Last night after three scoops of vanilla ice cream in an attempt to get all her medicine into her, and two vanilla Ensures later, she finally did eat about 8 large cubes of beef, some hamburger meat (raw and cooked), and a few egg noodles. Whoppie! This is good news, for sure.
However, she didn’t eat breakfast again this morning and didn’t get her morning pills. I put them in ice cream again but she wouldn’t eat it. I think she has just given up on breakfast altogether and is going to be a one meal a day dog henceforth. She did drink one Ensure this morning and lots of water with the Greyhound Recharge in it, both last night and this morning so she is getting plenty of hydration in that manner.I did leave her pills in some hamburger with a few more cubes of beef in a bucket that is hanging in her crate. Kim, my BFF, suggested I use a hanging bucket so that she doesn't sit in the bowl like she did yesterday. That was quite a mess to clean up! Good idea Kim, thanks for the suggestion.
BTW, she absolutely won't let me put pills down her throat. She bucks and thrashes around and cries as if I'm cutting her leg off. I'm afraid one of us will get hurt trying to do this. Two people can do it, but not just me. So, that is why I have to hide her pills in her food. Tomorrow, however, I may put her and me in the spare bathroom, close the door, and not leave until the pills are down her throat. She just has to get them regularly.
I hope she eats some during the day. If not, I feel certain she will eat tonight like she has the last few nights. The morning thing just isn't her cup of tea anymore, or so it seems. But she is eating! Can't ask for much more than that right now, right? And she went squirrel hunting with the girls yesterday afternoon, is running around the yard, and generally, appears to feel good.
I am still encouraged.
8 comments:
Patti,
My thoughts are with you and your Sug. You are such a wonderful Mom!
Hey Patti,
Have you tried peanut butter for the pills? I'm fairly sure you have, but I wanted to offer that up. Also, while I may be wrong, I wouldn't resort to fighting with her to get the medicine down if she's resisting that much. I'm not saying to give up on giving her the pills. I could be wrong. I know you're crafty enough to come up with new tricks. I just don't want her to start running away from you.
I hate having to give medicine. Travis got so suspicious of everything. I hope she eats today. Her sisters are probably jealous of that meat sitting in her crate.
Another thing you might consider is Red Barn. Its a high quality meaty roll of dog food I use for training treats. Most dogs really like it. If you want to try it, I'll give you a handful to try this weekend. If she likes it you can buy a roll off me. I buy in bulk at dog shows. Just remind me so I bring a roll.
Jen
Oh yea, I've used peanut butter, marshmallows, cheese, cheese whiz, hot dogs, hamburger, beef, chicken, rabbit, and God knows what else, as "hiding" places for her pills. She usually will eat it for a bit but then drops interest. I am certain she tastes the pills in the item and then thinks the item tastes horrible so she then she marks it off her list. She's really smart! One of her pills, the Denamarin, is the brightest hue of aqua you've ever seen. Now, who would make a dog pill that color? And, yes, I am certain they CAN see colors!
Jen, yes, I'll try that this weekend if you don't mind and if she likes it, I'd be happy to buy a roll from you. Thanks for the offer.
Hi Patti,
One more "have you tried this?" :-) I used to use those pill pockets you can get at Petsmart when Cosmo used to take lots of supplements. Even when his appetite wasn't great, he would usually take those. When a capsule was too big to fit the pocket, I'd dump the powder in the hole and squeeze it shut. I really hate giving medicine, too. Some dogs fight like a crocodile.
Thanks for keeping us posted. I hope Sugar gets her appetite back soon!
Addie
You know Addie, I haven't tried the 'ole pill pockets. I will get some today though and try it. My kitchen counter looks like a shelf at Petsmart with the assorted canned dog foods I've tried along with samples of dry kibble, along with her meds and then the frig looks like a science experiment with the different raw meats in there. It's amazing what we do for these dogs, isn't it? But they are so worth it! I'll let you know how the pill pockets work. Perhaps there is some secret ingredient in those that entices them to eat it!! We'll see.
Hey Patti
When Kookie had to take that granulated sheep antibiotic I had great success with cat food. It smells to high heaven making it irrestistable. It really put on the weight also.
Just a uggestion. Hope Sugar feels better.
Robin Davis
Can you smash her pills up or open the casing and just mix them in instead of hiding the whole thing? I have to do that for Seka with her fish oil caps if I don't feel like pilling her. Both of my girls are used to getting them thrown down their throats. I straddle them like a horse and down the hatch. The trick is to hold their mouths shut and put a little bit of water on their nose so they have to lick it off, making them automatically swallow. That trick works for cats too.
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