Little tummies and food...

1940 Views 15 Replies 7 Participants Last post by jenniferhope423, Jul 19, 2010

jenniferhope423

Discussion Starter · Jul 19, 2010

As most of you know Sophie had a seizure caused by hypoglycemia last week. Her vet said that I had to make sure that she ate throughout the day and suggested that I give her Nutrical everyday until she puts on some more fat. She is 4 pounds and very tiny. I am used to Bailey eating a whole bowl of food and Sophie has never eaten a whole lot at a time. She nibbles throughout the day. I assume she just has a very tiny tummy and gets full easily. Her vet said that she HAS to eat two good full meals a day and the past few days have been a struggle. She will eat anything but never a lot of it. I have her on Natural Balance kibble and Organix canned food. I also tried Natural Balance Eatables which she and Bailey both loved. Again I had to hand feed her and she only ate about 7 bites and then was done. Last night I was desperate to get her to eat something so I cooked some ground beef and hand fed it to her which she ate like a champ. I am now very seriously considering home cooking some type of food for her just to get her to eat. Does anyone else have a tiny one that doesn't eat a lot or have any advice on getting her to eat her meals? I want her to be as healthy as possible and even if I home cook I want it to be healthy and as organic as possible.

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Nikki's Mom

· #2 · Jul 19, 2010

Nikki never was very interested in any type of kibble, and even canned food was a struggle. Nikki refuses to eat any type of dog biscuit, even the home-made organic biscuits at the farmer's market.

Since I started home cooking, Nikki eats all of her food twice a day, and her treats of freeze-dried apples, freeze-dried salmon, and/or fresh fruits and veggies.

I always recommend organic baby food. Usually works well for most dogs.

I'm no expert on nutrition, but wouldn't it be better for Sophie to eat pureed organic baby food every couple of hours to keep her blood sugar up, instead of nutrical, which is full of corn syrup, soybean oil, gelatin, and other yucky stuff?

Hunter's Mom

· #3 · Jul 19, 2010

Hunter loves babyfood. We use Earth's Best. I find it to be very healthy and I like the 'firsts' series which consist of just one fruit or veggie and this whole line is organic. If you look at the carrots label the ingrediants say "organic carrots" and that's it!

jenniferhope423

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 19, 2010

Thanks Suzan! I will absolutely try the baby food. I HATE having to give her the Nutrical because she doesn't like it but I will do anything to keep her from having another seizure. Is there a certain brand or flavor you recommend? Any ones to stay away from?

jenniferhope423

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jul 19, 2010

Hunter's Mom said:
Hunter loves babyfood. We use Earth's Best. I find it to be very healthy and I like the 'firsts' series which consist of just one fruit or veggie and this whole line is organic. If you look at the carrots label the ingrediants say "organic carrots" and that's it!

Where do you find these? Do you mix the baby food with anything or just feed it plain?

Ladysmom

· #6 · Jul 19, 2010

Nikki's Mom said:
Nikki never was very interested in any type of kibble, and even canned food was a struggle. Nikki refuses to eat any type of dog biscuit, even the home-made organic biscuits at the farmer's market.

Since I started home cooking, Nikki eats all of her food twice a day, and her treats of freeze-dried apples, freeze-dried salmon, and/or fresh fruits and veggies.

I always recommend organic baby food. Usually works well for most dogs.

I'm no expert on nutrition, but wouldn't it be better for Sophie to eat pureed organic baby food every couple of hours to keep her blood sugar up, instead of nutrical, which is full of corn syrup, soybean oil, gelatin, and other yucky stuff?

I agree. Nutrical can cause a rebound effect, too, setting her up for another hypo episode.

http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/52-maltese-health-behavior/104140-nutrical-good-bad.html

Nikki's Mom

· #7 · Jul 19, 2010

Earth's Best has been around for a long time. I get it at Whole Foods, but I think that they carry it in regular grocery stores (?)

Until you can figure out what type of food/vitamins she will like, you can try different flavors of baby food, either mix it with some ground chicken or ground beef, or ground turkey, give it all by itself for a couple of weeks. I mix the pureed fruit/veggies into Nikki's food recipe once in a while to keep everything moist.

I fed a senior rescue I'd fostered (toy poodle) Earth's Best chicken and rice plus their carrots for her main meal for about two weeks until she recovered from her dental and extractions.

Eventually, you'll have to figure out what to feed Sophie so she doesn't miss out on calcium and other nutrients. In the meantime, you might want to try baby food plus some Cottage cheese and yogurt (plain) for calcium.

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jenniferhope423

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 19, 2010

So far I've been giving her a small handful of shredded cheese a day, blueberries, strawberries, & yogurt. I am going to get some of the baby food tomorrow and try that. She loves yogurt and I can usually get her to eat at least one whole table spoon full at one sitting. She also LOVES shredded cheese and I do give her a bit of that everyday since her episode. That seems to be the only thing that she will consistently eat. Where would I go for advice on what I need to feed her to be sure that she is getting the nutrients and vitamins that she needs?

Sandcastles

· #9 · Jul 19, 2010

There is a nutritionist, Dr. Remillard, (she’s one of three board-certified nutritionists)
at Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts - she will consult with your vet and compile a diet that is suitable for your Sophia.

