Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Crap, it's not been a good couple of days. Tika stopped eating entirely, everything, even the old standbys. I about went into cardiac arrest when she refused cheese. The cheesehound refused cheese.
She has been off her food ever since our trip, but getting by, and for Tika it's not unusual, she can be a real finicky eater when she wants to be, I had blamed the hubby for spoiling her also.
However, that seems to not be the case. After phone calls, panic attacks, trying to hard, crying, trying again, panicking, oh, did I mention crying? What little she had eaten in the last several days went right through her. Rapid fire diarrhea.
But, Tika finally started to fuss with food again. As of right now, she's kept her several small meals into her system for 4-5 hours which has been a record.
Yes, her highness is being hand fed at the moment. And there's criteria...food cannot have any smell to it. How's that for a dog? I thought the requirement was, the worse it smelled the better it was?
I've been following the other posts about GI issues, but we've ruled out all the usual suspects as of right now. The oncologist thinks that reaction to the antibiotic she was on (no longer, was Cipro) or the lung mets, she hasn't been on Palladia long enough and she had the symptoms before that even (she's only had three doses of Palladia right now).
There's been no vomiting, only gagging once The next day she was all over the cottage cheese and pumpkin like "Where's this been all my life" Today. It's, please, take this from my sight.
However, it really hasn't been her true finickiness. She's noticeably lost weight (however, she's had a few pounds she's been saving for a rainy day). We also noticed that she's developed a nasty little infection in both her eyes, luckily we have the stuff to treat this.
We started her on Cerenia, an anti-nausea medicine (even tho' she's not puking), it's what I call Doggie Dramamine. I was on Reglan for a while which was for the same purpose, GI issues. Hopefully, the Cerenia doesn't affect Tika like Reglan did moi. (Which was, ooo, look, sparkly things...) This isn't supposed to take effect for another 48 hours or so.
But back on topic, I did get her to eat. AS LONG AS FOOD DIDN'T HAVE A STRONG SMELL. Here's what worked for us, in case it helps somebody else.
Boiled chicken-yes
Boiled low fat ground beef-yes (I made this into little meatballs tonight, tomorrow I'm making another batch with rice and parsley)
Her favorite duck breast jerky treats-yes
Any canned or dry dog food--NO (oh, and resident cat reluctantly volunteered some of her stinky cat food...NO!)
Pumpkin or cottage cheese-first yes, then no.
I am hand feeding her the boiled meats in small bits, which takes awhile, but she will get at least 8-10oz down. I made the mistake of calculating what she should be having calorie-wise vs. what actually was being consumed and that freaked me out. (Considering I'm calculating calories for a low-metabolism, three-legged couch potato, it was truly scary, the numbers for the last several days was around 300 actually consumed vs. 1200 needed. And that 300 was going through her at break neck pace)
So, to my actual point. Has anyone got any clues what the I'll eat but it can't smell, and I don't promise that I'll do it next feeding episode is about? Last night and today was hard because she didn't even yell at us for her food, and I tell you that was hard.
My sweetheart (both of them) are laying by me right now, I'm afraid to go to bed because they are resting so comfortably, and they need it. (So do I!)
Besides the nerve-wracking coughs that are becoming more common, she's not really breathing hard. She did go for walks this weekend, shortened and at whatever pace she wanted.
I'm just confused and scared I guess. I realize I'm all over the place with this post, I apologize, everything has seemed to be hitting hard this past two weeks.
I hope everybody is doing okay.
--Kim
Kim and Spirit Tika http://www.tika.....ogspot.com
Kim, you don't need to apologise for anything, we are all here for you and understand completely why you're so worried. Big hugs going out to you, we know what an emotional wreck this disease can turn us all into. I'm so sorry you're up so late writing about this.
Not eating anything stinky is a new one to me, and your info will definitely help others who experience it with their pups. The stinkier the better always worked for Jer, I wish I could help there. But the boiled chicken does sound like a winner. I say stick with that until she turns her nose up at it. What about turkey? Or chicken livers?
As for the finicky part, well, that is very familiar to us when Jerry's mets got bad. I swear it just felt like we were going in circles, trying new things every day ranging from venison to beef heart, and wondering what he would or wouldn't eat next. It took all of my being not to get upset at him when he wouldn't eat. It was very hard to watch him sniff something and look away, then not eat at all. I cried a lot. We just want to see them eat, and when they don't, it just hurts so much. Hand feeding did work well with him.
