Gretzky, the Dog (Recipe Included)

With the holidays upon us, comfort food tends to be at the center of our universe - mashed potatoes, turkey, roast beef, who hash.  You get the point.

However, there are some creations on this planet who refuse to eat.  Like, not at all.  To the point of ejecting bile if the tums doesn't get the food it needs.  This little creation I'm talking about is our mutt (Golden Retriever-Catahoula Leopard mix), our pal, Gretzky.

I know this post goes against the traditional DIY activity, but I'm hoping it will still be a helpful one.

So, here is the Bud.  Adorable, right?  It's okay, you can say it.  Say it!

The first four years of Gretzky's life were filled with running to the back door, yelling at the dog to get out as soon as you heard the infamous sound of yacking.  There were days when we got home, and before we even walked up the steps, we had to grab our trusty Bissell Spot Bot 2.0.  1.0 didn't even make it a year.  And now the smell of Resolve sends us through the roof!

Sure enough, there was a pile of bile (or six) hanging out on our living room carpet.  Although we haven't caught Gretzky in the act, we are convinced he runs in circles in order to create the foamy, yellow patterns he does.

The worst part isn't the clean up, it isn't the smell, or the sound of the yacking.  It's the sound his stomach makes.  That gurgling, acidic sound.  Bleh.

We took Gretzky to the vet.  They recommended pumpkin, new kibble, banana baby food, rice, etc.  Nothing worked.  Ever.  Sure, he had a few good days in there when he ate both meals.  But that is all it was; just a few days and we were back to the puking routine.

A little over a year ago Gretzky was extremely sluggish.  He had to lay down after 30 minutes of walking - something he absolutely loved to do.  Then he started gaining weight - even with daily walks and not eating.  As it turned out, G-dog was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism.  He was put on a medication to help him with his issues, but it defeated the purpose, because he kept rejecting it.

We were to the point of having to switch his food every 2 weeks and started to take it personally.  Thought this dog must really hate us.  How did we get stuck with such a high-maintenance mutt?  He was spoiled with love, treats, walks, cuddles, belly rubs, and sleeping in a human bed every.single.night.  

And yet, barf.  Yellow bile.  Everywhere.  All of the time.

His last exam was with a new vet who recommended some human medications for Gretzky.  One, was Prilosec, the other was a generic fiber pill.  We combined these two medicines with his Thyroid medication, and that dog took a shit everywhere.  But not before throwing up everywhere.  He was so sick that you couldn't be angry with him.  He just looked at us with his sad, hound eyes.

All of us were feeling defeated at this point.  

I did some research on mixing thyroid medicine with Prilosec, and in most cases dogs became violently ill, even to the point of death.  In the garbage it went.

After a few days of recovery, we decided to try this thing again, except this time only giving him the fiber pill and his thyroid medication, all wrapped up in a Greenies Pill Pocket.  If you guys haven't tried these for pill taking, we highly recommend it.  It comes in dog and cat form.

After a week, maybe even days, we had a completely different dog.  We no longer came home to a pup hiding under things because he couldn't hold his bile in.

The only issue we were having now was his disinterest in food after the first few days of trying it.

We pleaded with him to eat.  Sat on the ground next to him with the food dish and tried reasoning with him.  He would look at us like we were crazy, or bark at us like we were crazy.  Because guess what?  We were.

Our conversations with each other, families, friends and strangers in the checkout lane revolved around the fact that our dog is a bonafide anorexic, and that was nothing to joke about.

We started paying an arm and a leg for FreshPets soft food.  They were in log form, and the gag reflex kicked in as soon as you opened the packaging.  He went through a log every week.  $7.99 per log x 35 meat logs -- well, you get the picture.  It was a lot of moola we were spending on this dude. 

Then the heavens opened up when Shane's mom sent us a recipe that they use for their dog.  We did modify it slightly to be more lean using turkey instead of beef, only because we mix it with his grain-free dry food.

Turkey Perky Slow Cooker Miracle Dog Food

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 pounds ground turkey (or beef)
• 1 (15 oz.) canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 2 cups frozen butternut squash, cubed
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• 4 cups water

Prep:

1. Place ground meat in slow cooker and top with rice, beans, squash, carrots and peas.
2. Pour in 4 cups of water, then stir everything together.
3. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3.
4. Turn off heat and cool completely before serving.

 

 

The food isn't gorgeous to look at.  Like, at all.  Actually, it reminds me of barf.  But that is a small price to pay to have your dog look forward to eating.  Three months and counting, Gretzky has not thrown up once!  We are all so much happier.  The times that we would have spent cleaning are now designated cuddle and play time.  If you are at your wits end with your dog like we were, introduce a fiber pill with some slow cooked dog food, and retire your floor cleaner for good.

Victory.

And let us know how it goes?  Thanks for reading.