This Is Not Working- Beau Is Not Eating

[patricia]

Oh Robin Oh Beau I am so sorry you both are going through all of this. I remember my fears with Angel LaceyLaine...I virtually would fix her 20 different things and eating was her joy...and to see her refuse everything broke my heart. I know what you are going through. Sending more prayers.

[Stoney]

Can he eat cat food? I only ask because when my Shamrock was seriously ill, it was one of the only things we could tempt him with. That might not be too bad for a short while.

[Bevd]

I can't offer advice but I do know how awful it is when a dog won't eat and/or is losing weight

[RobinM]

Wed. Morning update and it's a decent one.

 

1) poops were thicker soft serve

 

2) he ate almost a full chicken breast (large) for breakfast.

 

This is the 1st time we ate breakfast in about 2 weeks if not longer.

 

We have him off all meds except prilesec and carafate only if we hear the gurlgies in his tummy.

 

Last night he ate a whole chicken breast as well.

 

I sure hope that chicken is not the trigger as it is the only thing he likes and will eat right now.

 

 

[tamborine]

Hang in there, Robin! At least he's eating a little something.... Hope you get some answers soon - it must be so frustrating & scary!!

 

When my cat stopped eating and I was syringe-feeding her, my vet prescribed valium. It was people-valium and by giving her a small dosage, it stimulated her appetite. It was almost immediate from the time I gave her the valium she would be (voluntarily) digging in and eat on her own.

 

Is this an option for dogs? I don't have any idea... but I thought I'd throw it out there... Perhaps run it by your vet and see if dogs have similar reaction (I don't know, dogs may not even be able to take valium).

 

The vet gave my cat Stinky IV Valium to stimulate his appetite when he wasn't eating. He started eating IMMEDIATELY after the dose was given - it was like a miracle. She told me it only works for cats, for some reason, not dogs.

 

[RobinM]

Hang in there, Robin! At least he's eating a little something.... Hope you get some answers soon - it must be so frustrating & scary!!

 

When my cat stopped eating and I was syringe-feeding her, my vet prescribed valium. It was people-valium and by giving her a small dosage, it stimulated her appetite. It was almost immediate from the time I gave her the valium she would be (voluntarily) digging in and eat on her own.

 

Is this an option for dogs? I don't have any idea... but I thought I'd throw it out there... Perhaps run it by your vet and see if dogs have similar reaction (I don't know, dogs may not even be able to take valium).

 

The vet gave my cat Stinky IV Valium to stimulate his appetite when he wasn't eating. He started eating IMMEDIATELY after the dose was given - it was like a miracle. She told me it only works for cats, for some reason, not dogs.

 

Actually valium is a huge appetite stim for Polli. We found out quite by accident.

[MerlinsMum]

I hope the chicken doesn't trigger explosive D. At least he is eating something! That's good news.

 

Keeping my fingers constantly crossed. let's hope the results come back today :goodluck or as soon as possible...

[Guest ss556]

Hoping for the best - fingers and paws crossed here.

[ahicks51]

I'm wondering if the eating thing isn't psychogenic. I became ambivalent about food about a month into my illness; I knew whatever I'd eat would just come back out soon, causing me a great deal of pain and discomfort. So why eat in the first place? I no longer fear starvation; it's really not that bad.

 

But! Progress is good, and if the chicken is well-tolerated, then that is an excellent start!

[Guest mandm]

That's wonderful news! You must feel relieved.

 

I'd go get some different types of chicken, in case he tires of the breasts. Maybe some dark meat, but keep it lean, no skin. Legs are leaner than thighs, but I think you can buy skinless, boneless thighs. Maybe some ground chicken breast for a different texture, broiled or baked for a crunchier texture. Or you can buy the dirt cheap ground chicken in frozen 1lb tubes, which includes skin & fat, and boil off the fat. What would be really good, because it would provide calcium & bone to firm the poop, would be to slow cook on low til mushy skinless chicken necks -- maybe add skinless breasts, w/ or w/o bone, to the pot too -- about 50/50.

 

Fingers crossed that he keeps eating. If you can keep him eating just chicken, that would be great for trying to figure out his intolerances.

[RobinM]

That's wonderful news! You must feel relieved.

 

I'd go get some different types of chicken, in case he tires of the breasts. Maybe some dark meat, but keep it lean, no skin. Legs are leaner than thighs, but I think you can buy skinless, boneless thighs. Maybe some ground chicken breast for a different texture, broiled or baked for a crunchier texture. Or you can buy the dirt cheap ground chicken in frozen 1lb tubes, which includes skin & fat, and boil off the fat. What would be really good, because it would provide calcium & bone to firm the poop, would be to slow cook on low til mushy skinless chicken necks -- maybe add skinless breasts, w/ or w/o bone, to the pot too -- about 50/50.

