My beloved Jack Russell mix is 16. Other than some general age related decline he rarely had a sick day in his life until he was around 15. Now he has stopped eating- not completely, but mostly.
I’ve taken him to vets several times since New Years: his teeth are fine, no tumors, no pancreatitis. He is anemic but his white cells are okay (i.e. no leukemia). Steroids helped for a while, but now he’s back to where he was before in terms of not eating.
He acts hungry, he’ll even beg for food, but then (just like a lot of senior humans I’ve known) nothing satisfies him. He’ll eat a bite or two and then turn his head with a “WTF is that? Take it away” face and refuse to eat anything else, even with his former favorite foods (chicken breast, roast beef, sausage).
I’m well aware he’s not long for the world, but I do want to keep him as healthy and happy as possible while he’s here. As important as he is to me, I’ve already decided to let nature take its course and not do anything invasive or ‘extraordinary’ to prolong his life, but for as long as he does not seem to be suffering I do want to keep him as healthy and happy as possible.
So reason for thread: I know what works for one dog won’t necessarily work for another, but has anybody had this behavior from a dog and, if so, was there anything that you found that could boost their appetite? As little time as he has left I really don’t much care about whether it’s good for him- any calories are better than no calories so long as it doesn’t give him violent indigestion.
Also, has anybody tried CBD oil or gummies with a dog?
Seconding baby food – the meat types – that might work.
Your vet., or a pet food store, may carry a concentrated nutrient paste; many cats and dogs like the flavor, and most of the rest will swallow it if you put a glob in their mouth.
Also check with the vet.; they may be able to give medications that improve appetite.
ETA: also, make sure there’s nothing in his mouth that hurts which might be treatable – sores, or bad teeth.
We had a very picky dog … who had to be hand fed. But she was just a bitch. Loved her to pieces, of course. We lost her last summer when her seizure disorder could no longer be controlled.
I’d say 16 is a nice long life, but we’ve had success with melting cheese and making a little cheese ball. Also, Wellness Bites are crack to our boy dog. Not the most well balanced diet, but if you just want him happy for the time he has left …
When my elderly Lab stopped eating, I made her something called Satin Balls. I’m not sure they’re completely healthy, but she loved them and it was almost the only thing she would eat near the end. There are several variations of the recipe; if you Google “Satin Balls for dogs” you’ll find them.
Good luck with your little guy.
My vet says the body won’t eat what it knows it won’t need–so a dog not long for the world will take a treat from your hand but is otherwise not interested in enough food to actually sustain him. Sixteen is a very goodly age for a dog and he’s not going to become a young dog again nor will he live forever, so spoil him rotten, pick a day when he’s still doing pretty much okay and say goodbye. Sorry to be so blunt, but the fact is that every single time someone’s started a thread about their old dog and wondering “is it time?” the fact is that it is time and they’re just fighting the inevitable.
I’m sorry you guys are getting to this place, plz to give your old doggo an ear scritch from me, and there’s a hug flying out your way should you choose to cotch it.
I had a 20+yo rat terrier. She would take your hand off for stinky cheap cat food in her last year. She had always loved her food. But kibble was just too hard on those old teeth. I was like you, any kind of calories were better than none at that point. The evening before she died my daughter was having a string cheese and the dog smelled her out (she was blind) and ate most if it out of her hand. Good luck finding what works for your boy.
Scrambled eggs worked for me when I had a dog that wouldn’t eat. You might try some of those.
You’ve taken him to the vet already. Did they check him for arthritis? I’m wondering if he might be in pain or generally uncomfortable. Perhaps you should talk to the vet about something that would help his quality of life. Dogs aren’t very good about communicating pain, so it often goes unrecognized.
I second the baby food thing, and they also have refrigerated soft pet food in most grocery stores, in or near the pet section.
However, if a beloved animal is refusing to eat, it’s trying to tell you something and that is that its life is nearing its end. I know that’s not what you want to see.
I know it’s the end and we’re probably talking days, not weeks, but he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. I’m girding my loins for the inevitable trip and trying to decide if I would rather have my BFF with me or do it alone.
That said, I bought some of the Wellness Bites tonight (expensive little mothers, aren’t they?) and he actually DID eat those. He wouldn’t touch the pureed baby food, but ate all of the Gerber sausages, so it’s one of Miss Daisy’s good days.
Amazingly enough, I have never had to have an animal put down before. I’m mentally preparing for it.
I’ve wondered- is Goebbels Bunch style an option (i.e. first, anesthesia to put him to sleep non-euphemistically, then the shot to put him to sleep permanently) or do they just give the one shot? I want to be with him at the end- i absolutely will not just give him to the vet while he’s still conscious and leave and I want my holding him to be the last thing he feels- but if possible I’d rather not be there when he actually expires. (I’ve been through that with human loved ones who died in their sleep- it’s overrated.) I’ll ask the vet (probably without mentioning Magda Goebbels and certainly without mentioning petrol) but does anybody know if this is how it’s done?
When we had our ancient Golden put down, the vet came over to our house, gave her a local at the injection site, and then a very large dose of pentobarbital. She went very, very quickly, and the whole thing seemed pretty painless. For her.
From recent experience, they used one shot to put my dog unconscious, and then once he was out, they added the second drug. I stayed with him and talked the entire time, and remained several minutes after. I did not want him to be alone during that time. I don’t know if he could hear me, but I needed to be there.
Take a trusted person with you. You’ll need them, afterwards. I found out the hard way that any children involved should say their good-byes earlier. Nothing is more wretching than a child clinging to and crying for the deceased pet to come back. YMMV.
I just had to go through this a few months ago with my cat Cobalt. The first shot they give kills all the pain. For Cobalt, I don’t know if they overdid it, or if it’s always like this, but he didn’t really seem to be very aware of what was going on at that point. He was kind of floppy, and his eyes were open, but he wasn’t purring (and he always purred, loudly, especially when he was upset and needed comfort) and he wasn’t really reacting to being petted. We stroked him and told him what a good boy he was nevertheless. My husband stepped out at that point (and dealt with the bill). I stayed with Cobalt for the second shot. I couldn’t actually detect any difference when he died - he was that out of it from the first one.
I don’t know if that’s what you would want or not, but that was my recent experience. We sadly had to do it at the emergency vet on a Sunday night. I think he had heart failure - when he wasn’t able to stand up, we knew it was past time. (But the day before he was still running to chase a treat, so I don’t think we waited too too long.)
I have had to do this three times with cats and for one of them I found a vet who would come to my house. It was much easier since cats aren’t fond of travel. I know dogs generally either don’t mind or love going for a ride but most animals don’t seem to enjoy the vet’s office, so maybe that would be an option for you. Anyway all three of my experiences were peaceful for the kitties, and very quick. Made me wish we could treat ourselves and our fellow humans as humanely when the time comes.
Best wishes to you, /Sampiro. It’s a hard thing but the last kind thing you can do for your guy.
I’ll second the scrambled egg idea. Our oldest dog survived a bought of pancreatitis three years ago, and eggs were the first thing she could eat during her recuperation. The other two dogs were jealous, so for the past three years every morning I beat and cook two eggs and divide the omelet between three dogs and a parrot.
Loved her to pieces, of course. We lost her last summer when her seizure disorder could no longer be controlled.