Ivan Will Only Eat Chicken Fillets

[ruthless]

Ivan's been sick for a while. OH put him on Sasha's Blend and a few weeks later he turned into a different dog overnight. Not eating, no interest in going for walks. The two things he lived for. We thought it may have been a reaction to the Sasha's Blend, so we stopped it. He had a couple of vet visits but they thought he was just getting old. He's 11.5.

He refuses to eat kibble or VAN. He was getting chicken frames but he had bloods taken last week and it turns out he has pancreatitis so he can't have them now cause the fat content is too high. All he'll eat now is chicken fillets. He won't eat fish, tinned or fresh.

Any suggestions on other foods we can try?

Edited July 31, 2010 by ruthless

[Parkeyre]

Any stinky puppy foods?

[Kajtek]

HonBun is a pancreatitis survivor. (Her human mum, aka Anna, caused the problem by dishing out Orijen on regular basis **hits self here**)

Our vet's suggestions seemed to work a treat:

1. Week 1 - Rice boiled with green & red vegs and chicken breast. No fat at all

2. Week 2 - More chicken breast + as per week 1

3. Week 3 - Add a bit of dry food (we use Holistic Eagle Pack)

4. Week 4 - Add a bit of raw, very lean, human grade beef.

5. Week 5 - Raw beef/chicken breast + dry food

HonBun is now 100% ok. She is still a bit sensitive to fatty foods - That's easily managed.

If things get difficult

a) charcoal tablets are magic

b) quick-eze tables from supermarket are good at fixing indigestion probs

Edited July 25, 2010 by Anna

[ruthless]

Any stinky puppy foods?

I've never had a puppy, what are stinky puppy foods? He needs low fat, so maybe they wouldn't be suitable?

HonBun is a pancreatitis survivor. (Her human mum, aka Anna, caused the problem by dishing out Orijen on regular basis **hits self here**)

Our vet's suggestions seemed to work a treat:

1. Week 1 - Rice boiled with green & red vegs and chicken breast. No fat at all

2. Week 2 - More chicken breast + as per week 1

3. Week 3 - Add a bit of dry food (we use Holistic Eagle Pack)

4. Week 4 - Add a bit of raw, very lean, human grade beef.

5. Week 5 - Raw beef/chicken breast + dry food

HonBun is now 100% ok. She is still a bit sensitive to fatty foods - That's easily managed.

If things get difficult

a) charcoal tablets are magic

b) quick-eze tables from supermarket are good at fixing indigestion probs

Thanks for all that Unfortunately he won't eat rice either though!

[~SL~]

Any of the "wet" foods, perhaps the tins of Eagle Pack wet food? They are expensive but if he liked them enough you might be able to hide other stuff in with it?

Sorry he is feeling off Ruth

[darlingdog]

Ivan's been sick for a while. OH put him on Sasha's Blend and a few weeks later he turned into a different dog overnight. Not eating, no interest in going for walks. The two things he lived for. We thought it may have been a reaction to the Sasha's Blend, so we stopped it. He had a couple of vet visits but they thought he was just getting old. He's 11.5.

He refuses to eat kibble or VAN. He was getting chicken frames but he had bloods taken last week and it turns out he has pancreatitis so he can't have them now cause the fat content is too high. All he'll eat now is chicken fillets. He won't eat fish, tinned or fresh.

Any suggestions on other foods we can try?

Hi, sorry to hear your boy has had pancreatitis. I have no experience of dogs with this but as a human survivor of pancreatitis myself I thought I could offer you a tip that works for me in the meat department. I have found that I can tolerate small amounts of kangaroo fillet. It's very lean and it might be worth a try for your boy. Good luck with managing him, the pain from this condition when it's acute is such that you really think you might die so Ivan has my utmost sympathy !!!!

[Kajtek]

Thanks for all that Unfortunately he won't eat rice either though!

Give him a quick-eze tablet or 2. It does help.

Does he prefer pasta cooked in broth?

