Help Me Get Wizard To Eat.

[Remolacha]

If you bought the tripe in the grocery store, don't bother! You need the stinky green stuff that isn't meant for humans A couple of the dog food companies make a canned version.

 

Another thing you might try that I didn't see mentioned is canned cat food. A lot of it comes in a pasty texture, and is usually pretty stinky Also, the cans are small, so you can offer small portions.

 

Good luck

[Guest SusanP]

So I guess I have to throw this tripe in the freezer til we meet a non-vegetarian who is willing to take it home and cook it? It won't appeal to dogs at all?

[krissn333]

Try mashed potatoes. Those were Sutra's favorite when he wasn't eating kibble. He also liked cottage cheese, oatmeal, turkey baby food, and macaroni.

[Batmom]

He might like it anyways. Wouldn't hurt to cook it and see. Just won't have all the nutrients of "green" tripe.

 

Is he on some Pepcid now? Really want that with the strong antibiotics and prednisone.

 

I also would tend to question the thyroid meds with no testing as that alone could make him not want to eat or jack up his metabolism to where he needs more calories than you can get in him.

 

Hugs and best luck!

[FiveRoooooers]

The recipe I sent you for Fat Meatballs is akin to Satin Meatballs with one or two fewer ingredients.

 

Mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese.

 

My Segugio was always a thin guy. He has been getting Culturelle now for a month, and I cannot believe how much better he looks. Our vet thinks that he was not utilizing all the nutrients in his food, and the probiotics have helped tremendously. Just throwing that out there. It's not the same as not eating, but a thought about the state of Wizard's tummy. I hope Wizard is going to turn the corner soon and feel better.

[Guest lizmego]

I've had really good results with the Nature's Variety Prairie Raw meals. Just thaw the meat medallions and feed them to him without cooking. With Dell, who is now 12, he's never carried enough weight and any little thing can make him not eat (he's a bit of a nervous nelly), I'll be feeding him one thawed medallion in every meal for the rest of his life. He eats great when I add that in there. I break up the medallion into about 6-7 bite size pieces. When he wasn't eating well, I would feed 3-4 medallions in his regular kibble meal. But the medallions are a well balanced meal in themselves.

 

Edited April 25, 2010 by lizmego

[Guest mcsheltie]

If none of the ideas you have received are working, here is what I would do. All those meds alone could be ruining his appetite. I would give him a Pepcid. Then half an hour later offer him his dinner. If he didn't eat I would mix a can of A/D with Ensure and syringe it down his throat. Let that digest for a while and then give him his meds. And do the same thing when it is time for his meds again.

 

There are two vicious circles that can get going. The first is the meds bother their stomachs, so they don't eat. Not eating starts to make them feel bad too... round and round you go. And also when you start offering them everything plus the kitchen sink when they don't feel well you are creating a finicky (isn't the word I want... but can't think of the correct one) situation with that dog. Their stomach is upset so anything you offer will make them feel green. They may like the smell and eat it once, but then they feel sick so they won't eat it again. You create a situation where they don't want to eat anything. By force feeding A/D until they feel better you are avoiding that situation as you don't offer the A/D. You just give it to them and it doesn't back them off the smell of other food. I guess the best analogy is think of how many pregnant women got sick on something during morning sickness and still (years later) won't eat that.

 

Getting some food & calories (A/D & Ensure) in him will give his digestive system something to work on so he starts to feel better. And cushion his stomach from the meds. I wouldn't ever give meds on an empty stomach.

 

Why is he being given thyroid medicine for IBD?

[duncan41]

If none of the ideas you have received are working, here is what I would do. All those meds alone could be ruining his appetite. I would give him a Pepcid. Then half an hour later offer him his dinner. If he didn't eat I would mix a can of A/D with Ensure and syringe it down his throat. Let that digest for a while and then give him his meds. And do the same thing when it is time for his meds again.

 

There are two vicious circles that can get going. The first is the meds bother their stomachs, so they don't eat. Not eating starts to make them feel bad too... round and round you go. And also when you start offering them everything plus the kitchen sink when they don't feel well you are creating a finicky (isn't the word I want... but can't think of the correct one) situation with that dog. Their stomach is upset so anything you offer will make them feel green. They may like the smell and eat it once, but then they feel sick so they won't eat it again. You create a situation where they don't want to eat anything. By force feeding A/D until they feel better you are avoiding that situation as you don't offer the A/D. You just give it to them and it doesn't back them off the smell of other food. I guess the best analogy is think of how many pregnant women got sick on something during morning sickness and still (years later) won't eat that.

 

Getting some food & calories (A/D & Ensure) in him will give his digestive system something to work on so he starts to feel better. And cushion his stomach from the meds. I wouldn't ever give meds on an empty stomach.

