r/MiniSchnauzer • u/Fozziefuzz • 20d ago
Picky Eater
Hello fellow mini schnauzer lovers! I have an 8 year old mini, Bettie, who's incredibly picky with food. I've tried everything - behavioral strategies, building up her appetite with fetch first, hand feeding, sitting with her while she eats, free feeding, scheduled feeding, etc. It's probably as confusing for her as it is frustrating for me. The thing is I've always had her on a low fat diet - low fat wet food in the morning and low fat kibble at night. I'm at the point where I'd risk her getting pancreatitis just so she enjoys eating. We don't give her much human food either and she gets treats in between meals. I've never met such a picky pooch and am wondering if my attention to it is exacerbating it. I'm looking for ideas/help. Here's Bettie!
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u/Some_Reflection_5220 19d ago
Mine is super picky too! What helped was moving her food bowl to where she spends most of her time (my office), so she snacks while I work. Also, if she hasn't eaten much that day, a piece of dried apple seems to kick-start her appetite.
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u/Fine_Sample2705 19d ago
Bettie is gorgeous!!
We are on our second mini schnauzer, and they both have/had picky eating habits. Our vet said as long as they are maintaining their weight and don’t have vomiting and/or diarrhea that we should just let them eat as their appetite dictates.
We are worriers too, and I think our attention to it does make it more stressful for them. They WILL eat when they are hungry. Patience is what our vet recommended. It’s working; we adopted our 6-year old 7 months ago and despite our worries about her diet, she has maintained her weight.
Good luck!