Pack dynamics-encouraging picky eater
Hi, I’m hoping someone can offer some advice on how to get my dog to eat. We are taking him to the vet for some recurring tummy issues, and as this is a problem he has been seen for before, I expect to be prescribed probiotic dog food. This issue is he absolutely will not eat it.
He is a 6lb bichon bolognese, 8 years old. He only likes to eat what his two larger breed sisters eat, while they are eating it, and from the same bowl. We have genuinely tried everything, but this dog will look you in the eye as he unfolds a pill from pepperoni, eats the pill, and spits out the pepperoni. He won’t eat treats, table scraps, deli meat, cheese, or chicken except chic fil a. I keep having to delete descriptions of his eating preferences because Reddit is flagging it as a medical condition, but I promise we have tried EVERYTHING, including custom made mail order fresh food.
The girls eat natural balance fat dogs (they are a few lbs on the heavier side but nothing extreme, well managed by the food), and historically have not liked probiotic food, meaning he will not eat it. He will only eat natural balance fat dogs.
Since it seems like a lot of his eating habits are social and dependent on his “pack”, I’m hoping someone might have behavioral tips or insights on how to leverage this to get him to eat his prescribed food.
Thanks for any suggestions, we love him so much and just want him to feel better. Dog tax in comments.