 

Why is he being given thyroid medicine for IBD?

 

[RobinM]

I did not read through all the threads. What did the IMS say about all of this? Did he/she have a plan?

[Hubcitypam]

So I guess I have to throw this tripe in the freezer til we meet a non-vegetarian who is willing to take it home and cook it? It won't appeal to dogs at all?

It might but that bleached trip doesn't have the wow appeal of stinky green tripe. If you have any Hispanic friends you might ask if they ever make Menudo. That's where I'd unload any bleached tripe I'd bought.

 

This is the brand of canned tripe they sell at my pet supply....

http://www.healthypetboutique.com/servlet/the-308/TRIPETT-for-Dogs-Original/Detail

[ahicks51]

This is the brand of canned tripe they sell at my pet supply....

http://www.healthypetboutique.com/servlet/the-308/TRIPETT-for-Dogs-Original/Detail

 

Oh, yes. That's it- same instructions as a grenade: pull pin and throw. Yecch. The Merrick brand ("Before Grain"), with the black label is similarly effective.

[GreytNut]

Hot dogs. Argus loved the Ballpark all-beef franks. They were the very last thing he stopped eating when he was sick. You can also hide medicines inside them.

[Guest SusanP]

Thyroid meds for IBD because at this point the vet has no idea anymore what is really wrong with him and wanted to address the slowness in walking. I think it's silly, but we were about to give up and put him down and were willing to take a chance on what she admitted was an experiment.

At this point, there are so many invasive, far-away, and expensive diagnostic tests he would need even to figure out what the problem is--surgical biopsy of intestines would be one, but also MRIs to check for neurolotical problems--nothing seems to make sense or fit together. We'd be putting him through this and that with no assurance that anything would help.

I asked the dr. if the program at Ohio State could offer some insight, thinking perhaps she could consult with them, but her email reply was that they have a great program but she thought we didn't want to put Wiz through lots of invasive testing.

I asked about pepsid or anti nausea meds and she said there is nothing that would help if the doxy is bothering him except taking him off the doxy. I don't know what to think at all anymore, and I'm holding on for another two days til he finishes off the meds, and then I'm thinking I'd like to see how he does if she takes him off the doxy, starts tapering the prednisione down, and I don't know what she can do about the thyrozine now that she's started it. Can that be at least lowered? I'm at wit's end but still hoping that the worst of this is a reaction to the meds. The prednisone seems to have done something because he is not having potty accidents at all anymore. He was slow on walks before we started treatment, and he's even slower now. He was losing his appetite before we started tx, but he's lost it even more now. He wasn't having spasms before tx, and he is now. I don't know what to do at this point.

 

On a brighter note, we stuffed a lot of food into him yesterday:

20 oz pureed babyfood meat,

1 c. moistened canned dog food

2-3 oz ?) peanut butter

a biscuit or two and a little whole wheat bread

1 can of ground puppy food

 

I'm trying to figure out if that is a weight-maintaiing amount of food. I think he slept better during the night, after all that. I wonder if hunger has been part of the problem. Not sure yet, because DH slept in the living room with him last nite and might have been up with him. I actually got to sleep for the first time in a week, thank goodness, because my sanity has been compromised by all this.

[Batmom]

Odd that your vet doesn't think pepcid will help. If a dog is eating, my vet doesn't insist on pepcid with antibiotics -- you can just give the antibiotics after a big meal -- but if prednisone is involved the dog NEEDS something to cushion the tummy.

 

There's no reason you can't stop the thyroid meds. If he's been on them more than a few days, you might want to taper down gradually (vet opinions vary on that) but if only a few days you could probably just stop cold turkey.

 

That does sound like a goodly amount of food. Not sure how big he is? I'd try to get at least 1200 calories a day into him and preferably 1600 or better.

 

Ongoing hugs!

[Guest SusanP]

I checked with the vet, and Wizard was tested for erlichia, lyme and Rocky mt. spotted fever. Should they have also tested for other TBD's?

 

He was born/raised in Oklahoma, raced in Wisconsin, and ended up in Iowa. We also take him up to the Boundary Waters Area of Northern MN on vacations, always with tic preventative on board, though. We've had him since he was 2, so he didn't have a lot of time to travel to other places as a racer.

[Guest argolola]

I second the idea of vanilla Ensure. It put weight on both my pups when they were sick at different times. We call it milkshake and when I say that, it will wake them from a deep sleep and they come running for more.

 

God bless your sweet pup, who will be in my prayers.

[Guest SusanP]

I did not read through all the threads. What did the IMS say about all of this? Did he/she have a plan?

 

What is an IMS?

[Guest SusanP]

Batmom, I've sent the vet another email asking *just* if it would hurt him at all to try pepcid. She is off this weekend but is still checking her email. Even if she doesn't believe it would help, I'd try it if she says it won't hurt anything. I have some right here...

