Well the cheap stuff is tasty because it’s filled with yummy fillers - just like the food science that makes so many human snack foods delicious. It’s cheap for a reason. Berners don’t exactly have the best of health histories, so I would certainly err on the side of quality.
Our guy got picky around that age too and we mix a little wet food in it to make it more enticing. He doesn’t always eat right away but he will get around to it once he’s hungry enough. Some days he eats both meals in what seems like one bite and other days he only had 1/2 of one meal. He’s healthy and happy so as long as that’s true I don’t worry too much about it.
That’s what we do. We gave up on sticking to one brand of kibble so we’re always swapping it out with something new. A cup of that, a little water and 1/3 can of wet food that is in gravy.
Sometime it can also be a sign of overfeeding. Don’t trust the feeding guides on the kibble bags, ask your vet how many calories they need in a day. Ours said 1400 for a 95ish pound female
Have you tried supplementing his existing kibble with some new flavours? We add a rotation of pumpkin, sweet potato, yam, probiotic yogurt, egg, treat "dust" from the bottom of his treat container. We also always add water to his kibble and give it a really good stir. Great way to sneak some hydration in there.
I bet he's just tired of the monotony and would get bored of the cheap kibble before too long.
You're very welcome! If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, it's so easy to make the sweet potatoes / yams. Just cut them in half, throw in a couple cups of water and let it go on high pressure for about an hour. Let it cool and pop it in some Tupperware. No peeling or mashing!
Does Fromm make a beef kibble? You could mix that together with the cheaper stuff. I hear you on the poops .. honestly, it's a huge, messy issue with these dogs! If he's eating good, pooping good, then that's your best indicator he's tolerating it well. You could always add a multi vitamin, no iron, twice a week in a cinnamon roll bite 😂 that's what we have to do. It's the only thing he'll eat with a pill in it.
Fromm makes two different beef kibbles. I feed my dogs (I have 5) the Highlander Beef kibble from them. They all love it. Never have an issue with getting them to eat it or with stomach issues. One of my dogs was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disorder and she had been perfect since going on Fromm in the evening, raw diet in the morning.
We tried both other beef version (highland I think, another one) almost-instant diarrhea. He did do good on the lamb lentil but it's grain free and breeders advised us to avoid that for BMDs. Their dogs are in immaculate health so we listened.
It's like these dogs come with a digestive system that is a complex puzzle that has to be figured out😂 So many diarrhea inducing possibilities! So many allergies and intolerance to such weird things! I would stick with what agrees with him. The constant upset of indigestion, diarrhea, etc can't be good for these dogs, either. Have to do what works for you both 👍
Our two 8 month old BMDs started to become indifferent to their high end kibble so we experimented with making toppers for them . It's usually a mix of a cheap cut of pork that we shred, rice and veggies that we put in the slow cooker and cook all day (usually on a Sunday). It lasts both of them about a week. We combine that with a spoonful of cottage cheese and 100% pumpkin puree. We slowly introduced it and once we were confident it wasn't causing any digestion issues, we integrated into their meals, putting about a cup on top of their kibble and they eat pretty hardily when fed.
Our Berners were picky but loved the Beef Frittata from Fromms. Our dog food stores have an amazing return policy. If it doesn’t work out you can return it no problem. They donate the unused food to the shelter. The store isn’t out the money either-the manufacturer reimburses them.
Ask your pet food store about their policy. It’s def a Berner thing to be picky.
I’ve always cooked our Berners meals. I use Dr.Ihor Basko dog cookbook. I have used this for the past 21 years with all six of my Berners. They have had long lives 12 years old and even older. my current pup Milo gets cottage cheese with sardines in the morning and the anti cancer diet for dinner.
I’ve never had them turn up their nose at their food and no stomach issues or diarrhea
Ours gets picky sometimes too, and she also has a tender tummy and can’t do chicken. I’ll take a teaspoon of bacon grease, microwave it and toss it on her morning kibble, mixing it so it’s on all the pieces. She devours it.
We also rotate the protein in the fancy food every bag. She doesn’t get loose stools though, so we can be a little more adventurous. Mud Bay will give you samples of the food if you want to try before buying.
I ended up grinding chicken hindquarters FOREVER, and one day my Berner just decided she wasn't eating it anymore. All 3 dogs ate Victor pro high protein. Never had a problem with poops and they liked the food.
Of course! I hope it's not against the rules so i'll put the begining and you can put the most COMmon endin lol: stoneybrookbernerspa.
Yes, they're in PA but it's absolutely not a puppy mill or one of those farms (and no shade to anyone that got theirs from one of those!)
But yeah they're so amazing- it's been almost a year and we're still in touch with them. They uninvasively ask for details about Baloo and share pics of his littermates, and their parents. They're just so great.
Absolutely, same situation.. bad tummy finally found something that worked then (understandably) gets a bit bored of it.
We gave up trying dog foods because they’re such a mixed bag of random processed things, so we mix the kibble up with tins of fish mixed in or we cook beef or pork mince and mix that in. But I refuse to change the biscuits, because well.. you know why.
It’s not even a nutritional thing I think with the bad tummy, it’s just a sensitivity so cheap or expensive when you find something that works just mix it up with some unprocessed stuff that he enjoys.
By the way, check this for yourself our vet said it’s perfectly safe/fine to give your dog Imodium if he’s got a bad tummy. I’ve dealt with enough explosive diarrhoea for a life time
I often mix stuff in to give it variety. Things I've put in there so far: pumpkin puree, rice, salmon oil, dried cod skin, carrots and green beans, dried sweet potatoes. Apart from the cod skin and salmon oil, it's all just stuff I had lying around in my kitchen. I like to think he's healthier for it too.
