Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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So Coco has become and extremely picky eater and can tell when her meds are in what ever it is we are trying to give. She hasn't wanted anything to eat lately. Over the last couple of weeks We have went with boiled chicken and rice to Pet Fresh to ground burger with rice back to plain old kibble and everything in between. As of Sunday she has been really been turning her nose up at everything. One note is that she did throw up a good amount of bile Sat morning and hasnt really wanted anything since. She will eat some lunch meat and milkbones and this morning ate actually ate 4 waffles. This evening I stopped and got her some whipped cream and mixed in about a cup of kibble and she ate that along with some steak scraps from dinner, which I was happy about. Today the wife said seems like for the first time she seemed depressed and I will have to agree, although she did grab her bone and come greet me. I think I am gonna call the vet and maybe hopefully we can switch her meds and get her on some prednisone although in the past she has been very sensitive with that. Hopefully buy her some more quality time. Crazy how quickly they turn. I have counted her out 3 times now and she proved me wrong. Im praying to be wrong one more time. Thanks for the ear.
Okay, I had to chuckle a bit about the waffles, the Whip cream, the steak and some scraps. And all the rhings uoi'be tried before.....yeah.....she may throw up a little 😉
Checking with the Vet is a good idea, especially if he can prescribe a little something to coat her tummy or whatever. Does Coco seem to show signs of nausea, like turning her head away from food, drooling, etc.. Mqybe anti ip nausea med is kn order?
Coco may be having some up and down days, but as long as the ups outweigh the downs and Coco still show signs of being Coco, that's all good. For her to grab her bone and come greet you says she still hss some of that Coco sparkle show up.
You know Coco better than anyone. To me, I do think you have some nore options to check out as far as appetite, etc. I k ow you are committed to leaving no stone unturned. You'll know when there are no stones left, but I think you still have a few more to "unturn".
You k ow we are all cheering for Coco. Keep buying the Whip cream for her steak and add that to the waffles. 👍
Extra 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!
I know that feeling of trying different things every other day. It's such a juggle. You are doing such a great job keeping her kitchen going full speed ahead.
Whatever you do, try not to mix her meds with her regular food. Give them separately. Feeding her slightly warmed food on paper plates is also helpful. You want to keep medication stink as far away from her nose as possible.
We all hope that the vet can help with her appetite. There are so many good stimulants out there now.
Coco has surprised us in the past so hopefully this will morph into another one of her turnarounds. Please keep us posted.
Just to add she had thrown up only once on saturday, but seemed like it was a bunch of bile. I had startes her on the pepcid I believe the night before and started her on some Cerenia on I think Sunday, however I didnt realize i was giving her half of the dose prescribed. It did seem like after she got some food in her belly and the rest of her meds, she seemed to come around to her new normal self by bedtime. Not 100% but progress. I will note the waffles started early in the am and the whipped cream and steak came in at dinner. Lol
Oh WHEW! That is real progress. Keep those meds and the goodies coming, she sure deserves to be spoiled like the queen that she is!
PROGRESS!!! We looove to celebrate progress around here!!👏 Especially when it involves our beloved Coco♥️
Thanks for the great update and keep ''em coming! Pretty sure we could cele even more of we had another picture of that sweet girl................hint
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!
I am not sure how long its gonna last. Her tumor is really getting out of control. I am open to any other food ideas besides whipped cream and her kibble. And thats getting to be problematic. Doesnt really seem interested in anything else. She will eat milkbones. Any ideas i am running out of them. Gonna try to get into the vet tomorrow and see if a med change can help. I fear she is starting to lose her sparkle
Oh gosh what a rollercoaster. Hmm, food ideas: stinky meats, venison, bison, anything gamey, served slightly warm. Stinky cheese, like liverwurst. Even a bit of baby food can help too. Try the paper plates trick to see if that helps.
See:
https://nutriti...../appetite/
We are sending tons of pawsitivity to you both. Please let us know what the vet recommends.
