Hey there. We finally got our 8 month old back from the hawaii statee animal quarantine facility (routine thing when you import a dog here.) Anyways, prior to moving here, we were feeding him California Naturals Lamb and Rice with the Honest Kitchen Firm Up Supplement. To make the supplement, we mixed 1 tsp of it with about 1 tsp of water and poured it onto the dry food. Then when we moved here, he ran out of his food in quarantine and they started feeding him their food (Iams mini chunks). He was eating it just fine. Against my better judgement, we left him on that food so he didn't run out and they not tell us again. We got him back yesterday but a few weeks ago, we saw the care taker mixing dry food with a spoon ful of wet food. I asked her why and she said he had been refusing the dry food (I honestly forgot to ask for how long) but once she mixed the wet food in, je eventually ate it. He'd pass the bowl a few times and then come over and eat it. So we just got him home and don't want to switch him back to the California Naturals right away and make him have stomach issues, so we bought a bag of the mini chunks to slowly transition him back to Ca. Naturals. Well...he straight up refuses the dry food. Last night we fed him a can of wet food because he hadn't eaten the dry all day. He ate it right up. Then last night my husband gave him a slice of deli turkey before bed. Why is he refusing the dry food? It clearly started while he had been eating the dry food just fine. The only other time he did this was when he was about 3 months old, he had diahrea and we put him on a chicken and rice diet and he got spoiled and wouldn't go back to the dry food for a while. We don't want him to go without food, so we bought a few cans of iams wet food to try mixing with the dry for now but he just eats the wet part and spits out the dry pieces and leaves it.

Help!

PS. Yesterday I mixed the dry kibble with some organic chicken stock, which he loved in the rice when he was little, but that didn't help. He just drank water and walked away.

Sounds like you've got a picky Huaky! And he won't touch the dry again of you keep folding and putting mixers in hos food. My advice is tough love. If he doesn't eat it in 15 minutes, away it goes and try again later. They aren't stupid and if they figure out you'll put in good stuff they will wait it out until you do.

While being kenneled I'm sure the not eating was either self regulation due to reduced exercise, because of the food switch, or because it was a long time away from home and was stressed.

Ok thank you! I mean, I know if he gets hungry he'lll eat but he's been able to hold out for 1-2 days. Ugh. These last 3 months have been a pain in the butt.

Im with arooroomom on this one. Your dog is not stupid, if he knows you will give him something tastier if he holds out on eating the dry food then he will. (i've experienced this phase also) One of mine is a very picky eater and sometimes will try to go a whole day without eating. We put down the food and give them about 15 minutes to eat it (if someone is acting like they wont, but most of the time its gone in less than 5) if they dont, then it gets pulled and they have to wait till the next meal. Your dog has basically "trained" itself to not eat the dry food so it will get the good stuff. You just have to retrain him that you are in charge and that if he's hungry he will eat what you give him. You might feel mean in the transition but it will be much better for you and your wallet in the long run!

I looked up your current dog food... It is not very good that corn meal is the 2nd ingredient b/c corn meal is used as a filler and not easily digested by dogs. Then Chicken By Product Meal is 4th... a rule of thumb i go by when looking at a dog food label is to look at the first 4-5 ingredients, if you know what they are, and they are good, then it's likely a decent dog food. Try to avoid corn anything, _______-by-product, or ______ meal in the first 4-5 ingredients. hope that helps!