What can I feed my old girl???

[Wienergal]

OK, all you diet experts out there! I need some help!

Teena, my 16-year-old little girl, is not exactly a finicky eater, but she will have nothing to do with dog food! I am sure she was fed human food her whole life, because every time I open the refrigerator door, she is THERE! Unfortunately, she has an enlarged heart, so a lot of human food is off-limits to her because of the salt content. I want her to get her vitamins and some fiber, but so far, all she will eat is baby food meat and a little bit of baby food oatmeal with apples, if I can mix it in thoroughly with baby lamb or beef. She will not touch vegetables. She has lost a lot of her teeth (further evidence for her human food diet) and doesn't much care for chewing either.

I'm getting desperate. Ideas welcome!!!

Thanks!

Me and My Three

[TessieMom]

Mr. Wiener had two canned food preferences once he got off baby food: Eukanuba Adult Reduced Fat and Iams Liver and Chicken (Slow cooked with broth). Neither says what the sodium content is. Stinker liked the Eukanuba also (the vet did not say anything about watching her salt once she was on the Enacard) and it was good for her coat, but she is on Science Diet LD because of the elevated Liver Enzymes -- not her favorite food. Good Luck with your little old lady, Rena

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by TessieMom on April 22, 2001 at 01:25 PM</font>

[Susan63]

Pamela, could you maybe put kibble (what you are feeding your dogs) in the blender along with baby food? Put everything in the blender, that way maybe Teena won't notice the kibble? Are you feeding Innova Senior to your dogs? I'm assuming you have tried canned dog food too? Just try blending some Innova kibble, baby food, and maybe an egg or oatmeal? If it's nice and mashy maybe she'll gobble it down!?http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif OH! Also, add sweet potato in the baby food jars, that should help. I occasionally add it to Freddie's kibble. He LOVES sweet potato.http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif Good luck, let us know.

~Susan~

[Mandy]

What about soaking the dog food in water before throwing everything in the blender? She won't even eat teh green beans???!!!???? <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm24.gif" border=0> Our guys LOVE getting green beans! And since Henry is on a diet...he gets quite a few green beans......

What about some cooked veggies mashed up?

[Wienergal]

She will not TOUCH vegetables! I tried the sweet potatoes, which my dogs adore...walked away. Also tried the smooshed kibble mixed with homemade chicken broth and baby meat; she managed to lick of all the meat and leave all the mooshy kibble. Hadn't thought of pulverizing it, though--that might work! I'll try the blender! If that works, I can gadually increase the kibble content and reduce the baby food content. She won't even touch dog treats!!! And yet she has a very healthy appetite and does the cry-and-dance routine for her meals....

Thanks for the ideas!

[dutchman]

A few tricks for a fussy eater. Cook some liver it cam be beef, veal, chicken. My mother use to boil the chicken livers for some of our dogs. Just cut the cooked liver into small pieces or puree it. A little soft boiled egg (don't ask me how long to cook a soft boiled egg) or some cottage cheese. You can always rinse the cottage cheese to reduce it's fat content. All of these are meant to be blended with a healthy food. Have you tried any canned foods. I know dogs who won't touch dry kibble that will gobble down canned food. With a little time and effort you may be able to get her moved to a more conventional diet.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

[Owen's Mom]

Does Innova make a canned food? You might try that, I know Canidae makes a quality canned food. I've always been one to say NO Canned for any dog of mine, but if my dog were a 16 year old lady of lesiure with a lack of teeth, I might just give in. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

~~Amy~~

[pluto'slanie]

How about rice cooked in chicken broth with either chicken, ground turkey or beef and a vitamin supplement? Low fat cottage cheese? Will she eat dog cookies or will only human cookies do http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/lol.gif Unfortunately, Shana would eat the tile off the kitchen floor. Pluto is finicky, but will eat FRR Dry Water blend mixed with wet food.

------------------
Lanie, Pluto and Shana, AKA the little sister

[MarissaM]

Tom: You cook a soft-boiled egg for 4-5 minutes in boiling water.

Pamela: I've heard hard-boiled eggs are good for dogs, in moderation of course. When the dogs are being finicky we put in a bit of tomato juice or chicken broth. We always microwave and make it a soggy mush.
Good luck with her!

