Spoiling An Ill Dog Without Harming Or Upsetting The Healthy Dog

[PatricksMom]

So with Murphy's diagnosis, we're feeding him whatever will keep him eating (lots of chicken and rice in his kibble for now) and being pretty liberal with the treats plus he's getting his pills in cheese so he'll take them happily. With a month or two left, the oncologist said give him whatever he wants.

 

The problem is Henry. He's been borderline too heavy which we've been working on since at 3 I want to get this under control. He gets a little bit of cheese, etc. For now he's getting a tiny amount of whatever Murphy gets, but I think he knows Murphy's eating a different meal than he is (he gets a little bit of chicken and rice, but mostly kibble). And he's still getting more treats than he normally would.

 

We've been trying to pay as much attention to Henry as we can, but it's hard not to fuss more over Murphy right now.

 

I've kept Henry's bed privileges--he comes to bed with me at night until DH goes to bed and he's getting to do all the fun things Murphy does, but I'm still worried he'll end up being jealous.

 

How have other people handled this? Any suggestions?

[Saharasmom]

I really didn't worry about it. I thought the stress of having the sick/dying dog in the house was a bigger deal than showing favoritism.

 

I did try to still take Atlas out for walks, sneaking out on Coltrane once he was unable to go. Maybe try giving Henry a teaspoon or so of Murhpy's special dinner with his regular food? I'm sorry you're going through this.

[greysmom]

You may feel that you have to be "equal" when giving out treats, but you really don't. Henry sees Murphy getting a treat so he wants one too. He will be fine if he doesn't get one, though he may pout for a while! If you really need to give him something, separate out a portion of his kibble everyday and use it for treating. You just have to reduce the calories at mealtimes to make up for the treats he's getting at otther times. Mealtimes are mealtimes - everybody gets what I put in their bowl. Though we did switch everybody to the carb-free kibble Dude was on, just for ease of storing and serving.

 

After Dude's amp surgery, it was hard to not spend more time with him. He just needed more care, plus we wanted to be with him as much as possible. But I also set aside time every day to spend with each of our other dogs. Just 5 or 10 minutes, doing something fun - out in the yard, playing with a stuffy, sitting quietly and giving pets and treats, a good brushing session, a car ride - whatever they liked the most.

 

We did try and not give Dude too many extra treats - the extra weight generated wouldn't be good for him either. Remember that time and attention are probably better than using food as a comfort.

 

If Murphy is having trouble eating, you might try giving him an acid reducer before meals. There is also prescription Cerenia, which is an anti-nausea med (though this can only be given for 5 days in a row). There is also an appetite stimulant that you can get from the vet whose name I can't remember off the top of my head. Many people also use Brewer's Yeast to stimulate appetite, which would be bad for Henry to eat either.

[Batmom]

We've always done @ what you're doing, Beth. I cut back the other dog's regular food to allow for a bite of whatever sick dog is getting and a dollop of sick dog's food in other dog's regular meal (makes it smell similar). I also try to spend some "just us" time with the non-sick dog when sick dog can't engage in our regular activities, and make sure non-sick dog is getting plenty of scritchies and lovings. Can be exhausting, but worth it in terms of calmer behavior on the part of the non-sick dog (no extra attention-seeking, for example).

[duncan41]

My insecure, fearful, follower of her alpha-dog sister seemed to know that her diva self needed to be put on hold when her sister got sick. She was a real trooper for a year and a half right to the end; way beyond what I expected. After a period of mourning, she is back to being mamma's girl - my funny, demanding, sweet, fearful, not-as-secure-as-I-would-like girlie-girl.

 

The important thing is to satisfy the things that are key to the non-sick dog, be it food, belly rubs, treats, walks, play, etc. It doesn't have to be "equal", just satisfying.

[Guest BlueCrab]

Sorry you're going thru this. One other idea is, if the non-sick dog will eat veggies, is to treat with healthy snacks while his brother gets spoiled. When he sees a treat being handed out and wants one himself, he won't know that his brother is getting a bickie while he's getting a carrot stick. That is, if he'll eat veggies. Both of our dogs love veggies so see them as a great treat. Helpfull with our Leyland who's being treated for CHF so we want to watch his weight closely.