Refuses to eat

[Ann]

Did anything in your environment change, anything that might upset Barkley? After old Jake had pancreatitis it was hard to get him to eat, but once he'd taste a tiny piece he continued to eat. I supplemented his calories with a product called Stat semi-successfully but he didn't like it. His behavior towards food was actually very similar, but if anything was wrong with this Jake's pancreas it would be evident in bloodwork, wouldn't it?
(Again I apologize for ignoring you.)

Unfortunately, Barkley is in a different situation. He stopped eating about 3 months ago. We've tested him for everything and found, among other things, his liver is severely compromised. He is on end-of-life comfort care and prednisone now to make him comfortable and improve his appetite, but I know he has limited time.

Some of the things that I did try successfully over this period are, as I said, Entyce. Use it for at least three days in a row to jump start the appetite. You can use it longer but I'm not sure it doesn't lose effectiveness after a while. It did for Barkley.

As you have, I hand feed him. For some reason he'll eat the same food in his bowl out of my hand. And as my vet said, feed whatever they will eat. I have to close my eyes to ingredient lists at this point. If he likes it, he gets it.

One thing that worked that surprised me was putting some dry kibble in his crate mixed with few soft treats. I've had to crate Barkley when I leave the house because he has mobility issues from life-long Lyme disease. I found if I put a handful of kibble on the floor of his crate that he wouldn't touch for breakfast or dinner, he'll eat it while I'm gone and the house is quiet. I don't know if you crate your guys but it might be worth trying to feed them overnight or when the house is quiet.

I hope your find a solution. It's horrible and heartbreaking watching them starve themselves and not being about to do anything about it.

 

[Ann]

I've been a moderator on this Forum since it started in 2008. In all that time, I've only had to step in on a handful of threads. I'm disappointed that I have to step in on this one.

First, NO ONE here condones animal abuse on any level. And it's certainly fine to voice opinions on things you disagree with. Most members here have done that graciously and reasonably. But a few found it necessary to lace insults in their posts, and that is not acceptable. It may be OK on Facebook, where there's a lot of it, but that's not who we are here.

The OP is a long-time member of this Forum who has been inactive, and is not a troll or a spammer. We have an excellent group of moderators who take great care screening both posts and posters to weed those out and they don't get through. You never see them. If you have a question on whether a post or poster is questionable, PM a moderator. Making public accusations on the Forum is unacceptable.

Finally, a reminder that none of us know what another is going through. Disagreement is fine and healthy, but it can be done with respect and civility. I am going to close this thread, but invite the OP to open new threads on food or behavior questions. Be aware that we endorse positive reinforcement training methods here, and you can expect pushback on aggressive or negative techniques.

 

[KarenCurtis]

I've been a moderator on this Forum since it started in 2008. In all that time, I've only had to step in on a handful of threads. I'm disappointed that I have to step in on this one.

First, NO ONE here condones animal abuse on any level. And it's certainly fine to voice opinions on things you disagree with. Most members here have done that graciously and reasonably. But a few found it necessary to lace insults in their posts, and that is not acceptable. It may be OK on Facebook, where there's a lot of it, but that's not who we are here.

The OP is a long-time member of this Forum who has been inactive, and is not a troll or a spammer. We have an excellent group of moderators who take great care screening both posts and posters to weed those out and they don't get through. You never see them. If you have a question on whether a post or poster is questionable, PM a moderator. Making public accusations on the Forum is unacceptable.

Finally, a reminder that none of us know what another is going through. Disagreement is fine and healthy, but it can be done with respect and civility. I am going to close this thread, but invite the OP to open new threads on food or behavior questions. Be aware that we endorse positive reinforcement training methods here, and you can expect pushback on aggressive or negative techniques.

Thank you Ann, excellent post!

 

[KarenCurtis]

Unfortunately, Barkley is in a different situation. He stopped eating about 3 months ago. We've tested him for everything and found, among other things, his liver is severely compromised. He is on end-of-life comfort care and prednisone now to make him comfortable and improve his appetite, but I know he has limited time.

Some of the things that I did try successfully over this period are, as I said, Entyce. Use it for at least three days in a row to jump start the appetite. You can use it longer but I'm not sure it doesn't lose effectiveness after a while. It did for Barkley.

As you have, I hand feed him. For some reason he'll eat the same food in his bowl out of my hand. And as my vet said, feed whatever they will eat. I have to close my eyes to ingredient lists at this point. If he likes it, he gets it.

One thing that worked that surprised me was putting some dry kibble in his crate mixed with few soft treats. I've had to crate Barkley when I leave the house because he has mobility issues from life-long Lyme disease. I found if I put a handful of kibble on the floor of his crate that he wouldn't touch for breakfast or dinner, he'll eat it while I'm gone and the house is quiet. I don't know if you crate your guys but it might be worth trying to feed them overnight or when the house is quiet.

I hope your find a solution. It's horrible and heartbreaking watching them starve themselves and not being about to do anything about it.

Barkley