My dog wont ever eat his dry food so I grinded it to powder?

Question

My dog is a very finicky eater when it comes to dry food. Since hes a yorkie and is a year old i thought maybe he would like the pieces so i grinded it. He eats it now but i want to know is it good for a dog to eat his dry food powdery? And if it helps i feed him Blue dog food

Answer 1

I have been blessed with yorkies in my life for over 10 years and they are extremely smart dogs!  They can train us to do most anything!

This is my main concern for your dog's health - yorkies have terrible teeth and really need abrasion to naturally clean their teeth.  Dental cleanings at the vet are costly and risky since they have to put them to sleep.

Feeding your dog ground/powered food, or mixing it with water to a mushy consistency will contribute to poor dental health.  The food acts as a sort of paste and sticks to the teeth.

Have you ever done any research on raw feeding?  One of the benefits (among lots of others) is that gnawing on the bones naturally cleans their teeth.  People who feed raw report that their dog's teeth are brilliant and healthy and they don't have to get dental cleanings.

If you are so inclined to do a little research, there is a group here on yahoo.com called RAWFEEDING that can give you lots of information.

There is also a lot of information on the web.  Here are a couple of articles you might want to read:

http://drkimberly-dvm.com/html/pet_foods...

http://www.Rawmeatybones.com/

I am in the process of making the switch myself.  I have teeth issues with the yorkie and the maltese.  Plus I have done about 2 months worth of research and have totally changed my philosophy on feeding.  My little 3-pound yorkie acts like she is in "meat" heaven with the raw food!  I thought she would turn up her nose, but she loves it!  Good luck.

Answer 2

powder? how ground up are we talking?

I think you should try another dog food, don't feed him anything else, either. Fine powder can't be good for him, if he breathes it in while he's eating. There is also some dog food gravy stuff you can put on his food that will make it more appetizing and perhaps a little softer. You could try and soften it up with water too, but it will go bad if he doesn't eat it.  

Answer 3

Your Yorkie is playing you.  How do I know this?  I have two!  He won't starve if you just leave it for him.  You might want to consider a food that has small bites.  I have always had my yorkies on Science Diet small bites.  

Answer 4

Food is Food. They are still getting the proper nutrients.  But it's going to be hard to always grind up food.  Maybe try switching to a different kind dry food. JMO.  

Good luck!

Answer 5

Instead of grinding, try mixing in a little water.   Also, is it possible the pieces are too big?  There are foods for small breeds.  But try the water trick, it worked for one of my dogs.

Answer 6

If you leave it out, he WILL eat it.  You just have to stand your ground and not feed him anything else.  I have a cat that will conquer a whole chicken wing himself - I assure you, the food is not too big for your dog.

Nutritionally it's probably not a big problem.  For me, it's far more of a "who's in charge here" problem.  I will not allow my dog to make the rules in my house, and by catering to your dog this way - that is exactly what you are doing.

Answer 7

lord that dog has you trained!  just don't do anything and when he gets hungry enough he will eat or you could try another brand of dog food like purina

Answer 8

I add about 4 drops of IAMS Sauce to the dry food and mix it w/ my hand and everybody chows down.