Community Chat

[betty423]

We adopted a Shih Tzu mix 3-4 year old dog last December. He is a wonderful dog - mild mannered and loving. However, feeding him has been a challenge. We have no details about his background but I'm inclined to think he came from a tough one as he is sooooo timid and submissive. When we got him from a foster family, he was being fed an oat based organic food that had to be mixed with boiling water and have boiled chicken added in. Foster momsaid he had been on it for almost a month and was doing fine. We continued the food and to me it seemed he ate very little. After a few weeks with us the dog became quite ill and the vet said it was the food. It had to much grain in it for his stomach and to switch to a limited ingredient food. Over the last eight months we've tried BIL Jac, Blue Buffalo and Natural Balance limited ingredient formulas. He still barely eats. We are with a new vet who has done some testing and finds the dog to be healthy. The new vet put him on prescription diet by Hills which is a combination of wet and dry food. He LOVES the wet food but leaves the dry behind. Most things I've read say dogs should have dry food for many health related reasons. I've decided this dog just doesn't like it but is it healthy for him to ony eat canned food? I'm so confused. He is so sweet and I just want him to be healthy and enjoy eating. I feel like I'm failing him on this one. Any advice??? Thanks in advance. Betty