Help Needed! No appetite for food in the morning --> vomiting due to empty stomach

[minibull]

We recently switched to Wellness Simple (limited ingredient) Salmon + Potato kibble to get the chicken out of Buttercup's diet due to suspected allergy with skin manifestations. The vet recommended we try salmon, but I found only a few foods with salmon and no chicken products.

Is there anything I can do to make her food more palatable when she is not very hungry? She seems to enjoy her kibble later in the day but in the morning she doesn't want it and instead prefers to sleep. However, she seems prone to vomiting if her stomach remains empty more than ~12-14 hours, and she is very happy to delay eating until mid-afternoon. She also needs food with her current medication course, so I have to get her to eat in the morning. It has been a real challenge!

I've started coating her kibble in natural peanut butter (her favorite treat), which sometimes works, but other times she just deftly licks it off of the kibble. Not sure if Wellness is her forever food since we switched only 2 weeks ago, but I wonder if there's anything else I can do to make her food appealing in the morning without training her to expect a treat-food combination at every meal.

She can be finicky as she has turned her nose up at all offered veggie treats and cider vinegar in her water. We would consider making some or all of her food at home, but I don't know where to begin. Thanks if you can share any tips or tricks to help!

 

[2BullyMama]

The Honest Kitchen is a great choice if you want to home cook... it is a base and then you add the protein of your choice to the formula you selected. You can also try Earthborn Meadowfeast or Fromm Beef Frittata or Pork and Peas... all three have no chicken or grains.

Have you tried plain yogurt as a topper?

 

[minibull]

Thanks for your tips. We have not tried plain yogurt as a topper, but that might be good to help with hydration a bit as she doesn't drink a ton of water, either (tho' we do filter it). Wasn't sure if dairy might be another allergy for her, but it is worth a try.

I think our vet said that beef is the second most common allergy after chicken so I'm hesitant to try a beef-based food. But if she won't eat this one then there are not too many other salmon options. Taste of the Wild and Pinnacle were two options but I have not seen those listed much on this forum. Wellness has another grain-free chicken-free formula but the protein is very high and I don't want to cause kidney problems especially since she drinks so little water.

 

[cali baker]

[MENTION=12744]minibull[/MENTION], if the Wellness kibble you are feeding Buttercup has a wet/canned version, you can put a little bit of that as a topper on the dry. Other toppers I've tried besides yogurt: shredded cheese, eggs, and liver.

 

[minibull]

[MENTION=1904]cali baker[/MENTION], I checked and they do have a canned version! I will try that first and keep the other options you mentioned in mind.

 

[ddnene]

I know a lot of people use Taste of the Wild, and I use Earthborne Holistic for my boxer. They are both well rated dog foods… www.dogfoodadvisors.com

 

[rjisaterp]

[MENTION=12744]minibull[/MENTION] If you want to moisten the food, try adding a little beef broth to the kibble as a suggestion to the above posts.

 

[agentbunny]

Try canned pumpkin. My dogs go crazy for it and its great for digestion. Just make sure it is pure pumpkin with no sugar added.

 

[Bonnie and Clydes ma]

Thanks for your tips. We have not tried plain yogurt as a topper, but that might be good to help with hydration a bit as she doesn't drink a ton of water, either (tho' we do filter it). Wasn't sure if dairy might be another allergy for her, but it is worth a try.

I think our vet said that beef is the second most common allergy after chicken so I'm hesitant to try a beef-based food. But if she won't eat this one then there are not too many other salmon options. Taste of the Wild and Pinnacle were two options but I have not seen those listed much on this forum. Wellness has another grain-free chicken-free formula but the protein is very high and I don't want to cause kidney problems especially since she drinks so little water.

That's what I was going to suggest. Plain Greek yogurt ..my 2 love it, but I know what you mean about not eating much in the morning.

