princeton is hospitalized

[Nikitta34]

Melissa,
Meg has eaten the "Embark" and "Thrive" formulas. I think "Embark" is probably a better choice. The two formulas seem to have a similar scent, although I haven't tasted it, so I'm not sure if they taste the same. The "Embark" is meant for puppies, lactating dogs, active dogs, etc, so that is probably the best choice. Just keep in mind that the "Preference" formula requires you to add meat (protein). I personally am more comfortable feeding a dog food that is complete in and of itself, so I haven't tried "Preference."

So... hydrate the food with warm water and let it stand on the counter for 5-10 min. Then mix a little bit in with some home-cooked food. Of course take it slow and do a 25%-75% ratio to start with.

I was able to get a couple sample bags for free when I first tried The Honest Kitchen. If the store you're going to has samples, try a few different varieties out before you buy a big bag. Also, they have travel size bags (4 oz), which might be a good way to see what flavors Prince will like.

Also, Honest Kitchen has different types of food, ie: grain-free vs. with grain. I have gone with teh grain-free just because it is has less filler. Since Meg eats so little, I want to make sure that what she does eat is as jam-packed full of nutrients as possible.

I hope this works!!! Also, try leaving the food out for a little while. You mentioned that you tried feeding Prince at 7am, then were going to feed again in 4 hours. Obviously with a wet food, you can't leave it out the entire time, but if Meg's not sleeping, I try to leave her food out. She will take a break from playing and will run over and slurp up a bit of food, then go back to playing. I'd eventually like to put her on a scheduled feeding routing, but.... for the meantime, I just want her to eat.

Let me know how it works out. I'm praying for you both. Also, try not to be stressed about how much he's eating. I think dogs have an ability to pick up on our emotions, and it might be stressing him out. Good luck!

[Nikitta34]

Melissa,
In response to your "could I be ruining his appetite with the Nutri-Cal" .... Here is what ChattiesMom wrote to me a while back:

"One more thought - I have found that giving just a tiny bit of Nutri-cal (I'm talking English Pea size) will help boost the appetite. Too much will raise the blood sugar level enough to take away the appetite."

Maybe try giving a smaller amount of the Nutri-Cal before his meal, then if he won't eat after ~1 hr, try giving him a little more Nutri-Cal to supplement.

[Nikitta34]

How's he doing?

[melissa912]

hes not doing too good.. i ordered some samples of the honest kitchen so im waiting on that because i didnt want to buy a big bag and have him not like it.. so i tried to feed him the canned food he has here (which he used to love) & it just wasnt working.. i was worried so i tried giving him human food (grillede chicken egg white rice carrots) he wouldnt touch that either!! he refuses all food & im serious.. he wont eat ANYTHING anymore and im totally freaking out. last night he started showing signs of hypo so i had to put the canned food in the blender with water and syringe him which i really didnt want to do.. he will lick yogurt off my finger & the nutracal but he wont eat. he picks the food up walks away and drops it somewhere else. even the humanfood which he LOVES so now im thinking hes sick.. UGH i dont want to bring him back to the vet.. ive been praying for a miracle here! my bf even went to the store and got diff types of canned.. he wont touch anything. its 8am here and he ate some babyfood & yogurt and i just dont think its enough. my bf even considered letting some one take care of him for a while with more experience even tho this would break my heart.. i dont know if im doing something wrong!! i dont want him sick again :'(

[Nikitta34]

Just wrote back to your PM. I'm praying for you both. Hang in there... I wonder if he has an upset tummy from trying all teh different foods? He hasn't been throwing up or hacking at all, has he?

Will he eat treats or biscuits? I wonder if he just doesn't like his food or if he's really nauseous. It seems unusual that he doesn't even want to eat the people food he was eating before.

Did you try not giving as much Nutri-Cal? It might be taking away his appetite. ????

[Ellie May]

How many vets has he seen or have you been with the same one?

Have you tried hard food again? Maybe his palette is changing and he wants to crunch? lol, it's worth a try.

If you have been with the same vet, I think it's time for a switch. The new vet may not run more tests (or they may) but they may be able to help you get him to eat which your current vet doesn't seem to have too big of an interest in.

It seems the best you can do is keep liquifying the canned food until somebody comes up with a better idea, and as long as you are there all the time and are willing to do whatever you need to do, I'm not sure how anyone else could do any better unless you are talking about a vet or tech who can use IVs, etc. ddddddddddd If it continues though, he may need to stay at a vet's office and other methods may have to be used to get something into him.

He may truly not be hungry because of the Nutrical. Do you give it right before meals?