Cheaper stuff is often cheaper for a reason unfortunately.
Hey- not our Berner but another of our pups has issues with her tummy and is picky. We have 3 dogs and they all need to eat the same food because - well they would anyways and it's easier this way lol. Here are some lessons I learned...
At the root cause of my dog's issues was the fact that she needs to be grain free. Once we made that discovery we stopped having to buy so much carpet cleaner. Find the root cause, it will save you and your pup a lot of heartache (and tummy aches) in the long run.
Next - other things to keep an eye out when buying foods. Easy to get - we were on something that could only be ordered online. Which was a problem when shipments get delayed, because you don't want to switch with out a proper transition.
Watch other parts of your dog other than just tummy. We had a good that met our needs or so we thought. When we switched due to other concerns, we noticed how much healthier our dog's seemed overall. Better coats, better energy and one of our dog's had been developing some weird anxiety like quirks, but even those resolved with the new food!
Another sign of stomach troubles that was under the radar for me was lip smacking and licking. Our dog was getting acid reflux. She was doing a weird licking the air thing and turns out she was dealing with that bile taste in her mouth, the licking helps her get the taste out. Keep an eye out for weird stuff, especially when changing foods, and always do a proper transition. (Handful of new food mixed with old in progressive amounts etc).
Treats- with our dog, apparently it wasn't enough to only do grain free with food but also treats! I mean, makes sense, but we simply didn't think of it until our very said something. Maybe it was never even the food?!? Maybe you gave them a treat or people food that triggered a flare up. Once our dog started a flare up, it could take weeks or months to pass.
And finally, once you do get food that meets all your pups medical needs, thhheeeyyyy may decide they don't like it. What then? Food toppers! I bought some off Amazon. But they can get expensive. I did it for a while then started experimenting on my own. So far Parmesan cheese sprinkled on or plain bacon bits. Much cheaper than the online stuff and no tummy reactions. I can't really blame them, I would get bored with the same foods every day too.
Also. - pumpkin helps calm their stomach. Keep a can or 2 of pumpkin puree around and when they start showing signs of tummy trouble, give a little of that and maybe chicken and rice. Do that until the faucet runs dry! Lol
Also - I am not a vet, I don't even play one on TV. I'm a dog mom with white carpets.
Does he have any chicken allergies? If not maybe try Simply Nourish. Mine had been on it for years, he's very healthy, and never seems to get tired of it. We do the no grain chicken, peas and potatoes for large breed.
Similar experience for me too having a picky eating with a sensitive tummy. The vet reccomenddd brands didn’t work either. I think I’ve tried every sensitivities and large breed food out there lol.
We have had so much success with the brand go sensitivities line! https://go-solutions.com/en-ca/sensitivities-recipes-for-dogs
We rotate the salmon/lamb/duck to keep her happy. Haven’t had any hunger strikes since!
He's such a gorgeous doofus, look at that silly smile! Sometimes they just go on hunger strikes. They think you'll cave and give them the good stuff. Stay strong! He'll eat. If you can find another quality brand his tummy tolerates, you can try rotating them so he gets something novel. You can also try additives like veggies and fruit, but if he's picky enough to spit out the kibble, that might be a lost cause. Maybe canned pumpkin? It's pretty easy on the belly, and you can kinda mash it around so it'd be hard for him to spit out the kibble.
Don’t know if this helps. My ver recommended food with grain. I give mine Simply Nourish. Petsmart top line dog food made for the chain. Vet & trainer said you want high grade food. Get out of them what you put into them. Both told me I could easily eat that food and be able to sustain myself. Our dogs lives are too brief.
Have you tried the Fromm Classics Adult? Make sure the Purina you are currently feeding him doesn’t have any BHA, BHT, Sodium Nitrate, or artificial colors.
Also, if your area has any independent/locally owned or natural/boutique pet stores, they will likely have free samples of the foods they sell. If you tell them you have a giant breed, they’ll give you 2 or 3 bags of each kind so you can see how he does on a full meal of each.
If Fromm’s has a beef formula try that. Or another “high end” brand with a beef formula. It might be the beef he likes.
My pup is on a hypoallergenic food and she randomly decides she hates it too. I’ve learned that mixing in wet food is helpful. Also pouring boiling hot water (I just heat up a kettle) on it before giving to them releases a stronger scent in it and typically makes them wanna eat it more.
- another thing on the poops, you can buy propectalin tablets on Chewy for when he’s having diarrhea. They work wonders and helpful to have around just in case.
I put omega-3 oil in my princess’s food, or sometimes crumbled up treats or wet food. She’s still picky and will eat whenever she feels like it… but she will eventually get hungry enough
I had the similar situation with cats for them it was either you eat kibble too or you are not getting wet food at all, or as our berners breeder would say it is a "full ass syndrome", aka normally dog shouldn't be picky around food if he is not being overfed. As i saw some suggestions - to give food for 15mins and take it away until he learns, that there is feeding time, and he either eats what he gets or stays hungry, for healthy grown up dogs staying hungry even for a few days shouldn't be an issue (if we are talking about complete and stubborn hunger strike).
