Sunday November 6 - Time Change!

Kairk, What would you feed an old dog who doesn't seem to have a lot of enthusiasm for eating lately?  Vet says there are no obvious health issues beyond a couple of bad heart valves she was diagnosed with 2 years ago (and haven't gotten significantly worse - she isn't on medications and does not get winded on walks).  She seems more interested in human food, but I don't know what to give her that would be healthy.  She is a 13 year old beagle.

Ah, attempt #2. My server dumped my last response and I didn't have the foresight to copy the post before submitting. So....

I'm going to assume you are feeding a high quality kibble and go from there. If you are not sure of the quality of the food you feed go here: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

I supplement the dogs' kibble with protein. I rotate what I use. I make fat balls (a ground beef meatloaf type of thing that puts on weight and is highly palatable), cooked chicken thigh, green tripe, rabbit, lamb and eggs. I will also use products like Redbarn's beef and chicken rolls. I would think the easiest thing to try would be the chicken thigh. I cook it in the IP until it falls off the bone (20 minutes high pressure). I shred the meat and save the stock. Add some of the chicken thigh to the kibble and some stock. If that doesn't do it, you might want to try something called K9 Magic. It is technically a training treat, but it works well for finicky dogs. Green Tripe is probably the best bet, but it is gross and stinky. I do mean stinky with a capital S. It smells like cow poop. Green Tripe, however, is pretty much the perfect food for dogs and they scarf it down. I have yet to know a dog who won't eat tripe. Here is a link to the Green Tripe company where you can get the K9 magic (and tripe...) http://greentripe.com/

Redbarn beef and chicken rolls can be found at a lot of pet stores. It is a complete food, but IMO it's not really all that great, so I use it as a supplement and for training. You can see the product here: http://www.redbarninc.com/premium-rolled-food

Hope that helps.