Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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So I bought the soft chews for Rocky about a month ago. He wouldn't take them as a treat, but for about a week or so I got him to take it by hiding it in other treats. But he's caught on, and now I can't get him to take it for anything. I've covered it in peanut butter, I've tried steak sauce, I've tried hiding it in various meats. No luck. He wants absolutely no part of it.
Is it worth buying and trying the capsule versions?
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Oh drats I'm sorry! Sometimes the fishy flavor can really be a turn off for dogs, it's not the first time I've heard that.
The capsules have pros and cons. They don't have a strong fishy aroma but if Rocky isn't picky about pulling pills out of his food, you may be able to do it. But if you have to force him to take any pills then I wouldn't try, it may just turn him off of eating in general and you definitely don't want that.
K9 Medicinals has just created a product similar to K9 Immunity but without the fishy flavor or pills. It's a liver flavored powder and I'm hearing good things about it. If you bought the chews from them you may want to give them a call and ask about Armor-Up.
ARMOR-UP® details:
- Contains #1 Clinically Studied Antioxidant and Probiotic
- 100% Human Grade Ingredients & Made to Human Standards in an approved and inspected FDA facility
- NO sugar, starch or blood-glucose elevators.
- Yummy beef flavor. Dogs love the taste.
- 100% Made and sourced in the USA
- Many dogs show more vigor and energy within a week, some dogs take up to four weeks to show improvement.
- Medicinal Mushrooms Certified Organic (one strain of chaga is northern forest “wild” – eco-responsibly harvested)
- NO FILLERS! This formula’s base is 100% USA sourced, human grade – Beef Liver, Chicken and whole egg.
- 100% Manufactured in USA – GMP – FDA – USDA
- Clinically Proven – Patent Pending – Guaranteed!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Unfortunately, we're already to the point of him not eating. He's got a skin infection on his belly now too. So he's taking Cephalexin for that along with his Palladia. He's very distrustful of any hot dogs/meats I try to give him now. The only way I can get him to take his meds is if I get myself some grilled chicken and then hide them in a piece for him. It's a struggle to get him to eat his kibble as well (even though I've never tried to mix pills with it), but he goes out in the backyard and eats rabbit poop he finds. Go figure.
So the capsule probably isn't a good idea then. But I'll check on the Armor-Up. That may be the way for us to go. Thanks!
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Hi David!
Sorry to hear that Rocky isn't wanting to eat. Izzy used K9 Immunity Plus for a LONG time and we switched to Armor-Up because it was supposed to be all that AND a bag of chips! Izzy enjoyed the soft chews so I didn't change her over to the powder for any other reason aside from the fact that Dorla, the president of K9 Medicinals recommended it to me. It's beef flavored and you only need a tiny bit, so it's super easy to hide in food.
Have you tried canned food? Adding chicken broth to the kibble? (Especially WARM broth). Dogs looooove some stinky stuff so maybe that will help? I'm not a great resource since Izzy took pills like they were treats but hopefully this helps.
P.S. - I have some Armor Up left if you want me to send it to you. Not sure there is a ton but surely enough to sort out if Rocky will accept it. Just PM me your info if you want it! 🙂
P.P.S. - Is Rocky taking Pepcid? You might try adding some (Izzy took 20 mg 2x daily - she weighed about 55 pounds). He might just have an upset tummy and the Palladia can do that. From what I understand, Pepcid (Famotidine) is standard alongside Palladia dosing.
Let me know!
Amy
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
ROCKY!!! Isn't bunny poop the best treat evvvver??! My Happy Hannah loved deer poop as well as vunny poop!
Now Rocky, while that's a yummy vegetarian treat, you still need to eat other things, okay?
A couple of foods pups generally cannot resist, try PET FRESH. You'll find it refrigerated in the pet secrion of Whole Foods, as well as Target. Also Honest Kitchen is another one to try.
Also, ask Rocky's Onco abput stretching out the time between Palladia treatments and see if that helps with his appetite.
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
Fresh Pet worked for a little bit, but he won't eat that now either. The broth would probably work. I got a French Dip (for me) last week and poured some of the au jus into his kibble and he ate it then. I went out of town yesterday, so my mom watched him most of the day. He ate with their two dogs, so competition for food doesn't hurt either. They also eat a different type of kibble, so I may buy a small bag of what they eat to see if that works.
I've got him on Pepcid. I've asked the oncologist about his lack of appetite and she said the Cephalexin (as well as the Palladia) can cause that. I gave him some sliced turkey (with nothing hidden in it) this morning and he sniffed it for a bit and gave me this wary look. He finally tried it and when he realized it didn't have any pills, he kept eating. Then I went to the pantry to get his Cephalexin and he wouldn't touch anything I gave him after that. So I'm going to have to move his pills too.
The K9 Immunity is a different beast though. I've tried putting it with steak, and as soon as he sniffs the K9I, he turns his nose up. I even let it soak in some of the juice from steak hoping that would drown out the scent, and he still wouldn't touch it.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
Drats I'm sorry he's not eating a whole lot. Yes, the Cephalexin is strong stuff, it can definitely do a number on the appetite.
Try these pill hiding tips too, something here might work. Sorry if I've already shown them to you, I can't recall:
How to Hide Pet Medication (and Get Your Tripawd Eating)
Let us know what works OK? We have our paws crossed he'll get eating again. That "I don't want to eat this" look is the hardest thing ever isn't it?
