13 year old collie

[PaulaSB12]

My 13 year old collie has decided she will not eat dog food anymore. I tried leaving her but the only thing she will eat is whiskas cat food. Has anyone else had this problem? The vet has looked at her recently and apart from arthritus in her hips there is no health problems.

 

[kacaju]

awww.. I have a 2 year old collie and a 4 year old collie. Can you try mixing some chicken, or cheese into her food and see if she will eat?

 

[Dax]

Is it fish flavored cat food? Maybe switch to a dog food that has fish as a main ingredient...

Please do not allow your dog to eat a lot of the cat food..it really is not healthy for them...

I would try to boil some chicken, and add some rice...and slowly mix in the dry kibble, then slowly add more kibble, less chicken and rice...see how that works for ya

 

[Hannathy]

Beneful makes a Salmon flavored dry food it is Beneful Healthy Radiance. Some of the very pricey brands have Fish as a base also but I can't afford them.

It is the only Dry food my Dog will willingly eat. She also prefers the cat food. She thinks she is a cat we think cause she came to us very young and the cat seems to have been very influential in her training and behavior!

 

[BCV513]

I would definitely try the boiled chicken and rice or boiled hamburger and rice. I have a three year old Sheltie and sometimes she just refuses to eat. I think she gets sick of the same food after awhile. She always goes nuts over the chicken and rice though.

 

[bas71873]

I would try to boil some chicken, and add some rice...and slowly mix in the dry kibble, then slowly add more kibble, less chicken and rice...see how that works for ya

this is what we did when my sheltie was sick this summer. she couldn't get enough of the chicken & rice and i was certain she'd never eat kibble again. but, we slowly added it in and we are back to full on doggie food

good luck

 

[minkydog]

Aww, poor old doggy. Thirteen years old. I'd be inclined to give in and let her have her cat food at her age. Check with your vet, of course. Perhaps he can steer you to a catfood-like choice that would please your pup.

 

[bas71873]

I would definitely try the boiled chicken and rice or boiled hamburger and rice. I have a three year old Sheltie and sometimes she just refuses to eat. I think she gets sick of the same food after awhile. She always goes nuts over the chicken and rice though.

LOL. I'm pretty sure my 4 year old sheltie does this on purpose sometimes

 

[Jockaroo]

When both my elderly dogs went off their food they had serious health issues, and these problems came on very fast. If this continues, please see the vet again and ask for blood work. In my case, one dog was seen at a specialist and given a good checkup, but by the end of the following week was in irreversible kidney failure. Liver failure (probable liver cancer) hit my 14 1/2 year old geriatric very quickly too. The dog doesn't want to eat because the toxins in the body build up and cause nausea.

Granted I had very ill dogs at the time, but these are things I did to keep them eating as long as possible. Merrick canned dog food--this stuff is wonderful. Put your dog's kibble in a food processor and grind it down; microwave equal parts water and peanut butter for a few seconds to make a slurry; stir peanut butter slurry into the kibble powder and form into small balls. Add meat-flavored baby food (make sure it has no onion powder in it) into the dry food. Add warm water to the kibble and soften it (some elderly dogs have dental issues and kibble hurts to eat). Scrambled eggs added to the normal food. I ended up making my kidney failure dog meals at home using small pasta, rotisserie chicken (no skin), green beans and a small amount of kibble. We also tried a refrigerator pet food called Fresh Pet Select. My liver failure dog loved white sandwich bread and I would spread the pate-style canned dog food on bread and give him "sandwiches". You can also get a dietary supplement called "nutri-cal" which comes in a tube like toothpaste and offers high nutrition for the diet.

I don't want to scare you, but any change in eating habits in an elderly dog is worth calling your vet over. This is especially true if you see any vomiting or increased thirst. I would try to wean your dog off the cat food and give a high quality canned dog food.

 

[BCV513]

LOL. I'm pretty sure my 4 year old sheltie does this on purpose sometimes

It gets a little scary when they outsmart us, doesn't it?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree it could be a health issue.

I also agree that if she likes the cat food, at this point I might just let her eat it, at least some of the time, if the vet says it's not a problem.

You can do the boiled chicken, hamburger, rice thing if you want, but once you start doing it, it may wind up being the only thing she'll eat unless you wean her off, and if this a "preference" issue over an "illness" issue, it may be hard to get her to go back. (Definitely not something I'd do in a younger, healthy dog with the exception of short term due to illness.) Unless you don't mind making it for her every day, then it's probably not an issue.

I hope it's nothing serious. She must be a beautiful dog.

 

[Hannathy]

It gets a little scary when they outsmart us, doesn't it?

If you want a good laugh read the "dangerous Book for Dogs" It is written from a dog's point of view and honestly it makes you laugh and also stop and go yeah wait how do they know how to do that?

 

[PaulaSB12]

At least she can't do what our last collie girl did. When I was 14 my parents had a collie called Lassie (my sister named her) at the ripe old age of 14 she was caught "enjoying"herself with a 15 year old dalmation. I have spoken to the vet and he says let her eat what she wants we are taking her for a check up for her arthritus anyway. Thanks for the advise.

 

[Agri]

When my sheltie started going down, it happened *fast*. He refused his normal dog kibble and would only eat kibbles 'n bits wet food. About a week later, he would eat the wet food and it would go right out of him and he couldn't control it either.

I would talk to the vet again, and then consider just leaving things be due to age - maybe just try to make your dog comfortable.

I also wouldn't feed whiskas at all. It's mostly corn and other junk that neither cats nor dogs digest (nor people, really! ).

 

[momof1princess]

i would take the dog to the vet. eating cat food is NOT healthy for dogs. cat food contains more protein than dog food, and it is harmful to their kidneys. DH's grandmother used to allow DH's dog to eat cat food, and it killed him-caused his kidneys to shut down.

 

[luvwinnie]

Another "enticer" is baby food (find one without onion powder) to mix with their food.

 

[Dax]

I dont know of a vet that would say a dog eating cat food...escpecially cheap low quality cat food would be OK

 

[Gabe1]

My then 13 year old Golden Retriever did the same. She eventually passed from bladder cancer about a year and a half later. Vet did not find the cancer at the time she stopped eating her food.

I fed her Oatmeal with a tiny bit of sugar 2x a day. Filled her belly nicely, easy to digest.

Hugs to the pup.

 

[PaulaSB12]

She is a much loved pooch. We both love her the cats adore her, she is healthy and has a wicked sense of humour with the cats. If you sneak up on a sleepy cat and blow up their bottom it really makes them jump she loves doing that to them. She is also the biggest snitch. As soon as they start either scratching or pinching she is there exept if what they pinched is dropped on the floor at which point she pinches it off them. As long as she is healthy and happy we will follow her lead.