[Susan63]

Innova does have canned food now. I bought some at PetPeople. Didn't see the Canidae canned though. But I won't buy any more Innova canned (I mix it with kibble), because the last can I opened was BLACK<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm43.gif" border=0>. Exp. date was good too (2002).

I hadn't thought of cottage cheese, you may want to try Knudsen's FAT FREE. Now if Teena turns her royal nose up at that, she's weird!<IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm9.gif" border=0> Have you tried boiled rice? Another thing I just remembered is Campbell's Cheese Soup. Penny's Aunt I think mentioned that once. Mix the soup with the other stuff. Have you tried banana or peanut butter?
At least she has an appetite!http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif Good luck!

~Susan~

[Wienergal]

I will try the liver, egg, and cottage cheese ideas! THANKS! Can't use soup--too much salt. Fat isn't the problem with the elderly lady--salt is because of her enlarged heart. So I make her homemade chicken broth, no salt. She loves that!

Tried banana--she didn't like it. Tried peanut butter--she didn't like it (can you BELIEVE it????? http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/lol.gif )! I've tried two kinds of super-duper canned food, including the Solid Gold my dogs eat (fish, turkey, potato, carrot, vitamins)--she wouldn't touch 'em. Tonight, I microwaved chicken broth with the Innova kibble, then mashed the softened kibble into the broth. She ate ALL the broth, which meant she got some of the kibble too, in liquefied form. The bigger pieces of kibble that were left? She wouldn't touch 'em!

She is QUITE the challenge,

Anyone have any advice on vitamin supplements? With my two omnivores, I have never had to give vitamins...They eat a more balanced diet than most kids do!!! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Susan63]

Check out www.drsfostersmith.com. (http://www.drsfostersmith.com.)

[Roxane]

I am so glad I stopped to read this thread.
Pamela, when you get a moment read the links under Gen. Health regarding Onions. Gerber is now putting onion powder it it's meat products. Take a look.

Cottage cheese is usually a real winner even for the most spoiled.
Sometimes people are not aware that the foods right from the fridge are too cold to create a good aroma.

Oh, one other thing, perhaps you are playing right into her devious plan? http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/devil.gif

Skipping a meal or two might make all the difference in the world.

I had a cat once that trained me. You name a cat food, I bought it. Never again! We then played the waiting game. I won. She got hungry enough, she ate. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/lol.gif
Roxane and crew

[Carol A. Smith]

Red Barn Dog Food. Go to their website www.redbarndogfood.com (http://www.redbarndogfood.com) and read about it. I have yet to see ANY dachshund refuse it, even the most finicky. Mine have been on it for about 8 months now, and have never looked better. This past weekend, at the field trials, I gave some of it to a friend with a dachshund who refuses to eat, and is skin and bones.. she gobbled it up. Not one meal, but several in a row. Can't say enough good about it, and the quantity you feed is very small. My fat dog has dropped weight, the others have all muscled up and look wonderful. Coats shiny, etc. Fed it to my bitch all through gestation, and nursing, and raised the pups on it exclusively. All was wonderful. She looked good, kept her figure, did not get fat or thin and did not blow her coat.

Carol

[Wienergal]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! Teena is now eating like a normal dachsie--which means she dances and cries for her food, then attacks the bowl! http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif I think maybe she needed to feel comfortable here first and also to get used to the regular meals around here.

She ate kibble tonight for the first time. I had mixed it with boiled chicken livers and the broth, some baby lamb, and some baby sweet potatoes...just a touch. She licked that bowl clean! She is also learning to chew. I found these tiny little potato-chip-sized rawhide chews at Petco. I had to teach her how to chew it, but she was interested, and she wore herself out gnawing away on it!

Roxane, I checked all the labels. Gerber IS putting onion powder in some of the mixed foods for older babies, but there is none in the baby meat, baby veggies, or meat sticks, so we're still OK with those. Thanks for looking out for us!!!

[Susan63]

That a girl! Yummy stuff!http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif Here Teena, http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/kiss2.gifhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/kiss2.gif

[dutchman]

Way to go Teena. It always amazes me how well most of our little friends can adjust to life's changes.

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)