# Stubborn Jack Russell and Feeding Issues - Help!



## SarahBugz (Mar 14, 2011)

I'm really struggling to know what to feed my extremely fussy dog. I am also battling family who think they know best (i.e that it's ok to feed dogs sweets, biscuits and crisps!).

My dog is a 1yr old Jack Russell and he has always been a fussy eater although only recently has he started to get really fussy. We also suspect that he might also have a food allergy or a grass pollen allergy. He has always had a sensitive tummy and scratched his sides and chewed on his front paws. The house is flea free and he is regularly flead and wormed at the vets. About 2 weeks ago we noticed a sore appear on his leg. It looked like 3 little bites. The vets have told me to give the sore on his leg another week to settle down and if it doesn't, to bring him back in for another check up.

I've had originally been feeding him Nature Diet mixed into his kibble (Wainwrights grain Free) but now despite whatever the flavour combination is, he will eat the meat and spit out the kibble, I've tried Bob and Lush, James Well Beloved, Burns, Arden Grange etc.... and he turns his nose up at them all.

We then moved him onto solely Nature Diet, changing the flavours regularly but he now appears to turn his nose up at these too. We went to a different pet shop and they suggested the Nature Menu frozen food. We've tired the blocks and the banquet nuggets. At first like the Nature Diet he wolfed it down but now he seems to turn his nose up at that too. Some meals he will eat Nature Diet, some meals he will eat the banquet raw cubes and he only tends to eat one meal a day, leaving his breakfast. I end up having to throw food away because he just wont touch it. Some days he seems like he is on a complete hunger strike and wont eat a thing.

As a pup he was always eating stuff he shouldn't e.g. Cat Poo, Rabbit Poo, dead rotting things and whatever he seemed to come across on walks. This has settled down now and he doesn't seem to do this as much. He is however still a bit of a grazer and loves to chew on grass. The vet said that this could possibly be down to him having a poorly tummy and wanting to eat more fibre. She has said that Nature Diet is digested quickly and can cause indigestion. 


Is it ok to mix and match different food like that? I have noticed an improvement in temperament and coat condition. 

He hasn't been sick and he hasn't had the runs but he does have a runny nose? His poo is still nice and firm and doesn't smell. I'm just really at a loss about what we should we be doing about his eating and what the best food to be feeding him is. Cost isn't too much of an issue. He isn't currently loosing any weight and is a healthy 7.5 kilos. 

With regards to family feeding him junk 'human' food I am trying to limit his contact with them as much as possible at the moment. I've even gone as far as giving them a treat box of treats that I don't mind him having if they are determined to spoil him but no.... he still gets fed rubbish! Grr!! But anyway... that is another story! We've now hired a dog sitter instead of taking him round to my partner's mums for the odd occasion when we have to leave him during the day. His mum has 2 large Labradors of her own and thinks because they are fine, Thomas will be too. She also thinks that we are wasting money taking him to the vets when gets an upset tummy and feeding him the food that we do. She said we should just feed him boiled chicken and white rice and save our money. He once had an upset tummy so bad he was on antibiotics for 2 weeks and had to have a couple of anti-inflammatory injections, although I guess this was more down to him being a pup and eating rubbish than allergies or anything like that.

Anyway sorry for the essay and any advice, tips or suggestions would be much appreciated! I really am baffled by all the different foods available and I've never known anything/anyone as stubborn as our jack Russell is!!


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## Jem121 (May 6, 2012)

I have 3 jack Russells, thankfully I don't have your problem as mine are dustbins and will eat absolutely anything you put in front of them!

Have you tried the tough love route? Putting food down for him, give him 15mins to eat it. If he doesn't pick it up and don't give him anything no treats nothing, until next meal time where you offer him his dinner again. So on so forth until he eats, I was always told a healthy dog wont go any longer than 72hrs without food. (I don't know how true that is though). 
I know that some owners won't do this as they don't want to see their dog go without food. I'm no food expert but maybe worth a try?


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## SarahBugz (Mar 14, 2011)

I have tried it and only lasted about a day and a half before I caved and tried to find him a different food that he would eat. He is just so unsettled when he is hungry. He keeps wandering round the house and looking sorry for himself and then get pesky and winds the cat up then gets clingy and won't leave us alone. 

I'm just worried about feeding him the raw nuggets and the nature diet on alternate meals/days etc... Is this healthy? Are there any other good quality foods we can try?

He loves rawhide and his antler chew so not too worried about his teeth and not having kibble. 