 

Fingers crossed that he keeps eating. If you can keep him eating just chicken, that would be great for trying to figure out his intolerances.

 

Good idea.

 

Since he ate decently and for the first time in the morning, this morning, DH did not offer him food when he came home today but rather we will feed him at "dinner"time when the others eat to try and get him back in the "groove". Hopefully, he will be up to it.

 

 

[Guest mandm]

Not that you are asking, but one more idea. You can buy dehydrated or freeze dried raw dog food. Look for chicken only, no veggies. Just chicken or chicken &/or bone &/or organ. It's not like raw at all -- its more like kibble, but without the carbs. Dogs that turn their nose up to raw usually love the dehydrated or freeze-dried stuff. It's very expensive though, you could feed it as treats

[Guest tigger]

Zantac 150 worked well for Stevie's gurgly tummy when treating him for his IBD/PLE. Can give up to 2 a day if needed.

 

 

[RobinM]

He ate chicken breast for dinner. He is on walk now with DH, stay tuned for poop report.

 

 

 

Not that you are asking, but one more idea. You can buy dehydrated or freeze dried raw dog food. Look for chicken only, no veggies. Just chicken or chicken &/or bone &/or organ. It's not like raw at all -- its more like kibble, but without the carbs. Dogs that turn their nose up to raw usually love the dehydrated or freeze-dried stuff. It's very expensive though, you could feed it as treats

 

 

Why not? we already have 6 million types and brands of food! who makes it?

 

How do I cook a whole (OH GAG ME NOW) chicken so that he can eat the bones????

[Neighsayer]

Good news! Hope that chicken had lots of breasts! Good luck!

[Guest taylorsmom]

He ate chicken breast for dinner. He is on walk now with DH, stay tuned for poop report.

 

 

 

Not that you are asking, but one more idea. You can buy dehydrated or freeze dried raw dog food. Look for chicken only, no veggies. Just chicken or chicken &/or bone &/or organ. It's not like raw at all -- its more like kibble, but without the carbs. Dogs that turn their nose up to raw usually love the dehydrated or freeze-dried stuff. It's very expensive though, you could feed it as treats

 

 

Why not? we already have 6 million types and brands of food! who makes it?

 

How do I cook a whole (OH GAG ME NOW) chicken so that he can eat the bones????

Hi Robin--just wanted to make sure that you know not to ever feed cooked bones of any type--chicken bones in particular can splinter and perforate the bowel. If you want to feed bones to help firm up stool, etc. they MUST be raw!! Hope that helps.

[RobinM]

Good news! Hope that chicken had lots of breasts! Good luck!

 

No when DH goes to the food store he gets the packaged breasts, 7 pounds in a package and just picks up 3-4 packages so we always have it. Beau and Polli like it grilled. DH standing out there grilling for the pups in 17 degree weather, gotta love the man.

Edited January 14, 2009 by RobinM

[Guest mandm]

]

 

 

Why not? we already have 6 million types and brands of food! who makes it?

 

Oma's & Bravo both make F-D or dehydrated, there may be more, but that's all I know of.

 

How do I cook a whole (OH GAG ME NOW) chicken so that he can eat the bones????

 

But don't you cook the chicken breast?

I wouldn't prepare the whole chicken, because there is too much fat & skin, which might irritate his system. Skinless chicken necks are very lean, cheap, and easy to handle. Raw feeders in your area can tell you where to get them. Just dump the package in a slow cooker, no need to even touch the necks. Add an equal amount of skinless breasts, add a little water, set on low, cover & cook until the necks are mushy. Set the crock pot in the garage or porch if you do not want to smell chicken cooking for hours, not bad, just chickeny.

 

[RobinM]

He ate chicken breast for dinner. He is on walk now with DH, stay tuned for poop report.

 

 

 

Not that you are asking, but one more idea. You can buy dehydrated or freeze dried raw dog food. Look for chicken only, no veggies. Just chicken or chicken &/or bone &/or organ. It's not like raw at all -- its more like kibble, but without the carbs. Dogs that turn their nose up to raw usually love the dehydrated or freeze-dried stuff. It's very expensive though, you could feed it as treats

 

 

Why not? we already have 6 million types and brands of food! who makes it?

 

How do I cook a whole (OH GAG ME NOW) chicken so that he can eat the bones????

Hi Robin--just wanted to make sure that you know not to ever feed cooked bones of any type--chicken bones in particular can splinter and perforate the bowel. If you want to feed bones to help firm up stool, etc. they MUST be raw!! Hope that helps.

