[gatehouse]

I'm looking for high calorie receipes for my almost ten year old boy who is skinny and being really picky with his food. Currently on Nature's Domain and whatever we're having for dinner
Any suggestions?

 

[ShelianDobe]

My last boy got picky in his old age and was tough to keep weight on. I solved the problem by making my own chicken/beef stock (no salt). Just tossed a whole chicken and some beef stew meat into a stock pot, simmered all day until chicken was completely rendered and all meat off bone. Removed bones and then ladled over his dog food every day. Worked great. He ate well and put on a few pounds. I made the stock about once a week for the last 18 months or so of his life.

Good luck with your boy.

 

[gatehouse]

My last boy got picky in his old age and was tough to keep weight on. I solved the problem by making my own chicken/beef stock (no salt). Just tossed a whole chicken and some beef stew meat into a stock pot, simmered all day until chicken was completely rendered and all meat off bone. Removed bones and then ladled over his dog food every day. Worked great. He ate well and put on a few pounds. I made the stock about once a week for the last 18 months or so of his life.

Good luck with your boy.

THanks Shelly .... that's one of the things we've been doing, it's also one of the things I do for the girls when they whelping pups...we go through lots of chickens LOL Thank God for Crockpots!

Yesterday's burger king burger and poutine were a hit, and there was the pasta alfredo the other night. I just wish he would put on weight. tonight it's bear meat (yuck!) for him...he's on his own there....

 

[Okie-dobie]

Satin balls.

Satin Balls Original Recipe. Includes Substitutions for key ingredients for when you do not have everything you need. Heartland Great Dane Rescue, Inc.

 

[thea2003]

We just switched Jed( due to his ears) over to hill's h/p- hydrolyzed protien. It is from the vets it is a hypoallergenic diet. EVERY SINGLE DOG in the house LOVES IT including the 6wk old chihuahua puppy. Jed is an EXTREMELY picky eater and he is 13yrs old. He loves the food and is constantly wanting more. May be worth a try!

 

[Luvbirds]

How about switching him to raw?

 

[gatehouse]

Okie-dobie - Good idea, i have the recipe too. Maybe adding that to some food will help.
Thea - I just can't bring myself to feed Hills SD LOL! I know my vet has it, we argue about food whenever I'm there (a lot lately :-( ) I can just see him gloating if I bought a bag!!!
Luvbirds - He is turning his nose up at venison, he will chew on a RMB for a bit but not long, he's just plain fussy. He's been thorougly checked out and everything is fine but he's old. He was never a great eater. Some days he is, others, forget it. What would you give one of your dogs raw for a days' meal? I'm open to anything (except Hills LOL!sorry!) Although i even considered buying kibbles and bits if he would eat it !!!

 

[thea2003]

if the food saves a $150 visit every couple of months for ear issues as well as pain and discomfort for my dog, Im game LOL. Could care less what the brand is and LOL- my vet didnt even know about h/p, it was suggested by the vet our fosters go to.

 

[gatehouse]

thea, yes i agree. And maybe i'll give it a try (in a SMALL BAG LOL) .... anything that makes him eat. Although he did love my pasta

 

[thea2003]

We just switched Jed( due to his ears) over to hill's h/p- hydrolyzed protien. It is from the vets it is a hypoallergenic diet. EVERY SINGLE DOG in the house LOVES IT including the 6wk old chihuahua puppy. Jed is an EXTREMELY picky eater and he is 13yrs old. He loves the food and is constantly wanting more. May be worth a try!

Oops I lied and its too late to edit, the food is Medi-cal, not Hill's but still a vet food.

 

[dobebug]

if the food saves a $150 visit every couple of months for ear issues as well as pain and discomfort for my dog, Im game LOL. Could care less what the brand is and LOL- my vet didnt even know about h/p, it was suggested by the vet our fosters go to.

Hey Thea,

Is it the Hill's Ultra? the allergy diet that is completely hydrolyzed? I ask because Royal Canin also has a similar product which is (or actually was--they recently changed the name, not the formula) called HP and is a fully hydrolyzed product. It's also very palatable. I'm all too familar with the hydrolyzed hypoallergic products because I had the misfortune to adopt a cat who is allergic to everything (read that as all food). Purina and Royal Canin have HP type kibbles formulated for cats and this cat has been eating them happily (and cats are tough sells on prescription foods) for nearly 8 years now and is in wonderful condition.

And for you guys that want to die on the hill that Science Diet/Hills is something you'd never feed. While I might not feed the regular Science Diet products (although I think the most recent owners of the company are doing a better job of improving quality) the prescription products are still some of the best on the market.