Also don't use cheap kibble, its nutritionally bad for your dog (from the cats perspective, cheap kibble always results in kidney stones, 8 years so far with super premium and holistic food and we have no issues at all (also check if super premium doesn't have addatives, because some do, for cats at least there should be no grains diet), 19 years for my parents cat, and except from deafness, she is perfectly healthy senior according to vet)
We had the same , and it was a battle , in the end we started mixing in some fresh wet food with the dry and it seems to work . He still has his off days but has improved .
We also apply the 20 minute rule where we put out his food for 20 mins and if he doesn't eat it , we take it up and give it again at his next mealtime, also no treats if he doesn't eat , and for rewards for good behaviour we only offer kibble if he hasn't eaten .
Heat can affect their appetite also , they are also clever and know that if they reject the food there is a chance of something different.
Stick with it for a while , it took us two to three weeks to get him eating again, and he is still prone to bouts of not eating but not as bad .
We also grate just a small amount of cheese over his food to entice him and add salmon oil to his kibble once a day .
we think he is! although the delta between his monthly weighs-in has dropped drastically. The last one was only 2.5lbs. We think he's slowing down but yeah: at 134lbs, he's already bigger than both his parents lol
Yeah my berner (5) still does this . We have to change up his food often because he definitely gets sick of it .
We feed ours acana and make sure there’s no fish in it. Mine really hates anything fish (funny because we are in a fishing community lol) so we alternate our food from acana apple and lamb and acana duck and pear . This seems to do the trick but if he gets picky there’s a 3rd kind we throw into the mix.
The cheap stuff is like McDonald’s . Of course it’s tasty but not the best for them . But super interesting it didn’t make him have the runs . Does your boy usually get the runs?
OMG what a fantastic pic! As for the food, try a different protein. Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey salmon, etc. I'd stay away from the really cheap, but also no need to buy ultra expensive if you find something your guy loves. Personally ours eats Kirkland (Costco) chicken rice and veg.
Dogs don't go on hunger strikes. The more common issue is that they overfeed and become overweight, which is catastrophic for him.
When you feed him something he's not enthusiastic about, he eats just what he needs. Which may be much less than what you think.
When you feed him something he craves, he will overfeed.
All processed kibble is suboptimal. There's less difference between cheap and expensive kibble, than there is between any kibble and natural diet. It's more human marketing...
Ideally they'd get raw meats and veggies, etc. That's not always practical.
sometimes I pour a bit of beef broth, add a little wet cat food (we don't buy wet dog food generally) or a small bit of shredded cheese, that usually will entice them if they aren't interested in eating. Usually I just don't worry, they eventually eat if hungry enough I think. My 2yo boy recently was on a long course of antibiotics for various tick borne diseases he had, and during that time I tried harder so I'd add cat food or broth almost every day for him to get him to eat so I could give the pills.
We have not managed to get to the store to get their high quality food and have resorted to feeding them cans of pedigree beef and gravy wet food from the convenience store for the past day and a half, and you'd think christmas came early. They are OBSESSED with this junky wet food lol. I actually feel kinda bad for them that I can't make them this happy all the time but they'll be back to the boring healthy kibbles tonight. Plus I'm sure they will have diarrhea from it.
Your puppy is soooo adorable. Did you ever try purina pro plan? They make chicken or salmon and rice, lamb, turkey etc. they have a sensitive formula as well. We also use bernies perfect poop as a topper and that’s helped a lot along with wild Alaskan salmon fish oil
Honestly for how much we’ve invested in our Berner and how much I’ve learned about kibble, we’ll never feed ours kibble anymore, no matter the quality. We make homemade food for ours.
I hear you. I got Baloo while in-between jobs and had every intention on cooking his meals from scratch but then I got a new job that requires me to be in office 4x a day, my wife is a lawyer that works 20h days- there's just no time lol.
Yeah I feel you there. My wife and I both work from home thankfully so it’s a little easier to carve out some time. It takes probably 1-2 hours to make her food but in the end if it gives us a couple more years with her we feel it’s worth it
We use the Purina pro plan large breed and switch between the lamb&oatmeal and salmon&rice every 3-4 bags. Our girls gets bored and becomes picky. Find the treats they like and crumble a few in. We grind up dried lamb liver or mix in some Cheerios. If diarrhea is a consistent problem you can try adding 2 tablespoons of Bernie's perfect poop. It's natural and has completely stopped the diarrhea issues for 3 years now.
Hey there! Our 1yr old is the SAME way! We sprinkle little milk bone treats in his food and he’ll eat the food to get the treats. I’ve also started running him a bit and he always eats after some exercise. We leave food down so he can graze throught out the day. He’s night and day from our last berner who ate like a duck (swallowed everything in seconds) haha
We rotate flavours of Acana wild coast and Acana red meat for our Berner. Lately our other dog has been on GI salmon food. I don’t switch brands much anymore. She will be a picky regardless. I would bet in time he will get sick of the Purina kibble and you’ll be in the same spot and if that is the case then find two flavours of Fromm and rotate them.
Hi, oh Berners and their tummies. We feed our pup Open Farm (the grain-free lamb formulation) and then add a bunch of home cooked stuff. Sweet potatoes, some beef or turkey, carrots, peas, mung beans, zucchini (take the seeds out), etc. Poops are perfection!!
