15 year old Labrador struggling to eat

Question
hi

recently or 15 year old labrador bitch has been struggling to eat or drink although mainly eat. We have taken her to the vets and had her mouth checked out and a general look over but nothing to pin point any problems except old age. She wants to eat and has happily eaten half of my cheese sandwich or wants what we eat, but when it comes to feeding time she just dosen't eat all the food if any she sniffs then walks away and especially doesnt eat the dog food with such passion as she does the cheese sandwich! can you suggest any food variations? or make? or a drink option also? as its upsetting to see her not eat when it looks like she wants to.

thanks

Vicky

Answer
Hi Vicky,

It's good you've had your dog examined by your vet to rule out a problem.

If your dog usually receives a dry dog food, have you tried giving her a canned dog food? It could also help to warm the food, as that releases it's odors, which can make it more appealing. If your dog eats a dry food, and you don't want to change to canned, you can let the food absorb a little canned low sodium/low fat chicken broth, and again, warm it up a little.

Mixing grated hard boiled egg, scrambled egg (cooked with as little fat as possible), or low fat cottage cheese into your dog's regular food might entice her into eating more enthusiastically.
I don't know how concerned you are about having your dog get so used to having these tasty additives to her meals that she starts "holding out" for a food that's been enhanced. That defiantly would be a concern with a younger dog. When you begin adding things to your dog's food in an effort to get her to eat, it can be a very slippery slope.

You could also make your dog's own food, if you think that would be something your dog would eat. You can find recipes here:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Homemade-Pet-Food/Detail.aspx
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/dogfoodrecipes.htm

You may want to discuss with your vet the possibility of using a Vitamin B3 (Niacin) supplement. Deficiency of B3 can manifest itself in a lack of appetite. Or you could add fresh edible sources of niacin to your dog's diet with: tuna, chicken breast, asparagus, venison, lamb, green peas.

For a drink, you can try a meal replacement drink, the kind sold at many pharmacies, such as Boost, or Ensure - as long as you don't get the chocolate flavor. There are also meal replacement drinks made especially for dogs such as Carnivore Care, DogSure, CliniCare Canine Liquid Diet  

There are a couple of over the counter products you could use to help stimulate your dog's appetite. Look for:  K9 Restart Energy Bars, Enercal High Calorie Gel, and Nutrical Gel.

If necessary, your vet could also prescribe an appetite stimulant.

Best of luck!
Patti