How can I get my dog to eat?

[Cbwest]

I'm so grateful I stumbled across this site - your words of advice and compassion are wonderful. My Yorkie Nellie, almost 13, is in kidney failure and it's breaking my heart. I have no family and she's everything to me. She still enjoys her walks and cuddling with me, but over the last few days, she's pretty much stopped eating. She's on Azodyl and an appetite stimulant, but I can't find any food to entice her to eat. The vet said let her eat whatever she wants, but she doesn't seem to want anything. I've tried all different kinds of dog food, plus tried cooking for her, but no luck. She used to love chicken and carrots and apples, but not anymore. I've also tried baby food, but that didn't work either. I'd love any suggestions. Thank you
Carol

[RynB]

So sorry for your loss. I lost my 16 year old Bella a few months ago from the same disease. Thinking of you !

[tonyb286]

Hi. I am so very sorry for your loss. It's heartbreaking to lose a best friend and even more so through this hideous disease. But, you did everything possible and if Nellie could say it, she would say a huge thank you for loving her, caring for her, trying to keep her warm and safe and providing her with a life rich in adventure and contentment. Sometimes, the best we can do is not enough ... it's just the way it is. And it's dreadfully sad, sometimes tormenting and dreadfully hard for us to endure.

Given time, the pain of losing Nellie will ease. Before then, we are "family" here and we are always happy to talk, anytime you feel the need.

Tony

[Cbwest]

Thank you, Cheryl. I feel so lost right now. Nellie was the only family I have and I can't imagine facing life without her. I'm sorry for your loss as well - I certainly understand that you are still hurting. Sending hugs your way.

[TheShadowNose]

I'm so sorry to hear about Nellie.  I just want to send you my condolences.  I went through this about a month ago and it still hurts.  Know that you did everything you could for Nellie; the disease was simply going to have its own way. Stop back in if you need the company.

Cheryl  

[Cbwest]

Thank you for your kindness. We had to put Nellie to sleep this morning. The seizures kept coming and she was passing blood. I just couldn't put her through any more. I appreciate your help.

[tonyb286]

Okay. The diagnosis at stage 4 (final stage) makes a lot of sense to me. Normally, at this stage and when things are in crisis, IV fluids and nourishment will be given for 4 days or longer ... after that, blood results will tell you and the vets whether there have been any changes as a result of the therapy and treatment. If things continue to decline despite the fluids then, yes, decisions are going to be difficult ... but it's as well to think about it now so you are prepared for the worst case scenario.

Fingers crossed that Nellie rallies. Do please keep me updated. You and Nellie are in my thoughts during this difficult time.

Tony

[Cbwest]

Thank you for all your advice. Unfortunately, Nellie's numbers are getting worse even with fluids, meds, and nourishment. She had a grand mal seizure overnight. They told me she is at stage 4. I know I'm going to have to make some decisions soon. I'm not even sure she'll be able to come home. This is breaking my heart. But I wanted you to know that I appreciate your help. You are doing a wonderful thing here, sharing your knowledge and experience. God bless.
Carol

[tonyb286]

Seizures are common in kidney failure dogs in late stage. This is another sign that things are out of control. Blood testing is essential, diet changes to blood results are a priority, nourishment is needed intravenously, fluids IV another priority. If your regular vet seems unable to cope with this disease or seems inexperienced, please try to get to a university vet or to another vet that has more experience of canine kidney failure. Assessment of he current condition is really important. "What stage is the disease at?" is the question you need an answer to, as this will determine how the symptoms are dealt with.

And on the subject of seizures, here's another of my articles which is useful background info for you:

http://www.infobarrel.com/Tremors_and_Shaking_in_Dogs_with_Kidney_Failure

Tony

[Cbwest]

Update - Nellie had a seizure at 6 this morning. She is in the hospital now, getting meds and fluids. Her BUN was 126. They are keeping her overnight, just in case she has another seizure. If she's ok, I'll pick her up in the morning and take her to the vet. I'll print out your info to take with me. The recipes will be helpful - the vet at the hospital also said she might do better with homemade meals. Prayers greatly appreciated. I'll keep you posted. Thanks!
Carol

[tonyb286]

Another of my articles I meant to add a link for you ... not sure it will help, but anything's worth trying, right?

http://www.infobarrel.com/10_Home_Made_Recipes_for_Kidney_Failure_Dogs

Tony

[tonyb286]

Okay. Nourishment is now the main priority ... contact your vet ... talk to them about it. I would also question the blood levels, because if they are bad, your dog needs IV fluid therapy now not later. Fluids will flush the toxins, and once the toxins are flushed and your dog is rehydrated, the nausea will subside enough for her to start eating properly. Once at that stage, more can be done to stabilize things. Also, along with the IV fluids, vets can push nourishment, minerals and other treatments in with the IV to help.

I'm also wondering if your dog is uremic. Again something to talk to your vet about (blood and urine samples will show if this is happening). If she is uremic, acid build up will probably be causing the poor eating and inappetence. A drug called Omeprazole (prilosec) will help combat it.