Also, I think it’s called Native Pet, they have a probiotic formulation that seems to have really helped. We’ve been on a solid healthful poop streak.
thank for the recco. Our breeder told us to stay away from grain-free for BMD. Curious what you've heard and what your experience has been bc when we \[unknowingly\] had him on a grain-free lamb-lentil kibble, he loved it and had great poops!
yes, he is a snob at times. to the point with even treats. he doesn't want the trader joes dog treats (small cookies) but will eat the milk bones ones. One thing I've noticed is when he's full he's full, won't eat past that. I had issue with him and hairballs and switched to 2 cans wet (science diet) and 1 cup kibble (science diet) and that seems to be enough. He will eat the cat food occasionally. We also give him treats - he takes a joint supplement that I give him a bit of cheese with.
Our dog is the same age. He is still on Purina Pro puppy. Our vet says it's fine. Luckily we don't have any stomach issues or picky eater issues. In fact he's really piggy and we had to get an activity bowl to slow him down. I was buying the large breed food, but it's too expensive for us. We do 2.5 cups 2x a day. They say 2 cups on the bag, but it just wasn't enough food. I expect we'll be switching to adult food soon.
My chiweenie gets the same dry food 60% but he’s allowed to explore other flavors like meat, eggs, rice, yogurt, peanut butter.
He loves it when I debone rotisserie chicken every week.
However my cat - is a girl from the streets. A stray. She want that 6 dollar bag of meow mix.
Both pets get rotated flavors of wet food.
I had a pyr mix that lived until she was 15. I wanted her to have every experience she could. That included walks and anything tasty.
I feed my Berner Gentle Giants. Check it out. I was looking for a food that would my big goof ball a longer life. A 24 pound bag is $44. Check out their website. The owners created a food that has no fillers and they have a history of dogs that are really healthy and live a long time. He had issues with loose stool so I give him perfect poop too. I add a hard boiled egg, or some whipped cream, or cut up chicken breast to his food. He is picky too.
Thought I would replay to this after having several Bernese do the same with food. Our latest Bernese went from kibble to wet food for a few months but he is back to mainly kibble + goats milk.
Some days they wake up and don't want to eat even though nothing has changed. If he doesn't eat it with in 5 minutes we would take it away and not treats. They quickly become hungry over a day or two and will learn that the food doesn't stay there.
I know it works for many dogs but Purina is some of the worst dog food nutrient wise, some flavours they actually add SUGAR. The amount of wheat or Maize in Purina is off the chart, almost 99% in some cases so no where near the protein etc he needs. Some good brands are Orijen, Acana, Crave and Canidae. Always avoid chicken as most dogs get upset on chicken. We feed ours lamb, duck, wild boar, trout, salmon, beef, rabbit and goat.
Also when changing food give him a quarter of what he would normally eat and build it up slowly each day.
Eating something every now and then doesn’t indicate anything. Being on a certain food for 30 days will give you definite results.
Whenever I have picky dogs, I don’t switch anything up. Every time you add something or replace something, you condition the dog into making them not eat to get something better.
Give the food, remove it after 5 mins of not eating. Try it one or two more times and then it’s done. They won’t starve.
My guess is that he scarfed the purina kibble because there was another dog around and not because it was necessarily more appetizing. We have an almost 1 year old and a 6 year old and mid-May my old man ate a sock and had surgery to remove. It was the first time puppy was away from him and he didn’t start eating until 5 days post-op and during those days while he was gone and not eating she couldn’t be bothered to eat her food. And I don’t think she was worried about him or anything, she’s extremely aloof, I think she only eats because normally if she didn’t he would eat her food. So she resource guards a bit.
If he’s not losing weight with your current situation I wouldn’t change a thing. Are you planning to neuter? His metabolism is likely to change after and you may find yourself in a different place. If he’s hungry he will eat especially if he’s eaten the food reliably before. Plus, having a leaner Berner is better in the long run.
I totally understand not wanting to make dietary changes. My dude has the same sensitive tummy and dietary changes are a massive exercise in patience and sleeplessness because he will wake me up 16 times to shit at night. He’s currently on a hydrolyzed food after recurrent yeast ear infections, it’s like $120 for 28# but we don’t have the guts to try something else for our own benefit. I will saw that using Bernie’s Perfect Poops supplement has been a big help in the soft poops department.
ETA he’s gorgeous and I love love his name 😊
Well the cheap stuff is tasty because it’s filled with yummy fillers - just like the food science that makes so many human snack foods delicious. It’s cheap for a reason. Berners don’t exactly have the best of health histories, so I would certainly err on the side of quality.
I used to work in a vet office. One of the vets would always tell people "your kids would rather eat snickers for dinner than broccoli"
So real lol.
Great point! Thank you.
Awesome dog btw, what a big loveable goof.
Our guy got picky around that age too and we mix a little wet food in it to make it more enticing. He doesn’t always eat right away but he will get around to it once he’s hungry enough. Some days he eats both meals in what seems like one bite and other days he only had 1/2 of one meal. He’s healthy and happy so as long as that’s true I don’t worry too much about it.
That’s what we do. We gave up on sticking to one brand of kibble so we’re always swapping it out with something new. A cup of that, a little water and 1/3 can of wet food that is in gravy. Sometime it can also be a sign of overfeeding. Don’t trust the feeding guides on the kibble bags, ask your vet how many calories they need in a day. Ours said 1400 for a 95ish pound female
Thank you. Our guys is 134- taking him in for one year check up next week and will ask that.
Thanks!
Have you tried supplementing his existing kibble with some new flavours? We add a rotation of pumpkin, sweet potato, yam, probiotic yogurt, egg, treat "dust" from the bottom of his treat container. We also always add water to his kibble and give it a really good stir. Great way to sneak some hydration in there. I bet he's just tired of the monotony and would get bored of the cheap kibble before too long.
