I'm Worried - What Would You Do?

[Sundrop]

Our girl is 13.5 and we've had her since she was 8 (she was a brood). She is the sweetest gal on the planet and was our first greyhound, so she's especially close to my heart. The thought of losing her makes me feel physically ill...

 

For the past couple of months she's grown picky about her food. We kept switching her around and took her the vet about a month & a half ago and she gave us a recipe for home-cooked stew. Our girl liked it for a couple of weeks, but now she won't touch that, either. We made satin balls, but after a couple of days, she's not interested anymore. We're basically giving her anything she'll eat - scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, bread, chicken breast, etc. -- and she'll eat it at first, but then grow tired of it after a day or two.

 

The vet said she looked fantastic other than high blood pressure, which she now takes Enalapril for and we've got that under control. No signs of cancer, all systems functioning normally, minor cataracts, some minor COPD (but no infections/tumors in her lungs) - otherwise, she's fine.

 

But, she's now lost 6 pounds and she's getting a strange diet, which of course, is giving her the big-D when she goes. She's sleeping a lot more and she's drinking a lot more water than usual and she doesn't come up the stairs anymore (we carry her up). When we put food in front of her, she uses her nose to flip it over - bowls, plates and anything else - she is obsessed with flipping food over. It's very odd. She acts like she wants to eat, but she doesn't...

 

My husband thought it could be her teeth. They aren't great, but the vet couldn't find any major infections/bad teeth - just overall gingivitis. But, at her age, I'm not going to risk her never waking up just to have her teeth cleaned, especially in her condition.

 

I don't want to take her to the vet every week, but the drinking a lot of water is a new thing (past day or two) which makes me think there is something going on with her kidneys?

 

My head is telling me that she's slipping, but my heart is trying to find something that could be wrong that we can fix. What do you all think? We've only lost one grey before, and he died in his sleep from heart failure when he was only 8 (and he had no symptoms). I just don't know if this is all normal or if I'm losing her. I'm feeling a bit desperate.

[Guest Adrianne]

Oh.....I feel your pain. It's such a terrible position to be in a place where your head and heart are telling you different things.

 

I think I would at least take in a urine sample to the vet to check for a UTI. Others will give you much better advice than I can on her eating.

 

Besides that, just love her and accept each day with her for the gift that it is.

[Guest Greytluv]

for your girl

 

No advice here. You seem like your doing everything you can. I know someone here will have suggestions.

[CaliforniaGreys]

Checking for a UTI is a really good idea. I went through the eating problem with Misty, she would love a certain thing for a few days and then not want to touch it. So, it just meant having a variety of things on hand to cook.

 

If she's had recent blood work and her kidneys and liver check out fine, maybe this is just normal aging process. And just a note about the med she's on, it's also used for kidney disease as well so that's good.

 

I know you'll get great advice here about different foods for the seniors so you're in good hands.

 

Good luck and keep us posted. I will keep your girl in my prayers

[Guest Heehoo]

That is excellent advice. Gabby will be 13 next month, she started showing signs of age back in December. She will eat, then not eat. I found canned dogfood is perfect for her...she only has 4 1/2 teeth so she really enjoys it. Sometimes though she'll quit eating that, just lay next to her bowl & snarl if anyone even looks at it. I'll cut up hotdogs and bologna sometimes just to add some human flavor. One morning she got up & was extremely wobbly, so I took her to the vet on my way to work and called the office & said I think I'll work a half day & come in later. I stayed with her & my vet took blood but no one could get her to potty. So they sent us home & just as we got home, Gabby had to potty, so I grabbed a tupperware bowl & got a sample. Took it back to the vet that evening & they ran some test & sure enough she had a UTI. Started her on some meds and in a few days, she started feeling a lot better. Sometimes it can be something very simple.

 

I know how you feel, my first greyhound was 10 when I got her. I lost her at 14 to a dog attack. But she opened the door for me to the world of greyhound adoption.

 

Keep us posted.

Edited April 26, 2010 by Heehoo

[maggiespet]

Checking for a UTI sounds like good advice. If you catch some yourself in a disposable pie tin and transfer it to a clean container then take that to the vet, you save her lots of stress and some $$.

 

My bridge c. spaniel loved baby rice cereal mixed with jarred baby food meat. He had also gotten very picky and at his old age, I just wanted to give him anything he'd eat - to spoil him.

 

Hugs to you and your sweet girlie.

[Ullaluv]

Did the vet do blood work and check her urine to see how well her kidneys are working? Some of what you describe - not eating, drinking and urinating more - sound like it could be because of a kidney problem. My Greyhound with kidney failure used to flip her dish and food over, but not eat the food. There's a lot you can do to support a dog with kidney failure.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

What you wrote sounds EXACTLY like my Brookie. I mean to the T.

