Anybody got advice for what to feed an old, sick dog who won't eat his normal kibble/soft food?
Thanks y'all! Some info I should have included originally:
- this is my 12.5 yo newfie Kodos
- he has refused normal food, fried eggs, leftover chicken & rice and most recently (pill-laden) peanut butter on a dinner roll.
- he will eat meatballs and soft chicken treats.
He has indeed seen the vet & is on pain meds (meloxicam, tramadol & gabapentin). This is end-of-life care here I think.
That is always the difficult time, when they start refusing to eat. Let him eat meatballs as long as he’ll eat those.
Really soft is usually more palatable to really old dogs, so also try scrambled eggs (softer than fried). Mashed potatoes with a bit of butter.
@rpardee I've just gone the rounds w/ my 12 y.o. Aussie. He has inflammation in the hips & in near constant pain. He's now on Onsior and I swear by this. He was on gabapentin previously and while it worked for a bit, he stopped eating like he used to after a week or two. Pain was flaring up. We tried a number of different meds before getting on Onsior. Took a couple days but works well and he eats like everything now. Talk to your vet to see if this is an option.
@rstwohee Thanks! I'll ask, tho I *think* that drug is in the same class as the Meloxicam he's on already (NSAID). But maybe it's better...
@rpardee It is an NSAID but my vet says is a more modern class of pain relief meds with better outcomes in his opinion. My dog's been on Onsior for 6 weeks now w/ noticeable improvement - given he's an old guy.
@rpardee We'd tried Metacam previously and that upset my dog's stomach pretty badly so I have to be careful of what he takes.
@rpardee One last thing (always one more isn't there?). I've found that when my dog's appetite goes down, he's in more pain or the medicine he's on is causing a stomach upset. He starts eating more grass or anything green outside. Is your dog eating anything outside like grass? If so, maybe time to discuss the medications he's on to see if a change up will ease stomach troubles.
@rpardee bless you and him. Prayers for peace and comfort♡