Slight improvement, yesterday. But we've still got a long way to go.
We still don't know what was wrong.
The big issue for me is his appetite, which is almost non-existent. Taking pills on an empty stomach upsets his stomach, but he's got to have the pills -- especially the heart medications. Dr. Mike wants him to eat a special, veterinary food formulated for gastrointestinal upsets, but Bao is not enthusiastic. He can't have his freeze-dried liver treats, or steak, or any of the things he loves, lest they make the pancreatitis flare up again.
Bao has lost nearly four pounds -- that's a lot for a little dog! His hindquarters are very weak -- he stumbles. His sturdy little haunches have just melted away. But he didn't eat anything at all for nearly ten days, so that's understandable.
Even so, the word "better" crossed Dr. Mike's lips yesterday. Bao is doing better, and I'm deeply, profoundly grateful for that.
He's comfortable, sleeping a lot. (But he always sleeps a lot) He's alert, interested in what's going on around him. Now, if I could just get him to eat!
posted by Unknown at 10:11 AM
3 Comments:
(Visiting family in Reno, NV, this week and purposely selected a hotel with WiFi to track Bao's recovery.) Come on, Bao, just eat a teaspoon of food. Do it for your terrier fans Casey, Scout, and Abby. Pretty please!
5:04 PM
Rocky asked us to stop by and see if we could offer any help to you. One thing we have found helps our Phantom eat is to sprinkle some mozzarella cheese and/or grated parmesan cheese on top of his food. Something about the smell entices him to eat. Another option is to use some chicken broth. We have also had some luck with Merrick canned foods. They have several tasty varieties.
We had another dog Dakota who had Cushing's, but eating was never a problem for her. She had a hearty appetite.
We also know that some people make a thick paste out of the food or something tasty that Bao will like and put it as far back on the tongue or roof of the mouth. Some people also use a turkey baster to get the food farther down to force the dog to eat.
Good luck to you.
Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara
12:49 PM
That's great news now the doctor is finally speaking of improvement!
One thing I discovered the past 6 months, is that special veterinary prescription diet food is not to a dogs taste. After Miss Poppy's operation for bladder stones, I had her trying all 6 brands available here in Europe, and luckely for me, she finally liked one, and yes, it was the 6th one we tried ...
The local animal shelter was really happy to receive the leftovers from the first 5 ;-)
10:28 PM
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