Doggie Diet Questions.

[DawnCt1]

Due to Chelsea's recent hospitalization and inability to eat, she has lost weight. She is literally a bag of bones. I made her boil chicken and rice, which is what I usually make her but she seems to have lost interest in that. Last night I gave her small bites of left over steak. I try to go easy on beef with the dogs because they don't handle it well. She has always liked canned dog food, since she has been sick, she turns her nose up at it. I need to put some weight on her. This morning I made her a scrabbled egg without milk. My cousin suggested buying some Gerber's or Beechnut junior meals. Are there foods that I just shouldn't give her? I have always just fed my dogs DOG FOOD. Because Chelsea has lost some teeth in her old age and sometimes has irritable bowel, the vet said that chicken and rice is good but that has been the only people food she has really had (except what hit the floor from the high chair years ago.) Does the baby food sound okay? Any suggestions are welcomed.

 

[jipsy]

Dawn - at her age, I would give her whatever makes her happy. Try baby food and see if she will eat it. I also know some people make hamburger and rice or lamb and rice, you might try some of that. Maybe she would like just some chicken, without the rice. Maybe she wants rice krispie treats aw: but I honestly would just try to make her comfortable as possible at this point, letting her eat whatever she will.

 

[DawnCt1]

Dawn - at her age, I would give her whatever makes her happy. Try baby food and see if she will eat it. I also know some people make hamburger and rice or lamb and rice, you might try some of that. Maybe she would like just some chicken, without the rice. Maybe she wants rice krispie treats aw: but I honestly would just try to make her comfortable as possible at this point, letting her eat whatever she will.

Jipsy, Thanks, I guess I am just so anxious about her that I needed "permission" to do just that. Thanks again!!

 

[poohbear1029]

We used to give our dog fruit and veggies as snack, carrots, etc. Our vet told us any veggie/fruit but raw onions. Maybe some boiled carrots, so they are soft enough?

Also, when he wouldnt eat, I would put canned gravy on his food sometimes to entice him!

 

[doxdogy]

When Dori was recuperating from her surgery she lost a couple of pounds. We switched her over to Iams puppy food (sold in the pouch) with very little dry dog food mix in and she was feed twice a day. It took a couple of weeks for her to gain all of her weight back.

 

[bekkiz]

Baby food is great! Even when Indy was a puppy we would mix baby food or yogurt in with his dry food. It's totally healthy for them, b/c no added sugar or chemicals, just mushed up real food

We've used some of the meat mixtures (chicken and veg etc) but he really likes the sweet potatoes or the strawberry/banana mix.

 

[MerryPoppins]

When my dog was hospitalized and lost weight, my vet recommended baby food. They said to try the meat or meat and rice. She seemed to like it and would eat it better. Before long, she had her appetite back. Hope things get better soon.

 

[pumba]

when our Jasmine had the ending of cancer we gave her hamburg and rice.....the leanest burger we could find...and one part of that to three parts of rice....she tolerated it very well and also when Megara had a boo boo belly, we had to give her the burger and rice mixture......her burger was as lean as it comes too......

 

[Aimeedyan]

Dog food IS people food that is just overly processed and hardened. Fresh is always better! At her age, feed her anything that makes her happy and comfortable - just steer clear of grapes/raisins, onions, and chocolate and she'll be good to go.

Raw egg is another excellent source of nutrition that dogs usually love - as is canned pure pumpkin (great for digestive system). She should be able to eat both of those. Cottage cheese and yogurt would also be good for her.

 

[ilovepcot]

Soooo happy to hear Chelsea is better! Having had Toy Poodles consistently since 1971, I've certainly had to deal with sickly, poor eaters. One thing I used to help *stimulate* appetite was NUTRI-STAT. It comes in a tube and is a high calorie food supplement that contains Omega Acids. Main ingredient is corn syrup which tastes great to a dog. I put a "squirt" on my finger and allow the dog to lick it off. Then I usually make brown rice and mix it with either ground hamburger meat or chopped chicken followed by broth. When they tire of this, I move on to baby food, pudding (not chocolate), mashed potatoes, yogurt and cottage cheese. When all else fails, give them anything they'll take!

Hope to hear soon that's she's "bulked up".


Nearly forgot but wanted to add....with my last dog, I resorted to buying Campbell's Soups, the ones with chicken and small little pieces of pasta. It contained some other small sized veggies and "Peaches" LOVED IT! I usually poured a small amount over brown rice. The broth seemed to really suit her and it wasn't greasy to upset her stomach.

 

[Disney Doll]

We have given Ted baby food when we needed to get him to eat something to take his meds when he had Lyme's and his appetite wasn't so hot. I would mix the baby food withhis dog food and he gobbled it up.

There is also some called Nature's...something. It's a roll like a salami sort of and it has some high caloric and nutritional values. Petco seels it. I would suggest a trip to a pet store...they may have some suggestins for food that is higher in calories etc.

Canned food is always a hit with dogs. So is cat food, but check with the vet before you do cat food.

 

[DawnCt1]

Thanks everyone. Just got back from the store with a bunch of baby food. I looked for her weight on the vet services printout. 4.7 pounds. unbelievable!!!

 

[icebrat001]

Whatever you do, don't give her any carrots. Every dog I have had, watched, visited and ate carrots had a very very very loose stool.

Other veggies are good as a previous poster said, just no onion.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We have given Ted baby food when we needed to get him to eat something to take his meds when he had Lyme's and his appetite wasn't so hot. I would mix the baby food withhis dog food and he gobbled it up.

There is also some called Nature's...something. It's a roll like a salami sort of and it has some high caloric and nutritional values. Petco seels it. I would suggest a trip to a pet store...they may have some suggestins for food that is higher in calories etc.

Canned food is always a hit with dogs. So is cat food, but check with the vet before you do cat food.

Yep, you can get the Natural Balance, Dick Van Pattens dog food in the tubes. It is sold at PetCo.

 

[DawnCt1]

Yep, you can get the Natural Balance, Dick Van Pattens dog food in the tubes. It is sold at PetCo.

I will get some tomorrow. She needs calories. I wish I could give her some of mine.

 

[ducklite]

Nutri-Stat can be hard to find these days. All Pet Co's and PetSmarts carry Nutri-Cal though, very similar. It's a palatable paste in a tube--they go crazy for the sweet flavor. It's packed with vitamins and calories.

You can also try Ensure--try the vanilla flavor, or possibly butter pecan--most dogs like one or the other. Check with the vet on that one first though.

Anne

 

[Pea-n-Me]

We've always had good luck with chicken and rice when our dogs weren't well. Even when only one was sick, the other would want it too. We've also had good results with Hill's Prescription Diet (sold at our vet's) if their digestive systems were really upset - they always seemed to gobble it right down. Have given cottage cheese mixed with rice on occasion. I agree if your dog will eat baby food it shouldn't be a problem. Whatever you decide to give: small, frequent meals would probably be preferable to larger meals.

Hope your dog's feeling better soon.