urge to herd Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 Sam, who I used to think of as the world's easiest dog, has started refusing to eat her food, (California Nat. kibble, which she's eaten for years) if there is ANYTHING else in it. She had a UTI that we're just finishing up meds for, and for a little while, I was putting her antibiotic pill into a lump of canned food and she'd eat it. Then she started to refuse that. Then she started to refuse to eat her food if I added the probiotic. At first I was concerned that she just wouldn't eat, but if I put down dry kibble, she'd plunge in. So this morning I made the mistake of adding just a smidge of salmon oil to her breakfast. Turned her back on her dish and walked away. I went ahead and gave her her last antibiotic pill, followed by a small treat, but I'm thinking I'm just going to not feed her until dinner, and then put down the dish she refused. What do you guys think? In light of her age, 14 + a few months, I don't want to take this too far, and I'm happy to feed her just plain kibble, but she needs some stuff in it from time to time. Darn dog. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 I'd say that, at her age, if she wants her kibble "straight up", then she can have it that way. Feed medication and supplements in some other, irresistible fashion separately. I have a 12-year-old rabbit. As far as I'm concerned, as long as he's eating healthfully, he can eat what he wants. At his age, it's about quality of life, not quantity. Best wishes with her, and give her a hug for me. They are gone too soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 Yeah, they are gone too soon. I should have mentioned that after a life time of being the easiest dog in the world to pill, I have to be very careful about that, too. A couple months ago she yelped when I went to pill her, then when I tried again, she growled and snapped at me, and she's never ever done that. I must have inadvertently hurt her, so now I make sure I don't lift her head at all. As far as hiding stuff, she won't eat canned food at all, now, she's gotten suspicious, I guess. Still and all, it's not that bad a problem to have. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 I have a picky 13 year old, Jazzy May She only wants to eat on the couch or away from the other dogs but the couch is her fav. spot. She will eat anything so it's not what she eats but where. I say, they've earned their pickyness as long as it can be managed. Our faviorite pill method is a piece of cheese that I squish up around the pill. THey all line up for their cheese and the one getting the pill gets his last so he gonna eat it so no one else does. Works for us! A dog that doesn't want anything but dry kibble....not to bad if you ask me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malvie Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 I have a picky 13 year old, Jazzy May Our faviorite pill method is a piece of cheese that I squish up around the pill. A dog that doesn't want anything but dry kibble....not to bad if you ask me! Cheese is the magic pill delivery device around here too. Bessie gets very, very nervous in the car, so I have to give her dramamine (hey, I took it too, as a kid, and still dope myself if I have to fly longer than about 3 hours). Insert the dramamine into the cheese, it's gone and tails are still wagging. I agree, when it's end-of-life time, whatever they want is fine. We're doing that with Mother now, she's in the nursing home with no quality of life at all (almost paralyzed; strokes). If she wants chocolate, she can have as much as she wants as often as she wants. (agree also with the kibble-eating dog---what a deal! Fortunately, mine are like that; they want kibble and they want it NOW. Of course, if I would feed them canned dog food or people food, they would like that even BETTER...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 25, 2009 Report Share Posted July 25, 2009 Cheese is the magic pill delivery device around here too. Behold the power of cheese - we keep some slices on hand at all times just in case someone needs some meds - or in case I need a grilled cheese sandwich or a cheeseburger! Sorry to hear about your Mother. When Lisa was taking our/her old Rocket to be PTS, she stopped and bought him a big chocolate bar and fed him every bit by hand. At that point, it would do no harm and did his emotional state a world of good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 27, 2009 Report Share Posted July 27, 2009 I'd separate out her "must-haves" from her kibble and instead put it in with some yummy treat (cottage cheese, yogurt, peanut butter, hot dog, etc.). My old girl has some arthritis in her head/neck area and I have to be really careful when I'm trying to do something she doesn't want done so that may be why your girl is yelping when you try to pill her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 How is Sam doing with her eating, Ruth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 Update: She's doing fine. I had to re-arrange my thinking a bit, but she's diving right in to her breakfast and dinner (kibble and water, ONLY, thankyouverymuch) with gusto. She's developed very simple tastes, I guess you could say! Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack & Co. Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I'm glad to hear that good news! There's nothing more alarming than an old dog who won't eat. Good girl, Sam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuxedodog Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 I just had this conversation with my husband yesterday. Buster is only 10, but he has quirky eating habits. My husband always fed him outside with our now dear departed Golden Retriever since GR didn't allow BC to eat in the garage. GR is almost 3 years gone and Buster still, will not eat in the garage. When the weather is awful, I try to add enough goodies to encourage him to eat, but then we have accidents over night. If I bring his food into the house, I have to lock up the cats and still he only eats a little - catfood doesn't count, he cleans that up if I am not careful. When we travel with him, he is fine, he will eat wherever, as long as no one sees him eat. He finally got over running as far away across the yard as possible when we walked out with his food dish, he would only eat after we walked away, now he waits at the gate. It has only been in the past year that he started taking treats out of our hands. The last time I had to pill Buster, the vet said no dairy with the antibiotics, so I went to Costco and bought a big bag of frozen meatballs, they are much cheaper than pill pockets and make tasty treats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 I believe (and I may well be wrong) that added food sometimes has to be really appetizing for an older dog; at least, that has been my experience. When all else failed, I added Merrick canned foods to the dogs' kibble; never had a problem. I bought and stocked a variety, so that the dogs wouldn't get bored with just one flavor. (At $2+ a can, it might have been a bit pricey; but my dogs were worth it.) Annie, on the other had, will eat moist mixed in her food in the evening, but has recently started to refuse mixed food in the morning. So we give her plain kibble in the morning, and she gobbles it down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokjbc Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 I think with my oldies (both 15) it has something to do with smell. Leary will be standing right over her bowl and staring at me like "where's the beef?". Off and on I've been adding some chicken bouillon granules to at least get her to sniff a little harder. The other one, Rhett, does pretty well but if the bowl isn't where she thinks it should be, she will look for it for half a second and then give and go back to cat staring. Or she'll steal Leary's food with the bouillon in it. It's almost comical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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