Sick Dog Question– help, please?!

[ownedbyspencer]

Spencer is continuing to improve– thanks for asking! He has not wet the bed except for that one night, so I'm not sure what was up with that. I folded a beach towel under him just in case, but he has been holding his urine all night. We had him on subQs twice a day for a week, and I was having to get up every hour and take him out. So, wow, it would be hard to do that on an ongoing basis. He is drinking on his own now, and so far, he's getting enough. This weekend, I will go in search of the waterproof mattress pads. Thanks for the Wal-Mart tip-- I'll start there!

Spencer's weight is still problematic. He is very thin, and it's disturbing to see him looking so malnourished. His coat is glossy and his eyes are clear, but every bone in his body juts out. I'm running the gamut of foods, but he's just a picky eater and has been getting pickier for about a year now. I'm feeding him smaller meals and hoping that will help, not just his organs, but his psychology-- the old "Hey, this isn't much, I'd better scarf it right up" trick. He's probably too smart for that. When someone's begging you to eat, you figure it's probably gonna keep coming-- and maybe the next offering will be even better. Sigh.

One issue might be the pills. Even before he got sick, he was tired of finding pills in his food-- not the bitter bicarbs he takes for Fanconi, but his vitamins and Omega-3s. He might be the only dog in the world that hates the taste of fish oil and beef-flavored chewables. I have been giving him all the supplements separately to entice him to eat. So far, it's gotten a lukewarm reception. Today is Muttloaf Day-- we'll see what that brings!

[Patty]

Well done to Spencer and to you naturally. Hopefully he'll put on more weight but I've never had experience of Fanconi affected dogs so don't know how much is that and how much because of his inability to eat for a while.

[ownedbyspencer]

Muttloaf Day was a success! Spencer chowed– well, more than he has chowed for a good while. Much better than "Eat Mor Chikin" in our house.

(Okay, no, I didn't use bison or longhorn or even angus-- just plain old lean ground beef.)

[agilebasenji]

@Chealsie508:

I love longhorn! Lmao…. I'd eat a longhorn burger or the steak tips!! O boy, I now have to eat!

Well, if you're ever in the neighborhood, I'll do a pot roast. Knives are not needed. Last week I cooked the filet - OMG!!! Poor pups didn't get any of that.

[agilebasenji]

@ownedbyspencer:

Muttloaf Day was a success! Spencer chowed– well, more than he has chowed for a good while. Much better than "Eat Mor Chikin" in our house.

(Okay, no, I didn't use bison or longhorn or even angus-- just plain old lean ground beef.)

Was that the recipe I linked to? My dogs LOVE it, even Diggie. And it's nice because it gives you room to use whatever is in season at the moment. I often use the dried crasins instead of the fruit. If he continues to be picky, you may want to try to up his exercise a little. Or I could send Zest! to your house and he'd learn to eat it before she does. Yep, she'll take it right out of his mouth. This is how Jet the trying has learned not to play with his food.

[RGK9Ruler]

@ownedbyspencer:

This weekend, I will go in search of the waterproof mattress pads. Thanks for the Wal-Mart tip– I'll start there

I suggest that you go on-line first at Wal-Mart.com. They often do not have the pads in stock. I ordered mine off line and had them shipped to my local store at no additional cost. It does not take a long time to get your item shipped either. I could even pay for them on line. With everything going on I thought I might save you a wasted trip. I did a lot of research on the mattress pads and by far they had the least expensive ones. They no longer carry the particular ones that I purchased, but if you type in the search box; waterproof mattress pad, several come up.

[ownedbyspencer]

@agilebasenji:

Was that the recipe I linked to? My dogs LOVE it, even Diggie. And it's nice because it gives you room to use whatever is in season at the moment. I often use the dried crasins instead of the fruit. If he continues to be picky, you may want to try to up his exercise a little. Or I could send Zest! to your house and he'd learn to eat it before she does. Yep, she'll take it right out of his mouth. This is how Jet the trying has learned not to play with his food.

Yes, thank you! I had made it before using a recipe from the yahoo kidney forum, and I do like you do and modify it with whatever I have. Spencer usually loves it, and he ate well yesterday. He could certainly use Zest to light a fire under him– get her on the underground railroad and send her on! When he was younger, Spencer lived with two Goldens, who were chow hounds and would take over the bowl. He would crawl under them, between their legs, and stand at the bowl, gobbling his share. He didn't used to be picky. But since he became Fanconi-affected, I have had to use yummier and yummier stuff to get the pills down. He has learned that there is better stuff out there and it will come his way if he bides his time. I know-- owner problem, not dog problem. Sigh.

[ownedbyspencer]

@RGK9Ruler:

I suggest that you go on-line first at Wal-Mart.com. They often do not have the pads in stock. I ordered mine off line and had them shipped to my local store at no additional cost.

Great idea, thanks! I will do that today. It will save me some time. I'm so behind with work and everything else that it will definitely help to have it shipped.

Spencer had a small incident last night. I had a towel underneath him, so it didn't seep through, but the rubber mattress pad is a good precaution. I'm hoping that it's just the antibiotics, but at 14, with Fanconi, his kidneys aren't going to get any better. I'll be happy to just maintain!

[eeeefarm]

How are Spencer's teeth? I have found as my dogs get old they sometimes are uncomfortable in their mouths, and not so anxious to eat. Obviously he will be fussy about his mouth anyway, given his recent problem, but is there any chance he has teeth bothering him as well?

[ownedbyspencer]

@eeeefarm:

How are Spencer's teeth? I have found as my dogs get old they sometimes are uncomfortable in their mouths, and not so anxious to eat. Obviously he will be fussy about his mouth anyway, given his recent problem, but is there any chance he has teeth bothering him as well?