You're probably already doing this, but try several small "meals" throughout the day. As Jerry said, stinky foods, organ meats, etc. Warm whatever it is you try. And heck yeah, MilkBones can count as a small meal. AsJerry said, ise a paper plate or definately use your own dinner plate that has some of your supper scraps on it.
It may sound weird, but even try chicken or turkey noodle soup. Cant remember where I read that as an option for dogs who don't want to eat, but worth a try.
Keep things separate from her kibble. Try one item at a time jist to see of ahe prefers one particular thing. Jist leave the food and walk away. Some dogs pick up on us being anxious,
Coc is so lucky to jave sich exquisite care💖
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!
I am going to try warming some foods. Unfortunately, leaving it is not an option, i have another 110# chocolate named Jackson will scoop it up. In the past she would keep him from it, but now she wont even try to stop him. I bought some beef cubes last night I am going to cook them for her when I get home from work. She still eats waffles in the morning, but I really try and make sure she gets adequate protein and fat.
Just a quick update. She has been eating the beef cubes although wife had to warm it this morning for her she has eaten over a pound in a day and a half so thats good . The vet is out of town for the weekend and he is gonna call me monday morning to discuss possibly switching meds. Unfortunately, I know I have said this before and she has proved me wrong i feel the sparkle in her eye is starting to fade and she is losing confidence in walking across our hardwood floors which generally has been no problem I fear I am going to have to make a heartbreaking decision sooner rather than later. Its also heartbreaking seeing her starting to struggle with the things she was handling with grace. Her will to live is undeniable, unfortunately this crappy cancer has a got ahold of her and its not letting go. I have no regrets in the amputation or the decisions I have made. I have beenblessed with over another quality year with her. I will post another update on Monday after I chat with the vet. Thanks again for the ear. Here is a picture of her today. Her tail was wagging as usual.
Oh that's soooo good she is eating. I love the beef cubes idea. And yeah, warming things often does the trick.
Coco's tail is so waggy in the photo, it's blurry! She is such a strong, incredible girl.
I know this is such a difficult time. We went back and forth a thousand times when considering our Jerry's quality of life at this stage in his cancer journey. It helps if you think of that "line" that you don't want her to cross, a line that indicates she is no longer enjoying her favorite things in the world. Once she crosses, you know it's her time.
You are so close with her, I'm pretty sure that it won't be difficult to know where that line is. The hard part is sticking to the decision. What I had to do was just keep reminding myself, "How does Jerry want us to remember him?"
These answers are all individual, every dog, every relationship they have with their people, is so unique. It's a tough time in our own mind. Thankfully, Coco is still enjoying every second and not burdened by our emotions. Give her a kiss from us please. And keep us posted.
Also if you want to talk, our Zoom call is tomorrow at 7pm Eastern: tripawds.com/zoom
She’s a beautiful doggy. We are with you, our Lacey (chocolate lab) had her front left leg amputated and I cringe and teared up with your story. As they say here often you are not alone. Others like myself are on the same journey whether ahead or behind your place in time. Even though you may feel solo on this journey, you aren’t.
*Update* Spoke with Dr. John this morning and he assured me this all normal behaviors(picky eating, lethargy etc..) for the her and commended her for beating the statistics with a terminal cancer. We talked about switching her over to prednisone and promin (spelling) for incontinence from the steriod. We are thinking once she stops or she starts turning her nose up at the warmed steak would be the best time to switch meds. He doesnt think she is ready yet and he said I will certainly know when she is ready. We have gone as far as we can in giving her the best quality of life as we could. We are just trying to keep these last days, however many that is in keeping her confortable.
Thanks so much for checking in. You know we all love ♥️Coco♥️ and are so grateful for all the inspiration(and hope) she is still offering.
I really like your Vet. He clearly knows Coco and appreciates the miracle dog she is😎 Glad he was open to go with the Prednisone if necessary as an option. Using the " warmed steak test" as a marker when to add the steriod sounds solid.
Your devotion to Coco is so heartwarming. As always, cheering for Coco👍
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!
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