I’m not eating that

expensive little pate-sized meals as a treat for them or maybe buy them all the time, thinking that it is the best

We pour a little gravy or cheese sauce over their food for flavour

We buy a new type or flavour because they won’t eat their food one morning

Our pet will only eat fresh lamb’s hearts from one particular store

They will only eat beside you at the table (true story)

He or she certainly won’t eat biscuit-type foods ever (very common saying)

They will only drink milk, not water

He or she needs food all day and will pester me if I don’t feed him.

All these things are OK and can fulfil our pets’ nutritional needs and certainly satisfy our emotional need to feel like we are doing the best for our friend but sometimes things go a bit too far and problems happen.

For instance, many people have a cupboard full of a whole supermarket range of pet foods because ‘‘Fluffy’’ won’t eat the same thing two days in a row.

Here are some tips:

The 20-minute rule

Divide their daily food requirement into two meals. Then offer one meal in the morning and leave it down for 20 minutes. If it isn’t eaten in 20 minutes then put the food away. In the evening do the same. Within two days they will learn to eat the food at a regular time and if you stick with one type of food they will be happy to eat it. They will usually come running for it when you rattle the box and will wolf it down happily. You would be amazed at how many ‘‘non-biscuit’’ eaters scoff biscuits when in the hospital and away from their owners – much like kids and some foods. Manipulation comes to mind!

Keep to one type of food as much as possible

Cats and small-breed dogs are notorious at becoming fussy eaters and the more variety they have, the fussier they will become.

Cats must only eat cat food and ideally a good commercial food

This is because cats, unlike dogs, have specific dietary requirements including one amino acid called taurine that is added at higher levels in commercial cat food to satisfy this need. Without it, for instance, they can develop fatal heart disease. Interestingly, though, dogs generally love cat food.

Try not to overly associate food with affection

This means, try to give physical affection in the form of a pat, groom or a walk instead of giving them the rest of your icecream or the rasher of bacon in the morning. This is the biggest cause of obesity in pets – thinking that you are making them happy by feeding them. Try to laugh and make a fuss of them instead, rather than reaching for the food bowl.

Those treats can have disastrous consequences, like for Heidi, whom we treated for five days in the hospital recently for pancreatitis after eating an icecream, or Raja with vomiting and diarrhoea after eating sausages from the barbecue.

Buy a smaller food bowl and a smaller measurer (for example, use a 1/8 baking measure)

Remember, cats, for example, weigh 4 kilograms, which is a fraction of our size. So how big is one-twentieth of our dinner plate going to be?

We all have our furry friends for enjoyment and companionship and spoiling them is a part of that but be a little bit careful with using food. And I know some of them can be very stubborn when it comes to changing their feeding habits.

What type of food?

That is a huge topic but generally we recommend dry food diets for many reasons, but a huge part is that we can measure exactly how much to feed per day based on their body weight. Not many wet food diets have exact feeding guidelines as per the pet’s weight, so under- or over-feeding is a problem. Another half inch on a dog roll, or two dessert spoons rather than one, can easily lead to obesity in some pets.

Try the 20-minute rule for those fussy eaters, you’ll be amazed. It’s a bit harder with the kids, though.

Have fun with your furry friends and remember to be excited about all the possibilities that a new year could bring, rather than being melancholy about the past one.

Any problems? We are here till 7pm Monday to Friday and open Saturday and Sunday.

Anderson’s Veterinary Hospitals in Palmerston North, phone 357 9993 for Pitama Rd or 356 9993 for Hokowhitu.