I think he would happily eat some of the cheaper dog foods like bakers but because of his sensitive tummy I want to feed him the best food I can. It's just so confusing!! Aaaargh


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## zedder (Aug 21, 2013)

My collie used to be fussy but now he eats what's put down or goes without sounds harsh but if he feels he can hold out till you get him something else he will do they are crafty buggers.


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## SarahBugz (Mar 14, 2011)

I might have to try and be more firm... See how it goes! 

With regards to the food which is the better food to try him with? 

I need to get him booked in at the vets again I think re his sore patch and itchiness. I really hope he doesn't have a grass allergy. My partner work for a turf company and we can't get away from the stuff.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2014)

Find one stick with it reguardless of what others say the dog is your responsability you have the final say not others. 


Your dog your choice its very rude and disrespectfull of family and friends to feed him things they know full well they arn't supposed to. They are also putting his health at risk.

Try smaller meals twice day

Do you give him alternatives if he does not eat what is front of him?
Do you shair your own food with him?
Do you know if he is getting hold of food elsewere?
Does he eat straight after or before a walk?


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## SarahBugz (Mar 14, 2011)

I walk him on a morning at about 6am and try to give him breakfast at 7:30. I leave breakfast down for a bit then if goes in the fridge. I then walk him again in the evening and will give him his tea (breakfast that's been put back in the fridge) and he still quite often refuses to eat. I tend to leave it out of the evening and he might pick at. I would then change what food I was feeding in the morning if he hadn't eaten his tea and he would tend to eat breakfast and not tea the following day.

He doesn't get anything of our plates or any of our food. I've always been strickt about this and it was one of the things that we were told in puppy classes and about not teaching him to beg.

He will sometimes get really small treats if we are doing a training session with him but again he tends to just turn his nose up at them. He responds to the clicker just won't eat the treats.

He was getting at the cat food a few months back so we now feed the cat on our bedroom windowsill where he can't get to it so I can't think where he would be getting other food from?

My partners mum is v frustrating she feeds her dogs food from her plate while she's eating and gives then sweets and all sorts. I try not to leave Tom with her unattended now. She used to have him as a puppy while we were at work but we put a stop to that after about 2 weeks and he now either goes and sits in the tractor with my partner, goes to my friends house or the puppy sitter takes him out. 

The most he'll have during the day is a small rawhide bone or his antler chew to keep him amused.


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## rottiepointerhouse (Feb 9, 2014)

One of my pointers can be a bit funny like this. He is fed raw and one day will love a particular mince or his carcass/ribs then a couple of days later looks at it like its poison and walks away. He is otherwise fit and well and not losing weight so I don't worry about it. I just take the food away after 5 mins and he misses that meal. I generally reduce the next meal to half of what I would normally give him and find by the next day he is back to normal appetite. Some dogs do prefer just one meal a day.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2014)

SarahBugz said:


> *I walk him on a morning at about 6am and try to give him breakfast at 7:30. I leave breakfast down for a bit then if goes in the fridge. I then walk him again in the evening and will give him his tea* (breakfast that's been put back in the fridge) and he still quite often refuses to eat. I tend to leave it out of the evening and he might pick at. I would then change what food I was feeding in the morning if he hadn't eaten his tea and he would tend to eat breakfast and not tea the following day.
> 
> He doesn't get anything of our plates or any of our food. I've always been strickt about this and it was one of the things that we were told in puppy classes and about not teaching him to beg.
> 
> ...


Everything sounds fine but I would maybe try and wait an hour before or after his exersize to see if it makes a difference. The last thing you want to do when you have just gone for your exerisze is eat meal too soon before or after.

I also aggree with rottiepointerhouse I think if he doesn't fancey a meal take it away and give him a smaller one the next time. I also reckon it might be worth a go to give him smaller meals then normal to see if it helps.

Hope it helps :>


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## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Do you know what he weighs?

My Jack Russell bitch was just the same, she would sometimes go several days and not eat.


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## BessieDog (May 16, 2012)

My Irish setter is the same. Tough love doesn't work with her - she'd starve rather than eat something she doesn't fancy. Even if she ate it the day before. 

I feed raw, and give her a variety of proteins. She wouldn't eat kibble to literally save her life! Her pickiness was worrying when she was a growing pup and I probably threw more food away than she ate. 

But she's now a good weight, and I go by that. If she doesn't want to eat one day, as long as she eats the next and doesn't lose weight I'm relaxed. 

