Decreased appetite in 14 year old ?

Cindy

Cindy

Premium Member
So Gavin is no longer a total food hound.
I think he doesn't like his supplements. He always gets excited for his food ball (always plain kibble, its how he gets 1/2 of each meal). The other 1/2 is in a bowl with his powder supplements, and he sometimes finishes it in a few minutes and sometimes it goes unfinished for hours. Sometimes the powdered supplements are eaten around, sometimes he eats everything.

So is this something to be concerned about? I have tried bone broth with his supplements, but that just means a weird pasty food mess when he doesn't finish it. And he does eventually finish his food, I think sometimes he forgets it is there.
 
Sounds like it's his supplements he doesn't like, just seems weird that he eats all the food in his food ball but takes hours to finish his food and eats around his supplements.
Could you possibly put the supplements in a tablespoon of yogurt or maybe mix it in a bit of peanut butter so it's done quickly? Then you'd be able to see if it's a new change in eating or just a dislike for the supplements.
If he's anything like Riley, it's not that he's forgotten about it but rather how hungry do I have to be to eat that? Lol
 
His supplements are too much for peanut butter, but we can try yogurt!
He has always been a bit unenthused about vibrant pets and would sometimes eat around it, but he always picked out the kibble. But the past 3-4 months he has just left it all for 'later'. FYI. his dinner is still in his bowl and its 8PM;
he just had some water so he knows there is food there. He just ate a few tortilla chips I dropped so he will eat. Sometimes if I 'remind' him of his food he will eat it (like just now).sometimes it makes it until morning, and sometimes his breakfast makes it until dinnertime.

Its just such a change....and when we are visiting anyone he checks for dropped food, cleans the floors, etc....
 
I have exactly the same problem with Barkley, Cindy. He's nearly 13 and went on a hunger strike a few months ago. It took two months to get him eating again and he will not touch food with his supplements in it, ever. He gets a lot of them, plus prescription meds.

I give him his prescription pills in a dab of baby food from the jar on a teaspoon (it's like doggie crack) every morning before breakfast. Then I mix a bit of beef broth and a spoon of the baby food in a little glass bowl around lunchtime and give him those. He loves the combination and will lick it up.

He gets one big capsule at dinner time that I roll in a thin slice of ham from the deli and give him like a treat. I tried those treats that you can put pills in and they worked for a while, but this regimen works best at the moment! Good luck with Gavin...I feel your pain!
 
Has he had recent bloodwork done? I would be a bit concerned about kidney and liver function. It is concerning when a food hound starts being picky. I think the baby food and/or yogurt is a good way to get his supplements in him.
 
All mine hate supplements. We choose foods so we can avoid them. Bitsy, approaching 14, now gets a rotating variety of canned foods. Anything that tempts her appetite, we go for it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top