Help Me Get Wizard To Eat.

[Guest SusanP]

Wizard is getting awfully thin. The vet is no longer at all sure that we're dealing with IBD, Wizard is not vomiting or having diarrhea, and we're trying to keep him eating long enough for the doxycycline, prednisone and thyrozine to do something if they are ever going to. The vet has suggested eggs, baby food meat, a different canned food. He isn't too enthusiastic about any of them. He will eat my home made biscuits of whole wheat flour, pumpkin and peanut butter. He'll take bread sometimes and small pieces of American cheese. He ate a couple of eggs for me.

 

what else can I try to get him to eat? He seems to like soupy consistency the best, and he eats only small amounts at a time.

 

At this point, just getting calories into him is the top priority. He is slow, weak, and not eating, though he keeps looking interested in food...then he just doesn't actually want it.

[Jenbo]

Cottage cheese? I mixed that with Myka's kibble when I was trying to put a few pounds on her...

[Guest Heehoo]

When Dear had hermangio sarcoma, Jey/Batmom sent me some Tripe, he ate that for a few days....ice cream, baby food, just anything that he will eat. 

[Batmom]

Is he getting anything such as pepcid for his tummy?

[Guest TheUnrulyHound]

When Outlaw was sick I just went to the store and bought a little of everything to try, the babyfood worked a day or two, soupy beef broth kibble was the same, one thing that worked for a few days was goldfish crackers crumbled over his food. the best best thing was a meatloaf recipe given to me by Batmom (I changed it up a bit from the origonal) He ate this for a few weeks before he passed on :

 

blend well in a large food processor

1 lb - 2 lbs chicken or turkey

1 lb ground beef - OK if it's quite fatty because you're cutting the fat with poultry

2-3 eggs (1 egg for each pound meat)

1 cup frozen spinach

1 small apple cored

2-3 tablespoons molasses (blackstrap is best - lots of potassium; also adds palatability)

2-3 teaspoons wheat germ (or powdered kelp)

 

If you're going to bake as meatloaf, thaw the spinach first and drain.

You can make it with all one kind of meat. If just chicken or turkey, it'll be pretty low-calorie, though. You can also add other things – a minced carrot or apple, for example.

Cook on stovetop until meat is no longer pink or mix all together and bake like a people meatloaf. (350 oven till 160 degrees)

If you're not feeding anything else, figure 1-1.5 lbs of meat per dog per day.

 

A recent topic that seems similar....

 

Linky

[Time4ANap]

I remember a while back that someone tried Blue Buffalo Lamb-based canned food when a pup would not eat. This would probably be hit or miss, so you might want to buy one can each of a couple different kinds and see if any of them work. I have used the Blue Buffalo canned food a couple of times when we thought that Rocket needed something more than kibble, and it smells like meat - not dog food.

 

You might also want to try baby food since it sounds like the right consistency. I'm sure that others who have experienced this will chime in.

 

 

 

 

[duncan41]

Is he on Pepcid? If he's feeling that crummy, maybe one of the anti-nausea drugs might help. Other than that, when you have one that's not eating, IMHO, the sky is the limit; burgers, chicken nuggets, venison, tuna, sardines; mac & cheese, peanut butter, raw meat of any kind, well you get the idea. Let him eat whatever he will eat, a little at a time. If he's having some sort of tummy/digestion issues, he may be avoiding food to avoid the consequences. I would make sure his tummy is protected from the antibiotics.

[juliemac]

I could usually get my babies to drink Ensure (generic is fine but obviously not chocolate ... I got the 350 calorie vs. the 250 calorie version to get more calorie intake with less effort).

 

Protein-wise, deli ham (mine are particularly fond of honey or brown sugar baked Hillshire Farm) is worth a try (and doesn't have to go to waste if Wizard won't eat it). Ditto for Sam's Club rotisserrie Chicken (although I'm guessing you've already tried that). Freeze dried duck hearts are a softer treat that might be worthwhile. Mine like peach yogurt (settles the tummy and satisfies some sweet tooths), but that might interact/block some of the drugs that Wizard is taking so you might want to check first for dairy interactions.

