Guest cjsgreys Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Katie will be 13 in November and we've only had her a year and a half. She's a real rabble rouser and spitfire; full of energy. In January, she became picky about eating. Someone suggested raw tripe and when I added it to her kibble, she would wolf everything down. A couple of weeks ago, almost overnight, I noticed her slowing down a bit. Breakfast was never her favorite meal, but she always ate a good dinner. Now, she really doesn't want to eat much of anything. She won't touch breakfast and it's a challenge to get her to eat dinner. Cookies, on the other hand, she is happy to have. I've tried different kinds of dry food, adding a little canned. I've even tried prescription canned (ID). She won't eat the same thing more than 2-3 times in a row. Blood work was normal for a girl her age. Is this the sign of old age? Any thoughts on what I could do to entice her to eat? Appetite stimulants aren't helping much. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Has she been to the vet since her inappetance started? Sure some of the oldies can get picky but, at 13yrs she should be seen just to rule out that theres nothing else going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, green beans, spoonful of plain yogurt or sardines as add-ins to a meal. Change it up a little each day and maybe she will get interested. Have you ruled out Giardia / worms / parasites etc? Seems to be pretty prevalent in many areas this year. Just something to keep a check on. Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cjsgreys Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Yes she's been seen by a vet. Blood work and fecal were normal as was complete thyroid panel. Will definitely try adding some cottage cheese or yoghurt. She hates veggies & fish :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 With my old girl inappetence was the first sign we had of kidney disease. Were her values normal for those? How about her teeth and gums? A sore mouth can cause her to not want to eat. You can also try giving her a famotidine (generic Pepcid) 30 minutes before meals. Brewer's Yeast (a nutritional supplement) can also be used to encourage eating. More ideas - adding some well-cooked pasta to her kibble, canned cat food, meat baby food, boiled hamburger, baked or poached chicken breast, lunch meat, shaky cheese (parmesan in the can! ), try soaking her kibble in low sodium broth to make it softer. Lightly heating her food to make it more smelly - not too hot though. At thirteen, anything you can get her to eat would be fine with me! Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3greytjoys Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Greysmom's thorough list is excellent, including checking her teeth/gums. Just one idea to add: Hill's Prescription A/D (canned) is a high calorie "critical care" food, extremely tasty to mix a little with regular moistened high calorie kibble. (Our regular kibbles range 450-510 calories per cup.) One of our hounds is on a medication that can't be mixed with Pepcid, but if your hound isn't limited by other meds that's a good idea to try. Since you mentioned appetite stimulants, I assume she's not on another medication that could be reducing her appetite. I agree with Time4ANap about trying new foods/flavors frequently to entice her as much as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moneypenny Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My bridge girl Willow got this way at about 14 (she lived to 16), I tried many things, and kept changing it up every few days like has already been suggested, it did seem to keep her interested, but the one thing that worked the longest was crumbled plain doughnuts on top of her food I remember being at my wit's end one day trying to find something to get her to eat and I had a package of Hostess doughnuts on the counter and thought what the heck, as long as it's plain, at this point it can't hurt! I always think of her when I have a plain doughnut Quote Mom to Emmi (WM Lickety Split) & Asia (Devious Walker)Waiting at the Bridge: Shadow, Willow, Tony, Nina, Reggie, Sunny, Webb, Rosie, Rowdy, Ivy, Smoke & Raina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FastDogsOwnMe Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My senior broodie girl does have days, such as today, where she skips breakfast. No reason we can figure out. She ate about half this morning. Other days she inhales it. My super oldie Whippet is a weird one, but he manages to maintain his weight. I do think it can just be an age thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 My senior broodie girl does have days, such as today, where she skips breakfast. No reason we can figure out. She ate about half this morning. Other days she inhales it. My super oldie Whippet is a weird one, but he manages to maintain his weight. I do think it can just be an age thing. and try cutting out the cookies! yeah, i would rather chow down on cookies than healthy food- give me an oreo anytime of the day or night. see what happens w/ out treats, and don't feel guilty- cookies and kongs in the crates, they won't know whose getting what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 All of my seniors have gotten that way. Right now it's Valentino and Bebe. You never know which one will eat breakfast and which one won't. They go a while eating great and then suddenly will start skipping breakfast but chowing down on dinner. I think it much be like people, as we get older, our appetites change also. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cjsgreys Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Greysmom - interesting that you should mention kidney disease. We haven't had her urine tested and this morning, I noticed that Kate had leaked urine overnight on our bed. Maybe there's something brewing there. I'll get another vet appointment asap. She wouldn't touch her b-fast this AM but when I sat on the floor with her, she ate 1 cup of dry kibble food, hand fed like cookies. She's stable on her rear end, not even wobbly and exhibits no pain signs so I can't imagine that she simply doesn't want to stand up to eat. So odd!!! She's already turned me into a short order cook (which the other 6 don't appreciate) but I'll do whatever it takes to keep food in her. Thanks for all the replies. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I was going to suggest testing her for kidney issues also. My girl Chase had early stage renal failure and was a very picky eater. In her case an antibiotic-resistant UTI traveled to the kidneys and caused infection and inflammation before we caught it, leading to the renal issues. The morning was the hardest, getting her started after sleeping all night. I found that 10 mg Pepcid twice a day did help a bit with the acidic tummy. I also mixed canned food with vanilla Ensure in a blender. Sometimes she would lap it up, sometimes I had to use a syringe. Her appetite improved during the day, once she already had something in her tummy and was up and moving. I also cooked scrambled eggs, ground beef, chicken, and that she ate readily. She didn't really like the kidney prescription diet, but some canned Rx food squished in bread to make a "sandwich" sometimes fooled her. Good luck. ~Lindsay~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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