So Fustrated..

[Jennifer and Jack]

I have been going through this with Jack for so long.. He has never been a good eater.... and by that I mean he won't eat hardly anything....Now at the very very most, he is eating about 1/4 of a cup of food every 24-48 hours//

 

I switched Jack to orijen a while ago, not that he ate what he was on before, but now it has been a few months and Jack's poop is terrible.. Once in a while it is okay, but for the most part, it is pure liquid. He strains and strains to go potty and often times nothing comes out.

 

Pumpkin, yogurt, green beans are not an option. He won't eat it. I have left his food on the floor for days. I have dumped food and offered him fresh food. He is willing to eat if it is something he wants, such as cooked chicken, cooked beef. or occasionally a piece of cheese.

 

From a digestive stand point, Jack does have an enlarged intestine, only slightly at this point. My vet does not want me to switch his food.. but I am wondering if maybe he needs something different??

 

I hate to see him struggle to go potty, often times on his x rays it has shown him to be backed up. Would grains in a diet help him with bulk in his stool?

 

He has has the million dollar work up, liver enzymes, pancreatic enzymes, albumin, pre-albumin, and every other test for digestion has come back normal.....

 

The only abnormal thing is his slightly enlarged intestines.....

 

What can I do to help my boy?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think part of the problem with the straining to go poop may be that if he isn't eating much, there isn't much there to form good stools.

Grains don't work in dogs the same way they work in humans, in terms of eating whole grains helps us to get more fiber in our diets and therefore helps us with constipation. And I doubt he would eat a food containing grain any more than he eats anything else.

I would not add cheese to entice him to eat. That will only make matters worse. Have you tried carrots? Raw or slightly cooked if he likes them better that way, which some dogs do.

Another thing you might try is scrambled eggs or chopped hard boiled eggs. That entices some of our dogs to eat when mixed into their kibble.

 

[Jennifer and Jack]

yes I tried the carrots both ways, he won't even taste it, He smells everything first.... Apparently it  fails the sniff test...

 

He will eat scrambled eggs but no matter how well I mix it into the kibble he will pick through it and spit the kibble out onto the floor, as far as hard boiled eggs, he will eat the yoke only. He will eat peanut butter, he loves it. That is the only thing I have never seen him snub his nose at....

Do you think it is  okay to mix a little peanut butter in his kibble? That might be harder for him to pick through.

 

I have never seen a dog eat so little.. He will eat a treat if it is the right kind...any time... I am not giving him treats unless it has been a day or so since he ate anything....

 

I ruined some of the other treats I use to give him by putting a pill in it, Now no matter what he won't eat it...He acts hungry.. He seems interested but just won't eat....

 

If another dog was in my house, he would no doubt scoff down some food.... I may have to borrow my neighbors dog soon....

 

Thank you for your advice, this is the one area I really struggle with, with him

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Origen does not agree with Tara and she had soft poops/diarrhea when she was eating it. She also did that thing you describe where she would squat but nothing come. As if she were having stomach cramps.  Her appetite was also bad but I thought she was finicky eater. I recently switched her to TOTW and she is like a different dog on it! Her poops are great and for the first time in 2.5 years she is coming to me asking for FOOD!! It's awesome after watching her struggle with eating for her entire life!

Is Jack losing weight? If he will eat cooked chicken why not feed him what he will eat? Maybe he is in the same situation that Tara was in and isn't really finicky but doesn't feel well and things are not very appetizing. As well as kibble I home cook for Tara and she eats chicken that I cook in the crock pot until the bones are soft enough to mash with a fork. This way she gets the bone elements as well as protein. Tara eats veggies with it but you could work those in over time-if his appetite improves he may be willing to try them. For clarity Tara gets the chicken meals with kibble and I use kibble for grooming/training treats.

I'm sorry to hear of Jack's troubles and hope you can find the solution for him soon.

 

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks.. Jack will eat chicken.. He loves it.. but he will not eat any type of veggie under any circumstance... I am fine with giving Jack chicken.. We both eat organic chicken breast.. however, I am not in a position to try to figure out his nutritional needs and try to find a way to get him to eat it..nd I don't believe chicken is good enough just to let him have that without anything else

I just don't have that kind of energy right now.. I am even eating less then ideal meals because right now we have to go with what I can do and what is easy.