 

I thought you could slow cook the chicken whole? Not that I have a slow cooker!

 

[gracegirl]

Hi Robin--just wanted to make sure that you know not to ever feed cooked bones of any type--chicken bones in particular can splinter and perforate the bowel. If you want to feed bones to help firm up stool, etc. they MUST be raw!! Hope that helps.

That's not entirely true. You can cook the chicken for long enough that the bones basically become mush. Someone who has done that before can chime in here...

 

So, chicken bones left over from KFC....NO!

Chicken in a crock pot that all becomes mush...yep, bingo!

[Guest Greensleeves]

Syringe feeding is not as horrible as you might fear. Please consider it.

I third, fourth, or fifth this! I truly wish we had done this for Nelly from the moment she stopped eating; I think it would have saved us *and her* so much stress and trauma (and, frankly, time. Figuring out what Nelly would eat became an all-day ordeal. Dinner time took more than two hours.). Syringe feeding was an absolute *snap* compared to trying to coax her toward the bowl, and then watching her walk away or just look at us sadly.

 

We had the best luck with grinding kibble in a coffee grinder and mixing it with water. I cannot tell you why it never occurred to me to soak the kibble *first* and then run it through the blender! (duh! I will try that first next time!) Next best was mixing canned + water in the blender.

 

Nelly always felt just a little bit better after a feeding. She was perkier and cuddlier and you could see how relieved she was.

 

You might try letting him have some chicken on his own, but then put his meds and vitamins in some nutritious canine food and syringe-feed him an actual meal. He'll get the food and nutrients he needs by syringe, but he'll also get the experience of actually eating, which is important. (I also recommend wrapping a big towel around his shoulders, and having a second one handy to catch drips and splotches.

[ahicks51]

How do I cook a whole (OH GAG ME NOW) chicken so that he can eat the bones????

Hi Robin--just wanted to make sure that you know not to ever feed cooked bones of any type--chicken bones in particular can splinter and perforate the bowel. If you want to feed bones to help firm up stool, etc. they MUST be raw!! Hope that helps.

 

I believe pressure-cooking reduces the bones to a texture compatible with feeding, but I've never tried this and wouldn't recommend it without a lot of reading.

 

Taking eggshells and crisping them in the oven, then powdering them, would be suitable for calcium. Cut a pocket in the chicken, slide in what you can, and then close it back up.

[Guest mandm]

thought you could slow cook the chicken whole? Not that I have a slow cooker!

Crock pot chicken bones are fine. Cooked whole bone is not.

Since you are spending, might as well get a slow cooker, a big one. They are not expensive & you can use it for your own food as well.

 

I've seen talk here on GT of people making slow cooker (or crock pot) chicken to take the place of canned. Homemade canned is how they refer to it, I think. You could look for the recipe to get an idea of how to do it. It's really easy, much easier than grilling. But I think most people use the whole chicken or leg quarters. You wouldn't want to do that yet, because the fat content would be too high. Maybe later, when he is doing better, you could add more fat. But for now, I would keep it real simple. Nothing but lean chicken. No carbs, veggies, additives. Just lean chicken meat & bone. Not even chicken organ, because, like fat, it is very rich.

 

And I think people who do it with whole chicken or leg quarters cook it about 24 hrs. If you are using just neck & breast bone, it will take much less time since they are much softer than leg & other chicken bones.

 

I believe pressure-cooking reduces the bones to a texture compatible with feeding, but I've never tried this and wouldn't recommend it without a lot of reading.

 

Taking eggshells and crisping them in the oven, then powdering them, would be suitable for calcium. Cut a pocket in the chicken, slide in what you can, and then close it back up.

I've fed slow cooked bones. The dogs LOVE them. Not as good for firming as raw bone, but still effective.

 

I've never used egg shell. Does it firm the stool as well as bone?

[RobinM]

I'm not going out and buying cookware as who knows how long he will eat chicken.

 

Please forgive my ignoramous in the kitchen, it's not my thing.

 

The eggshells. Raw egg shells? Hardboiled? take eggshells from oven. I actually have one of these. I use it for heat in the winter to warm up the room! How long and what temp?

 

Sprinke with powder? What kind of powder? Remember this is Beau, so far it does not sound like he will eat it. If I mix it in his food and he hears crunch, he won't eat it. If it smells different, he won't eat it.

[RobinM]

BTW- poops were still soft serve.

 

And... labs came back "normal"

 

DA*N. I had hoped he could be treated with enzymes or something easy but easy doesn't work in our lives right now.

 

Have I said DA*N yet?????