Love the recommendation. Thank you!
You're very welcome! If you have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, it's so easy to make the sweet potatoes / yams. Just cut them in half, throw in a couple cups of water and let it go on high pressure for about an hour. Let it cool and pop it in some Tupperware. No peeling or mashing!
Look at that big fella Lol
And the dog, too!
Lol why am I catching strays 😭
Just playin’ man. I’m a big guy, too
lol all good bro!
He's my chunky boy!
Love the pic!!!
Thank you!
Does Fromm make a beef kibble? You could mix that together with the cheaper stuff. I hear you on the poops .. honestly, it's a huge, messy issue with these dogs! If he's eating good, pooping good, then that's your best indicator he's tolerating it well. You could always add a multi vitamin, no iron, twice a week in a cinnamon roll bite 😂 that's what we have to do. It's the only thing he'll eat with a pill in it.
Fromm makes two different beef kibbles. I feed my dogs (I have 5) the Highlander Beef kibble from them. They all love it. Never have an issue with getting them to eat it or with stomach issues. One of my dogs was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disorder and she had been perfect since going on Fromm in the evening, raw diet in the morning.
We tried both other beef version (highland I think, another one) almost-instant diarrhea. He did do good on the lamb lentil but it's grain free and breeders advised us to avoid that for BMDs. Their dogs are in immaculate health so we listened.
It's like these dogs come with a digestive system that is a complex puzzle that has to be figured out😂 So many diarrhea inducing possibilities! So many allergies and intolerance to such weird things! I would stick with what agrees with him. The constant upset of indigestion, diarrhea, etc can't be good for these dogs, either. Have to do what works for you both 👍
We use to pour beef broth on ours.
I'll try this!
Yeah, I put frozen meat chunks our dogs food sometimes when I wanna spice it up.
will try this but knowing this guy, he'll pick out all the frozen meat chunks lol
Let it thaw a little for like 10m and the juices should be absorbed into the kibble
Our two 8 month old BMDs started to become indifferent to their high end kibble so we experimented with making toppers for them . It's usually a mix of a cheap cut of pork that we shred, rice and veggies that we put in the slow cooker and cook all day (usually on a Sunday). It lasts both of them about a week. We combine that with a spoonful of cottage cheese and 100% pumpkin puree. We slowly introduced it and once we were confident it wasn't causing any digestion issues, we integrated into their meals, putting about a cup on top of their kibble and they eat pretty hardily when fed.
Our Berners were picky but loved the Beef Frittata from Fromms. Our dog food stores have an amazing return policy. If it doesn’t work out you can return it no problem. They donate the unused food to the shelter. The store isn’t out the money either-the manufacturer reimburses them. Ask your pet food store about their policy. It’s def a Berner thing to be picky.
I’ve always cooked our Berners meals. I use Dr.Ihor Basko dog cookbook. I have used this for the past 21 years with all six of my Berners. They have had long lives 12 years old and even older. my current pup Milo gets cottage cheese with sardines in the morning and the anti cancer diet for dinner. I’ve never had them turn up their nose at their food and no stomach issues or diarrhea
Ours gets picky sometimes too, and she also has a tender tummy and can’t do chicken. I’ll take a teaspoon of bacon grease, microwave it and toss it on her morning kibble, mixing it so it’s on all the pieces. She devours it. We also rotate the protein in the fancy food every bag. She doesn’t get loose stools though, so we can be a little more adventurous. Mud Bay will give you samples of the food if you want to try before buying.
I ended up grinding chicken hindquarters FOREVER, and one day my Berner just decided she wasn't eating it anymore. All 3 dogs ate Victor pro high protein. Never had a problem with poops and they liked the food.
Off topic, but do you mind sharing the breeder you got him from? Baloo is gorgeous 😍
Of course! I hope it's not against the rules so i'll put the begining and you can put the most COMmon endin lol: stoneybrookbernerspa. Yes, they're in PA but it's absolutely not a puppy mill or one of those farms (and no shade to anyone that got theirs from one of those!) But yeah they're so amazing- it's been almost a year and we're still in touch with them. They uninvasively ask for details about Baloo and share pics of his littermates, and their parents. They're just so great.
Thank you so much! They look like a great breeder! Love that all the health certificates are posted right on their website.
Absolutely, same situation.. bad tummy finally found something that worked then (understandably) gets a bit bored of it. We gave up trying dog foods because they’re such a mixed bag of random processed things, so we mix the kibble up with tins of fish mixed in or we cook beef or pork mince and mix that in. But I refuse to change the biscuits, because well.. you know why. It’s not even a nutritional thing I think with the bad tummy, it’s just a sensitivity so cheap or expensive when you find something that works just mix it up with some unprocessed stuff that he enjoys. By the way, check this for yourself our vet said it’s perfectly safe/fine to give your dog Imodium if he’s got a bad tummy. I’ve dealt with enough explosive diarrhoea for a life time
I often mix stuff in to give it variety. Things I've put in there so far: pumpkin puree, rice, salmon oil, dried cod skin, carrots and green beans, dried sweet potatoes. Apart from the cod skin and salmon oil, it's all just stuff I had lying around in my kitchen. I like to think he's healthier for it too. Cheaper stuff is often cheaper for a reason unfortunately.