 

Wizard looks best at around 75 lbs. He was at around 79 for many years. I think when we weighed him last at the vet's he was around 72, but he's lost more weight since then. I'm glad he had a few extra pounds on this to start, though he began losing a little as early as last fall.

 

I"m really anxious for him to finish out the meds Monday and start tapering off so we can see what we can see.

 

In the meantime, at least we're getting food into him, though it is a full-time job with many small feedings and many tests and fails each time.

 

My poor, sweet Wizard.

[Charlies_Dad]

Thinking of you and Wizard today. I hope you can get him to eat something. Have you tried Ensure as others have suggested?

[Guest SusanP]

No Ensure yet because of the dairy/calcium content--it would interfere with the doxycycline. He is eating some canned food mashed and mixed with pedialyte and also lots of the babyfood mooshed meats. Tomorrow morning is his last dose of doxy, and I'm thinking I want to start tapering off the pred as well to see what we have. I'm standing by for advice from his vet, but I think in the next couple of days things should change, for better or for worse.

 

I just heard a funny noise, and he was nosing around at the kids' folded music stands on the fireplace, then he went and lay down with a burp.

 

I notice he is drooling a bit, even as we are walking. That could be a sign of nausea, right?

[greyhead]

I checked with the vet, and Wizard was tested for erlichia, lyme and Rocky mt. spotted fever. Should they have also tested for other TBD's?

 

He was born/raised in Oklahoma, raced in Wisconsin, and ended up in Iowa. We also take him up to the Boundary Waters Area of Northern MN on vacations, always with tic preventative on board, though. We've had him since he was 2, so he didn't have a lot of time to travel to other places as a racer.

Shane was recently treated for Babesia and improved, but not totally. His vet spoke to Dr. Holland at Protatek, who did the testing. Holland says, yes, it is worthwhile to test for more, that he might have had more than one. I've read of other dogs who were "dually diagnosed" with TBD's -- I think on the Tick-L listserve. Dr. Holland is supposed to be very helpful and easy to talk to.

 

However, I'm disturbed that your vet assumes that consulting with OSU would lead to invasive testing. That's a pretty big jump. We're just talking phone call here!

 

It sounds like Pepcid would be more than helpful here. Seriously, is there a reason for why not? It's a lot simpler than jumping around from food to food, looking for something that will work. Stomach acid has a way of making everything unappealing! And changing foods is a little hard even on healthy greyhounds. I'd give Pepcid.

 

We're with you sweetie. Hang in there.

 

ETA: I am *so* scattered lately, I sometimes forget the point I'm supposed to be making! I'm so sorry!

 

My point on the TBD's was actually that Dr. Holland points out that there are *lots* of them besides the three tested for initially. So, yes, it may be a TBD even though tests on the three were negative.

Edited April 26, 2010 by greyhead

[krissn333]

Susan, if your vet won't call to talk OSU, call them or send them an email yourself. Talking to them will not lead to invasive testing unless you want to do the invasive testing. Many people have called or emailed just for their opinions or for recommended treatments. They're always happy to consult

[Guest jerseygirl]

Doxy for Lyme did a number on my pup's stomach, and she ended up being switch to another antibiotic (Amoxycillin? I can't exactly remember). I have another one on his 3rd course of Zithromax right now, and I insisted he could only take it if we did something to soothe his tummy b/c he wasn't eating. She gave him famotidine (Pepcid), which I know your vet said wouldn't help, but she also gave him a product called FortiFlora, a powdered probiotic (made by Purina I think). I don't know which one is working, but one or both are helping him handle the Zithro this time around.

 

I hope you find something to soothe his tummy, or that is appealing enough to eat. Fingers crossed here for you!

 

Liz

[RobinM]

IMS = internal medicine specialist. I believe you spoke with someone. Did they give you a plan to follow?

[Guest SusanP]

The IMS is the only vet treating him right now--when I say vet, I am refering to her, and she's out of plans. We're hoping his finishing up the doxy this morning will make a difference. I'm hoping we can lower the prednisone dose and quit the thyrozene as well.

 

Wizard is actually eating normal amounts of food now, though only certain foods appeal to him. the vet wasn't too concerned about novel protein foods yet, thinking the pred would help (and it...or something...did stop the potty accidents)but I attempted to find some on my own, and he wouldn't eat them at all. I have not gotten any "prescription" diets, like z/d, but I'd like to give one a try and see if he'll eat it.

 

I'll try emailing OSU--It's going to be such a crazy, long, involved story. And I hope it's not too late.

 

But Wizard is eating *something*(baby food and Iams low residue), he's not peeing frequently and peeing/pooping in the house.

He seems weak and still sometimes has very slight spasms in his head/face, but not like he was.