 

 

If you're going to try canned foods, I'm really liking the Lotus selections ... they look & smell more like 'people food' which might attract Wizard's attention.

 

Good luck, and keep us informed on how Wizard is doing!

Edited April 24, 2010 by juliemac

[Guest SusanP]

I think I'm supposed to avoid large servings of dairy products so as not to interfere with the doxycycline. The vet knows we are having eating issues but didn't suggest anything for nausea--now I can't reach her, so I don't know if Pepcid would be ok along with his other meds.

 

I just remembered I have some freezed dried liver or something stashed away. I'll see if I can crumble it onto food maybe?

 

Ok, you're giving me some ideas. Thank you. Yes, peanut butter on bread works sometimes, too---at least it's high calorie.

 

Thank you thank you thank you.

[juliemac]

I forgot to mention ... my Riley frequently has tummy issues and although he's HUGELY food motivated, his tummy will sometimes (once a week or so) cause him to turn away from high value treats.

 

I judge the type of issue he's having (e.g., is it tummy issue or another health issue) by whether he'll eat MarrowBone treats. Apparently to Riley, MarrowBones are like saltine crackers for his upset tummy. Pepcid is also a staple in my house, and my vet indicated that if Riley had to be on a regular regimen, she would not be upset by that (however, you do want to check for drug interactions -- I know my vet gave the OK for Pepcid in conjunction with several antibiotics and pain meds, but I'm not familiar with all of Wizard's meds)

 

gentle hugs and I hope Wizard starts gaining weight soon. Is he keeping hydrated? If not, my vet suggested Pedialyte for my hounds when they were vomiting awhile back (note that every one of my dogs avoided the water bowl until I removed the Pedialyte from their drinking water, so I gave my spare bottle to a food pantry).

 

And while I'm typing, I might as well mention that Riley likes the bananas/strawberry/pear baby food ... and likes sweet potato as well (again, both are sweeter and have some tummy settling properties for my little boy). Some hounds like applesauce (I aim for the sugar-free stuff because I don't think they need the sugar, but right now, a small jar of whatever you find is worth trying).

 

And I totally agree with duncan41 ... whatever Wizard will eat right now is what he should be getting -- so biscuits & sausage might be the right way to go. But if you can get him to eat a few healthier 'special' foods in the mix, I think its easier to wean him off of the special diet when he does start to feel better.

[ahicks51]

Canned tripe- the "pull pin and throw" type- may work. Sometimes canned fish, like tuna, or even the water/oil from the can will help.

 

Some people have used nutritional yeast successfully, but I don't know of any brands or how much to use- never had to use the stuff myself.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

Brookie has gotten very picky in her old age

I find as long as I change up the protein then she will normally eat.

 

Her newest favorite has been venison. Eating that for the last few days. Duck is also high on the list.

Basically I just keep a shelf in the fridge just for her. Offer her up a few choices and see what she eats

 

Fingers crossed that you find something that sparks his interest. I know how frustrating it can be

[MerlinsMum]

You could try sprinkling some nutritional yeast on something he has accepted and eaten. This must be hard for you I hope your vet figures this out soon :goodluck

[Hubcitypam]

When Rex was sick it was just an endless round of trial and error. I was on his futon at 4 a.m. (and 2 p.m. and....) wayy to many times trotting out a host of things to see what would catch his fancy that day.

 

He especially liked small pieces of cheddar, pieces of hot dog, braunswager, freeze dried liver, tuna, jack mackeral and sardines in tomato sauce (anything fishy!), scrambled eggs, chicken nuggets, McDonalds hamburgers. Oddly enough he also loved loved loved collard greens.

 

The key with him was just getting him to take that first bite of ANYTHING. Then he'd go on and eat canned and sometimes kibble. He just had to get his pump primed so to speak. Good luck.

