Oh great knowledgeable Org - Canine diet advice!

[K]

So the internet as a whole has kinda let me down so I turn to the great and knowledgeable Org.

Other than grilled chicken, pasta, rice, braised beef and a bit of grilled liver which have been successful...

... does anyone have any suitable foodstuffs, recipies etc for an ill dog who has virtually no appetite?


Oh, and advance warning, without going into details, this is one thread where I will probably have very little sense of humour about. Sorry. :( Serious advice only please.

[lookskyward1]

Other than grilled chicken, pasta, rice, braised beef and a bit of grilled liver which have been successful...

... does anyone have any suitable foodstuffs, recipies etc for an ill dog who has virtually no appetite?

It sounds like the dog is getting a good ballanced diet with this lot. Your only other alternative is a speciallity all in one mix, you would be better speaking to your vet to get the right dietary mix.

Don't forget plenty of fresh water available for your pooch as well.

[K]

Regular dog food is a no-no. We've tried sample packs of most stuff, dried, tinned, pouches etc, different brands - he's no longer interested.
I try to mix a bit of the 'Chum Complete' in with his meals, and he'll occasionally 'accidentally' eat a few bits that are stuck to a bit of pasta or something, but it's a bit hit and miss.

The vet is now advocating a 'try anything' approach. I'll just say this isn't going to be a long term thing. :(



EDIT: Oh yeah - he won't touch vegetables. :roll:

[$tevo]

Put some sugar in doggie's water untill it's feeling better

[gettin2dizzy]

Is it getting enough exercise to warrant an appetite?

[lookskyward1]

Boiled egg on toast?

[missyburd]

EDIT: Oh yeah - he won't touch vegetables. :roll:

Sensible dog ;) Can't do with all this 'Lamb, rice and peas' business, just appealing to the owners there, ridiculous!

Have you tried mixing meaty gravy with dinners? Oh and does your dog like cheese? All the dogs I know go mad for it. Not a lot but maybe a few chunks here and there for flavour?

[stewie]

Our dogs a grazer, eats when he feels like it , we give him bakers complete, senior, its dry food with either beef, or duck or chicken I think, dunno if this helps but Im sure he/she,ll be ok, have you tried sweet stuff ? you know choc etc, may not be mega healthy but may give him an energy boost to help him along. Hope this helps

[rigor]

Have you tried Tripe? Either chunks or minced. Favourite in our house.

[Filipe M.]

I'll second the cheese suggestion, from my (very little) experience with dogs they love it. Anyway, hope the pooch gets well soon. :(

[metalmonkey]

We gave our dog coke cola, to drink when he wouldn't eat anything at least sugar was going in.....cheese yer max loves cheese.

[K]

Offered him cheese, that earned me such a look of disgust - but he has always loved a nice bit of french bread - I'll try that with some egg.

He's never liked sugary stuff unfortunately, so that's been a bit of a dead end too.

Gravey worked once, then was barely sniffed at the second time. :roll:

Somethings work for a meal or two, but then receive no interest, hence the need for a bit of variety so I can change meals about and hopefully keep him even slightly keen.

He'll show devoted attention whilst I'm preparing stuff, but when it comes down to it he'll just kinda go "yeah, smells nice, but I'm not really that hungry".
Broken the habit of his lifetime though and started feeding him odd bits thrown from the kitchen worktop or a plate on my lap, that sometimes gets him started and then put the rest down for him to finish off. Doesn't always work though.

[missyburd]

When I worked in a pet shop we had a wide selection of foods available to weigh out in bins. There were a number of complete mixes but i think that Baker's Complete stuff was one of the ones that smelt most appetising (from a dog's point of view anyway...). However, it's quite rich stuff so probably more of a supplement. Also we had this stuff called 'dried meat' which could be weighed out, don't know how many places stock that though. That would also be good for mixing in with gravy and food.

(I think having food in bins is a great idea as you can buy as much or as little as you want depending of if you fancy a change for your dog or want to try a few. Not so good an idea for when people brought their dogs in mind, the cheeky ones would always try a sneak a few tasters :rolleyes: but anyway sorry for going off topic a bit....:-#)

P.S i don't think you can really go wrong with fresh meat at the end of the day, what you said you've been giving him is ideal. I guess it's like you said, a matter of switching things about. I hope something works though.

[embee]

The food all sounds a bit rich to me. I admit I'm no expert on dogs at all but I did work on a wildlife park in my youth.

What is up with the dog that it doesn't have an appetite? Isn't the problem that it doesn't have an appetite, not that the food isn't suitable?

Just remember that a lot of animals will happily eat stuff which is positively bad or even dangerous for them (dogs and regular chocolate, tortoises and bananas for example)

Hope you can sort it.

[Sosha]

Tinned tuna? (Obviously not "With Brine")

[busasean]

K, try a little bit of tinned cat food. (in jelly not gravey) our dog loves it. most dogs like cheese though!!:(

[K]

Isn't the problem that it doesn't have an appetite, not that the food isn't suitable?
Yes, but it's also a fact that is unlikely to change - therefore it's a case of finding anything he'll eat (that is also 'suitable') to try and maintain weight n stuff.

What is up with the dog that it doesn't have an appetite?
Um... lets' just say he's terminal. Happy, snoozeing on the sofa, mooching round the garden, but still terminal... eventually... at some point... somewhen.
Sorry for the vagueness, but it's hard enough typing that.:(



Right, I'm off to Tescos for cat food, egg and a baguette. Yummy. :confused:

[plowsie]

+1 my mates dog does it all the time, he loves a burger n all.

[John Burt]

Cooked Fish -every dog I've had loves it.

[sinbad]

Tinned tuna? (Obviously not "With Brine")

My suggestion too. My dog likes it now and then. I only give it to him if it comes in spring water, though. It can be dry on its own, but a teaspoon of mayonnaise and a drop of olive oil (which I hear is great for their coats) increases its desirability significantly. Mix some crunched up weetabix in if you want him to get some fibre too.

[missyburd]

and a drop of olive oil (which I hear is great for their coats) increases its desirability significantly.

Cod liver oil too. I know some poodles who funnily enough go mad for the capsules.

[Luckypants]

Tinned fish as already suggested. Tuna in oil, Salmon, pilchards, sardines, anything. Cod from the fish shop sends mine barmy, but they are Retrievers and go ape for fish.

Scrambled eggs? My older dog loves eggs and would eat as much as he could. Raw egg might work too, but can upset a sensitive tummy.

Much love :grouphug: for the old fella.

[embee]

Um... lets' just say he's terminal. Happy, snoozeing on the sofa, mooching round the garden, but still terminal... eventually... at some point... somewhen.
Sorry for the vagueness, but it's hard enough typing that.:(


Ah, sorry for that, no offence intended. All is clear :grouphug:

[K]

Well the cat food eventually ended up having all the jelly licked off it and all the bits of tuna left neatly on the side of the dish. :roll:

Scrambled egg on toast was wolfed down though so top marks to folks on that suggestion. :thumbsup:

[Lissa]

Try porridge with a little honey mixed in. My old dog loved that.

Sorry K, my sympathies for this situation:(

[dizzyblonde]

go a lttle easy on the cat fodder K. Cat food is a lot higher in various values than doggie fodder, you may end up giving him a dicky tummy because of it being too rich, and if he's already poorly then a dose of the runny dooooo's won't make him feel better. Scrambled eggs is always a winner with my dogs.