I need some help, I have a year old dobermann who has contracted Broncial Pneumonia, she is being treated by the vets on anitbitoics.  The problem is that we cannot get her to eat enoguh to keep her alive, the most she has eaten in the last two weeks is two small cans of P - Chum and half a dozen yoghurts.  We have tried everything from Roast Beef to Fish, vaious types of dog food, pasta, rice, hot dogs, rice pudding and even burgers.  All she does is take the food then drop it, she did used to eat the small round coloured hide chews but won't eat them now.  She has lost 2 K in this time and is looking like a stack of bones, she was never a big eater to begin with but at this rate she will starve herself to death.  The vet dosent seem to be to duely worried as we are managing to get a little somthing down her each day but its not enoguh to fight the infection and get her well again.  Please any ideas we would be gratful

Have you tried making her some chicken broth with well pulped (through a blender) veggies in it?  This way you will get some nutrition into her while she need do no more than lap it up.  You could alternatively make the soup with lamb, fish or beef.  Add something like bonemeal or SA37 to it when it has sufficiently cooled to top up on vits and minerals.

Offer the soup lukewarm and often so that she has little need to top up with water - if she's been eating so poorly for some time her appetite and tummy will have reduced substantially.  If this works a couple of times, keep the meat source used and shred it into the soup to gradually bulk up the consistency.

If this doesn't help, ask your vet for sachets of Waltham's (or similar brand) convalescence diet - it is a powder which mixed with water forms as thin or thick a liquid as required and contains all essentials for nourishment.  It is often used to feed by tube or syringe into poorly dogs with GI problems or for weakened dogs to lap from a bowl.  It is only available through your vet but not expensive.

HTH, good luck, Teri

Live yoghurt with Tree Bark Powder from Dorwest Herbs, works a treat.

Thanks for the advice, my partner is at home making the chicken soup and my lunch time mission is to find the Tree Bark Powder, we got her to eat a sausage last night but that was it. I will let you know if either works for her.  Thanks once again, keep your fingers crossed.

Hi,

I have a bitch who had a litter last year and developed an infection. She went off her food, and I tried everything. I was advised to try her on meaty morsels, which I was reluctant to do but she ate them and I felt at least it was something. She would also take some ice cream from time to time.

I hope she gets her appetite back real soon. 

Everything duly crossed ;)   Try not to panic (much easier said than done) as your girl will pick up on your anxiety too.  When a dog is eating virtually nothing it's all too easy to fall into the trap of giving them everything and anything just so that they take something but that could upset her tummy and mean it just runs through her -  try and stick with smallish portions of bland food such as soup, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, white fish, yoghurt (not all on the same day!) and if it's working gradually add some overcooked rice or mashed potato to the protein source. 

Pulped banana often gets them interested too - but don't overdo it ;)

Please keep us posted.
best wishes, Teri

So sorry that you're having such problems.  I know what a worry it is when you can't get food down them.  Hope the advice given in the above posts does the trick.

Dont know if this will help, but after my bitch suffered a twisted gut, my vet advised feeding her blended food for a while. I cooked anything, chicken, lamb, veg and totally processed it all with added water. This made it like a drink, and she lapped it up.

Hi All,

Sadly the chicken soup did'nt work for her, we have just taken her back to the vets who has given her a steroid based anitbiotic which should boost her appetite they say.  I have bought some cottage cheese as that's one we haven't tried plus the Tree Bark Powder and live yoghurt, so will try again later once she has got over the vet experience at least our older boy Sol is loving this, as he gets to eat whatever Tora dosen't!!  He loved the chicken soup, I don't know we have one anorexic dog and one obese dog.  Thanks again

Have you tried complan?

I use B Sorb(you have to scroll down the page quite a way) as it can be syringed in small amounts into the mouth & has never failed to get any of mine to start eating again

I have had no experiences with this but it may be of interest to you?

What about that paste stuff you can get at pet at home???It's got vitamins and is used for stimulating appetites.AArrrgghh the name's on the tip of my tongue!

Anyone?

Any news on how she is doing since the steroid.  Hope she has started to eat something.

Hi Alison I pm her your gruel recipe dont know if it worked!!

Thanks Veronica, isn't it worrying when you are waiting for an answer! Hope she is okay.

Enervite?

>Enervite?<

Thats it! :D

Dear All,

Sorry I havent been back to you but we had to take her to Bristol as the situation got really bad, anyway they put her on a drip and changed her antibitotics and overnight she started to get better.  She is back home with us now and on the mend still looks like a toast rack with fur but is eating everyday and sometimes asks for more food amazing!! A big thanks to you all for all your suggestions and concern it was a great relief to speak to others and get support.  Thank you again

Thats really good news hope she continues to do well and is feeling much better. You must be so relieved.

so glad she is getting better .
Roni

Such good news, onwards and upwards now.

Hi Soltara,

I'm really pleased to read the update on your girl - I'm so glad that she is improving and long may it continue :)

Please update again when you get the opportunity.

Very best wishes to you both, Teri