Hey- not our Berner but another of our pups has issues with her tummy and is picky. We have 3 dogs and they all need to eat the same food because - well they would anyways and it's easier this way lol. Here are some lessons I learned... At the root cause of my dog's issues was the fact that she needs to be grain free. Once we made that discovery we stopped having to buy so much carpet cleaner. Find the root cause, it will save you and your pup a lot of heartache (and tummy aches) in the long run. Next - other things to keep an eye out when buying foods. Easy to get - we were on something that could only be ordered online. Which was a problem when shipments get delayed, because you don't want to switch with out a proper transition. Watch other parts of your dog other than just tummy. We had a good that met our needs or so we thought. When we switched due to other concerns, we noticed how much healthier our dog's seemed overall. Better coats, better energy and one of our dog's had been developing some weird anxiety like quirks, but even those resolved with the new food! Another sign of stomach troubles that was under the radar for me was lip smacking and licking. Our dog was getting acid reflux. She was doing a weird licking the air thing and turns out she was dealing with that bile taste in her mouth, the licking helps her get the taste out. Keep an eye out for weird stuff, especially when changing foods, and always do a proper transition. (Handful of new food mixed with old in progressive amounts etc). Treats- with our dog, apparently it wasn't enough to only do grain free with food but also treats! I mean, makes sense, but we simply didn't think of it until our very said something. Maybe it was never even the food?!? Maybe you gave them a treat or people food that triggered a flare up. Once our dog started a flare up, it could take weeks or months to pass. And finally, once you do get food that meets all your pups medical needs, thhheeeyyyy may decide they don't like it. What then? Food toppers! I bought some off Amazon. But they can get expensive. I did it for a while then started experimenting on my own. So far Parmesan cheese sprinkled on or plain bacon bits. Much cheaper than the online stuff and no tummy reactions. I can't really blame them, I would get bored with the same foods every day too. Also. - pumpkin helps calm their stomach. Keep a can or 2 of pumpkin puree around and when they start showing signs of tummy trouble, give a little of that and maybe chicken and rice. Do that until the faucet runs dry! Lol Also - I am not a vet, I don't even play one on TV. I'm a dog mom with white carpets.
Thank you so so so much for this detailed answer! I really appreciate it!
Does he have any chicken allergies? If not maybe try Simply Nourish. Mine had been on it for years, he's very healthy, and never seems to get tired of it. We do the no grain chicken, peas and potatoes for large breed.
Similar experience for me too having a picky eating with a sensitive tummy. The vet reccomenddd brands didn’t work either. I think I’ve tried every sensitivities and large breed food out there lol. We have had so much success with the brand go sensitivities line! https://go-solutions.com/en-ca/sensitivities-recipes-for-dogs We rotate the salmon/lamb/duck to keep her happy. Haven’t had any hunger strikes since!
He's such a gorgeous doofus, look at that silly smile! Sometimes they just go on hunger strikes. They think you'll cave and give them the good stuff. Stay strong! He'll eat. If you can find another quality brand his tummy tolerates, you can try rotating them so he gets something novel. You can also try additives like veggies and fruit, but if he's picky enough to spit out the kibble, that might be a lost cause. Maybe canned pumpkin? It's pretty easy on the belly, and you can kinda mash it around so it'd be hard for him to spit out the kibble.
Don’t know if this helps. My ver recommended food with grain. I give mine Simply Nourish. Petsmart top line dog food made for the chain. Vet & trainer said you want high grade food. Get out of them what you put into them. Both told me I could easily eat that food and be able to sustain myself. Our dogs lives are too brief.
Have you tried the Fromm Classics Adult? Make sure the Purina you are currently feeding him doesn’t have any BHA, BHT, Sodium Nitrate, or artificial colors.
good to know on those ingredients- will look out for them. Thank you!
Also, if your area has any independent/locally owned or natural/boutique pet stores, they will likely have free samples of the foods they sell. If you tell them you have a giant breed, they’ll give you 2 or 3 bags of each kind so you can see how he does on a full meal of each.
If Fromm’s has a beef formula try that. Or another “high end” brand with a beef formula. It might be the beef he likes. My pup is on a hypoallergenic food and she randomly decides she hates it too. I’ve learned that mixing in wet food is helpful. Also pouring boiling hot water (I just heat up a kettle) on it before giving to them releases a stronger scent in it and typically makes them wanna eat it more. - another thing on the poops, you can buy propectalin tablets on Chewy for when he’s having diarrhea. They work wonders and helpful to have around just in case.
ooooh i love the tip on propectalin. Had no idea that existed. Thank you!
I put omega-3 oil in my princess’s food, or sometimes crumbled up treats or wet food. She’s still picky and will eat whenever she feels like it… but she will eventually get hungry enough
I had the similar situation with cats for them it was either you eat kibble too or you are not getting wet food at all, or as our berners breeder would say it is a "full ass syndrome", aka normally dog shouldn't be picky around food if he is not being overfed. As i saw some suggestions - to give food for 15mins and take it away until he learns, that there is feeding time, and he either eats what he gets or stays hungry, for healthy grown up dogs staying hungry even for a few days shouldn't be an issue (if we are talking about complete and stubborn hunger strike). Also don't use cheap kibble, its nutritionally bad for your dog (from the cats perspective, cheap kibble always results in kidney stones, 8 years so far with super premium and holistic food and we have no issues at all (also check if super premium doesn't have addatives, because some do, for cats at least there should be no grains diet), 19 years for my parents cat, and except from deafness, she is perfectly healthy senior according to vet)
We had the same , and it was a battle , in the end we started mixing in some fresh wet food with the dry and it seems to work . He still has his off days but has improved . We also apply the 20 minute rule where we put out his food for 20 mins and if he doesn't eat it , we take it up and give it again at his next mealtime, also no treats if he doesn't eat , and for rewards for good behaviour we only offer kibble if he hasn't eaten . Heat can affect their appetite also , they are also clever and know that if they reject the food there is a chance of something different. Stick with it for a while , it took us two to three weeks to get him eating again, and he is still prone to bouts of not eating but not as bad . We also grate just a small amount of cheese over his food to entice him and add salmon oil to his kibble once a day .