[altigger74]

Morning! I have some ideas that might help. When I babysat my SIL 1.3lb baby I was terrified that she would go hypo on me cause she wouldn't eat anything either. So here are a few things I tried and she ended up eating like a little pig. First thing in the morning (cause that is when she would usually go down from sleeping all night) I would give her a tiny bit of the nutracal, after about 30 mins she would eat usually baby oatmeal cereal mixed with puppy replacemnt milk, she would lap that up, I would also change up and feed her boiled hamburger and cottage cheese. I had to make sure it was warm or she wouldn't touch it I also would feed her every two to three hours. She thrived. In the week I had her she gained 3 oz. She also loved goats milk. I can understand your frustration and worry. I was cooking everything and buying everything I could think of to get her to eat. But the two meals I mentioned above is what I found she would eat like crazy and make sure it is warmed up.

I hope this helps

[melissa912]

i've been with the same vet and he is worried, he calls me everyday to check on prince. he knows ive been having trouble getting him back on the dog food but i would always have the option of the human food if nothing else worked. now i dont even have that option bc he refuses that also. i havent informed him of this yet because it just started yesterday.

i tried your idea with only give a peasized amount of nutracal b4 meals then if he wont eat giving a little more. that didnt work either.. he just doesnt care about food. i tried feeding him in his crate. he gets distracted really easy. he doesnt even drink anymore..im syringing him water and food every2 hours. i feel like we are taking steps backward here. i wish i never ever started the homecooked i dont think hes nauseous bc he wants to eat yogurt and cheerios all the BAD stuff .. hes not hacking or vomitting. he wants to play and run..

me & my bf are just a mess.. we dont know what else to do. we want to enjoy prince and this situation is depressing us both. should i be calling the vet?

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by melissa912

i've been with the same vet and he is worried, he calls me everyday to check on prince. he knows ive been having trouble getting him back on the dog food but i would always have the option of the human food if nothing else worked. now i dont even have that option bc he refuses that also. i havent informed him of this yet because it just started yesterday.

i tried your idea with only give a peasized amount of nutracal b4 meals then if he wont eat giving a little more. that didnt work either.. he just doesnt care about food. i tried feeding him in his crate. he gets distracted really easy. he doesnt even drink anymore..im syringing him water and food every2 hours. i feel like we are taking steps backward here. i wish i never ever started the homecooked i dont think hes nauseous bc he wants to eat yogurt and cheerios all the BAD stuff .. hes not hacking or vomitting. he wants to play and run..

me & my bf are just a mess.. we dont know what else to do. we want to enjoy prince and this situation is depressing us both. should i be calling the vet?

At the time you started homecooking, I'm not sure you had a choice. You had to get something into him. Someday when he has a stomach ache, it is likely that he will need chicken and rice (people food) unless a prescription diet ended up working, so it's not always best to avoid people food.

If you can't force feed a balanced diet (like canned food), yes, I would talk to the vet.

Can you list the canned foods you have tried though?
Some of the higher quality kinds may not be too palatable and he may need something lower quality for now.

[melissa912]

he has tried lower quality like cesars amd mighty dog. my bf is insisting i find someone in our area to take over bc he physically cant do it anymore and im crying

[ARCHIE]

Honey, I feel so bad for you. I can't imagine why the stinker won't eat!
They say a dog will never starve itself, I hope that's true.
Sending prayer's to both of you. Hope you find a solution soon for
your own sanity and Princeton's health.


Hugs,

[melissa912]

i jus got back from the store i couldnt wait for the honest kitchen samples so i bought the thrive box.. im going to try it in about half hour..lets prayy for this... any suggestions on preparing his meal? jus add warm water nd weight 10mins?

[Nikitta34]

Mix according to the ratio on the box. Use warm water. Make the consistency something Prince would like ---- thicker, thinner, etc. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes on teh counter, then try to feed it alone, or add some of what used to be his favorite foods.

Maybe put some on teh floor or on your fingers, and let him lick it. Don't force him to eat it for now... Just let him explore it.

Don't cry!!! Do'nt be stressed! If Prince sees mealtime as a stressful time, he might refuse to eat.

If I were you, I'd put some plain out, see if he eats it. If not (after, say, 10 min), I'd make a big deal of adding cottage cheese, chicken, etc, to it. Let him see you add it, and make your voice really excited about it.

I hope it works.

[wemple2]

Well, how did it go? Did Princeton eat? Hoping and praying he did!

[melissa912]

nope no luck at all, he wouldnt touch the honest kitchen. he did eat some plain chicken but very little. i left the food with him for 15mins then syringe feed him. my boyfriends mom came over and did it for us tonight because we are so drained. he hates the syringe and we have to hold him tight and force it.. i spoke to a family friend who is a vet tech and she gave us some advice.

she said from now on.. give prince the puppy food in the same bowl and same place everyday. leave him with the food for 20mins. after 20 mins remove the food and syringe feed. soon he will learn that there is no more homecooked or handfeeding and he only has 2 choices eat his food or get fed with the syringe. we cant leave any food besides his dry with him in between feedings and NO TREATS to spoil is appetite. he is spoiled and needs a little tough love. we are going to do this everyday. hope he catches on quick.