Sick Dog Question– help, please?!

[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.

[eeeefarm]

I'd be wondering if he is afraid to lap, since it hurt before. Animals often build an association, "I do this, it hurts, so now I won't do it anymore." I've seen it with horses too. They expect something to hurt so they avoid it even after the problem has been solved. It may take time before he is convinced that his mouth isn't going to hurt him when he eats…..

[Terry]

And, yes, frequently the antibiotics do suppress the appetite. I would increase his amino fuel a bit while he's recovering. Is Spencer in renal failure? Is he on the regular protocol or the hybrid? If he's on the regular and needs the higher protein, I have used ground beef mixed with rice - my kids don't like brown rice, unfortunately, but they do usually like white rice. Chicken too, but with the Fanconi, mammal meats are better. If you know any hunters, venison is a good choice too!

Terry

[tanza]

You might want to ask your Vet for an appetite stimulant for him for a while and see if that helps.

[agilebasenji]

@tanza:

You might want to ask your Vet for an appetite stimulant for him for a while and see if that helps.

seems like debradownsouth had one of her dogs on something. Might want to ask her what she used.

[tanza]

@agilebasenji:

seems like debradownsouth had one of her dogs on something. Might want to ask her what she used.

I had Mickii on that, but it was years ago. I would have to go back though all my stuff to try and find the name. It was a pill, that I do remember

[ownedbyspencer]

I, too, have wondered if Spencer isn't having a negative association with his tongue lapping food, since it was clearly so painful before. That or the antibiotics possibly suppressing his appetite. He ate more today– beef stew, which he hasn't had in ages. Still, he bit at it with his teeth, though he did lick the bowl clean at the end. It took him a while to decide to do it, though. He would circle back and ponder, circle back and ponder, then finally he took a tentative lick, then finished it off. So maybe he'll go for it tomorrow!

Terry, Spencer is not in renal failure-- his BUN and CREA are quite good-- and Dr. Gonto recommended switching him to the hybrid protocol four years ago after he had a seizure. He gets a little higher protein (good proteins) than the typical hybrid protocol, so he's actually a hybrid hybrid! I keep hearing about venison, so I'm really going to have to check that out. Right now, we stick to chicken breast, lean beef, fish and eggs (mostly egg whites), mixed with veggies, rice, the occasional cheese and senior kibble. I try to mix it up, but seemingly not enough.

The vet gave Spencer a steroid for an appetite stimulant, but it didn't do any good, so we stopped that. When he's off the antibiotics next week, I'll know if that's dulling his appetite or if he's just a picky, picky boy.

[ownedbyspencer]

Do you think it was a steroid or was it a supplement? I have heard that SAMe and a few other pills are natural appetite stimulants. I'll have to look into that a little more.

[tanza]

@ownedbyspencer:

Do you think it was a steroid or was it a supplement? I have heard that SAMe and a few other pills are natural appetite stimulants. I'll have to look into that a little more.

I am pretty sure it was a steroid, but I am searching for the name…. It was NOT a supplement, that I do know. It was a pill and given like 1/4 every 12 hours, if I remember right. It might be the same used on humans. I would for sure ask your Vet about it.

[MacPack]

Glad Spencer licked the bowl, hopefully getting some GOOD associations for his tongue! Beef stew with yummy gravy sounds great.

[ownedbyspencer]

Someone mentioned B vitamins to improve appetite and increase muscle mass. Has anybody heard of that?

Spencer is already on Amino Fuel (1/2 tab daily), but that doesn't seem to be helping. I'm going to ask Dr. Gonto what he thinks about bumping it up to a full pill a day. Might be protein overload, though…

[ownedbyspencer]

@MacPack:

Glad Spencer licked the bowl, hopefully getting some GOOD associations for his tongue! Beef stew with yummy gravy sounds great.

It was yummy! I felt like licking my bowl, too. (I wasn't the chef, which is probably why he liked it so much– the Galloping Gourmet, I am not!)

[ownedbyspencer]

@tanza:

I am pretty sure it was a steroid, but I am searching for the name…. It was NOT a supplement, that I do know. It was a pill and given like 1/4 every 12 hours, if I remember right. It might be the same used on humans. I would for sure ask your Vet about it.

Do you think it could have been dexamethasone? The vet didn't see a downside in trying it for a few days, but it didn't work for Spencer. Honestly, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese would probably work better– for less!

[tanza]

@ownedbyspencer:

Do you think it could have been dexamethasone? The vet didn't see a downside in trying it for a few days, but it didn't work for Spencer. Honestly, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese would probably work better– for less!

Could have been but when he gave him the dexamethasone they still had not found the problem, right? Could be why it didn't work.

And that would be Vit B-12 (shots). We gave that to our Mickii, don't really remember seeing a big difference, however it can't do any harm

[ownedbyspencer]

@tanza:

Could have been but when he gave him the dexamethasone they still had not found the problem, right? Could be why it didn't work.

And that would be Vit B-12 (shots). We gave that to our Mickii, don't really remember seeing a big difference, however it can't do any harm

We gave it to him for a few days after his surgery, too, so he probably did still have a sore mouth. I think I'll just ride it out until he's off the antibiotics and see if I see any improvement. He ate decently today… but he won't eat a bite if I put his food in a bowl. I have to put it on a flat plate and mound it into little balls that he can grab with his teeth. My vet checked his mouth and he doesn't seem to have any residual mouth pain. So I guess he's just decided that he likes food balls.

[krunzer]

@ownedbyspencer:

So I guess he's just decided that he likes food balls.

Maybe he likes the presentation better…...like how mac and cheese looks all fancy when you put a sprig of parsely in the middle!

[ownedbyspencer]

LOL– my dog's a foodie! Next thing you know, he'll want it on a china plate decoratively bedded on lettuce with ornamental carrot curls.

[nomrbddgs]

Get out your peeler!!! LOL

[giza1]

Ha, my husband is a chef by trade, presentation is very important to him. Our Basenjis have actually had their meals on beds of lettuce a few times, especially the oldies. I'm surprised that our dogs aren't pickier eaters.
-Joanne

[ownedbyspencer]

I'm not even sure I have a peeler! But Spencer is sticking with his picky ways. Again today: yummy food in bowl; no interest– same food mounded into balls, ate every one.

I get that presentation is important to a chef (lucky you, Joanne, having a resident chef!) and to many people, but to a dog? Why would a dog care... or even know that one is nicer? Spencer has eaten from a bowl his entire life, and now suddenly, he's Emeril Basenji?