Sweetpea's Boney Prominences

[Guest sweetpea]

So Sweetpea has always been indifferent about food. It took me a while at first to find one that she would eat

and that agreed with her, but I did find one. She gets 1 1/2 cups of Solid Gold Hundenflocken twice a day.

Sometimes she eats it all, sometimes she doesn't. I never worried because it always evened out, and she always

hovered around 60 lbs, which is perfect for her.

 

The past couple of weeks though, it seems like it hasn't been evening

out. Not finishing meals has become her norm, and her hip bones are getting a little too sharp.

 

Nothing has changed on the home front, it's not hot here (high of 70 today), she's not stressed, her demeanor is fine and perky,

so I'm thinking maybe she's just bored.

 

The first thing I've done is set up a journal so I can track exactly how much she's actually eating at each meal.

(I feel badly that this has snuck up on me )

 

Second on my to do list is to find a way to make Sweetpea's food more appealing to her without jeopardizing her

gut stability. My first impulse is to mix some canned food with her kibble.

 

She actually does like canned food, she still comes running when she hears the can opener, even though she hasn't

gotten canned food for at least 4 years! We tried and discarded canned food during our 9 month journey

to end her gastric distress, but maybe in addition to her kibble it wouldn't cause her so much trouble.

 

I guess I'm just checking to see if anybody has a "magic bullet" that will make Sweetpea scarf up her food and

put some padding back on those hip bones.

 

(Of course if her appetite does not improve, I'll be taking her to the vet. It's not that she's skipping meals,

she just eats maybe half of it, or two thirds; and that is not enough to keep weight on her.)

 

Sorry it's so long, and thanks for any advice,

Buzzy

Edited July 23, 2010 by sweetpea

[Batmom]

Working around your knowledge of her gastric tolerances, you might try adding something higher calorie to her food -- an egg-sized lump of ground beef (I prefer to use cooked), or an egg, or 1-2 tablespoons peanutbutter ......

[Guest sweetpea]

oooo peanut butter, she lubs that!

 

Great idea, sometimes I think we're so close to the problem we can't see the obvious remedies.

Thanks!

 

Buzzy

[Sambuca]

A spoonful or 2 of tuna or another stinky fish will bring on the appetite as well.

[Kestrel]

How about adding some broth to the kibble? That might change the scent of it and make it "newer" and more interesting.

[Guest ChasesMum]

nurtitional yeast flakes? all the B vitamins apparently stimulate appetite... there is a thread in here somewhere about it. those peeps would be able to answer more Q's.

 

for kids, avocado is a good calorie dense food. maybe that would work? if you do canned I'd try the same food you feed but in canned form first.

Edited July 25, 2010 by ChasesMum

[Guest sweetpea]

Thanks guys!

 

I've been adding a heaping tablespoon of Peanut Butter, and then mixing it so every little kibble gets some pb on it.

 

She's cleaned her bowl for the past 3 peanut butter meals, I mean it sparkles.

 

And you should see the "I'm so HUNGRY!!!" look she gives me when I'm mixing up her pb and kibble, it's hysterical.

 

I suppose when she tires of peanut buttah, I'll move on to the other things.

 

I love my goober!

 

Buzzy

[Guest Vers]

Good girl to clean your dish like that, Sweetpea! (love that name). I'm still trying to put a little weight on my Stella, who can be picky. Canned sardines added to canned food are magic (and they don't have heavy loads of mercury).

[Guest BooBooMama]

Green tripe did the job for Deeni. Even on hot days when she looks bored of her food I can get her to eat it all up if I mix green tripe in it. I am NEVER without a can or two in my pantry these days.

[Guest greyt2love]

I have the same problem - disinterest in her food, dropping pounds - with Chloe, Buzzy, except for the sensitive stomach, so it's a little easier for me to try something to entice her. Peanut butter, tuna, sardines, flavored yogurt have all done the trick. Also, Ensure. She loves it on her kibble, or by itself, cold from the fridge. She will never in her life see 60 pounds. I'm happy when she holds at 55, so a drop of a couple pounds makes it look as if I'm starving her !

[Guest sweetpea]

Yeah, I was a little over-zealous with the administration of peanut butter,

she had gas and pudding poo for two whole days

 

Now I have a container of beef broth that I warm up and splash on her food, she loves it!

(And her GI tract loves it too!)

 

Thanks again for all the suggestions, who knows how long this will keep her interested in eating,

so it's good to have a back-up plan.

 

Buzzy

[Saharasmom]

With Atlas' food, I alternate mixing in an egg, a scoop of canned food and peanut butter. I mix the PB in with a bit of water so it makes a sauce and I can use less of it. He is also a picky eater and is very boney. It can be frustrating when they just don't want to eat! Sahara & Coltrane always gobble their food right up.