Finicky eaters

[Yorkie Mom2]

My Bentley has just turned 14. He had a hard winter last year because of pain. He is fine during the summer. We try to put glucosomine tablets in his food, but he is a very picky eater and only weighs 3.5 lbs, very skinny. Does anyone have a pain remedy? We use a heated bed for him year round, but he still cried during the last winter with every move. Help!

He also suffers with bouts of diarrhea all year round, making treatment that much more difficult.

I can't stand to see him hurting, but I also can't stand the thought of losing him. Does anyone have any ideas?

[buddybear]

Can the vet prescribe something?

Can you get another puppy/adult to give him a little competition for food and provide additional body heat?

Sorry I'm not experienced in this situation. Best wishes.

[MissPixi]

I don't know if your sweetie would like vita pet senior. My girls LOVE them! They are soft chews that are full spectrum with joint support. I give my girls 1/2 a chew a day or twice a day depending.
We use an additional joint support dasuquin on our oldest girl who needs it. The combo works wonders for us...

[MissPixi]

You can use appropriate doses of Imodium and asprin also.
See if your vet can write a prescription for a low dose pain med or give you samples from the office to try.

[Wylie's Mom]

If he is in this much pain, I would get a prescription pain med for him asap - and amp it up during the winter time. What is the pain from - arthritis or...?

What is the cause of the diarrhea? I'm not sure what to recommend since I don't know the cause....but this frequency of diarrhea is not normal at all...there is definitely something going on there. What are you feeding and have you tried other foods? Have you tried a prescription food yet?

[Yorkiemom1]

I now have several seniors (14-17) that as they age, those little joints start getting stiff.....I start them off on Cosequin....you open the cap up and sprinkle the powder into their food.....mine dont slow down for a second eating their meals with that cap of powder sprinkled and stirred into it....my son "helped me" one evening with feeding the seniors...he did not mix the powder into the dog food, he just sprinkled it over the top.....they did not miss a lick! So it must not have a bad flavor....they still at their meal without hesitation....and that Cosequin has TRUTHFULLY made the difference in my really aged seniors getting up from their bed or not.....please try it for your baby...it works great....I have gone from once a day, to twice a day for my really senior young man......this stuff is wonderful.

[Yorkie Mom2]

Originally Posted by buddybear

Can the vet prescribe something?

Can you get another puppy/adult to give him a little competition for food and provide additional body heat?

Sorry I'm not experienced in this situation. Best wishes.

Bentley is very timid and nervous. He has another adult Yorkie in the house, Porsche. She will be 12 in November. They have been together since I got Bentley when he was 4 years old. He is very submissive to her.

We put pumpkin in their food to help with the diarrhea. It really seems to work, yet it is difficult to get him to eat anything in the winter, even with hand feeding.

I will definitely be talking to the vet about pain meds. I already give 1/4 baby aspirin on bad days during the winter. It is always a balance between eating/diarrhea and pain.

I just want to help my baby and give him a quality life in his later years.

Thank you for all the advice,
Porsche and Bentley's mom

[Yorkie Mom2]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

If he is in this much pain, I would get a prescription pain med for him asap - and amp it up during the winter time. What is the pain from - arthritis or...?

What is the cause of the diarrhea? I'm not sure what to recommend since I don't know the cause....but this frequency of diarrhea is not normal at all...there is definitely something going on there. What are you feeding and have you tried other foods? Have you tried a prescription food yet?

I have always thought his diarrhea was from a sensitive digestive system. We feed both dogs Canidae canned chicken and rice, ALS. Bentley has never eaten hard food, nor will he now. We put in a spoonful of pumpkin to help with the diarrhea. To encourage appetite, we will put in a little Tripette. We have to be careful as we have discovered this exacerbates the diarrhea, so a little goes a long way. Any change in his diet, however slight, will result in diarrhea.

My husband suffers from tremendous pain during the winter as well, so he identifies with Bentley. Keepig them both warm is of paramount importance. Bentley doesn't like clothes, but I need to find a sweater that covers his joints yet won't allow him to wriggle out of it in xxs.

Thanks again for any advice or insight! I appreciate all suggestions and thoughts. I don't want to loose my baby, but I don't want him to suffer.

[buddybear]

. I am confused about aspirin. When I had Buddybear into the ER the vet was adamant that it's imperative to NEVER give him aspirin. I didn't ask why, which I wish I had now. Did your vet prescribe 1/4 of a baby aspirin? If so how often? For what conditions?
Thanks, Buddybear s mom

Originally Posted by Yorkie Mom2

Bentley is very timid and nervous. He has another adult Yorkie in the house, Porsche. She will be 12 in November. They have been together since I got Bentley when he was 4 years old. He is very submissive to her.

We put pumpkin in their food to help with the diarrhea. It really seems to work, yet it is difficult to get him to eat anything in the winter, even with hand feeding.

I will definitely be talking to the vet about pain meds. I already give 1/4 baby aspirin on bad days during the winter. It is always a balance between eating/diarrhea and pain.

I just want to help my baby and give him a quality life in his later years.

Thank you for all the advice,
Porsche and Bentley's mom

[Yorkie Mom2]

Yes, my vet said I could give 1/4 baby aspirin to help with pain. The dosage was based on Bentley's weight.
I would appreciate any other experiences or advice on this matter.

[Yorkie Mom2]

Thank you everyone for all of the good advice. I will definitely look into some of your suggestions. Of course, I will talk to my vet about these issues.