I wish there was an appetite stimulant that worked for a situation like this. We had Jer on Prednisone when his eating stopped, and while it did help his appetite, it just wreaked havoc on everything else. I hated it. I wish there was something better we could give them when they don't want to eat.
Overall though, it does sound like she's getting around and not getting slow or lethargic, right? That's a good thing, a really good thing.
Day by day, that's all anyone can do, just try to get over the little hurdles that come up. And remember, we are here when you want to talk. Much love going out to you. Keep us posted.
-Rene
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Kim, I'm sorry that Tika has gone off her food. I know it's scary.
When Rocky hit a rough patch in his recovery and stopped eating, I was a basket case. I would hand feed him piece by piece, all the while sobbing, begging him to please eat for mommy.
It sounds like you've done a good job in finding bland foods that she will eat. I guess just like people, when your feeling nauseous, you don't want to smell anything - it just makes it worse.
I will be thinking of you and Tika today.
Michelle
Hi family of Tika
So sorry Tika and consequently you are having such a hard time these days. Having a dog who normally will eat ANYTHING (yep, well mushrooms he takes and hides in the next room, then returns to ask for something else, but EVERYTHING else), it is scary to see a dog turn his entire head and neck away from food in the most dramatic fashion possible.
When Tazzie stopped eating after chemo, at first I though it was non-smelly foods that worked. I started with baby food and cottage cheese, those sorts of things, but they were not good enough. He would not even eat cheese - normally I lose a few fingers if offering cheese.
The first food he did accept after a couple of days (meanwhile I had to force the Cerenia down his throat) was straight-up meat. Boiled chicken and then stew meat provided by a hunter-friend (it was not beef), grilled in a pan. Any form of dog or cat food, including kibble and cans (I tried about 5 kinds of kibble and 5 brands of canned food), were not acceptable. (I would place about 8 bowls of different types of food on the floor for him to see if he would try something. He seemed hungry because he'd sometimes get up and sniff eat, and then turn away.) The grilled meat was very stinky but Tazzie still liked it. He also liked burger grilled in a pan, either the "game" meat (I hate that term) or regular burger from the store. I cannot say whether he would have eaten the meat when he was at his worst because I had none in the house to use.
Meat or chicken broth dribbled over his kibble did NOT help him eat the kibble. At some point, he would eat the chicken and stew broth, which is good for water and nutrition. When travelling, I made ice cubes from the stew broth. Very very fatty, but it got him drinking at a time when he normally dehydrates - long car rides. He seemed to really like them and I remember how Bob and Cherry said frozen food worked for them.
Two days ago, he lost part of his appetiite (this time we started with Cerenia at the time of chemo, so he was okay with food - not great - until we reached the four day max for the drug). He only had marginal interest in a baked organic roast (gees!), but I did not have any stinky stew meat on hand to do a side by side comparison.
So, my suggestion is to:
(1) try straight-up meat, boiled or grilled in a pan. Don't try to make kibble inviting.
(2) If you get some fresh broth (not the kind you buy at a store) from the meat or chicken, try freezing it into cubes. Tika might like those and they can be a source of water and fat to give her something. And maybe you can try some sort of frozen stick food similar to what worked for Bob (I'd have to check back to see those posts for specifics).
By the way, the very first kibble he ate after being fussy, and his continued preference, was Orijen. It is a kibble with high meat and protein content, along the lines of Evo, and the ingredients are supposedly sourced from free-range animals that have are not treated with drugs. I have been using it instead of Evo (a distant second choice to Orijen when conducting the recent taste tests).
Susan
p.s. A smelly sausage (also provided by the hunter) was taken pretty quickly. But Tazzie was willing to take things from this person more than me. He stopped trusting me completely (the foods I gave him often had pills hidden inside which he was quick to find when the appetite was gone).
At one point, I thought I would have to ask that person to feed Tazzie - Tazzie seems to view him as a treat machine.
Hi everybody:
Thanks for the support. I guess the one thing I didn't add was that she is very much slowed down and very lethargic. I can get her up and moving, but it doesn't take her long to just lay back down. Monday and Tuesday she was very quiet also and that is heart rending.