Yes, I think that was part of the problem. Spencer's teeth weren't awful, but I hadn't wanted to put him under for a cleaning for over a year, because of his age and his kidneys. He had a complete dental when the vet extracted the tooth, so now the teeth that remain are pearly white! I have been using the C.E.T. rinse and brushing his teeth for years, but I will be extra vigilant now. Hopefully, that will keep them clean and prevent any more bacterial infections. Unfortunately, the Plaque-Off doesn't seem to work for us at all.

[tanza]

@ownedbyspencer:

Yes, I think that was part of the problem. Spencer's teeth weren't awful, but I hadn't wanted to put him under for a cleaning for over a year, because of his age and his kidneys. He had a complete dental when the vet extracted the tooth, so now the teeth that remain are pearly white! I have been using the C.E.T. rinse and brushing his teeth for years, but I will be extra vigilant now. Hopefully, that will keep them clean and prevent any more bacterial infections. Unfortunately, the Plaque-Off doesn't seem to work for us at all.

Sometimes when they get to be elders, not much works, especially if they are ill. Or at least that is what I have found. If their immune system is compromised I believe that it effects all different parts of their "inner workings" and being a Fanconi dog, certainly his would be compromised. All you can do is the best you can to keep him as happy as possible. And at his age and being a Fanconi dog, being a "slave" to find things he will eat in my opinion is just being a wonderful Basenji Mom…. I know with my elders I would make anything they would or might eat!

[dcmclcm4]

I feed Missy a mixture of half Evo Red Meat Small Bites and half another meat protein dry usually lamb or venison which has less protein and she also gets 2 tablespoons of canned dog food-meat based. She is still pretty active outside except when the weather is not good. She runs out with the other dogs to chase animals.

Jennifer

[ownedbyspencer]

@tanza:

Sometimes when they get to be elders, not much works, especially if they are ill. Or at least that is what I have found. If their immune system is compromised I believe that it effects all different parts of their "inner workings" and being a Fanconi dog, certainly his would be compromised. All you can do is the best you can to keep him as happy as possible. And at his age and being a Fanconi dog, being a "slave" to find things he will eat in my opinion is just being a wonderful Basenji Mom…. I know with my elders I would make anything they would or might eat!

Yes, it's all about trying to keep them as happy and as healthy as possible for as long as possible! We had a very close call, but I sense that Spencer wants to go on for a while longer. As long as I feel that, I'll do what I can to help him. We're experimenting with all sorts of food (no bison yet!) and seeing what sticks. Who knew the little guy was such a food snob?!

[ownedbyspencer]

@dcmclcm4:

I feed Missy a mixture of half Evo Red Meat Small Bites and half another meat protein dry usually lamb or venison which has less protein and she also gets 2 tablespoons of canned dog food-meat based. She is still pretty active outside except when the weather is not good. She runs out with the other dogs to chase animals.

I'm always glad to hear that Missy is still doing well! I'll have to check into venison– I don't recall seeing that. And it's great that she's still a good eater. Spencer started getting really finicky when he was 13, and I've had a problem with him eating dry ever since. Thanks for sharing the info about Missy's food!

[tanza]

For one of my elders (no Fanconi, but was in kidney failure) for a while she really liked Shrip sauteed in a little butter and mixed with scrambled eggs.

[ownedbyspencer]

Spencer likes shrimp, too– I gave him shrimp and rice last night. I've never mixed it with scrambled eggs (which he also likes), but I'll give it a try! I'm also going to make bison burgers on the grill next week. Spencer's finickiness is certainly opening up new food horizons for us both!

[eeeefarm]

At the very end, with my one girl (just short of 16 years when we had to let her go), she only wanted tomatoes. She became quite vegetarian in her desires. Green peppers were another thing she would crave. It became very difficult to convince her to try anything else.

[ownedbyspencer]

My parents had a B who loved tomatoes! They had a little vegetable garden out back and whenever they couldn't find him, that's where he'd be– raiding the tomatoes. He didn't go for green peppers, though. I've never heard of that!

So I guess it's common for elder Bs to lose their appetite? Spencer just doesn't seem that interested in food-- any food. And if he eats it one day, he won't touch it the next. Forget leftovers for this guy! I'm not a picky eater at all, and I don't eat a lot of meat, so this is very challenging. I'm concerned because Spencer doesn't seem to be gaining any weight back. His tongue and throat have healed, his teeth are good, but he still picks at his food. He won't touch dog food, and if I mix it in with the good stuff, he won't eat any of it. I'm going to take him to the vet's and put him on the big scale tomorrow and see if he's put on any weight. Sadly, I suspect it's very little.

[eeeefarm]

If his teeth and mouth are bothering him, obviously soft food is going to be more appealing. Have you ever tried dehydrated? I feed NRG and have for years. Palatable, and you can mix enough water in and let it stand so it is quite soft and "lapable" . Otherwise, I have found you have to keep trying different things to keep them interested. I went through a lot of different canned foods when my girl was aging. It became more important to get her to eat anything, rather than the food quality, since she was so fussy! (a little cat food mixed in might perk his appetite)

[ownedbyspencer]

His teeth should be fine. He had a full dental, and the only bad tooth was extracted. His sores have healed. He's still on antibiotics, so I'm hoping that might be it. He has another week of those. It's almost like he is anorexic– just turned off by food. He ate a little at first, because he was so starved, but now it's so hard to get him to eat. I'll try the NRG. You just never know what they'll spark to!

Oddly enough, Spencer doesn't lap at food, anymore. He's back to lapping at the water bowl-- no problem-- but he bites at his food with his teeth. He won't take anything if he has to use his tongue to get it. So I have to roll his food in little meatballs that he can grab. It's odd. Maybe he still has some residual mouth pain, but the vet said he shouldn't. His mouth has healed very well.