Dog won't eat medical food

[Indecisivelurcher]

My 12yo lurcher (greyhound x type) has been quite poorly and ended up at the emergency vets overnight with dehydration and for pain relief, after 3hrs solid vomiting. Tests were done. He's got an enlarged spleen and folate (B12) deficiency. Basically IBS and anaemia. He's got to have supplements and special food. The issue is he won't eat the food. He's not got much appetite anyway right now which doesn't help. The food is one made from hydrolysed protein. It's a dry kibble. It's white, and apparently made from feather which just sounds grim tbh, I haven't checked if that's true. I can't spruce it up with anything more tempting. Anyone have any tips? Not sure there's anything I can do!!

Vets are quite prone to promoting certain foods, basically due to funding from the specific food manufacturers.
It's no secret.

However, your dog needs to eat.

Boiled chicken/fish and rice is readily tempting and digested by dogs.

'Chappie' is often recommended, even by some vets as a wet food or topper for sensitive tummies.

Google your problem. There are loads of threads on dog forums that will offer some help.
I've hear that James Wellbeloved is popular with owners re tummy troubles.

Our dog was poorly and was recommending Royal Canin ( I rolled my eyes when the vet suggested this , particularly as Hills Science was offered as the alternative) but our dog didn't like it and after a few days, seemed to be depressed and couldn't care less about eating.

We abandoned this stuff and spent a couple of weeks cooking chicken/fish with vegetables and a bit of his favourite kibble.

All sorted.

We always soak dry food in boiling water so it swells before they eat it, not whilst it's in the gut. I would mix something with it eg plain boiled chicken ( you could use the water from boiling chicken to soften food also.

I would ordinarily agree, but in this case I really don't think I can give him things like chicken or chappie. He's ended up in vets as a medical emergency in a real state, after several months of issues. However if I can't get him to eat it I will have to look into an alternative path. Like you said pp, he's got to eat.

We're trying the purina ha food at the moment. The other options we were given were royal canin, hills, and two others I hadn't heard of. So a few options. But we went with purina as it's supposed to be the most palatable, supposedly!!

I'm fairly sure that most of the "specialist" foods sold by vets are total shite, made with very little meat and very poor quality ingredients.

Why does he need this specific food? What about it makes it the only suitable food for him? Does he have diagnosed allergies to all other proteins or something?

If he really absolutely most eat this food and this food only, try stirring some salmon oil (can be bought from Amazon) into it.

But I'd be asking a lot of questions about why a dog needs to eat £££ food made from feathers.

Oh I know the food you are talking about! My lurcher had Giardia when he came to us but we didn’t know at first and so we tried that food whilst awaiting test results. He ate it for a couple of days and then refused to eat it. It looks very unappetising. I know it’s a go to but I have also discovered that my own dog, and quite a few others, cannot tolerate chicken and rice, it made his stomach worse.
Can you try either a fish based kibble (I use Arden Grange White Fish with Potato) or cook some plain white fish and take that in. Lurchers can be fussy eaters at the best of times. I also feed my lad tinned sardines but they will be too rich for your dog with spleen issues I think. I hope your dog picks up soon.

It is very little meat yes, I think that's the point of it, totally bland, nothing that could disagree with them. But yes I'm thinking I need to try something else here and just exploring what that might be. This thread is part of my research! I'm also wondering about fish. He's not had a white fish food before so it might be worth a try as we know it can't have caused him issues.

Our lurcher has recently been diagnosed with food allergies/IBS and we have started him on Royal Canin hypoallergenic. We were convinced he wouldn’t eat it as he’s generally quite picky anyway and has been refusing all kibble for the last few months alongside regular vomiting/lethargy and barely eating despite being offered fish and rice, chicken, ‘premium’ wet dog food etc. Anyhow, turns out he loves it. He’s clearing his bowl and looking for more, so might be worth a try for your boy? Apparently chicken/poultry is one of the most common food allergies in dogs so best avoided for dogs with suspected food intolerances.

Purina is made from hydrolysed soya protein.

It's Royal Canin that is hydrolysed feather protein.

