How is the pride doing today?How are you?
Thank you!
Here's Jennie's update, sorry it's probably going to be long.
First, Jennie has stopped taking the gabapentin in her food. I now have to give it to her by syringe, but she's getting used to it. I don't think it's an awful taste, just the nastiness of being held against her will and having something squirted down her throat. This may change again when the new gabapentin is started as that is a suspension (oil based) not a solution. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll take it in her food.
Next, it is getting more difficult to get her daily quota of food into her. I think boredom is the main culprit but it may be she is having some nausea sometimes. I'm going to call the vet on Monday and ask about getting her some cerenia. In the mean time she is still on canned foods. She's eating Organix chicken, and Organix chicken & liver.
She gets 0.75 ounce per serving.
I offer the meal straight, warmed up, with a little warm water added as well. She used to love soupy meals but she no longer will eat canned food soupy, so I only add a very little water. Sometimes she eats the entire serving all at once. If that happens, great.
Often though she either stops half way through and asks for enhancements, or she balks right from the beginning.
When this happens I have two enhancements in my arsenal. I have Fresh Is Best freeze dried beef heart medallions, which I crumble a little over the food. And I have Fresh is Best freeze dried complete meal, which I crumble over. She likes the complete better than the heart, but she needs variety. The FIB uses bone meal in their complete meals, I would prefer Jennie have no bone, but there aren't any that don't use bone.
I am thinking about getting another freeze dried product to have on hand because it is inevitable she is going to get bored with the FIB. She has always required a wide variety.
There are times when nothing works, and the last thing I try is hand feeding. Not right away. If she refuses a meal point blank, or can't finish even with enhancements, or if I am short of time I pick the dish up and put it back in the fridge, and later bring it back out and offer it again, by hand. She enjoys being hand fed, but thankfully doesn't take advantage of it, only once or twice a day.
Hand feeding is done wherever Jennie happens to be resting at the time.
(When I hand feed Jennie, Queen Eva hovers. I let Queen Eva lick my fingers and when Jennie is done I bring the dish into the kitchen and let Queen Eva lick the residue from the dish. I believe this helps her feel part of it all)
I encourage her to eat at her usual meal spot for at least one serving per meal (since she gets only 0.75 per serving she gets 2 servings per meal) For her second serving, if she is all cozy in a bed somewhere and doesn't come when called, I will bring the meal to her and let her eat it in bed. She enjoys this very much. Here is Jennie waiting for a meal
~more to come~