 

[minibull]

Thank you to everyone for your many great tips. I picked up some of the Wellness Simple canned food and will get some yogurt and pumpkin to try, keeping broth and new food as our next options. Maybe we will try Taste of the Wild kibble as she really seemed to love the last food we had, a Hill "natural" line which unfortunately contained chicken. Never had a problem trying to get her to eat it, but it only lasted a week before we realized chicken was a no-no.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, my guys don't have any problems eating, or turning down any food lol. They are so food motivated. We feed Fromm's Lamb and Lentil with good results. My female Blossom is allergic to chicken, salmon, and now beef as well, and she is allergic or sensitive to corn and grains. Half the battle is identifying the source of the allergies, and then it's trial and error trying to find a dog food that is both a good quality and is tolerated by your dog. I add some natural supplements to my guys food everyday for preventative and health benefits. I add 2 Tbsps of plain unsweetened yogurt to their morning kibble everyday, yogurt is an excellent source of Probiotics, which aids in digestion and boosts the Immune system,
( allergies are caused by a abnormal response of the immune system, so by boosting the immune system, you can fight infections, parasites, yeast, and allergy symptoms better). Yogurt doesn't cause dogs problems because it is naturally lactose free, because it's fermented, only milk and dairy products can cause problems. I also add 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar to the drinking water everyday, if he won't drink the water, then you can add it to the evening kibble, don't mix it with the yogurt, as it will curdle from the vinegar. ACV is a natural anti inflammatory, ( 99% of diseases, including Arthritis are caused by inflammation in the body ), it kills the bad bacteria in the body, and so boosts the immune system, and it balances the Ph levels of the blood. I also add1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil to the evening kibble, this is a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are good for the bones and joints, the skin and coat, and the brain.

 

[minibull]

Hi, my guys don't have any problems eating, or turning down any food lol. They are so food motivated. We feed Fromm's Lamb and Lentil with food results. My female Blossom is allergic to chicken, salmon, and now beef as well, and she is allergic or sensitive to corn and grains. Half the battle is identifying the source of the allergies, and then it's trial and error trying to find a dog food that is both a good quality and is tolerated by your dog. I add some natural supplements to my guys food everyday for preventative and health benefits. I add 2 Tbsps of plain unsweetened yogurt to their morning kibble everyday, yogurt is an excellent source of Probiotics, which aids in digestion and boosts the Immune system,
( allergies are caused by a abnormal response of the immune system, so by boosting the immune system, you can fight infections, parasites, yeast, and allergy symptoms better). Yogurt doesn't cause dogs problems because it is naturally lactose free, because it's fermented, only milk and dairy products can cause problems. I also add 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar to the drinking water everyday, if he won't drink the water, then you can add it to the evening kibble, don't mix it with the yogurt, as it will curdle from the vinegar. ACV is a natural anti inflammatory, ( 99% of diseases, including Arthritis are caused by inflammation in the body ), it kills the bad bacteria in the body, and so boosts the immune system, and it balances the Ph levels of the blood. I also add1 Tbsp of Coconut Oil to the evening kibble, this is a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids, which are good for the bones and joints, the skin and coat, and the brain.

[MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION], I'm sorry that Blossom is so allergy-prone. It's so hard to watch Buttercup suffer when she's itchy and it seems so many bulldogs suffer similarly. It's not fair!

Well she gobbled up her morning kibble today with just a dab of the Wellness canned so there is success! But I will get some yogurt, anyway. Her kibble has a probiotic (E. faecium, which the vet offered me as a separate powdered product) in it but it is different from the strains in yogurt. Thanks for motivating me to try the ACV again tonight...maybe if she won't eat it in the kibble then the canned food topper will convince her. She is really prone to fungal skin infection and I worry it'll all come back after she finishes her ketoconazole course (tho' we will continue medicated baths).

On a related note, I was reading an article about topical flea/tick preventive medication in the New York Times and one of the commentators recommended brewer's yeast as an internal preventive. Then I read this Q&A piece by a vet about brewer's yeast and it makes me wonder if we should try it as an immune booster and flea/tick preventive. We have found only one flea on her so far but we have some woods just outside so ticks are a possibility (tho' with her white fur it's easy for me to check her for them).

 

[minibull]

[MENTION=6311]Vikinggirl[/MENTION] -- just tried the ACV in kibble with a little canned topper and she ate all of it & asked for more! Might work up to just kibble + ACV, but for now I will take what I can get. Thank you so much for urging me to try it again. The vet highly recommended it, too, but she did not mention putting it in food like you did.

