Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi all,
My Harry is really losing his appetite and I'm a little overwhelmed by all the info out there on cancer diets. He has been off his usual dry for weeks and is on so many meds (anti nausea, anti diarrhea, antacid, palladia, cyclophosphamide, frusemide) I can't say I'm surprised. I understand the premise of home made meals (high protein low carb etc) but how much should a 60 kilo dog be eating? Right now he's eating whatever I can get into him (mostly cooked chicken breast and veggies) along with the K9 Immunity , but I'm worried I'm not going to be meeting all his nutritional needs and that he's not eating enough.
I know all the info. out there can be soooooo overwhelming regarding nutrition!
It's good that you are getting him to eat the chicken and veggies, especialy with all the "stuff" he's on! So, even though you had to switch off the dry, is his appetite still pretty good with the chicken, etc.? I've started using "The Honest Kitchen" dehydrated food to mix in with the homecooking and I feel like she's gettng her nutrition that way.. They'll send you free samples so you can see if Harry likes it mixed with his chicken.
You can order here on the site, or through Amazon...either way, it helps out Tripawds when ordering that way.
I feel like that mixture provides her all the nutrients. I add salmon fish oil capsules, sometimes sardines, K-9 Imminity, Apocaps , sometimmes Vitamin E and sometimes Bone Meal by KAL. Sometimes I'll do dry...EVO or Merrick.
You can also "google" caloric requirements by weight for dogs. Right now though, just get him to eat as much as you can!! If his eating issues get too whacky, your vet may want to take him off one of te chemo pills for a short time to see if it improves.
You're doing everything possible for Harry! He's still having a good time and that's all that matters!!
Sending you lots of hugs!
Sally and Happy Hannah
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Yep, the meds sure can cause a decrease in appetite. Not only can they cause upset stomach but they also make the stomach feel full, which I just learned in our Tripawd Talk Radio interview with holistic vet Dr. McCullough. Who knew?! You may want to talk to your vet about reducing his medications to get him to start eating again. And definitely make sure he's eating before introducing anything new into his diet. Eating is priority #1 here.
And you have every right to feel overwhelmed with all of the diet and nutrition info out there. Between the crackpots selling snake oil cures and the real docs with legitimate information, how does anyone get through it all?
Out of the books out there, these are the ones we've read that we know have easy to follow, reputable information:
and
Also, Dr. McCullough has excellent diet advice here:
Diets for cancer in cats and dogs- You are what you eat, a fighting cancer machine
Ideally if you can work with a holistic practitioner who can guide you in finding a good diet for Harry that would be perfect. But if not, these books are a great start. Let us know what you decide and give our love to Harry.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
I'm sorry Harry isn't feeling up to snuff. The one thing I learned during all these cancer treatments and meds that Atlas has undergone is to listen to him. I gave him choices and went with whatever he wanted. I think his body told him what he needed and I just tried to supply it. When he was having a hard time keeping food down, dr. Williams advised me to make him chicken soup and give him a lot of the broth so he could have nourishment. I was shocked when I offered him a tasty bowl of chicken soup with chunks of chicken and veggies, he just drank all the broth and left the bits. Then after a couple days when he was feeling better he started clearing the bowl and eating it all. Try not to feel stress or anxiety when presenting his meals as they pick up on that and might shy away from the 'anxiety causing' food bowl. And try not to make a fuss or over coddle when offering food. It's best if you can just act normal as you did all the years of feeding Harry, dogs thrive from routine, routine, routine. I know all these drugs have physiological tolls on them, but I've had success with focusing on what I could change....environment and behavior.
Patricia & Mighty Atlas
Although we are not dealing with cancer, and therefore Murphy's diet requirements are a bit different than a lot of the dogs here, he did go off his feed when we brought him home from the hospital. He had lost weight while there, but we were thinking it was the whole hospital situation that made him lose his appetite. It turned out that what he really wanted was his regular kibble instead of the combo of a different brand of kibble along with wet food that he had been getting at the hospital. Once I switched back to the food he was used to, he started eating normally again. Could it be that you might put just a bit of Harry's regular kibble in with the "super foods" that he is getting now? Maybe he is looking for something that makes him feel "normal".
Just a thought.
Kathi and Murphy
Murphy is a five year old Lab/Chessie cross. He was hit by a car on 10/29/12 and became a Tripawd on 11/24/12. On 2/5/13, he had a total hip replacement on his remaining back leg. He has absolutely no idea that he has only three legs!
UPDATE: Murphy lived his life to the fullest, right up until an aggressive bone lesion took him across the Rainbow Bridge on April 9, 2015 and he gained his membership in the April Angels. Run free, my love. You deserve it!
You're not alone. Chico recently "decided" he no longer liked his kibble. First I started putting canned food over his kibble (he eats Wellness Core grain free and I topped it with Weruva canned.) That was good for a few days and then he didn't want that.
One thing that my pet store recommended was tripe. Green beef trip over the kibble. Well, he devoured the tripe but still didn't want the kibble. But at least he ate something! I've decided to keep a can of tripe around for emergencies!
Next a friend suggested a food called My Perfect Pet. I found a bag locally and he loved it and so I ended up buying a couple cases (my GAWD it is expensive, but our fur babies are worth it, right?). So twice a day I lovingly hand feed him this and he loves it. He has gone from a listless dog (who I thought wouldn't survive past Thanksgiving) to a happy, healthy-looking dog! I'm so happy!
alinnell said
Next a friend suggested a food called My Perfect Pet. I found a bag locally and he loved it and so I ended up buying a couple cases (my GAWD it is expensive, but our fur babies are worth it, right?). So twice a day I lovingly hand feed him this and he loves it. He has gone from a listless dog (who I thought wouldn't survive past Thanksgiving) to a happy, healthy-looking dog! I'm so happy!
Thanks for this info, we'll be sure to put it in the Tripawds Nutrition blog . Glad to hear that Chico loves it!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
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