The only difference is that we don't have stairs but Brookie still jumps up on the couches and beds.

 

I 2nd and 3rd getting a urine sample.

I too felt that I was loosing my Brookie and that it was all due to old age and possibly her kidneys failing.

I was sooooo wrong and kicked myself because I didn't get her checked out sooner.

She had a bladder infection. After 10 days on the "super" antibiotics and she's putting weight back on and her appetite is getting MUCH better. Yes she's still picky but at least she's eating more food.

 

What I found with the foods is that we basically have to change up the proteins daily.

While Chicken will work one day it won't the next but Turkey will.

Also freshly cooked foods help as well. Must be the smell of things cooking.

Another thing that works for us is if we are eating she gets very interested. We give her a few bites of what we are eating then I go to the kitchen and offer her food. 90% of the time that works now.

She also has taken to eating at weird times. Doesn't eat anything until around 3 then again around 6, another feeding around 9 or so and then sometimes it's another late night. Midnight or so.

So when ever Brookie wants food she is fed.

 

The major things that Brookie is in love with right now is venison and Duck. Mostly canned food but also some Duck jerky, which I think if I allowed it she would eat the whole bag in one sitting.

 

Hang in there and fingers crossed it's something as minor as a UTI

[Guest BooBooMama]

As we age we ladies do tend to be more susceptible to UTI's so I agree- get a urine sample to your vet. As for your fears- remember that every day your senior girl is with you is a gift. Don't let that joy from such a wonderful gift go 'unfelt' because you are locked in fear. Celebrate her.

[BrentsMom]

I just came home from McDonalds with a chicken biscuit for Mandy, who will be 13 next week!!! I know the challeneges of food games.Its trial and error on a daily basis....But usually I can get her to take an Ensure..

 

I have noticed that Mandy is not a breakfast eater...I can get almost always get her to eat lunch...

 

baby food..canned tripe...Natural Balance food rolls...roast beef..a Whopper..liver balls...and believe it or not sometimes she'll eat DOG FOOD!!

 

Rule out anything medical..then let the food games begin!!! Good luck, with your ole girl..

Edited April 26, 2010 by BrentsMom

[gryhndsr4us]

Gypsy will be 13 in July and we have the same food game going. Some days she will barely eat anything. Then some days she will empty her bowl. She will eat cookies or jerky anytime it is offered. She will also eat people food when offered, will pick it out of her bowl and leave the dog food behind. We have found it is trial and error, at her age we tend to try to give her what she wants.

[Sundrop]

Oh thank you so much, everyone. They did do a complete work-up on her (blood, urine and fecal) a month a half ago, but I will definitely get another sample to them ASAP. Thanks for all the advice - I'm just so scared for her and I want to make sure that I'm doing everything I can to make her happy and healthy. I just got her to eat a small omelet, so at least she's had something for today. She LOVED those satin balls on the the first day, now she wants nothing to do with them. Arg!

[Batmom]

If nothing else turns up, might also try one regular-strength pepcid (generic is 10mg famotidine) twice a day. Sometimes if they are eating intermittently, their tummy just doesn't feel good, and the pepcid can help that.

 

Hugs to you and your pupper.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

She LOVED those satin balls on the the first day, now she wants nothing to do with them. Arg!

One thing I have quickly found out. Never buy large quantities of a certain item. Sure enough they will love it one day and turn up their nose at it the next

 

On the plus side to that, Kevin is loving the left over grilled chicken, steaks and so on

[Guest Twogreythounds]

We went through the same thing with Daisy (10). She loves something one day then hates it the next. We just had a two meal rule for the yummies we added to her kibble (2 meals only then not again for a week). Cheese, Cottage Cheese, yogurt, mackerel, tuna, other stinky fish, canned dog food, raw eggs (Daisy loves these), peanut butter, pumpkin, cooked rice with chicken or beef, homemade stew, bread, warm water, turning the kibble to mush, hard kibble with cold water, the sky is the limit.

 

We got tired of playing the game and switched our dogs to a raw diet (for other reasons too). Although they occasionally stink their noses up at a new meat they are hungry enough to try it the next night. Not sure if you want to go this route but it has worked wonders for us.

[greysmom]

If nothing else turns up, might also try one regular-strength pepcid (generic is 10mg famotidine) twice a day. Sometimes if they are eating intermittently, their tummy just doesn't feel good, and the pepcid can help that.

 

Hugs to you and your pupper.

 

Voting for the Pepcid to. When my girl was beginning kidney failure the vet put her on this due to the acids building up in their systems - it upsets their tummy's and makes them not want to eat. One regular, generic famotidine an hour before eating.

 

She also didn't want to eat in the early morning, but would almost always eat around noon.

