picky dog and the best food in the world isn't worth a hoot if he doesn't eat it. So, get some ideas, then look for samples at your pet supply store. Some have really small packages for about $1 that you can try out.

Also, at your next vet visit, make sure your vet checks out his palate and esophagus to make sure there isn't any reason he'd be uncomfortable eating. (matter of fact, you might try moistening his food slightly and see if he eats a lot more that way... )

[Todd]

Sorry to be repetitive, but here is the list I have posted several time previously and I think you may find it helpful;

Best (Don't use these foods until your dog is an adult/done growing. At least until one year in your dogs breed. These foods have too high amounts of overall nutrition and cause larger breed dogs to grow too fast and develop bone problems. Wait until adult)

EVO
Taste Of The Wild
Origin
Timberwolf Organics
Canidae Grain-Free Formula
Wellness CORE

Very Good

Innova
Wellness
Canidae
California Natural (Great For Dogs With Food Allergies)
Solid Gold

Good For Best Quality On A Budget

Fromm
Premium Edge
Natural Balance
Diamond Naturals

Here is a great resource on kibble and ratings;

http//:www.dogfoodanalysis.com

*You say you don't wish to do a home cooked diet, but have you considered raw? Here's a helpful link on raw;

http//:Jane Anderson's Raw Learning Site

http//:Dedicated to proper carnivore nutrition - Prey Model Raw Feeding for Dogs & Cats

[flydogs]

You can try mix the food she likes with something she don't like a lot...
Also try to make some food for her yourself, home made food is more healthy.

[CorkyMax]

Have not posted before now because I am not a promoter of any commercial dog food. The 1st thing that came to mind when I read this 'problem' was that you need to stop with the pig ears as it sounds like your dog is using that for filling his belly because he doesn't like the dog food. I was hoping someone else would mention it so I wouldn't have to!---Because I don't like to see your dog being forced (because of hunger) back to eating the commercial dog food that he appears to be smart enough to know is no good for him to thrive on, I am 'torn' about giving advice as to how to get him to eat. So I have to also add--This dog knows what is nutrition and what isn't and would do best with a raw or home-cooked diet. This being said, It does take a lot of studying to figure out if you are doing things 'right' when you go raw or home cook---so that the proper nutrients are there! I am still trying to do this right and it is very hard! If I had the money-I think I would go for commercial raw food that was balanced by experts for the proper ingredients, including some supplements like taurine for example. Home cooking is 2nd to raw feeding with me because cooking destroys a lot of the nutrients. Heat destroys vitamins, etc.