Desperate! Help with One Question Please

[KonaGirl2020]

The steroids are not a long-term solution. We just need her to gain weight. She’s lost 33% of her body weight and I don’t want her to suffer when her organs and nervous system are affected. I really thought she’d gain her appetite back by now. Her attitude is changing, she looks sad, ashamed and depressed.

Eddie, I tested her legs like you said. I don’t think it’s muscle atrophy. She was diagnosed on 2/16 after lab work on 2/15. Since then, she’s lost almost 10lbs despite forcing food down her throat. And I’m not exaggerating, she hates the syringe but she WON’T eat.

I removed the peanut butter because the next day after the PB, her stool was loose so I thought I might have overdone it. I will add a bit today and just give her the raw egg once a day. I crack it just before her feeding session.

I really think she’s just weak and light headed when she loses her balance. My poor doggy!

[jilbert57]

Oh poor Kona. I thought she would be eating. How did her liver enzymes come out? Does she show any interest if you heat food so it has an aroma?

Jill

[Olesia711]

i am so sorry to hear that Kona continues to lose weight....

Is the reason why she refuses to eat is because of the enzymes that are added to the meal???? Or will she not eat any food with or without enzymes???

One thing i do want to comment on.... Jeremy gave you spot on advice about the eggs.... PLEASE give the whole egg, not just the whites. Like Jeremy stated, you are much better off giving 1 whole egg vs 3 egg whites.

The majority of needed nutrition is in the egg yolk but in general (unless health condition restricts giving the egg yolk), you should always give the whole egg.

Just out of curiosity, would you be willing to try and can you get beef heart? Since you live in Calif, maybe from Wild Forks... i know they carry it on line.
If not, get the XCaliber product from Green Tripe..

Just buy the 1lb of the xCaliber... and if he won't eat it raw, try lightly cooking it at 325 and see if he will eat... or get just 1 beef heart (you can slice and bake the beef heart at 325 and see if he will eat this)

Both of these products can greatly benefit a dog wasting away... if he will only eat it.

IF not....i would talk to the vet about doing tube feeding temporarily or at the very least IV........ i know this sounds extreme, but at this point anything to get some and enough nutrition into his ailing body healing at least a little bit.....especially if the steroid drug doesn't help at all and since everything else does not seem to be working.

[KonaGirl2020]

Kona refuses to eat anything at anytime. I got her to eat two kibbles a couple of days ago. That’s it.

Will give her one egg per day. Today, I’m adding the banana back to the puree.

Is it possible I’m not putting enough pills to cover the egg? I thought that if I added the pancreas back, that would help cover any gap.

There are a couple of raw food places near me and I’m going to place an order today. I also ordered MiracleVet weight gain liquid for pets. At this point, I’m willing to try anything because if she loses more weight, she’s in danger.

[Tuckaboo Pam]

I'm late to the show...is there any reason not to mix up a big plate of scrambled eggs & mashed potatoes, topped with enzymes hidden by a scoop of cottage cheese?

I surely must be missing something, with all the qualified people offering ideas. But to me, I'd just want food in her, whatever it is. Maybe she has food sensitivities, and I missed that. If so, sorry for jumping in. ---Pam

[KonaGirl2020]

Kona does not have food sensitivities, she used to get diarrhea when she ate anything different than her regular kibble. So she's not used to veering from her routine. I have not tried cooking eggs and potatoes yet. Maybe I'll have to try that to see if she'll eat them. She's SUPER picky and has literally spit out food that I've forced into her mouth. This is why we're feeding her with a syringe, to get food in her but I need her to eat on her own. It is a 30min process to shove the syringe in her mouth. I also worry that she's sitting up and may be susceptible to bloat.

[Eddiespaghetti]

kona being down almost 30 pounds, means there is muscle atrophy. Just cannot have it any other way. Plus, we are hoping for that as opposed to any neurological issues. Believe me when I say we are hoping that. Meningitis/encephalitis is no joke. Muscle weakness can be fixed it just takes time.
I think one problem here is Kona is stuck in starvation mode, metabolic speaking. It has happened to all of us, I am sure. You accidently don't eat for 16 hours and at a certain point you don't feel hungry anymore.
http://www.wisconsinfederatedhs.org/fee ... rmful.html
Has Kona been checked for Cushing's or Addinson's? Have we tried the Fresh foods? Freshpet, Ollie, Farmer's dog? My picky ass dog loves Ollie and Farmer's dog.

[Patsy]

Hello,
I am not a vet or qualified to give medical advice , just an owner of a dog who was two weeks from multiple organ failure , but recovered to live eight more years normal lifespan,
I strongly agree with Pam that getting food in is first priority .i pushed pinches of food into Marti’s mouth, pretending to eat it myself first. After a fortnight .yes it takes ages. Eventually she nibbled at a really smelly cheap dog food, inappropriate but better than nothing.
I’m not familiar with your enzymes, but something smaller and more concentrated might be easier.
i would suggest a repeat blood panel to check liver and kidney levels and a urine sample though this may be too dilute to measure.
. Digested poo means somethings getting in. What colour is it?

If he’s drinking too much , it can affect kidney function . Marti had protein losing enteropathy with fluid leaking from manic drinking pressing on er heart and lungs. It seemed like diabetes insipidus but wasn’t. She had steroids for this

Muscles rapidly disappear if they aren’t used,. Nutrition and physio help.
If all this doesn’t help, maybe he has something that the vet has missed, in which case the vet should be talking to fellow vets.or change vets yourself.

[Tuckaboo Pam]

Any news about Kona? I've been thinking of you, --Pam