[Guest sorenkkg]

My group recommends cat food (stinkier the better) for fussy greys... also beef or chicken broth to wet their food with. Pumpkin, yogurt, you've got a lot of great ideas in this thread

 

Aleeya, more than Haka (siblings, both 10yrs old now) go through a change of eating in the Spring and in the Fall. Made it hard this past week at the vet's, with the "is she eating" question I'm like, well, ya, for this time of year.

 

Nothing for a day, then eats 2 meals in one, then 1/2 a meal, etc. Sigh.

I feel for you, and I also TOTALLY echo the sentiment "The thought of losing her makes me feel physically ill..." I was just sick last week with worry.

 

Keep trying, and I like the idea about small qty-- and maybe try things that are tasty and will help her tummy, like the pumpkin (you can scoop out a can and freeze the scoops, so the can doesn't all go to waste).

 

Good Luck!

[Guest bigorangedog]

You've already gotten some good advice, and I unfortunately don't have a lot to add. But the nose-flipping thing -- my boy Crisco did that in his last week after he was diagnosed with spinal cancer and the meds were really upsetting his tummy. I asked my vet about it, and she said that flipping the stuff over with their nose is their way of rejecting it.

[mom2four]

I want to thank everyone for the good ideas...not for our Greyhounds yet, but for our 13 year old Lab, who is going through the not eating stage for the first time in her life!

Good luck to all the Greyhounds here, and eat up!

[Guest kydie]

the increase in water would make me look for diabetes,just a thought, as far as eating, I would rotate whatever products you are giving her with each meal, weight loss and thrist (In humans) is a sign of diabetes. Lab work may be in order keep us posted

[Sundrop]

Thanks, all - I took her to the vet yesterday and since they just did a complete work-up on her 5-6 weeks ago (blood, fecal and urine) they just checked her urine this time. They started in on the "sterile sample" thing which requires a needle getting inserted to get a sample directly from her bladder which I promptly said, "No" to -- they've tried this on her before when she wasn't feeling so poorly and it never went well, so I wasn't putting her through that again. Instead, they just compared this sample to the one provided last time and they found bacteria in it, suggesting a UTI. So, she is on antibiotics now, as well as Pepcid twice per day and we got a probiotic for her.

 

We just started the antibiotics and Pepcid last night, I'm just praying it does the trick. We're running out of food ideas now and last night we were laughing because I was downstairs cooking & preparing everything I could think of, and my husband was running upstairs with small "samples" for her. She kept giving us "the nose" and flipping dishes over. We started joking that we felt like cooks at the palace and I half expected to see dishes flying downstairs and hear, "Be gone with it! Off with your head!" - hah! In the end, she didn't want anything we prepared (oatmeal, pasta, eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, chicken breast or biscuits) - but got her to eat some cooked carrots, about a third of a bottle of vanilla Ensure and a couple pieces of beef jerky. She seems to some things on first bite, and then she rejects it. I'm PRAYING that she'll start feeling a little better soon and that will spark her appetite, or at least she won't give us "the nose" anymore!

 

On top of all this, she has a pulled/sprained muscle in her right back leg (thigh). She was already diagnosed with numbness in her left hind leg (vet thought it might be nerve damage or spine issues) - so she isn't walking much or well. My poor girlie.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I have noticed that with some animals that aren't feeling well and turning their nose up at food, they need to start eating in order to feel better, and sometimes you need to force feed them to get them kick started on that path. I like using Vanilla Ensure mixed with dog food (either canned or kibble, but for kibble you need a blender), and feeding that with a syringe. Sometimes a day or two of force-feeding, in addition to the Pepcid, and they start feeling well enough to eat on their own. (And this is easier on you as well, you don't have to keep creating elaborate meals that they refuse to eat. )

 

I hope she feels better soon.

[Guest GreysAndMoreGreys]

It took Brookie about 2 days on the antibiotic for me to see the change in the food pattern.

 

We just redid the urine sample yesterday and there is still some bacteria so back on another dose of antibiotics.

 

Brookie was turning her nose up as well when I tried hand feeding her. But if I put it in her bowl she was more apt to eat it.

Also there were a couple days where I had to take some canned food on my finger and smear it on her tongue. Once in her mouth she found she liked it and started eating.

 

Beef jerky, chicken jerky and the duck jerky seem to always work

Hopefully in the next few days she starts chowing down

[AstasMinion]

All kinds of great advice from those much more experienced than I, but I wanted to chime in to send hugs to your sweet brood girl!! Hoping you can get some answers that lead to a fix. And good luck w/the food games. Our girl is a food-fuss, and I second the stinky cat food suggestion.

[Guest bigorangedog]

When Apollo had an upset tummy from his antibiotics, the vet suggested giving him a B-complex vitamin, which she said helps stimulate appetite. Could be worth a shot...