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We are on day 12 of chemo, a month past amputation, and I am really struggling trying to get this girl to eat. They want me to get her off of the Cerena, and the other stomach med and appetite stimulant if I can, but she is just totally hit and miss. she has lost so much weight. The other night I broke down when she was begging for a pork neck, and also gave a bit of pork chunks. She is sick and tired of dehydrated food, will only eat a bit of canned, so I have six open cans of food in the fridge right now, and three other dogs who eat raw.
I am wondering if it would be that bad to start some raw back in to get her to eat? Surely getting her to eat is more important than whether she has the odd raw meal?
I am no vet by any means but I'm with you in thinking your girl needs to eat something. Especially, if she's dropping lots of weight. My Leland didn't go through chemo but I would think the body needs nourishment to battle the cancer and manage the chemo. After Leland's amp we had a hard time getting him to eat. I was to the point of cooking him steak, pork chops, chicken, and mixing it with rice to get some food in him. I think you need to whatever you have to get your girl to eat at this point and then make adjustments once you're passed the chemo hurdle.
Sahana and her Angel Leland and Lucian too
November 17, 2009 - June 30, 2014
May you finally be healthy and running free at the Rainbow Bridge. Until we meet again my sweet boy!
I think it's so pawsome you feed your dogs raw. At some point when things calm down, if you'd like to submit a guest blog post for the Tripawds Nutrition blog about your experience with raw, we'd be so grateful. But meanwhile let's see how we can get your girl to eat!
As you know oncos are dead-set against raw feeding when a dog is on chemo. And of course for good reason, the risk of the stray salmonella germ is especially dangerous on a dog with a severely compromised immune system.
But in the meantime if your dog is already used to eating raw, and you have as much experience with it as you sound like, then you need to do what you and your pack is most comfortable with and what gets her to eat. Have you tried any of the Primal Freeze-Dried Raw Foods? Or lightly cooking her food so that the salmonella risk is decreased? Even Dr. Dressler of the Dog Cancer Survival Guide says this is fine.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
they told me that "maybe" dehydrated would be ok, but she is so limited in the amount she likes (pork, beef, and occasionally lamb or goat), so she is already sick of it. I have been trying to get her to eat canned food, as well as cooked liver on kibble, which she will eat some of the time. I do wonder though, with the amount of salmonella in dry dog foods, why it is so important to only go with commercial foods when truly, cancer feeds off carbs and what I am feeding is essentially carb free. This whole thing with raw food being so "unhealthy" to humans just boggles my mind, because my food is purchased at a grocery store, and is the same food handled by people for their own consumption, so if it is true that it is so deadly, why are more people not getting sick from handling their own food? Just my little rant here 
I guess my thinking is at this point I have to weigh giving her meds they want her off, and losing more weight, with adding the occasional raw meal into the mix. Poor girl was 140 pounds pre amputation, and she can't live off one of those tiny cans of a/d per day.
I usually have about 6 cans of food open in the fridge at one time, and have no less than 9 bags of kibble I have been trying to tempt her with, as well as searing the raw meat, or dehydrating.
I can definitely see your challenge. By any chance are you trying to hide pills in the food? I've been told not to do it, that dogs will associate icky pills=food and not want to eat.
Regarding
This whole thing with raw food being so "unhealthy" to humans just boggles my mind, because my food is purchased at a grocery store, and is the same food handled by people for their own consumption, so if it is true that it is so deadly, why are more people not getting sick from handling their own food?
There's a fantastic article in the March issue of Whole Dog journal about this very topic. It's got to do with a recent FDA regulation that says "prepackaged" foods that humans come into contact with must have less than X-amount of salmonella germs in the product. Prepackaged dog food is now one of these foods that fall into the ruling, which is why there are so many more recalls. However, the FDA also considers it a given that raw meats you buy at the grocery store will have more than X-amount of salmonella on them, so the ruling doesn't apply. Makes no sense to me!
Have you ever tried Dr. Harvey's? It's a great balance between raw feeding and home cooking.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I never give pills in food. The only thing I hide in food is their golden paste. I have had dogs for so many years I am a pro at just popping pills down the back of their throat
I saw the article you are talking about!
I'm not sure Dr. Harvey's would work as she won't eat anything that has additives. Even her Kefir in the morning must be straight, I can't hide her probiotic supplement in it. She is a real problem child when it comes to food. Good thing she is perfect in every other way 🙂
So you are totally up on raw feeding, I love it!
Hmm. When you mean "additives" you mean the herbs that are in Dr. Harvey's food?
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm a raw feeder as well. We start chemo next week and I figure I will do a mix of high quality kibble so she can eat when she wants and give canned at set times. She's always been a thief when she can sneak kibble from someone else so I'm hopping it will work. I understood that they can have cooked meat though as in home cooked diets. Not sure if you've already tried or looked into that. Unfortunately for me I'm a vegetarian so me cooking meat will be a very last resort.
personally I would never have stopped feeding raw. I have 6 raw fed dogs, and while most of the vets here are strongly against raw they know it is NOT negotiable at all. I do not vaccinate, nor do I believe in spay neuter (or breeding unless there are homes and health tests ect ect)
I would feed your dog what she will eat. If its raw then I would feed raw!
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