[Guest zoolaine]

When Sunny was really sick and not eating much of anything I discovered that he LOVES ham. He would spit out sliced deli turkey meat but gobble up ham in any form. I think he liked the salty taste of it. He was also on an anti-nausea med and pepcid He is feeling much better now and meal time has gone from 30 minutes to 5 minutes for him. I feel for you - I know how frustrating it can be when they won't eat and you just want to help them.

[Tracey]

When Cosmo wouldn't eat anything else at all, I could still get her to eat chocolate pudding. And there was VERY LITTLE actual chocolate in the stuff; for me it was just important to get her to eat and that's what she would eat. She never suffered any ill effects from the stuff. To the contrary, when it was all she would eat I was able to pulverize her pills, mix them in the pudding and get her meds in her that way.

 

I think this worked for Cosmo because she always had a sweet tooth; dessert was always her favorite part of the meal. Sometimes I would freeze pudding cups and she'd work on them while I held them for her. Other times she'd eat refrigerated pudding off a spoon. We spent a lot of time together while I worked on getting calories into her. I miss that, believe it or not.

 

One more idea; since you say he likes soupy things, maybe try mixing some things in heavy cream. If he has a taste for cream you can get a TON of calories in him fast. It's like 50 calories for a couple of tablespoons. If you look for it in the store it may be labeled heavy whipping cream, but it's the same thing.

[Guest SusanP]

Thanks for all the ideas. It's the middle of the night, and he was up to pee and wanted to eat after, but didn't want to eat any dog food of any kind I tried or the scrambled eggs I'd made him at bedtime that he wouldn't eat then, either. He will eat peanut butter and bread or lick peanut butter off my hand. I do happen to have tons of nutritional yeast on hand, and he lapped up a broth I made of it, so I'm soaking some kibble in a nutritional yeast broth for morning, also mixed kibble, water and peanut butter...I'll go shopping for other stuff in the morning. Thanks again, Everyone.

[Guest TheUnrulyHound]

Yep, Outlaw ate whenever he wanted to as well even in the middle of the night. I hope you have some success tomorrow morning!

[tbhounds]

I really would start giving him carafate asap! GH tummys don't handle pred well.

[Guest Stripeyfan]

Would he be able to eat tinned oily fish if it's not too rich? When we 1st had Kelly and he wasn't eating because he was so nervous, this was the one thing guaranteed to give us a clean bowl. Plus it would be good for calories. Hope you can get this sorted.

[Burpdog]

On doxy they should have something for their stomachs like pepcid and carafate. When Annie was on doxy for erlichia, she was on zantac and carafate and I had to hand feed her. She would only eat EVO canned mixed with EVO kibble and fried turkey/chicken.

 

 

[3DogNite]

all good advise!

Pepcid and Satin Balls (fat balls) served raw are what saved my boy from getting tooooo skinny.

it is now a staple in our house, and he gets as many as he wants,,, anytime he want them!

no diarrhea with this, and it makes the fur coat so soft and shinny

 

there are several threads about satin balls if you search for it.

[Guest rachel2025]

I have read that warming food can release the scent/make it more appetizing... how about pouring some warm chicken broth over some of his dishes? Pike will always gobble up warm broth over rice?

 

Best wishes to you and Wizard!

[Guest SusanP]

Wizzy just ate 3 2/5 oz jars of babyfood ham. He seems to prefer stuff that is paste consistency that he can lick off my hand.

 

I'll look up the satin balls recipe.

 

I also bought tripe (I'll have to cook it ) and low sodium tuna, also tuna in olive oil to try later. Also canned, ground puppy food.

 

thanks for the support, Everyone. It's helping me keep my sanity.

[Guest krystolla]

Ginger snaps or ginger bread might help settle Wizard's tummy if you can't give him Pepsid. Usually used for motion sickness but should work the same for upset tummies.

 

There is something uniquely heartbreaking about not being able to feed you critters, isn't there? Even when I know it's not my fault I still feel like I've failed as a pet mom if I can't get them to eat. It's so basic.

 

Hang in there!