Okay. Enough for now. Get back and let me know what your vet says.

Tony

[Cbwest]

Your articles were really interesting, but if the last 4 hours are any indication, none of this will help my Nellie. I've tried everything to get her to eat and take her meds tonight, but no luck. She won't take her treats, so I wasn't able to give her her Pepcid or Azodyl. She wasn't remotely interested in the coconut oil on the food. I even tried a hamburger just to entice her - nothing. I hate this! She keeps getting weaker, but I just feel like she's not that far along with the kidney problems. When I see how much she likes her walks or barking at squirrels out the window, I feel hopeful. Maybe I'm just kidding myself. Sorry, I just needed to vent - she's all the family I have. Thanks for listening.
Carol

[Cbwest]

Thanks for the links - I will read them and also print them out for my vet. Nellie's been on the Mirtazapine for 6 weeks now (with the exception of those 2 days trying something else). Should I have seen a change in appetite by now? She will not eat any canned food. I've tried the honey, but it didn't help. Someone else told me to sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese, but she still wouldn't eat it. It's not just the KD. I've tried at least 6 other types of canned food. She's dropped from 12 lbs to 9 over the last few months. I guess I just felt like ANY food is better than no food. My fear is that she'll just waste away - she doesn't eat enough each day to keep a bird alive! I will try the coconut oil, though, and will definitely check out those articles. Thanks!
Carol

[tonyb286]

Hi. Okay, thanks for answering those tricky questions. A few things ... please don't feed dry food, regardless of whether it's specially designed for kidney disease dogs or not. Dry food is the very last thing a kidney disease dog needs - why, because a) it's dehydrated; b) it's full of bad chemicals; c) it's full of bad preservatives; d) it has very low nutritional value. All these things make the kidney disease worse.

So, we need to concentrate on getting back to the canned kd food. The Mirtazapine will definitely help, so stick with it. You could try a couple of tricks ... drizzle no more than a teaspoon of organic honey over the top of the canned food. If that doesn't work, try getting some pure coconut oil and try the same with that. Also, small amounts of food more often is the way to go with kidney disease - so consider what a full daily intake should be for the size and age of your dog, then split this into maybe 4 or 6 portions, and feed at 2 or 4hrly intervals if possible. This process helps reduce stress on the kidneys (less toxins are produced), it improves the likelihood of eating and it reduces nausea.

The Azodyl is good. There is no scientific evidence it does anything, but anecdotal responses from other owners is positive.

I am very disappointed in what your vet has said about blood numbers. This is extremely bad. You need blood numbers every month or two. Why, because kidney disease does indeed change a great deal, and that means we have to adapt the diet to take account of the changes. It's the only way of combatting the symptoms. Ignore the blood levels, and your dog will go downhill fast. Maybe it's time for a second opinion from another vet - or just get your vet to do what you expect him to do, after all, you are the one paying him.

Next ... get those blood result copies from him and explain you expect a copy every time bloods are tested from here onwards.

Blood pressure is another important thing. I'm giving you a link to my article on the first things you and your vet need to do to be in with a chance of stabilizing the disease. Please read it:

http://www.infobarrel.com/My_10-Point_Plan_for_Dogs_with_Kidney_Failure

And this one is about diet changes during the disease:

http://www.infobarrel.com/Changing_Diet_During_Canine_Kidney_Disease

Get back if you have further questions.

Tony

[Cbwest]

I'm not sure of her stage - the vet never mentioned that. He also said I shouldn't focus too much on the numbers because they fluctuate. Nellie had blood work done on Mon, but he didn't give me a copy to take home. I know the numbers were worse than last time, but he knew I was upset and didn't want me going home and focusing on the numbers. Six months ago, her BUN was 43, her creatinine was 2.1, and her phosphorous was 4.4. She's eaten Science Diet KD dry most of her life - she had a liver shunt when she was about 3. She stopped showing interest in that food about 2 mos ago, we switched to canned KD, but she stopped eating that after about a month. So, for the last month, I've just been trying anything - store bought and home cooked. He's never mentioned high blood pressure. She was on Mirtazapine, but I didn't think it was helping much, so we switched to Cyproheptadine, but she stopped eating completely on that. So we went back to Mirtazapine a few days ago, and her appetite has been a little better - ate some ground beef and veggies yesterday, some Beneful dry today. She's also on Azodyl (I posted a question about getting her to take that - thanks for your response), Pepcid, and  Cosamine. I would love to get her back to eating KD canned, but don't see that happening. Let me know if you need any other info.

[tonyb286]

Hi. The big question is, what stage is your dog at and what are the current blood levels for BUN, creatinine and phosphorus? Are you feeding (mainly) a kidney specific dog food? If so, which one? Has your vet checked for high blood pressure? Which appetite stimulant are you using? Is your dog on any anti-nausea medication?

Get back with answers and we'll take it from there.

Tony