This morning, our neighbors cat made the mistake of being in our back yard. Even with the ensuing circus of Caya chasing him all over, the cat winding up in the pool and doing a Michael Phelps impersonation and then finally getting out and up into a tree, Tika watched, but didn't participate.
However, later when I was up, Tim got her to eat some ground meat and a biscuit she seemed a bit more alert and did have it in her to cuss him out and Caya out before he left for work. I stayed with her a bit. I got her to go outside and she wandered around and seemed interested in extracting a mole that is in our yard, she also ate some grass, so I'm waiting to see that come back up.
I'm going to the store in a bit and getting some more burger and probably chicken livers, I might try baby food also, she used to love carrots, maybe mushed up baby food carrots will get her going.
Tomorrow she has her follow up, and we are going to decide whether or not to continue the Palladia and inhaled chemo. I'm starting to think we may not. I don't know.
The coughing is getting worse, however when she does cough something up (and it alwasy has to be on MY bare foot) it's been just regular goopy phlegm. No traces of blood.
Gosh, I wish they could talk.
Love to you all,
Kim
Kim and Spirit Tika http://www.tika.....ogspot.com
Dear Kim, We are so sorry Tika has not been feeling well. We have admired her picture! She is a beauty. My daughter has tried many times to get Romeo to wear a tiara with very limited success! Romeo is not doing chemo, but he has had a lifetime of gi issues. Boiled chicken has always worked for him. Also, turkey baby food (we buy gerber). He will lick it off a spoon. It is pretty bland, not much smell.
Also, have you tried hard boiled eggs? Romeo is a cheesehound too, and I think he loves hard boiled eggs just as much!
Hope you all feel better soon, Eve and Romeo
(p.s. Hope Tazzie is feeling better (all those new issues) too)
Hi Kim,
One of the hardest things for us was dealing with getting Boinka to eat. There was little rhyme or reason to the type (flavor, smell, etc) that I could discern, except if it had pills hidden cleverly in it, she would turn her nose to it the next time it was offered and thereafter.
Stinky cat food didn't really work with her either, but boiled chicken was also refused. It was really a crap-shoot. The one time she ate like she had always eaten before surgery was when we had invited some friends over for a Battlestar Galactica marathon and pizza party. She was there in the middle of the fun with us and getting lots of attention. When the pizzas came, I offered her a small piece, expecting her to turn her nose away, but no, she gobbled it up like she was her old self. She ate 4 pieces of pizza that night, kept it down, and had normal poop later.
The other times she would accept some food, thinking back, it was almost always food that I was eating while sitting next to her and would offer her a bite (scrambled eggs, pretzels, some spicy chicken we had on our dinner salads that she decided she liked). If I made something for her, but didn't eat with her, she would most often turn it away.
Don't know if this helps. It's difficult when there's so much going on with medications, the general stress of the whole situation, just "normal" adjustment period, etc, to know what's causing them to not want to eat. The only other advice I can offer is to ask your vet about checking kidney function.
Hugs,
Mel
Kim, Tika, and family,
First let us express our deepest concern, offer our prayers, and send all the pawsitive thoughts we can from California. Also, I appreciate your “banking” a few extra pounds for the proverbial rainy-day. I have also done this with Cherry who demonstrated many of the exact symptoms that you have mentioned during her chemotherapy treatments. I had to stuff nearly every morsel of food during that period, but there were some things that I did which did help. Also, smell and taste were extremely important to determine if I had any chance of Cherry taking food from me.
When our problem first appeared, our oncologist prescribed an appetite stimulant and as much as I try, I cannot find the exact drug since so many of her drugs have multiple purposes. There was a warning that it could cause dizziness and I do think that it did. I brushed Cherry’s teeth three times a day with a good enzyme toothpaste. While this was primarily to help remove the chemical taste from Cherry’s mouth, to this day it helps refresh her mouth and her appetite appears better when I brush at least once a day. I can totally relate to the issue of smell and taste. A few of the things that Cherry accepted were Soda Crackers (which also helped to sooth the stomach) and Science Diet R/D kibbles. These kibbles were prescribed for Allie and are a very high fiber - extremely bland kibble. You may want to see if your vet can give you a sample because it is only available through vets and is very expensive. However, I know that if it works then you too will be feeding the R/D. Cherry as moved past the R/D for now.
