# He won't eat! Lauri ?...help



## emsoskar (Oct 17, 2008)

My 10 (will be 11 on the 20th) year old guy we just rescued is grossly underweight and he won't hardly eat! I have offered a variety of options, he will take it for a second then just leave it there and refuse to eat. I finally got him to eat a little last night....i cut up some pork mm and mixed it with cottage cheese and some brown rice. It took a lot of persuasion just to get him to eat this! He was just at the vet wednesday and had blood work done, everything was fine. 

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions? I am very concerned since he is already so underweight and really needs the nutrition.


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## kshort (Jun 4, 2004)

Emily,
Check out the recipe forum. This is a recipe there for Satin Balls. From everything I've heard, they're a big hit and will put some pounds on him.

Almost always baby food will stimulate their appetites. Works on cats and dogs. I keep the turkey & gravy and chicken & gravy on hand just in case my old girl decides she doesn't want to eat. They also love canned cat food (and my dogs love the dry also). Don't know many dogs who will resist that. It won't hurt him a bit to feed it for a while if it gets his appetite going.

Thank you so much for rescuing this sweet boy. In my opinion, it takes someone really special to rescue a senior...


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## emsoskar (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks Kris!
I appreciate the suggestions and will try them out. At this point I'm willing to try just about anything! 
This guy was over in the urgent, then non urgent section. After seeing what he's had to go thru, it's an honor to offer hima home for his final years.


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## dd (Jun 10, 2003)

Have you tried hand-feeding him? That may prompt him to eat more and will also help him to bond.


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## emsoskar (Oct 17, 2008)

yes, i have been giving everything by hand exactly for the bonding purposes (dd I know you are aware from my other post about all that). he will take it, but then just drop it down and leave it.....or he will try to bury it!


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## dd (Jun 10, 2003)

How about trying to bury some stinky stuff in the food - some cut up frankfurters, for instance? Are you using a spoon (my guys love being spoon fed, but I realise King Keller may have other ideas).

Other stinkies that are good for him are sardines and mackerel - great for the skin, might induce him to eat? Oh and the most popular item at my house - canned pumpkin.


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Teeth problems? That stuff sounds mushy enough, but maybe you need to blend it up for him.


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## JakesDogs (Jun 4, 2008)

I was growing more concerned with each post until I read your last words - 'or he will bury it' -







That's really good news. Sick dogs don't typically exhibit this behavior.

Your boy sounds like he is in survival mode and may have been there a long, long time. He's used to doing without and does not expect the future to be better. If all the health parameters check out (and I know as a senior you can't catch everything routine but things sound good right now), just be patient and consistent. He may never bulk up but he should ultimately adjust to the situation and eat more heartily. As he goes through this adjustment I would be cautious, always keep in the back of your mind that this each step is potentially a new experience for him, and despite his age, he may not know exactly how to act in different situations as his confidence grows.

Bless you and your family for offering him a future of love, safety, and the nourishment of body and soul


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I would be wondering if this dog has GI problems that make eating painful for him. I would check with the vet about it and maybe try antacids or Sucralfate to see if smoothing things over would help.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Know what? I know he's seen a vet, but-- have the vet do a VERY thorough oral exam! Mouth ulcers DO happen-- they can be hidden behind the tongue, anywhere back there, and we would never know it. They can be caused by many factors, including kidney issues. Why not have the vet REALLY do a very long and thorough oral exam? Even soft foods hurt with a mouth ulcer.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

Pork, depending on the cut, can be fatty too. My dog with SIBO won't touch fatty food. There's just something in him that says, "uh, this isn't good for me." He'll look at it, but he backs away from it, even when he's clearly hungry.

I cook pork (to remove the fat), and I cut most skin and fat off poultry. I don't feed beef (I feed bison instead, although boiling beef will also remove fat). I can feed lamb, venison, and other meats, but I have to trim all of the fat. He thrives on fish of all kinds because it's oily, not fatty, which seems to be different. 

You might want to have your vet do a complete GI work up.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Will he eat kibble? Go out and buy a small bag of the cheapest, crappy kind you can get.

Most likely, if he was owned by someone then he was fed kibble. Kibble is sprayed with fat and flavorized to make it SMELL really good to dogs.

Raw food has no smell.

If he eats the kibble then it's just a matter of him learning that raw IS food.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I have had the best luck with homemade cooked food because it smells very strong. Something easy to try is to scramble two eggs, mixed in some very well cooked brown rice and some mashed sweet potatoes and serve it warm.


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## JakesDogs (Jun 4, 2008)

BTW, how is his fluid intake? Meant to ask before opinionating as off food is one thing, off water something else again.


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## daniella5574 (May 2, 2007)

Hi Emily- if there is anything you need for King or I can do, please let me know. I know you feed raw but maybe for a bit, you can feed him kibble and try putting some raw in with it? I dont know much about Raw feeding honestly, but maybe if he eats some of it with the food he is used to, he will learn to like the taste?


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## kt67 (Apr 10, 2004)

When my female got her nose out of joint, and would not eat we found Trippet to be a wonderful motivator. It Stinks!

tripett 

We just bought a couple of cans at our local store, this is only a link but you should be able to pick up locally


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## emsoskar (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks Danni and everyone else for the ideas. Lauri, for the first time in my life I ashamedly went to walmart and bought a bag of Ol Roy! 

I originally tried the kibble first since it was what he was used to eating. I bought 3 different kinds and he refused them all! So, I figured I would try raw since my other dogs go nuts over it.

He did eat a little better this weekend. I think at this point I'm convinced that after years of probably being fed rations, his body has gotten used to functioning off of very little nutrition. We will keep working with him and encouraging him to eat more.

He was having super runny stools, so we naturally tried the pumpkin to help things out. Let me tell you how fun that was to force feed! lol! He tolerated it well actually. We just put a bit on a spoon and opened his mouth and plopped it on his tongue. It got everywhere, but he ate some and the potty problems ceased. 

He drinks plenty of water, so I'm not woried about that. I may go ahead and have his mouth checked. i know his teeth aren't the best, but It's not that theres an inabiity to chew, just lack of interest in food. Like I said earlier....I really think he's so used to not eating well and he just need to learn that food is an every day thing and he can have as much as he wants!

I will, of course, post updates on all of his progress. Thanks to everyone for taking such a heartfelt interest in him.


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## harlanr3 (Sep 10, 2008)

I 2nd the canned green tripe way stinky my guys are nuts for it!!


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