Will my fussy dog like Oscar's Farm?

Since joining Oscar’s Farm, one of the most common questions I’ve been asked is: “My dog is a fussy eater, will they like Oscar’s Farm?” 

The answer is yes! As long as they haven’t learnt to pretend they don’t.

First things first, how do I know if my dog is being picky or if there is a medical problem? “Inappetence “ or lack of appetite can be a sign of illness in our dogs and cats and should be investigated by your vet. 

Inappetent dogs don’t beg for scraps, nor will they take treats. They don’t want anything to do with food and will often try to get as far away from it as possible. It is generally accompanied by other symptoms, such as lethargy, drooling (a sign of nausea), abdominal pain, or vomiting bile. 

When I hear “picky eater”, I think “smart puppy”. Ten years of working in practice have given me a TON of ideas on how to deal with a fussy pooch. 

Picky pups will often hold out on eating their food until you add something tasty. Chicken, gravy, beef fat, you name it, I’ve heard it. They’ll also eat a new type of food well for a short time then get bored and turn their nose up at it, leading to owners trying in vain to find “the perfect food”—often without success. Sound familiar? 

I've seen this mostly with smaller breed dogs, or the highly intelligent larger breeds, but it can crop up with any breed at any age. 

But why is it a problem? 

Healthwise, lots of human foods aren't appropriate for dogs. For example, adding fats or oils to their food could cause liver problems or pancreatitis. It’s also much higher in calories, leading to weight gain which predisposes our pups to arthritis, cruciate ligament disease, and diabetes just to name three. Soft human food is also a primary cause of periodontal disease and dental problems, which small dogs are already prone to. 

Financially, it’s expensive to buy lots of different bags of food for our dogs to try. We all would pay any money to keep our pups happy but it would be great to be able to stick with one bag per month. 

Environmentally, it’s wasteful to throw so many bags of food out. Even if we donate the bags, we are still creating more rubbish in landfills. 

So, how do I fix it? 

You better read the next blog poat to find out!