Cherry also turned her nose up to cooked chicken, liver treats, jerky treats, and even Jerry’s standby (an mine) braunschweiger. If she could smell it or taste it, she would rather not eat it. Since our problem was a direct result of the chemotherapy, the solution for Tika may be totally different, but I thought I would share. I was in panic mode during Cherry’s zero appetite period, so I feel a great deal of sympathy for you now.
Keep us posted and you will be in our prayers and thoughts.
Bob & Cherry
Hi Kim
Gosh - Poor Tika! (And poor cat ending up in the pool! How do you always come up with these stories?!?)
I don't think I'd worry so much about her eating (although I'll put my money on her eating burger and chicken livers). But her lethargic and unwillingness to chase a vulnerable felid has me concerned. I hope you can figure out some answers with your vet.
Susan
We are going to the vet tomorrow, we've cancelled the oncology appointment.
We also made the very hard decision to stop all treatment options, we know they aren't effective at this point and the time has come to accept the inevitable and make the remainder of Tika's life enjoyable and pain free. No more Palladia, no more chemo of any kind. We'll have her kidneys and other bodily functions checked to make sure we have no infections lurking and go from there.
I cried today when Tika refused her weekly MickeyD french fries. However, I had bought a plain cheeseburger and she snarfed that down. That's fine with me. Tim says he's pretty sure she wouldn't turn down filet mignon either!
I hope once we get her off the meds and start treating pain that she will rally so we can have one more great adventure. It's cooling off and will be easy on her.
Tazzie--the cat adventure continues, I went home to find a note on my door, it's our neighbor's little girl's kitty. A beautiful Siamese named Ming. Sure enough, Ming is still in the tree. He looks dried off now, but we will be doing some kitty extraction soon when her dad comes home. Of course, my half asleep husband thought kitty was a beaver this morning. A beaver?!???
I've been through the whole gamut of emotions, sad, angry, frustrated, helpless. In the midst of all of this, Tika crawls into my lap and starts licking my face to comfort me!
I saw this yesterday, it brought out the gallows humor in me:
[Image Can Not Be Found]
All in all, now the decision has been made, I'm more at peace than I have been, because we've stopped making it about the cancer, it's about Tika and only Tika now. And that's how it should be.
Kim and Spirit Tika http://www.tika.....ogspot.com
Kim,
That is such a terribly hard call to make. It brings back a torrent of emotions, remembering when we made that same decision for Jer. It was actually about a year ago this week, come to think of it.
At some point, we draw the line and don't cross it, as hard as that is. Knowing that our difficult decision is the kindest, most humane thing we can do for our beloved dog at that point in the illness, eases the burden of being responsible for them, just a little. Not much, but enough to know that after all those years together, somehow we're really living up to their expectations of being good humans.
Be in the moment. Love one another. Embrace the now.
Much love,
Rene, Jim, Wyatt Ray & Spirit Jerry
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Kim and Tika
You manage to make me smile (and therefore Tazzie) even when you face bad news. This time it was the poster and cat and beaver news.
Don't cry about the fries, be happy about the burger she snarfed!
I can't add anything to what Jerry just said. It sounds like you and Tika have lots of great adventures every day. OSA or no OSA, Tika is one lucky dog.
Susan
Hi Kim,
Since Tika is off food that has much odor I wonder how she would do on the "Brat" diet that you give children when they have been sick. (Banana, rice cereal, applesauce and toast) The baby food rice cereal is really bland but high in nutrients. Good luck, Tika is in our prayers and you are, too. It is hard.
Debra & Emily
Debra & Emily, a five year old doberman mix, who was diagnosed with an osteosaecoma. She had a right rear leg amputation on May 19, 2009. On November 10, 2009 she earned her wings and regained her fourth leg.
I think the med that Bob is talking about is Remeron. It is actually an antidepressant but seems to work well as an appetite stimulant in renal failure or cancer patients. You might want to try it if the Cerenia doesn't work.
Tazzie likes baby food when she is picky and it is easy to syringe but hard to get a large amount in them!
I hope she feels better soon....
Pam and Tazzie
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