You can make rice or pasta smell/taste like chicken by

1. Cooking a chicken or turkey broth

2. Cooking rice/pasta in the broth to absorb all yummies and smells

Anyway, it worked for us

Edited July 25, 2010 by Anna

[tlc]

Sorry to hear the big fella is not well.

Do you cook the chicken breast for him or does he have them raw? You could cook up some chicken thigh, maryland or drumsticks and pull the meat off the bone. It would not be as expensive as the chicken breast and maybe have a little more flavor than the breast to entice him. Will he eat cooked (boiled) pumpkin, you could mix some of this in as well.

If I am having a particularly hard time with Cooper and his usual bad food habits, I entice him with a small amount of liver boiled and chopped up added to his food to get him interested, however might not be good if his tummy is feeling off? Is there anything else that he will jump through hoops for that you could entice him with??

Sorry I can't come up with much else, hope Ivan is feeling better soon!!

[ruthless]

Thanks, we've tried cooked chicken and raw chicken. If it's mixed with anything else he just picks out the meat. He used to have kangaroo quite regularly, I'm not sure if he's turned his nose up at it recently. I must try it. I'll also get some tinned food and see if he'll eat it. Cooking up cheaper cuts of chicken is a good idea too, cheers I can't see him eating a Quick Eze, but I'll certainly give it a go!!

Hopefully the ABs will kick in soon and he'll start feeling a bit better.

[tlc]

I wonder if something like mylanta (similar to quick eze but just liquid form) would work but you would have to syringe it in??

[Staff'n'Toller]

You may need to go for something specially designed for pancreatitis just to get him back on track. Hills i/d is turkey and egg and Royal Canin have a Gastrointestinal Low Fat. Both have tinned versions and you can heat them in the microwave.

[Genabee]

sardines?

[ruthless]

Won't eat tinned or fresh.

[~*Shell*~]

I have no advice but I'm sorry to hear this Ruth. You know what a big fan of Ivan I am. Hope he's feeling better (and eating better) soon.

[ruthless]

Thanks Shell

[Trishm]

My greyhound has had pancreatitus and she eats Royal Canin Low Fat Digestive canned and dry food, sometimes I add some cooked rice or pasta, a little roo meat and some veggies, you have to be really careful with the fat content of the foods that you feed him. Good Luck.

[Stitch]

If all the dog will eat is chicken fillets and you are happy to feed that, then feed him chicken fillets with a multi vitamin/calcium sup. mixed in.

I have a dog with similar problem and I am wondering if your dog may need to go without food for 24 hours to help stimulate the appetite initially, then feed something like Hills I/D diet mixed/soaked with a little warm water - but only enough to satisfy the hunger - be careful not to overfeed as you want to keep it interested in its next meal.

As long as the dog can tolerate it, adding a product like Livamol or a little molasses can be a good appetite stimulant.

[ruthless]

I bought some kangaroo mince the other day and he wolfed it down. He stalked me in the kitchen while I was putting the rest away so I thought I'd try giving him some more with a bit of Nutro mixed in. No go though. I put it away and tried giving it to him the next day, but he only ate a small amount. Oh tried mixing some with rice, but he was just picking the meat out. He only wants meat, no fillers.

[shmoo]

Sweep had pancreatitis (and is now diabetic) and is supposed to be on the Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat (but it was terrible on his skin). I still have some cans and dry here for when I need it. You are welcome to come grab a can and some dry if you want to see if Ivan likes it.

Sweep loves and does best on the 'Four Legs' chicken variety from the super market.

Once I get a spare moment I will put together a recipe for him and make his food in large batches and freeze so I can buy in bulk (anybody know where I can get chicken breast in bulk cheap?! )

[ruthless]

We gave Ivan his wings tonight. He took a major turn for the worse today. He was refusing to eat and then he vomitted blood twice. He could barely walk and was clearly suffering. We took him to S.A.V.E.S. and had him PTS. RIP big fella xxx