Best food for Bichon

Bannergal

I have a 2 yr 9 months Bichon who is just a terrible eater when it comes to his KIBBLE. He would have no problem eating my dinner. He hasn't eaten his nuts now in 2 days Royal Canin Bichon. I think he is bored of them.

Has anyone any comments on the Aatu range???

Thanks

Cherry Blossom

The top brands would be taste of the wild, acana, purizon and origin. I've not heard of aatu before and my internet is too slow to look it up at the minute. Royal Canin is a mediocre food, mid-range but extremely overpriced for what's in it. I was feeding purizon but changed to acana recently.

Whatever food you go for make sure to buy small bags as the nutritional value and taste deteriorate the longer the bag is open.

Every time I ordered purizon on zooplus they sent me 400g bags instead of the 2kg bags I ordered. Extra freshness at no extra charge

Cherry Blossom

Aatu looks like a top quality food. Zooplus only seem to be selling it in big bags though. Most of the acana range are big bags only too but I buy 2kg bags in a local petshop.

VonVix

Are you sure he hasn't been holding out for table scraps because he has been getting them? Just in case he is training you. From my experience, a LOT of Bichons I have met are pretty good at moderating how much they need to eat, I wouldn't be overly concerned. How is his body condition? Can you feel his ribs under a thin layer of fat? You shouldn't have to dig your fingers in to feel them.

Aatu is far, far better than a lot of other food brands out there. I would just keep an eye on your dog's stool (soft/diarrhea) in case it's too rich for him, I have found some dogs unable to handle foods of this type/quality.

Aatu ingredients for one of their main adult dry foods for those who are curious (or just don't have the internet speed )

Ingredients
80% Duck (51% Freshly Prepared Deboned Duck, 29% Dried Duck), Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, Peas, Lucerne, Salmon Oil, Duck Stock, Carrots, Tomato, Chicory, Tapioca, Apple, Pear, Cranberry, Blueberry, Mulberry, Orange, Bilberry, Cowberry, Parsley, Peppermint, Spirulina, Seaweed, Oregano, Sage, Marjoram, Thyme, Chamomile, Rosehip, Stinging Nettle, Yucca, Marigold, Aniseed, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, Hip & Joint Care (Glucosamine 178mg/kg, MSM 178mg/kg, Chondroitin 125mg/kg).

Latatian

What's his weight and body condition like?

Most healthy dogs will not stop eating just because they are bored*. He could be unwell. Sometimes people notice the dog stops eating, they change the food, the dog starts eating again, and they don't realize that the dog was actually unwell and is now being enticed to eat by super-tasty food... but is still unwell.

Similarly he could be getting a bit more than you realize. I had a lab who I had to give 100g of dry nuts (split into two portions) for about two years... because between all the family members swearing up and down that they weren't feeding her, she was morbidly obese unless you fed her that amount. Cut out every scrap, every bit of your dinner, every biscuit, every treat, every chew etc. for a week and see what happens. Weigh out the amount of dry food you put down, put it down for 15 minutes, then take it up and weigh what's left. This will give you a good baseline to see if he's sick or very fussy, or just looking for something better or overfed. Remember, if he's actually not eating because he's sick, then that's something you need to know.

Particularly for a small dog, literally anything you give them extra adds up very fast. And if they get sick and stop eating you have to get on top of it quickly.

*Some dogs are genuinely picky and need to be enticed to eat otherwise they get ribby and their spine starts showing and their hip bones sticking out. But most dogs aren't.