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!!

Does the food come in a wet version sometimes that is more appealing than dry? Speak to your vet practice as bound to be issue they've experienced before and can advise what maybe suitable for your dogs condition, they could also decide to prescribe appetite stimulants which may help as not eating can also make you feel nauseous.

Nutritionist recommended sprinkling a bit of nutritional yeast ( cheesy vegan b12) or fenugreek powder on food as the smell makes food more appetising but not sure either would be appropriate to eat in dog with severe gut issues. Using something smelly next to the food could help it appear more appetising but would need put in something dog is unable to access to eat contents & supervised to avoid risking another gut flare up.

The Purina Ha comes in tins too - going by my lurcher anything out of a tin is much higher up the list than dried! Is that worth a try?

@Indecisivelurcher it doesn’t state a flavour no. He was on Millie’s Wolfheart Salmon and veg or Duck and veg before he started having issues. I resisted trying the special kibble for a few weeks thinking he wouldn’t eat it, tried fish and rice, sweet potato, Forthglade etc etc, all of which he would eat for a few days then start refusing. I honestly think it’s because they were making him feel poorly. You can get just a 2kg bag of the Royal Canin so you wouldn’t be left with loads if he doesn’t like it. They also do a tinned wet food which I bought some of thinking he might prefer it to the kibble but he has refused to eat it it, it does have a very strange appearance & texture though!

One of ours has pancreatitis and we were told by the vet that a particular Kibble from Royal Canin was best.

I immediately rolled my eyes as it's the only brand they stock in the practice and they try to push it on every customer.

We got him on Chappie dry kibble and then he has a small amount of actual
Meat which is chopped up and vegetables added and then water is added as this aids the digestion and he is a poor drinker.

The water in the food saw a fast improvement in him and the Chappie to my surprise has been wonderful. He has lived beyond five years since the vet said there was nothing they could do and did we want him out to sleep?!

There's a great Facebook group Dogs with IBD, colitis and pancreatitis UK.

I joined the end of last year after my dog got very ill.

White fish is a good protein. I buy it frozen in Tesco. When my dog was going thru an Ibd flare I mixed that with white rice, sweet potato. Then very slowly introduced Virbac A2 kibble. This is mainly fish based and is hydrolysed.

I have found adding boiling water to it and letting it soak a much better way of serving it.

She'd been on it dry but had an episode of vomiting (purely from being an excitable dog) after a meal and my vet said to try softening it.

This then made it smell more appetising. I still top it with a little fish.

Throughout all this I found that chicken was a no no. Unfortunately it's the go to for vets but if your dog is still suffering then you have to find a different protein.

The stuff I mentioned is v £££ but I'm now slowly adding in a fish and rice kibble. James wellbeloved.

Another poster mentioned fish and sweet potato, I've got a bag which I might give a couple of mixed in.

I've also heard that Burns kibble is useful.

Hth

Please dont do this. Hydrolyzed food is way different from hypoallergenic or any of the food you have mentioned above

Your dog will be extremely poorly if you feed any of the options above (apart from option2).

Try adding warm water to the food.

Place the food in a ban marie with cheese in the outside dish (not touching the vet food) this will make the vet food smell different and maybe more appealing to your dog.

Hydrolyzed food literally was the only food my dog could eat - he would have died without it. He lived to the ripe old age of 16 on it.

I think there is also a wet version of some hydrolyzed food that may be an option. Speak to your vet.

Lonecat who posted above is a vet - they are never wrong!

Thanks @IngGenius

The Hills mentioned in option 1 is hydrolysed. Options 1 & 2 are the vet recommendations for hydrolysed food. I understand the difference.

I'm not convinced about millies but my friend who is a vet mentioned that if he really won't eat the hydrolysed food, the next best option would be to try a food with a single protein source that he's not familiar with. Millies is in that camp. But I wouldn't want to try it without speaking to my vet.

I've tried water. I've tried hand feeding. He won't eat a single kibble. I'm currently waiting him out and hoping the vets call me back with suggestions.

I've spoken to the vets. They've said to try a different hydrolysed protein food. Will have to order something. The vet said he does need to eat, so mix white fish in, in the meantime until the new food arrives.

I joined the Facebook group recommended here thank you. Early feedback is that the purina one is the least tasty! But that none of them will be as tasty as normal dog food.

If still no good then next thing to try would be a single protein source food that he's never had before. I don't thiiiink he's had duck but even less likely would be something like rabbit or venison.

I couldn't get through to the Millies Wolfheart helpline today.

My collie diagnosed with IBD. We were advised Purina or Royal Canin Sensitivity Control (duck with rice).
The Royal Canin wet food was much more palatable. We even managed to encourage her to finish the Purina Kibble by mixing it with the wet food.
nb In an emergency we were also told that egg was OK - we scrambled it (no added butter etc). Again she ate a little of the kibble when mixed with egg.
She wasnt allowed anything else.