The telephone number is : 617-522-7282

I had to do this for my beloved Nicholas. I hope this helps.

Allie

vjw

· #10 · Jul 19, 2010

jenniferhope423 said:
So far I've been giving her a small handful of shredded cheese a day, blueberries, strawberries, & yogurt. I am going to get some of the baby food tomorrow and try that. She loves yogurt and I can usually get her to eat at least one whole table spoon full at one sitting. She also LOVES shredded cheese and I do give her a bit of that everyday since her episode. That seems to be the only thing that she will consistently eat. Where would I go for advice on what I need to feed her to be sure that she is getting the nutrients and vitamins that she needs?

Please, please don't feed baby food to your dog. It's on just about every list I've read of "foods you shouldn't feed your dog". The primary reason is that it sometimes contains onion powder or onion which is toxic to dogs. Another reason is that most baby foods are too rich for dogs.

There's a couple of good veterinary nutrition consultants online. Petdiets.com is one of them. It's my bedtime and I can't think of the other one right now.

Here's the link to petdiets.com:

Welcome to Pet Diets

Here's a link to an article on Drs. Foster and Smith titled "Foods To Avoid Feeding Your Dog":

Foods You Should Not Feed Your Dog

Joy

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Nikki's Mom

· #11 · Jul 19, 2010

Jennifer, you might be able to find a veterinary nutritionist in your area, or do a phone consultation with one to find a good recipe for your fluff.

I can also recommend Dr. Becker's Book, for home cooking. I have it and the recipes are good, imo.
Pet Cookbook | Recipes for Dogs and Cats

Nikki's Mom

· #12 · Jul 19, 2010 (Edited)

vjw said:
Please, please don't feed baby food to your dog. It's on just about every list I've read of "foods you shouldn't feed your dog". The primary reason is that it sometimes contains onion powder or onion which is toxic to dogs. Another reason is that most baby foods are too rich for dogs.

There's a couple of good veterinary nutrition consultants online. Petdiets.com is one of them. It's my bedtime and I can't think of the other one right now.

Here's the link to petdiets.com:

Welcome to Pet Diets

Here's a link to an article on Drs. Foster and Smith titled "Foods To Avoid Feeding Your Dog":

Foods You Should Not Feed Your Dog

Joy

All she has to do is read the label. If there is onion in it, it will be listed. I've never bought any Earth's Best Baby Food with onions/onion powder in it. It's not for eating all the time, but only until she can figure out what to feed her dog.

Hunter's Mom

· #13 · Jul 19, 2010

Jennifer,

I have found Earth's best in both high-end grocery stores as well as our regular everyday grocery store in the baby section. They have many varieties but I find the first steps to be the ones I like best because I know how much of each thing is in the food (as these are one item only). I am always leary about the ones with meat and grains because I worry about how much meat/grain/veggie is really in each container.

I have also frozen the babyfood into ice cubes to make for great little treats.

I don't believe you will have a problem with onion, garlic, rosemary, etc in the food if you read the label - Hunter has been on Earth's best for a while and I have never encountered any of these ingrediants in the jars (all ingrediants in any food must be listed so if it were there I would have seen it!).

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Ladysmom

· #14 · Jul 19, 2010

Jennifer, I just posted this link in another thread:

Here is a list of canine nutritionists who follow AAFCO guidelines:

Sabine Contreras (see About Page)
Marina del Rey, CA
Ph: (310) 991-6673
E-mail: [email protected]
Better Dog Care, Better Dog Nutrition (site for consults)
The Dog Food Project (for food information)

Susan Blake Davis, CCN
CCN-Certified Clinical Nutritionist
VCA Arroyo Animal Hospital
Lake Forest, CA
Ph: 949-499-9380
E-mail: [email protected]
website: Holistic Veterinarian Pet Nutritionist Holistic Pet Care

Rebecca Remillard (PhD, DVM, MS, DACVN)
Angell Animal Medical Center - Boston, MA
(617) 522-7282
MSPCA-Angell: Nutrition Team
Veterinary Nutritional Consultation, Inc.
Welcome to Pet Diets

Joseph Wakshlag
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nutrition
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine - Ithaca, NY
E-mail: [email protected]
Ph: (607) 253-4389
Fax: (607) 253-3534

Hilary Watson
Ph: (519) 836-7253
[email protected]
(Note: Please specify nutrition request in subject line to avoid spam filters)
Hilary Watson Pet Nutritionist
(Can ONLY be contacted by those in Canada at this time)

Lisa Weeth (DVM, DACVN)
Redbank veterinary Hospital - Red Bank, NJ
Ph: (732) 747-3636

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jmm

· #15 · Jul 19, 2010

I'm surprised at the advise to eat 2 large meals. Multiple smaller meals would make more sense. I would try to feed 4 small meals like I would for a young puppy.

jenniferhope423

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jul 19, 2010

Thank you Marj!

JMM- I have been feeding her smaller meals throughout the day. With the way that she eats there is NO way that I can get her to eat two big meals a day. I think that his main concern was that she was getting at least 2 good meals a day. Which she does when I find something that she really likes to eat

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