The Hills Ultra is available in 15# bags (and larger) the Royal Canin HP/hydrolized is available in 7.7# bags (and larger--maybe 16#) for dogs and both companies fully guarantee the product and will refund the purchase price if it doesn't do what you expect it to or if the dog doesn't like it. All of the hydrolized diets are expensive but they work for true food allergies and they are all formulated to be very palatable.

Good luck--I've pretty much fed all my geriatric dogs a stew (crock pot chicken usually) on whatever kibble I was feeding but a couple of my oldest dogs did better if I added about 1/4 of the kibble in the form of puppy food (more calorically dense) so if the dog normal ate 2 cups of kibble per meal with 1/2 cup of chicken stew I would switch it to 1/2 cup puppy food, 1/2 cup chicken stew and 1-1/2 cups of the regular kibble. I never feed senior diets to older Dobes--not enough calories for them.

 

[thea2003]

Hey Thea,

Is it the Hill's Ultra? the allergy diet that is completely hydrolyzed? I ask because Royal Canin also has a similar product which is (or actually was--they recently changed the name, not the formula) called HP and is a fully hydrolyzed product. It's also very palatable. I'm all too familar with the hydrolyzed hypoallergic products because I had the misfortune to adopt a cat who is allergic to everything (read that as all food). Purina and Royal Canin have HP type kibbles formulated for cats and this cat has been eating them happily (and cats are tough sells on prescription foods) for nearly 8 years now and is in wonderful condition.

And for you guys that want to die on the hill that Science Diet/Hills is something you'd never feed. While I might not feed the regular Science Diet products (although I think the most recent owners of the company are doing a better job of improving quality) the prescription products are still some of the best on the market.

The Hills Ultra is available in 15# bags (and larger) the Royal Canin HP/hydrolized is available in 7.7# bags (and larger--maybe 16#) for dogs and both companies fully guarantee the product and will refund the purchase price if it doesn't do what you expect it to or if the dog doesn't like it. All of the hydrolized diets are expensive but they work for true food allergies and they are all formulated to be very palatable.

Good luck--I've pretty much fed all my geriatric dogs a stew (crock pot chicken usually) on whatever kibble I was feeding but a couple of my oldest dogs did better if I added about 1/4 of the kibble in the form of puppy food (more calorically dense) so if the dog normal ate 2 cups of kibble per meal with 1/2 cup of chicken stew I would switch it to 1/2 cup puppy food, 1/2 cup chicken stew and 1-1/2 cups of the regular kibble. I never feed senior diets to older Dobes--not enough calories for them.

I goofed on the name- it was medi-cal/royal canin.

 

[Sam1491]

At work and at home for our past seniors I've made a rice or oatmeal with cooked chicken or beef mixture, usually including a bit of karo syrup over the top for a little boost that they have always loved! (the syrup helps especially to hide the bitter taste of the springtime longevity powder we use/have used)
We've been able to get a 13 year old boy of my bosses to eat his full meals and gain back the weight he had lost when he turned picky.

Good luck with your boy!

 

[Okie-dobie]

deleted post.

 

[MeadowCat]

Maybe some canned green tripe? My dogs go nuts for it. I like the Trippett brand.

 

[Luvbirds]

As for the raw suggestions, how about some ground meat (beef,turkey, chicken or pork) with a couple of chicken wings to start? You could also add some tripe to his kibble, you can get it in a can now. How about a couple of sardines on his kibble? Monty hasn't missed many meals, even when the bitches across the street have been in heat, he loves his raw. He is a skinny guy and I've recently upped his food, he has lost too much weight since his big bros death. He is getting so much more exercise now.

 

[gatehouse]

Fred is picky - he doesn't like sardines, and sometimes eats ground meat and rice I make up. He's been enjoying bear meat with brown rice the last two days LOL Tonight, maybe pasta with bear meat.

Tripe, good suggestion, I will pick some up. I actually bought cans of Irish Stew - it was cheaper than the crappy canned dog food and he ate it, for two days, then that was it.

thanks!

 

[Beaumont67]

Can of sardines, on a regular basis...I suggest, dogs like to wolf them down.

 

[Ahalvorsen]

Have you tried just putting oil on his food? We use Corn oil for horses to put weight on and make their coats shiny. If he is sensitive to corn, maybe canola (that is fairly in expensive)? Could try any of them really?

 

[Nubis'sDad]

Try this for a snack, Nubis licks his lips over this and vibrates in a down stay.
Plain yogurt, oatmeal,bananas and blueberries.
I'm not sure about ratios, Nubis'sMom prepares it for the boy.