Snowball not eating normally

[robl45]

Hello,

Snowball has been doing well for about 2 years or so now since I last reported on her here. The past couple of days though she doesn't want to eat her food and she has thrown up a couple of times. She doesn't seem to be throwing up any more and she has no issue eating bread or chicken. Just wondering if this is normal. She has been eating Hills WD for the past few years to keep the insulin somewhat under control. One time they were out and she got the royal canine version. She was never a good eater until the diabetes where she has for the past 3 years been devouring the bowl. Just curious why she would all of a sudden not want the food when she will eat people food without issue? It makes it difficult to give her the shots.

[jesse girl]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

Lots of reasons dogs lose their appetite . I think the most concerning reason for a diabetic dog is pancreatitis . That would need to be diagnosed at the vet with a specific test . The inflamed pancreas causes pain and leads to not wanting to eat . When jesse had this she was fasted for an extended time to let the pancreas heal . I am a believer in fasting a dog with stomach upset for one or maybe 2 days but after 3 with no improvement it's time to go to the vet

More than likely it is some kind of digestive upset . Sometimes that can resolve but a psychological problem may linger with the food as the dog remember eating it with discomfort . Common problem in humans . I still dont care for pretzels when I got sick eating them as a kid at New years and enjoyed them before

I give jesse one meal a day so she receives insulin without a meal for the first half of the day and have been doing that for 11 years so its a myth that you have to give insulin with food .Normally you can give a quarter of the normal dose without food but test a bit more to see how it goes

This is an oppurtunity to see how to adjust the dose with appetite problems as that will occur from time to time and I prefer giving some insulin than nothing as many vets would suggest.

As jesse has gotten older her appetite has mellowed and that is to be expected . I have no problem adjusting her dose when needed as I have learned many dosing options with jesses road traveled with diabetes

[robl45]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

so she is eating basically anything else and she is also eating grass. She seems healthy, just doesn't want to eat the WD food. She was also whining all night in her cage.

[robl45]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

we got some parmesan cheese to sprinkle on her food, that helped her eat some of it.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

Yes cheese, salmon oil, turkey

Hey Rob
Is good to not feed for a day but give 1/4 dose of insulin.

Feeding a bland diet for a couple of weeks will help.
Chicken, rice, beans or broccoli
Measure it up according to Snowballs weight.

No eating outside!!!

[robl45]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

yes, gave 1/4 dose this morning, we were doing 4 units before though with regular food, with WD food we can keep it at 2 units. so not really sure where it should be if she doesn't eat much, so salmon oil can be put on the food too? I didn't know what stuff I could use that isn't bad for her.

[jesse girl]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

For my Jesse when she ate grass she had stomach upset . So the whining is not normal and may indicate pain . Snowball probably needs a checkup

[robl45]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

she was fine sleeping last night, I think the whining might have been her insulin a little low. I dropped it back now because of her eating. She has plenty of apetite, just doesn't seem to want this food. She ate it a bit with the parmesan cheese, but not a lot. I feel ike I need some type of oil or whatever to wet the food. Is there some type of oil I can get at walmart or whatever? Salmon oil I see appears to be a supplement for dogs, is there any normal food product I can get to get her to eat the food?

[jesse girl]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

Wd is probably not a very appetizing food to begin with and many dogs wont eat it but they say it works well with injected insulin

I put yeast flakes on jesses dinner for flavor . She likes it . You may have to explore other food options if it going to be a problem for the long haul . You dont want a food protesting dog day in day out .

You maybe able to feed once a day like jesse where snowball may have a better apatite with one meal

The key is experimenting but keep it small as bunches of different types of foods can create stomach upset

You do want to not give to much insulin at night as you are sleeping and cant monitor . Quarter of the dose is a standard to begin with but less could be needed . Your kind of reregulating for this specific option but its not the process that was done in the beginning because you already understand your dogs diabetes

Jesse does get a bit of canned mackerel with her dinner and she likes it . Dont know if salmon oil makes it more appetizing but I dont think it could hurt

[robl45]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

as far as the fasting goes, how do you fast a diabetic dog, I've read no food and water is typical, is that the same with a diabetic dog?

Lots of reasons dogs lose their appetite . I think the most concerning reason for a diabetic dog is pancreatitis . That would need to be diagnosed at the vet with a specific test . The inflamed pancreas causes pain and leads to not wanting to eat . When jesse had this she was fasted for an extended time to let the pancreas heal . I am a believer in fasting a dog with stomach upset for one or maybe 2 days but after 3 with no improvement it's time to go to the vet

More than likely it is some kind of digestive upset . Sometimes that can resolve but a psychological problem may linger with the food as the dog remember eating it with discomfort . Common problem in humans . I still dont care for pretzels when I got sick eating them as a kid at New years and enjoyed them before

I give jesse one meal a day so she receives insulin without a meal for the first half of the day and have been doing that for 11 years so its a myth that you have to give insulin with food .Normally you can give a quarter of the normal dose without food but test a bit more to see how it goes

This is an oppurtunity to see how to adjust the dose with appetite problems as that will occur from time to time and I prefer giving some insulin than nothing as many vets would suggest.

As jesse has gotten older her appetite has mellowed and that is to be expected . I have no problem adjusting her dose when needed as I have learned many dosing options with jesses road traveled with diabetes

[jesse girl]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

For Jesse and the handful of times i personally did it was a simple process . I just dont feed her for a day maybe 2 . I have not restricted water . I give her a reduced dose of insulin which i have been doing for most of jesses diabetic life with her one meal a day . Now when she had pancreatitis she was hospitalized and they restricted food and water but she received intravenous fluids.

[bichons9]

Re: Snowball not eating normally

GOOD LUCK!! Since 3 og my pups stopped eating at the same time in May (I think) and 2 passed away but from secondary medical conditions, we have fed Suzie what she wants, when she wants..which is never the same. Until May, she ate 1/2 c ruby stewbie 2X/day..Now...R.S ="canned" salty chicken bits (not good for her) sometimes, cooked egg yolk with 1/2 ritz cracker and crumbled chicken sometimes..all which is hand fed and/or must be taken out of plate placed on bare floor. NBG skyrocket or extremely low..woth 4-5 injections of Reg insulin along with NPH..We no longer have a routine and have no idea what to do...The canned chicken breast and p nut buter are our last resorts when BG is low...These expreienced mebers know how to manage the insulin/food..They are great..I wish I had their skills since i know we are not doing Suzie any good...We just need to get her to eat...DVM suggested oregano..NOT!!! I hope your pup just sanps out of it. As long as we feed her by hand, etc, she is eating but BG are awful...I wish you the best