P.S. Amy, that is so nice of you to offer the Armor-Up.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Cottage cheese! I forgot to mention that - it's already lumpy so is a good "hiding place"! If Rocky's never had it before, I'd say introduce it pill free so he learns to love the lumps - and try to get the large curd kind ... better to disguise pills in 🙂
Totally happy to send along the Armor-Up, or even just some of it if you aren't sure. No sense in it going to waste!
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
The good news:
He eats Canidae grain-free food. I normally switch up the flavors when I buy a new bag. Right now, we're on the Duck, and I thought maybe he just doesn't want that. So I snagged a small bag of the Bison flavor tonight. I put some on a regular plate instead of his doggy bowl. After sniffing it for a few seconds, he ate it all. I put some more down and he took that too. He declined third helpings, but he ate about as much as he normally would. Hopefully that will continue in the morning.
I also picked up some of those pill pocket treats too. I really didn't think they'd work, but I got him to take his Pepcid and Cephalexin with them no problem. The K9 I think is too big to fit, but I may try that later. I decided to keep using grilled chicken for the Palladia, since he deserves something extra special for that.
The bad news:
When I came home, he was walking with a bit of a hunch. He's been licking at his rear end for a bit, and I assumed it was related to the skin infection on his belly. But after feeling around under his tail, I think I found another tumor. Although this one feels softer than the confirmed OSA ones. He's back walking normally now and seems to feel OK. We're already going to the oncologist for a follow-up Wednesday, so now we've got another spot for her to check.
Amy,
Thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it. I may very well take you up on it depending on what happens Wednesday. I'll PM you.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
OKAY ROCKY! YOU GET A HUGE YAAAAAAAAAY FOR EATING!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
And let's hope that tail lump is some sort of cycst that form under the tail sometimes.
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!
izzysmomma said
Cottage cheese! I forgot to mention that - it's already lumpy so is a good "hiding place"! If Rocky's never had it before, I'd say introduce it pill free so he learns to love the lumps - and try to get the large curd kind ... better to disguise pills in 🙂
Yup!! Was going to write the same thing. We would not have gotten this far without the trusted cottage cheese. Spoon-fed, mind you. Very important that.
Guardian of Manni the Wonderdog. -Or was it the other way around?
Osteo and amputation in Dec 2015. Second, inoperable, primary osteosarcoma found in June 2017.
The end of our adventures came Dec 10, 2017. 2 years to the day.
Quick update:
Rocky had his check up today. None of his three tumors have shrunk, but they haven't grown either, so we're sticking with the Palladia for another month. The new one under his tail is benign. So we had a good visit.
The oncologist is worried about his lack of appetite. He finished the Cephalexin today, so we're going to wait a week to see if his appetite improves once that's out of his system. I suspect that's the culprit, but we'll see. I picked up some chicken broth tonight. Cottage cheese will be next. I don't have any problem getting him to eat Chick-Fil-A grilled nuggets though.
I gave him a few treats last night and he took them. I tried to get sly and slipped a K9 Immunity in there. As he soon as he got it in his mouth, he spit it back out and gave me a "what are you trying to pull?" look. I guess I'm going to have to look into the Armor Up.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
David, that IS good news!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Actually, under the circumstances, it's GREAT NEWS!!! And the new lumpmisnjust a lump!!! YAY!!! 🙂 The Palladia is keeping things at bay.....very encouraging! Dropping the antibiotic may be the solution to Rocky getting his appetite back. In the mea time, keep giving him Chik-Fil-A!!! Whatever he'll eat!! And no sense in trying to be "sly" with the pills....this Rocky fella' is waaay ahead of you!! 🙂
Time for pictures!!
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
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!
Got the Armor-Up today. Thanks Amy!
He's still not eating breakfast, but I've been putting chicken broth over his kibble at dinner. It's kind of funny. He looks at his dish, sniffs it for a bit, pulls a piece or two of kibble out, sniffs some more, slowly starts to eat and then comes to the conclusion it's pretty good and scarfs it all down.
I put the Armor-Up over it before adding the broth, and he ate it all tonight. Hopefully that continues.
In the meantime, I need to work on uploading some more photos.
David and Rocky (and Baxter now too!)
Rocky had his right front leg amputated on Valentine's Day 2017 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.
He joined the September Saints on September 3, 2017.
He is the toughest, bravest, sweetest and best friend I'll ever know.
YaY! Don't know if you've been heating the broth, but sometimes it helps ... aroma and all that jazz. I've got my fingers crossed that Rocky gets on board with eating his dinner and I'll tell Izzy to go whisper in his ear. She was a BIG proponent of eating ... in fact, her oncology nurse even mentioned her love of food in his sympathy card. Even on her very last day, she didn't fail to "rally" in the face of a snack! So glad it arrived so quickly and that he at least took the first dose without issue. Baby steps!
Here's to a healthy appetite!
~Amy & my beautiful spirit piggy girl, Izzy 
Momma to the world's most beautiful American Bulldog, Izzy!! Lost her front leg to OSA 9/18/15. Diagnosed w MCT in June 2016. Celebrated her 1 year ampuversary with knee surgery on 9/18/16! MCT recurrence in Dec 2016. Happy & hungry til nearly 14, earning her wings on 7/31/17.
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