our dog does not eat raw meat!?!

[mama2G]

so, i have decided to feed her wholesome food. no more store bought dog food.
i gave her ground chicken. she looked at it sniffed a little and did not eat!!!??
she is 4years old, mixed, apparently never fed raw meet. she loves cooked meat tho.
i don't know what to do, i suppose i can cook for her... thats one more thing for me to do!
i have never seen/heard of such dog!
what would you do?

[gabysmom617]

Try giving her something else. Instead of ground, try a chicken thigh. If that doesn't work, try something like turkey. Or even pork or beef. My dog will not eat pork, but she'll eat other raw things.

[DoomaYula]

It took my older dog about 3-4 weeks before she would eat raw. I offered, left it out for her, and she wouldn't eat. Finally one day she did, and never went back!

My younger dog was even worse; I swear, it took him 6 weeks before he would eat, and then only when I hand-fed him. I was freaking out and posting here practically every day!

You have to make the commitment to do raw, and don't look back! Dogs will eat when they are hungry.

[Ola_]

I would go with whole pieces too. Actually some dogs seem to like it better. Plus if you need to entice her you can take the chicken leg and quickly sear it in a hot pan, for just a few seconds. This will make it more smelly and she'll likely be more interested in it. That can be a good way to get them to try raw stuff and once they've had it a few times they like it a lot!

[angie7]

Sometimes they just need a little time. Imagine going from hard pieces of dry food to raw meaty goodness. You can add peanut butter, cottage cheese or yogurt. They are appetite stimulants and might encourage her to eat.

[oneKnight]

Kibble is sprayed with grease, and other things, to make it appeal to the dog.

My dog goes crazy for greasy drippings from hamburger and stuff - that's what a kibble dog is "addicted" to. They expect food to taste at least somewhat like a "treat"
Raw meat can be kindof plain in comparison, especially to a dog that hasn't had it before. Cats are usually even more addicted to heavily scented/seasoned cat foods, they're even harder to convince to switch to raw.

Turkey and chicken are pretty plain meats, pork seems to be the most enticing smelling meat, but it probably varies by dog. Sometimes you can sear the meat a little, or pour some tasty cooked meat drippings on it, or butter, or egg some dogs will eat anything with egg on it, or parmesean cheese crumbles, anything really, and gradually taper off the flavorings.
Also you can "starve" an adult dog into eating (unsafe for cats and puppies) for a little while I had to withhold ALL treats and other food until the beef liver was eaten. Dogs generally get the message after about a day and it doesn't hurt them to fast for a day or so until they do.

Don't fret about it. Give him the food and then pretend it doesn't exist, wait at least 15 minutes before you put it back in the fridge. Do you feed in the crate? I have found that my dog is easily distracted (not highly food motivated) and eats best when fed in her crate last thing before I go to bed.

[onlyzombiecat]

I don't think it is uncommon to balk the first time at a strange food.

I would just offer a whole piece (not ground) and keep offering it and nothing else.

You could put something tasty on it or cook it for a a few seconds. My dog responded well to bbq sauce or parmesan cheese. After he or she gets into it you won't have to entice.

[mistymama]

I got my Mom to switch her lab over to raw feeding, and he will not touch chicken. He'll eat turkey, pork & beef no problem, but he will not touch chicken.

I would suggest offering the whole piece (not ground) and see if that makes a difference. One of the best benefits of raw feeding is the teeth cleaning they get from chewing bone. Not to mention the bone has nutrients and minerals they need.

I also recommend feeding in a crate - our dog gets so distracted and having set feeding times, in his crate has helped him to actually focus and eat.

Just keep trying, once you see the benefits of raw feeding, you will never go back to kibble.

[oneKnight]

I also suggest feeding whole raw meaty bones, like a chicken leg for example. Your dog may find he enjoys crunching it up!