Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Insatiable Appetites

Is anyone else experiencing out of control appetites with this illness? My poor little shih-tzu, Bandit should be around 13-15 lbs. He is now over 20 and acts like he is starving all the time. He can hear a refridgerator door open a mile away!

Vicki California

Hi Vicki IT is very common for dogs to become obsessed with food. A lot of people on the board include vegetables to keep their dogs weight down and still try to fill them up. Good luck Steph

Steph Wales

I give Ginger the same amount of food and just divide it up and feed her 3 or four times a day. I think she thinks she is getting more, since she is eating more often.

Cheryl Pineville PA

Jasper can be fast asleep yet still hear the fridge door or his food container opening!!!!! He has always been a greedy boy, but now he is unbelievable. He will lay by his bowl all day if necessary !!! He has a high fibre breakfast, bran flakes and weetabix. We have divided his main meal into 2, (commercial balanced dry food) and add extra protein like fish, chicken etc and then cooked vegetables, wholemeal rice and potatoes....just to pack it out. I think he dreams food at the moment.

jackie pembrokeshire; west wales; uk

Hi Vicki. My dog, Duck, has been ravenous all the time and has gained a lot of weight. He will actually sit in front of the fridge and stare at it when he wants a snack. I have started doing the same thing as Cheryl - dividing his daily amount of food into three portions. I also give him one snack a day - usually an apple. I'm finding as we get into the lower doses of prednisone is appetite is waning a tiny bit. I suspect that the insatiable hunger may just be a habit at this point as he is almost off the prednisone now.

Debbie Nelson BC

Cranky was 5 pds when diagnosed. He is now up to 7 pds. My vet contacted a Nutritionist at Sceince Diet. They said to break the amounts up I also give treats of green beans the no salt kind and apples. Cranky loves those green beans but is not crazy about the apples. They also suggested carrots. Oh...I forgot to add that Cranky was waking me up in the middle of the night wanting to eat. I also think gradual pred reduction helps with the appitiet. Teresa and Cranky

Teresa Smithfield

Keiko definitely has a food fixation now! She was 7 pounds when this started and is 9 pounds now. She has such a small frame, she looks very chunky. We have done what others have said and spread her meals out. Every time we come through the kitchen she goes and sits by her bowl. She HATES carrots, just my luck! We try very hard to keep treats as low in fat/calories as we can.. Her weight has leveled off as the pred comes down. Next we will work on losing some of the extra weight.. Jess and Keiko

Jess BC

Hunger is a side effect of the pred. I am doing what others have said, spacing his food out, he gets a little every 4 hours between 6am & 8:30pm. I am lucky there is always someone home to feed him and take him out during the day. I have switched to a holistic dog food, lower in fillers with meat's & veggies. He would only eat the canned at first and we are slowly adding in the dry. Have tried bannana's with peanut butter and apples.He will eat them, but not to crazy about them. The up side is if they are eating they are usually feeling better! Best to you and Bandit.

Wendy Tampa FL

Holly is also always starving. We break her kibble up into three portions, breakfast, lunch and dinner. She also shares a bananna with me in the morning with her pills, has carrots before dinner when we eat our salad, and has apples as a snack before bedtime. Also plain rice cakes are a good filler in afternoon with no calories. Linda

Linda Sapphire

Monster too is always starving. She'll even eat vegtables, something she would have never touched eight months ago. She used to weigh about 50 pounds when this all started, but it was all muscle. Now she weighs 55 pounds and its all fat, but it looks much better than the skeleton figure she was showing three months ago -- I guess there's just more to snuggle now! I'll have to try breaking up her meals, maybe then she won't feel like she's going to starve to death. Jenelle & Monster

Jenelle Pueblo

i have just the opposite problem. sway doesnt want to eat about 75% of the time and it is causing major issues with just the overall health and getting the meds down her in a timely manner. not fun.

josh california

Hi Vicki and Bandit, my Jesse, almost 1 yr old,toy fox terrier had the side effect of the Predinose-the increased appetite, and decreased energy level so of course you will see a weight gain. My little guy is now off of the prednisone about 5 weeks, (maybe 6 now)and the energy has increased through the roof, but the appetite has decreased alittle. The vet had told us during the time he was on Prednisone, to give rice cakes and apples between the meals to satisfy the hunger while not increaseing the calories too much to avoid a major weight gain. Well, we have his litter mate, his brother James, and he has to have a snack too, "just because" brother is getting one...now James is still wanting the "snacks"... Good luck, so far Jesse is doing ok, no signs of a relapse after not being on Prednisone. I have my fingers crossed and am still holding my breath, and checking his gums every day to see how pink they are. Some things (like my paranoia and their desire for rice cakes and apples) don't change after this experience. Take care, and hugs to both of you. It is a gigantic challenge. Alice & Jesse

ALICE & JESSIE NORTHERN

Trixie is eating like a horse! ever since she had been on medication, normally she had one meal a day but now I find I have to feed her 3 times a day!

Tricia UK

My pug has come down with some form of respiratory inflammation. She coughs and brings up phlegm. Sometimes, there is exersion with expirations. The vet is currently working with us to help relieve these symptoms. Currently, Chloe (my dog) is on a low dose of prednisone. Her appetite has gone through the roof. She will become figitty and sit by her bowl. She wakes up at night doing the same, even whining to wake me up so I can feed her. I hope this goes away when she's done with the prednisone. In the meantime, I have split her feeding into 3, and tonight started feeding her carrots to satisfy her appetite and not add to her waistline. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to what I can feed her to quench her hunger that isn't fattening? Rhanks to anyone who has suggestions!

Kirsten New York State

Hi Kirsten. I asked my vet the other day and she suggested brown rice, some people on the site also suggested the same and also vegetables. I am going through the same with Trixie, eating like a horse, I have cut her intake down to smaller amounts 3 times a day.

tricia uk

Thanks Tricia, I have some brown rice and I will try it tomorrow. I know she likes most things like this and so I hope she'll take to it. Have you heard anything in regards to canned dog food?

Kirsten Syracuse

Jasper thinks of food from the moment he gets up until he goes to bed. He has bran for breakfast and weetabix (not sure what you call it over there) His normal meal, (commercial dry food or kibble) or what he would have had before aiha is then divided into 2 meals, for lunch and dinner. With that he has cooked chicken, turkey, beef and we add in mixed vegetables, eg... green beans, sprouts, peas, carrots, sweetcorn...even broad beans and then wholegrain or brown rice as is it is low GI and sustains him for longer. I have read an article somewhere recently that white rice can cause fatty lumps in your liver, hence the change to wholemeal. The veg and rice is low in fat and fills him up without extra calories. I cook enough up for a couple of days and keep it in the fridge. It also depends on what we have for an evening meal. For a change he sometimes has pasta, but that has loads more calories in it!!!!!!!!! Jackie and Jasper

jackie williams jax.williams@virgin.net

This thread was discussed between 13/10/2007 and 22/10/2007

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