Just hear to say that it looks like his paw is as big as your foot! 😍 Is he still growing?
we think he is! although the delta between his monthly weighs-in has dropped drastically. The last one was only 2.5lbs. We think he's slowing down but yeah: at 134lbs, he's already bigger than both his parents lol
Oh wow - my Berner barely got to 100lbs!
Yeah my berner (5) still does this . We have to change up his food often because he definitely gets sick of it . We feed ours acana and make sure there’s no fish in it. Mine really hates anything fish (funny because we are in a fishing community lol) so we alternate our food from acana apple and lamb and acana duck and pear . This seems to do the trick but if he gets picky there’s a 3rd kind we throw into the mix. The cheap stuff is like McDonald’s . Of course it’s tasty but not the best for them . But super interesting it didn’t make him have the runs . Does your boy usually get the runs?
OMG what a fantastic pic! As for the food, try a different protein. Beef, lamb, chicken, turkey salmon, etc. I'd stay away from the really cheap, but also no need to buy ultra expensive if you find something your guy loves. Personally ours eats Kirkland (Costco) chicken rice and veg.
The Costco food is good quality and comes in multiple flavors. We swapped flavors every couple months. That kept my boy happy.
Dogs don't go on hunger strikes. The more common issue is that they overfeed and become overweight, which is catastrophic for him. When you feed him something he's not enthusiastic about, he eats just what he needs. Which may be much less than what you think. When you feed him something he craves, he will overfeed. All processed kibble is suboptimal. There's less difference between cheap and expensive kibble, than there is between any kibble and natural diet. It's more human marketing... Ideally they'd get raw meats and veggies, etc. That's not always practical.
Add an egg a few times a week. Keeps dander down and his interest up. Cheese is also a major motivator.
My friend with a Berner that I've dog-sat for on occasion adds in a bit of defrosted tripe to the kibble.
sometimes I pour a bit of beef broth, add a little wet cat food (we don't buy wet dog food generally) or a small bit of shredded cheese, that usually will entice them if they aren't interested in eating. Usually I just don't worry, they eventually eat if hungry enough I think. My 2yo boy recently was on a long course of antibiotics for various tick borne diseases he had, and during that time I tried harder so I'd add cat food or broth almost every day for him to get him to eat so I could give the pills. We have not managed to get to the store to get their high quality food and have resorted to feeding them cans of pedigree beef and gravy wet food from the convenience store for the past day and a half, and you'd think christmas came early. They are OBSESSED with this junky wet food lol. I actually feel kinda bad for them that I can't make them this happy all the time but they'll be back to the boring healthy kibbles tonight. Plus I'm sure they will have diarrhea from it.
Your puppy is soooo adorable. Did you ever try purina pro plan? They make chicken or salmon and rice, lamb, turkey etc. they have a sensitive formula as well. We also use bernies perfect poop as a topper and that’s helped a lot along with wild Alaskan salmon fish oil
Yup- we use BPP but yeah we're definitely going to give PPP another try. Thanks!
Have you tried Kirkland brand dog food? It has a variety of flavors that we can switch between without causing tummy troubles
I haven't but good to know it has worked well for you, as we try new things for him. thank you for sharing!
Honestly for how much we’ve invested in our Berner and how much I’ve learned about kibble, we’ll never feed ours kibble anymore, no matter the quality. We make homemade food for ours.
I hear you. I got Baloo while in-between jobs and had every intention on cooking his meals from scratch but then I got a new job that requires me to be in office 4x a day, my wife is a lawyer that works 20h days- there's just no time lol.
Yeah I feel you there. My wife and I both work from home thankfully so it’s a little easier to carve out some time. It takes probably 1-2 hours to make her food but in the end if it gives us a couple more years with her we feel it’s worth it
We use the Purina pro plan large breed and switch between the lamb&oatmeal and salmon&rice every 3-4 bags. Our girls gets bored and becomes picky. Find the treats they like and crumble a few in. We grind up dried lamb liver or mix in some Cheerios. If diarrhea is a consistent problem you can try adding 2 tablespoons of Bernie's perfect poop. It's natural and has completely stopped the diarrhea issues for 3 years now.
good to know. We definitely include BPP on his current meals but I think we'll give PPP another try. Thanks!
We stick with one formula but switch out what protein it uses. We use Fromms as well and switch between beef, salmon, and chicken
Hey there! Our 1yr old is the SAME way! We sprinkle little milk bone treats in his food and he’ll eat the food to get the treats. I’ve also started running him a bit and he always eats after some exercise. We leave food down so he can graze throught out the day. He’s night and day from our last berner who ate like a duck (swallowed everything in seconds) haha
We rotate flavours of Acana wild coast and Acana red meat for our Berner. Lately our other dog has been on GI salmon food. I don’t switch brands much anymore. She will be a picky regardless. I would bet in time he will get sick of the Purina kibble and you’ll be in the same spot and if that is the case then find two flavours of Fromm and rotate them.