I suspect the others recommended include Solo Vegetal which is made from vegetables and bean proteins. IME this is the one most likely to be accepted by the dog and can be a bit easier to wrap your head around as an owner. And doesn't look like white chocolate drops, like the Purina does

With a dog that had a medical emergency, I wouldn't be messing about with other foods until it was clearer what had caused the issue to start with.

I suspect the vet thinks food intolerance or allergy - neither of which can be diagnosed really without a strict exclusion diet - which can take several months of being super strict and not many owners can really stick to it. So it's safer for the vet to recommend a hydrolysed food instead.

I would ask the vet specifically what it is in the food that will help him, then look elsewhere. Raw feeding seems to be to way to go for ibs, natural instinct have a food called special diet which is specifically for dogs with ibs and colitis ect. You can always contact them for advice too.

That's @SirSniffsAlot solo veg was not on the list but I will look it up! That with microwaved white fish wood be brilliant if OK. I will also ask the vet about an exclusion diet.

Poached white fish and if you need a filler, sweet potatoes or tinned pumpkin
Don’t give rice, dogs can’t digest it properly.
If he is Ok with chicken. Plain cooked chicken and bone broth for hydration
I hope he is feeling better soon

Well scrambled egg = now looking sick and eating grass. Don't know what to do here at all really!

Leave it for tonight then try getting him to work for his purina kibble tomorrow.

Dogs - like lots of animals - are more motivated to eat if they've had to do something to get the food vs it just being offered in a bowl.

Eg toss a few in the floor or ask for a sit or hide a few to be found or put in a scatter toy. See if any of that works.

Alt made a very weak broth with veg stock and use a small amount in kibble.

Or try hand feeding.

Thank you! Appreciate it.

@Sixtonskip that's interesting! Does it have a flavour to it? Wonder if I just made an unfortunate choice of which one to go for.

Have you looked at insect based foods?

They have suggested a hydrolysed diet as the proteins and carbohydrates are broken down so small that they can't cause an allergic/IBS reaction, it is impossible to achieve this with home cooked diets. The most common dietary allergen in northern hemisphere dogs is chicken so please ignore all the advice to feed thus, egg is another common allergen.

https://honeysrealdogfood.com/digestive-system/

this may help you op.

Mine is on the feather food - Royal Canin Anallergenic and she scoffs it down happily.

She's basically allergic to everything so has been on the Anallergenic for many years now. She's 13 and a half and in great health despite the 'terrible' food.

There's just no way he's touching the purina. He won't eat a single kibble of it as a 'treat'.

So my options are,

Option 1 - Pick up a big sack of hills food sensitivities mini kibble at pets at home today. The trouble is if he won't eat that it's a lot of money and food.

Option 2 - order one of the other suggestions to be delivered, then I can get a smaller bag. But then I definitely won't have any until tomorrow at the earliest.

Option 3 - try millies wolfheart duck, sweet potato and veg. My mum has this food and could give me a weeks worth. I could get this today. It has a single protein source that he's not had before and from what I've read sweet potato is a good choice for digestion. The risk is that it isn't sensitive enough and makes him sick.

Option 4 - cook him something. I've got white fish in. I could buy sweet potato, veg.

As previously suggested, Option 4, don’t need veg. It’s not particularly easy to digest
sweet potato or pumpkin. A Tabelspoon or 2 of kefir will help too

the Millie’s is as a 2nd option
Sack off any kibble.

I wouldn't be going against vet advice when he's been so sick. They don't suggest hydrolysed diets lightly.

Pour some goat's milk over it. I bet you my last penny it will be an empty bowl very quickly.. We got down to help our lurcher gain weight.. Every time I open the fridge now I have 16 paws sat waiting.. Sold at the usual supermarkets..

Hi, we were in exactly the same situation & our dog wouldn’t touch the purina ha, I rang the vets stressing that she was going to starve but they kept reassuring me she would eat when gets hungry enough & it was just a case of stubbornness waiting for something more tasty and it was a battle of wills. We possibly put small amount of boiled water on it to try. It took a couple of days and a lot of stress on my part but they were right & now 5 years down the line both my dogs are solely on that and eat it no problem. Tummy problems are fine too with a small amount of daily meds alongside the food

Definitely option 3, it’s the most natural.