Suggestions on making Katy's pureed food healthier

[Jason_C]

I mentioned in another thread that Katy is anemic, probably because of the Prednisone that she's been on for 9 months. I reduced her dosage on December 1, and then the symptoms of anemia really started to show! Including a loss of appetite.

Cerenia didn't seem to do much. I have her on Entyce now, but so far it might have had the opposite effect! I could get her to eat one serving of Farmer's Dog before using Entyce, now all I can get her to eat is baby food :-O

I can't explain why she's rejecting chicken tenderloins that I boiled, but will eat pureed chicken baby food with enthusiasm! Maybe just because it has more water?

She'll also eat pureed sweet potatoes, but she didn't really like the pureed bananas.

Any suggestions on what I should buy to puree that would give her enough calories and nutrients, AND that she might eat?

 

[Ann]

That is a dilemma, Jason. I've been there. Does she like yogurt? You might try mixing in some flavored organic yogurt (make sure there's no xylitol or birch sugar in it, only pure sugar). I give mine the blueberry flavor for meds which they love.

Maybe try some different proteins too, like eggs. A friend of mine with a senior picky eater adds tomato sauce. I've even used gravy in the past. At this point the goal is to get the food into them, whatever it takes.

One more thought...you've mentioned Farmer's Dog. I'd try a different fresh food and see if that interests her. FreshPet kept Checkers alive for several years at the end, it comes in various flavors and forms and is in most supermarkets. I still feed it to my seniors.

There's nothing easy about this problem. It's worrying and frustrating when they won't eat. I hope you can find the magic potion that works for Katie.

 

[Jason_C]

I just updated the other thread, but I took your advice and got her a ton of food options today! A few varieties of FreshPet, canned Chicken Soup for the Soul, some Chobani yogurt with blueberries (organic cane sugar, no fake sugar), and all of the newborn baby food that my grocery store had.

When I got home I was able to get her to eat a whole jar of pureed turkey baby food, about half a jar of carrots, corn, and pumpkin baby food, about 1/2 cup of FreshPet kibble, and several treats!! I estimate about 300 calories, which is great since her daily goal is 380!! That's the most she's eaten in a single day in over 3 weeks :-D

You mentioned tomato sauce. Was this homemade, like just pureed tomatoes? Katy USED to love tomatoes (a favorite breakfast of mine is a plain bagel with cream cheese tomato, and smoked salmon, and she would demand some of the tomato and salmon!!), but she's been refusing the tomatoes for the last few weeks. If it's just pureed tomatoes then I'll definitely make her some, to see if she'll eat it!

You also mentioned gravy. When I make gravy at home, it's just meat drippings, broth, and flour. Is that what you mean? I'm never entirely sure whether white flour is OK for dogs.

 

[Ann]

My friend just uses premade tomato sauce from the jar. Not sure what brand but I’d just look for one with good ingredients. Same for gravy….i bought the jars of gravy from the supermarket. It comes in various flavors.

I’m so glad she’s eating something now! I’ve had really good luck with the FreshPet, they really like it and it’s nutritionally balanced which you want. Katy is lucky to have you…it’s a real challenge when they won’t eat!

 

[Caro]

I second the eggs, Tully lived on them in her last days, tho she always had half a boiled egg for breakfast before that. It does contain one of the essential nutrients for brain health so that's an added bonus (it's 3 in the morning and I've been with a sick dog so my brain isn't switched on atm)

 

[Jason_C]

Same for gravy….i bought the jars of gravy from the supermarket.

When Bane (my beagle) was in his last week (apparent liver failure but I was never sure), I bought a bunch of things like beef broth in an attempt to get SOME calories in him. After he drank a bowl of broth, I paid closer attention to the ingredients and saw that it had onion powder

A little while after Bane passed, I had become chummy with the guy at the butcher counter at the grocery store. We were talking about the size of the chicken breasts, and he commented on how they injected them with some kind of solution to fluff them up (which I knew about in general, but not in detail). I asked if he knew what was in the solution, he said that they just got in big bags of it and he had no idea! He assumed it was just salt and water, but I read that brown sugar, garlic, onion powder, "spices", soy sauce, and carrageenan are common additives. So they're in the meat, but not in the ingredient list!

So now I'm SUPER cautious with any food that I buy for her. I just don't trust labels anymore. I've been buying her chicken at a local butcher, and a lot of the fruits and veggies that she's had over the years are from my own garden. Right now I'm buying newborn baby food with the theory that it's the LEAST likely to have additives, but even that worries me a little.

I second the eggs, Tully lived on them in her last days

Katy always loved a scrambled egg! But right now she's still refusing it It's too early to know if she'll eat today like she did yesterday (nothing yet, but she was the same way at this time yesterday), but if she perks up this evening then I might scramble one and see what she says