 

[Vikinggirl]

I'm so glad you were able to get her to eat the kibble with the ACV. Some dogs don't like the smell of the vinegar in their water, so turn their noses up at it, or maybe they don't like the taste of the vinegar on its own. My guys have had it in their water since they were 10 weeks old, so they don't know water any other way. I also put it in their kibble sometimes, because they don't always drink a lot of water. Sometimes we bully mamas have to be sneaky and hide things in their food, just like little children. Lol.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi Buttercups Mom (sorry I don't know your name), I think many of our bullies are allergic or sensitive to different things, but I see that or it seems to me that most of the bullies that suffer from allergies are white in colour. I wonder if they are prone to more allergies or if we just can see their allergy symptoms more because they show up better on their skin. The bully breed is prone to many health issues such as allergies, skin problems, joint and ACL problems, and breathing problems due to the short faces and treacheas which can compromise their breathing. I give the supplements because I believe that you can help or prevent some of these issues like the allergies by boosting the immune system, it helps the body fight these symptoms, and also the ACV kills bad bacteria, parasites, and infections systemically, hopefully helping to minimize use of medications and steroids to control these. I like the fact that they are natural remedies, and are easily available and inexpensive. I think that if you can avoid or eliminate some of these health issues, then you will have a healthier dog and will also save money on vet bills in the long run. I've heard lots of good things regarding Brewers Yeast, even for ourselves. It is a good source of Vitamin B's, and like the other supplements it can't hurt to give it to your dog.
You can also use plain white vinegar as a rinse agent after Buttercups' bath. I mix equal amounts of warm water and plain white vinegar, ( the kind you buy at the grocery store, don't use ACV for this, as it's too expensive for bathing). Vinegar used as a rinse after shampooing will improve the skin, by killing mites and parasites on the skin, vinegar is a natural anti fungal and anti bacterial. I find that when I rinse them with vinegar, it leaves their coat and their skin soft, and it keeps them smelling nice longer in between their baths.

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Brewer's yeast is an all-around health booster.


If you're thinking of giving your pooch a supplement to boost his general health, or you want a natural way of keeping him flea-free, then some vets suggest a daily dose of brewer's yeast. Rich in B vitamins and important minerals, this supplement puts a spring in his step.


What's in Brewer's Yeast?


As its name suggests, brewer's yeast is traditionally used for making beer. It's rich in minerals, particularly chromium, which plays a role in regulating blood sugar levels, and the antioxidant selenium, which protects cell health. It contains all the B vitamins with the exception of vitamin B12. The Bs as a group most importantly convert food into energy. They also maintain the digestive system, support the nervous system, boost liver function and keep your pooch's eyes, skin, mouth and coat in tip-top condition.


Flea Control


You probably give your buddy a regular flea treatment, but brewer's yeast boosts his protection. Researchers don't know exactly why giving your pooch a daily dose of brewer's yeast keeps fleas away from him, plus ticks, mosquitoes and other flying, biting insects. According to VetInfo, these insects are either repelled by the strong smell of brewer's yeast coming from your pup -- don't worry, you won't smell it -- or the supplement gives your pup's blood a taste that a biting insect can't stand.


Glossy Coat and Calm Nerves


Show dog owners use brewer's yeast to keep the coat looking thick and glossy. As a bonus, not only will your pooch look better, the antioxidants in brewer's yeast also protect him from itchy, dry skin disorders. Owners of dogs that shed a lot may be delighted to know that brewer's yeast helps reduce that problem. The B vitamins in the supplement are great stress reducers. When your dog is in a stressful situation he rapidly burns up B vitamins. The brain reacts to low levels of B vitamins by releasing stress hormones, such as adrenalin, which give your pooch feelings of anxiety. If your pooch is particularly stress-prone, a daily dose of brewer's yeast should keep him calm.


Dosage


You'll find brewer's yeast supplements for your buddy at pet stores. In general, one tablet or 1 teaspoon per day is sufficient. VetInfo recommends taking your dog's weight into account and reading the guidelines on the packaging. Some pets have an allergic reaction, so watch out for dry, itchy skin. Stop giving him the supplement and see if the rash clears up. If it does, you'll know he's allergic to brewer's yeast; if it doesn't, then something else has caused the rash and you need to see you vet.
Some brewer's yeast supplements for dogs are sold with garlic added. Although garlic is toxic to dogs, VetInfo says that it is safe in a dose of 1 gram (0.035 ounces) for every 10 pounds your dog weighs. Garlic's benefits include boosting the immune system and protecting the liver.