 

When I tried mixing a little rice in with the chicken I ended up with rice all over the floor......I have used TOTW canned food as toppers, evengers chicken that has the ground bone in it. He is a royal pain..

 

I am also thinking that when I cave in and give him chicken or food from my plate, such as salmon, turkey, or beef... it is encouraging him to stop eating his kibble even more... I think he hold out for as long as he can waiting to see if someone will give him table food and then if no one does, he takes just enough to not starve

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, giving them "people" food anywhere but in their own bowls (and don't let them see it coming from your plate) is not a good thing.

I agree that homecooking involves more than just giving him chicken. At the very least, you would have to balance the phosphorus with a calcium source. Homecooking is a good feeding option, but it does involve some research and a diet plan. There are a lot of good resources for that, though, if you want to consider it.

Another option might be Honest Kitchen dehydrated raw products; a few people here in TFG are having great success with it. It's expensive, but Jack is tiny. You can add your own chicken to it, I'm sure he would love that, and it is nutritionally complete.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I don't care about the price if he will eat it.... I just want to make the best decision before I go food hopping again.. I do feed Jack from my plate.. Only things that are healthy but I admit it I do....His mouth never has and never will touch the plate but I break a piece of and give it to him.

 

 I will look into Honest Kitchen.. like you said he is small so it won't be as bad as trying to feed a 60 pound dog...

 

Thanks for your help

[Anne G.]

In reference to what Karen said about calcium, have you tried cottage cheese? My pup can be fussy but loves it. I just add a scoop of it to her kibble and she usually eats most of it.

[Jennifer and Jack]

I have tried cottage cheese, He won't go near it. Today I smeared and mixed in peanut butter  in his kibble and he licked the peanut butter off of some of it, but spit out ever single kibble.. On my carpet I might add.

 

I called his internist just to check with her to see what she suggests and if she thinks it is okay for me to try other feeding options..

 

When I start to feel better, (which may be a while) I will try home cooking maybe, but right now, some of the time people are making meals for me, so I can't imagine asking them to cook for Jack too...

 

I will let you know what the vet says....

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

If he is having diarrhea I would suggest avoiding the peanut butter. It could be causing or exacerbating that problem.

[Ozzy Bob and Leanna]

I'm so sorry Jennifer!  I know what a picky eater is all about!  That's why I have started fixing Ozzy's food myself.  Each week I grill several chicken breasts and hamburger patties along with a big bowl of cooked brown rice and I add peas, carrots, green beans, and sweet potato.  I keep the meat in ziplock bags and the rice mixture in a big tupperware covered  bowl in the refrigerator.  Each night I put some rice mixture in his bowl along with either chicken or a hamburger pattie and heat to lukewarm.  Ozzy is having normal stools, very active and acts like he feels great!  I did just order some Orijen dog food for him, but I feel sure he won't eat it after being on home cooked food for nearly 2 months now.   I'm also giving him a good vitamin.   This isn't as easy as just pouring kibble in a bowl, but at least he's eating and seems extremely healthy!  I never dreamed in a million years I'd ever do this, but have learned you do what you have to do!  Good luck with Jack!  I know you're so frustrated and worried...rightfully so!

[Jennifer and Jack]

Thanks, Jack would gladly take the chicken or beef patty, and the rest would sit there and no matter how hungry he got he would not eat any veggies..

 

[Maria, Ton & Zoe]

Our Zoe has the same problem. She eats just enough to survive and she is on the skinny side. She grew up with Orijen and free feeding, but when we got her, at 3 months she refused Orijen and ate less than 1/3 of what the bag directions said. She had sometimes 3 days in a row refusing all kibble. We went to the vet 3 times but they tell us if she drinks water we should be patient and keep free feeding her. We tried a couple of things since but she gets "bored" of food and eventually stops eating - she gets bored of treats too. She did not gain a lb since mid August (almost 2 months ago) and she is just 7 months old. I tried raw and she eat it happily for 3 weeks, then got tired of it and completely ignores it. Same with ZiwiPeak, she stayed on that 3 weeks, then completely stopped eating it. We are back to Orijen, but at 22 lb she is supposed to eat more than 2 cups a day, and she is not eating more than 1/2 cup... She would eat chicken but I can't just give her chicken... Any advice is very much appreciated.

Any of you had this problem with a puppy and they eventually grew out of this?

Thank you,
Maria & Ton