Contrary to the advice (especially as she is a deep chested breed) I feed her soon after we come back from a walk. I find she'll eat almost anything then. Leave it longer, and her appetite has gone.


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## dandogman (Dec 19, 2011)

My Jack Russell has always been picky, or refusing to eat at all (although she'll eat tripe like it's going out of fashion). I recently bought her a shallow 'puppy' bowl and some small bite kibble - she hasn't left any since...


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## SarahBugz (Mar 14, 2011)

He's about 7.5 kilos at the moment. He's large boy. He had a jack russell friend that he sometimes goes walking with and he is at least twice the size of her lol!

Thank you for all you for all your feedback guys!!!! It's been really helpful. I've sent him off to work this morning with Jamie so hopefully he'll have a good day in the tractor and not be to fussy. As suggested ive reduced the portion size and I haven't sent him with any food other than his breakfast and his antler chew.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Personally, I would feed him whatever it is you know he will eat that doesn't upset his tum.

Maybe he doesn't like cold food from the fridge? 

My friend's greyhound will often not eat for a day - then back to normal the next. My lurcher has 1/2 wet and 1/2 dry in separate bowls. He eats 1/2 the wet when he gets up and the other half when we get back from our walk. Sometimes he leaves the dry for most of the day, or all day. Other days he eats it all as soon as it's down. It varies, though he has never gone as long as 24 hours.

It's a human thing, this eating a set meal at a set time 

Also, with regard to the family - tell them if they are seen giving him the wrong type of treats, they won't get any sweets!

If he is a healthy weight then I wouldn't worry too much either.


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## BessieDog (May 16, 2012)

Lurcherlad said:


> Personally, I would feed him whatever it is you know he will eat that doesn't upset his tum.
> 
> Maybe he doesn't like cold food from the fridge?
> 
> ...


Great point about mealtimes! Bess won't eat before mid afternoon, and often leaves her food until 8 PM. I think the majority of dogs expect meals at set times as it's part of a trained behaviour meaning we expect them to be bothering us for food at certain times as we've taught them they get fed then.

I've certainly got a girl who's not hungry all the time, and eats when she wants too. Slightly more inconvenient, particularly in summer when you can't leave raw food lying around, but nothing to worry about if she's keeping her weight up.


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## Guest (Apr 26, 2014)

Why not put the food into a suitably sized kong?

Then the kong can go in the fridge and be given later on in the day. If the food is harder to get at the dog may want it more when it comes down to meal time.

Millie is fed her evening meal in a kong she gets her morning meal in her spaniel bowl.


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## JRTMom (Jan 27, 2018)

SarahBugz said:


> I'm really struggling to know what to feed my extremely fussy dog. I am also battling family who think they know best (i.e that it's ok to feed dogs sweets, biscuits and crisps!).
> 
> My dog is a 1yr old Jack Russell and he has always been a fussy eater although only recently has he started to get really fussy. We also suspect that he might also have a food allergy or a grass pollen allergy. He has always had a sensitive tummy and scratched his sides and chewed on his front paws. The house is flea free and he is regularly flead and wormed at the vets. About 2 weeks ago we noticed a sore appear on his leg. It looked like 3 little bites. The vets have told me to give the sore on his leg another week to settle down and if it doesn't, to bring him back in for another check up.
> 
> ...


Hi, I also have a Jack Russell he is 5 years old and he has the exact same problems that you just mentioned!! I have started giving mine Apoquil for his itching of his paws and sides and it works amazing!! I am still having problems getting him to eat though and he vomits bile at night time because he goes so long without eating. but he's just such a picky eater he holds out until I give him something of mine. I've been doing the exact same thing you have adding soft food into his hard food and he used to Wolf it down but now he just turned his nose up to it. 


SarahBugz said:


> I'm really struggling to know what to feed my extremely fussy dog. I am also battling family who think they know best (i.e that it's ok to feed dogs sweets, biscuits and crisps!).
> 
> My dog is a 1yr old Jack Russell and he has always been a fussy eater although only recently has he started to get really fussy. We also suspect that he might also have a food allergy or a grass pollen allergy. He has always had a sensitive tummy and scratched his sides and chewed on his front paws. The house is flea free and he is regularly flead and wormed at the vets. About 2 weeks ago we noticed a sore appear on his leg. It looked like 3 little bites. The vets have told me to give the sore on his leg another week to settle down and if it doesn't, to bring him back in for another check up.
> 
> ...


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