- Joined
- Jul 20, 2012
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- 1,976
Our precious 14 year old Jack, (my avatar pic) has begun to not eat, & his activity level has decreased. He's the last of our 3 Musketeers. Needless to say, we are in pieces.
Shortly after Christmas, his eating slowed down, to about 1x every 24 to 36 hours, & he became lethargic. After about 4-5 days of this, I took him to the vet, & we did every conceivable test known to mankind to determine what was amiss. Ultra sound, blood work for multiple issues, liver biopsy (he had elevated liver values, low to medium high, not alarmingly high). No liver lymphoma. Started him on Denamarin, (have a blood draw the end of Feb to re-check values). Nothing else showed up on the radar. He had been on Galliprant for shoulder arthritis, moved him to Gabaprentin, shoulder issue seems fine. The switch was made in an effort to stem rising liver values. The vet wanted to started amoxicillin, which ended yesterday. The amoxicillin seemed to help, ie energy levels have picked back up, but still can/could not find any underlying issue.
Water intake seems to have not changed. His food intake seems to be about 1/3-1/2 give or take cup per feeding. Normally, he'd eat 1/2 cup every 12 hrs. Normal was Kibble mixed w/ some wet. Never had a problem w/ appetite. His normal weight is about 16.5-17-18ish lbs depending on season. I'm sure today it's down somewhat.
His normal activity consisted of daily walks to park, 1/3 mi, 1/2 mi at most. Outside trips to yard every 2 hours or so, I've always been home w/ home office & now retired. His walks have ceased with winter, up to the last couple of weeks, since we've been hit ice, snow, & crazy cold temps etc. Nothing else seems to have changed, we are blessed in that we have a happy loving home.
Have tried all different dog food types, from kibble to wet & everything in between. He may initially eat a few bites, then nothing. Have had a few decent meals in between, like the first time I mixed hamburger drippings with his kibble & the first time he had scrambled eggs with his kibble. He would eat a decent amount each time something new was served, then subsequent servings of the same usually haven't interested him. This am, I made 2 scrambled eggs mixed w/ 1/3-1/2 c kibble. He ate almost all of it, much more than his new normal.
I'm looking for ideas for meals for him. I've spoken to our breeder, who IMO is the guru of dog gurus. She seems to think he's begun the final transition. I can't even go there at the moment. Hubby took him to the office for a few hours/different scenery-pace this afternoon. I'll pick him up on my way back from gym in a few hours.
Tonight I am trying hamburger & rice. He paced yesterday, moved from sleeping spot to sleeping spot. Just couldn't seem to settle. Anyone have any input, anything I've missed? Any ideas for healthy meals using human food? We're beyond all the different dog food types of food, we've tried them. (Thank goodness our local dog food store has a no questions asked return policy.) Am at an impass. Any thoughts are appreciated.