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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Apitite
| Hi, Layla seems OK (fingers crossed). Vet reduced Pred. too fast last time & she had a set back. Went bk. on it & eased off slowly, dn. to 2.5 mg. every other day & Aza. twice a week , (nxt. Appt 6/15.) CBCs R in normal range so far. We are now going to a different Vet. BUT I had to recommend the gradual reduction! (fr. reading the site info.) Alternating fr. Reducing Pred. to Aza. A few weeks at a time. But she won’t even touch her dry food (Nature’s Recipe) unless I mix some raw liver in w/ it. Any suggestions? Oh for the days when all she ate was dry. Thanks so much. So happy for all who R showing improvements & prayers out to all the others! T & Layla |
| T. Rose & Layla Erie |
| T, This sounds really good! You are a smart dog owner and your vet will admire you for your willingness to learn about the treatment protocol. Good luck with your reductions in meds. As for food and diet. Ahhh, this seems to be one of the most common complaints I read about on the k9nutrition list, my dog won't eat X. In general, a dog eats what they like and avoids stuff they don't like. Yes, in some cases, illness can be the precipitating reason for food avoidance. But if Layla seems to be feeling better overall and her blood work is showing improvement, she may just be responding, quite naturally, to the much better tasting raw liver! There is no reason to not give this to her in moderate quantities. Use about 1 ounce per 10 pounds of dog per week. If you increase it too much, it can result in diarrhea. I also know, from reading on k9nutrition, that some dogs begin to turn their nose up to food that they have enjoyed for some time, only to find out later that the food was recalled or that when pressed, the owners could smell that the food had become rancid. This last great dog food scare was particularly motivating to many owners to start making their own dog food at home. This is a great motivation, however it is important that the diet be properly balanced nutritionally. Feeding only meat, for instance, can in the long run damage a dog's health. There are a number of excellent kibble products on the market. It's tough to sort through them all on your own. I like the dog food reviews that Whole Dog Journal does each year. You can subscribe to the magazine, either by mail or get an on line copy, or you can pay for single articles like the dog food review at the website and get a computer file. I make and feed a raw diet to both of my dogs. But I do keep a moderate amount of kibble and feed a little occasionally, as a treat, so that if we had to evacuate I would have something to feed them. I have researched and like Fromm's dog food. In particular I keep the Duck and Sweet Potato kibble. Whole Dog Journal rates Fromm as a quality dog food manufacturer. Their rating always includes if the manufacturer will publish the factory that makes the dog food. If a company will not release this information, they simply will not be included in the WDJ ratings. I also keep a few bags of Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food. This is equivalent to a raw diet when reconstituted. They have a variety of products (very expensive) but get raves from customers. So in general, there usually is a reason why a dog will refuse one food while enjoying another. They could just be picky or they may find something distasteful. A dog that refuses all food is ill. good luck! patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Thanks for your great responces Patrice. Please see new "Tick" thread as now food isn't my biggest concern. Terese |
| T.Rose Erie |
| We also love the Honest Kitchen dehydrated Raw, I mix it with kibble every couple of days and they love it! We feed California Naturals Herring and sweet Potato. Also, a little white rice always seems to entice Tiggs. melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
| That's so cute. Being fussy is a good thing ... for now anyway. If I put dry food down for Tessy she'll look at me like there's something wrong. She's good at holding out for the good stuff! As soon as I leave the room all I can hear is a feeding frenzy. Good to hear Layla is doing well. Keep up the good work with her. Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
| Hi T, My Kent became extremely picky with his food. He had never been on a pure dog food diet to begin with - he ate some people food, and always had SD sensitive skin available. When he got sick, he got extremely fussy, and i put that down in part to what Patrice says above (food is bad) and also to their taste buds changing due to the drugs - things just dont taste right sometimes. I know when i am on antibiotics my appetite changes, i cant imagine how much with pred and all the other drugs! Because Pred can do quite a number on the liver, i started making the liver diet for Kent - sweet potata and fish and veggies, and he went bananas for it, for a while. But he never liked the same thing over and over (who does?) so i mixed it up, and started making everything for him. It was easy after I got the hang of it, and came in very handy when he developed kidney disease (probably from all the drugs, i dont know). Kent always loved fresh fruit and vegetables, and went through a carrot eating phase (had to be peeled and FRESH) to the point that he was just pooping carrot fiber - yep, big orange fiber poops - looked like the stuff comes out the back end of the juicer. He also enjoyed cauliflower enormously, watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes, all kinds of berries, and more. Even oranges and tangerines. I suggest just experimenting and seeing what they go for. I did get over 40 samples (yes) of different kinds of dog foods too, and he chose the Fromms, which was great but too high in phosphorus for him, so he got only a bit of it, but he liked it. He would often go for something for a week, then not like it anymore, but he always went for the natures bounty beef or lamb rolls - like crack for our dogs, that stuff. ! :) There are a number of good diet guidelines out there, WDJ is a great place to start, and remember to incorporate the fact that our dogs are on drugs when evaluating diets and recipes. Also try to get a holistic vet or nutritionist advice on supplements - this helped enormously in our case, and at one point we were able to reduce Kents liver values from off the charts to near normal. :)Remember to check calcium levels and supplement if home cooking! Best of luck, Christine and Angel Kent |
| Christine FL |
| I forgot to mention, Yogurt and smoothies were also a big hit, as were meatballs, and pasta. When giving any dog people food, remember that alot of our food these days is low-fat, and sometimes sweetened with sugar substitutes. This is bad for dogs. Always make sure to get the most natural of whatever it is you are buying. I bought whole, plain, yogurt containing the fewest ingredients. Same goes for anything else. Its amazing what i've learned about food through this experience, and i can tell you that i do not buy prepared or premade food at all anymore. (except Ramen, its a weakness and its bad for me and for dogs). I make everything my self. I made Kent his own biscuits too, didnt like anything from the stores. He liked milkbones, but our vet said this was essentially filler junk food for dogs, but i still let Kent have some toward the end when it became a question of why not? whatever he wants. So, remember, no aspertame etc for dogs! Yogurt is great for them, and us too. If they want some, i think there is nothing wrong with letting them have some. Christine and Kent |
| Christine FL |
This thread was discussed between 02/06/2009 and 05/06/2009
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