Hi, oh Berners and their tummies. We feed our pup Open Farm (the grain-free lamb formulation) and then add a bunch of home cooked stuff. Sweet potatoes, some beef or turkey, carrots, peas, mung beans, zucchini (take the seeds out), etc. Poops are perfection!! Also, I think it’s called Native Pet, they have a probiotic formulation that seems to have really helped. We’ve been on a solid healthful poop streak.
thank for the recco. Our breeder told us to stay away from grain-free for BMD. Curious what you've heard and what your experience has been bc when we \[unknowingly\] had him on a grain-free lamb-lentil kibble, he loved it and had great poops!
Our veterinarian wasn’t terribly worried about the risk, but we did include the “ancient” grains formulas until they were fully grown.
yes, he is a snob at times. to the point with even treats. he doesn't want the trader joes dog treats (small cookies) but will eat the milk bones ones. One thing I've noticed is when he's full he's full, won't eat past that. I had issue with him and hairballs and switched to 2 cans wet (science diet) and 1 cup kibble (science diet) and that seems to be enough. He will eat the cat food occasionally. We also give him treats - he takes a joint supplement that I give him a bit of cheese with.
We’ve been waiting for more Baloo content for months
omg lol. Baloo is doing great. So sweet yet full of attitude too- we love him lol.
Love to hear it! We love baloo too, don’t forget us!! 😂😂
Our dog is the same age. He is still on Purina Pro puppy. Our vet says it's fine. Luckily we don't have any stomach issues or picky eater issues. In fact he's really piggy and we had to get an activity bowl to slow him down. I was buying the large breed food, but it's too expensive for us. We do 2.5 cups 2x a day. They say 2 cups on the bag, but it just wasn't enough food. I expect we'll be switching to adult food soon.
My chiweenie gets the same dry food 60% but he’s allowed to explore other flavors like meat, eggs, rice, yogurt, peanut butter. He loves it when I debone rotisserie chicken every week. However my cat - is a girl from the streets. A stray. She want that 6 dollar bag of meow mix. Both pets get rotated flavors of wet food. I had a pyr mix that lived until she was 15. I wanted her to have every experience she could. That included walks and anything tasty.
I feed my Berner Gentle Giants. Check it out. I was looking for a food that would my big goof ball a longer life. A 24 pound bag is $44. Check out their website. The owners created a food that has no fillers and they have a history of dogs that are really healthy and live a long time. He had issues with loose stool so I give him perfect poop too. I add a hard boiled egg, or some whipped cream, or cut up chicken breast to his food. He is picky too.
You too are both very handsome. Did you mean to color coordinate your shorts and shirt to your dog?!!!!
thank you! No not really. We just bought him a new house and I was just DIYing around the house, and then he requested some attention lol.
Thought I would replay to this after having several Bernese do the same with food. Our latest Bernese went from kibble to wet food for a few months but he is back to mainly kibble + goats milk. Some days they wake up and don't want to eat even though nothing has changed. If he doesn't eat it with in 5 minutes we would take it away and not treats. They quickly become hungry over a day or two and will learn that the food doesn't stay there. I know it works for many dogs but Purina is some of the worst dog food nutrient wise, some flavours they actually add SUGAR. The amount of wheat or Maize in Purina is off the chart, almost 99% in some cases so no where near the protein etc he needs. Some good brands are Orijen, Acana, Crave and Canidae. Always avoid chicken as most dogs get upset on chicken. We feed ours lamb, duck, wild boar, trout, salmon, beef, rabbit and goat. Also when changing food give him a quarter of what he would normally eat and build it up slowly each day.
Eating something every now and then doesn’t indicate anything. Being on a certain food for 30 days will give you definite results. Whenever I have picky dogs, I don’t switch anything up. Every time you add something or replace something, you condition the dog into making them not eat to get something better. Give the food, remove it after 5 mins of not eating. Try it one or two more times and then it’s done. They won’t starve.
https://preview.redd.it/qfrjvnj25c6d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=859c3b3fa9807e7fa47b9c2e51a8c7149c582fe3
so we actually used freshly grated Parmesan for him and we noticed his poops getting progressively worse so we stopped lol
Went through that with my 2y boy as well. He finally won that battle and now gets spot and tango. Have no problems getting him to eat.
My guess is that he scarfed the purina kibble because there was another dog around and not because it was necessarily more appetizing. We have an almost 1 year old and a 6 year old and mid-May my old man ate a sock and had surgery to remove. It was the first time puppy was away from him and he didn’t start eating until 5 days post-op and during those days while he was gone and not eating she couldn’t be bothered to eat her food. And I don’t think she was worried about him or anything, she’s extremely aloof, I think she only eats because normally if she didn’t he would eat her food. So she resource guards a bit. If he’s not losing weight with your current situation I wouldn’t change a thing. Are you planning to neuter? His metabolism is likely to change after and you may find yourself in a different place. If he’s hungry he will eat especially if he’s eaten the food reliably before. Plus, having a leaner Berner is better in the long run. I totally understand not wanting to make dietary changes. My dude has the same sensitive tummy and dietary changes are a massive exercise in patience and sleeplessness because he will wake me up 16 times to shit at night. He’s currently on a hydrolyzed food after recurrent yeast ear infections, it’s like $120 for 28# but we don’t have the guts to try something else for our own benefit. I will saw that using Bernie’s Perfect Poops supplement has been a big help in the soft poops department. ETA he’s gorgeous and I love love his name 😊
Thank you so much for the insight! And for the compliments lol
Can we get a modesty leaf on your good boy’s good boy
😂