Thinking of you guys and sending lots of positive thoughts your way. Hope that you got to go on your hike/play with Tesia

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19/10/08-7/1/12 Daisy's Story http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...evastated.html

Thank you. I know you are right. It just suddenly occurred to me yesterday, so I'm still thinking too much about it.

But we went and had a nice walk in the woods. Tesia even went off trail a bit. We did a shorter distance than normal, and I think she will have a good sleep this afternoon. It was nice seeing her out running through the trees, though. Probably did more for me than for her.

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Tesia
"Joy and loyalty wrapped in sunshine."
The Laughing Dog Press

Sept. 21, 2000 ~ Feb. 5, 2013
My sweet, joyful, beloved heart.

So glad that Tesia and you had a good walk!!
Try to stay in today, I know it's not easy!

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[IMG]http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii215

Tonka & Tucker

SNOBEAR at the Bridge
Dec. 23, 1999-March 27, 2010


SMOOCH at the Bridge.
Feb. 14, 1999-Dec. 7, 2010

Sounds like Tesia's having fun .. the most important thing. Her GI tract will get back to normal. It takes time. In my experience trying to cozx them back to eating a normal diet then becomes more complicated because now they've had days of yummy 'ah .. living the good life' foods, so who wants to eat dog food? LOL

At points where his GI tract was back to normal I quit making the specialty meal for him every meal because I wanted Andy to be eating some of his kibble as well to ensure he was getting all the nutrients he needs. Yesterday, his meals were a cup of dry with roasted chicken I put in the food processor. Andy doesn't chew his food, so I mush up stuff that will take his stomach some work to break down whole, and other things like broccoli I lightly steam. Even if he swallows it up whole it's soft and will digest easily.

It will be fun to make Tesia's meals interesting while complete in nutrition too. The mix of half high quality kibble with other ingredients in the dish seems very appealing to Andy. If we have more than two items in the dish, Andy sniffs it all with glee before deciding what to start with. As long as it smells really good they'll eat anything you put in their dish with relish And you'll have fun making it for her. In addition to a meat like chicken, turkey, etc. we've added things like broccoli, squash, green beans, pickled beets and other items that have nutrition and are interesting in texture and smell. But, we always have a cup of kibble so he's getting the right balance for him. We've gone grain free with the cancer and all, though he'll get a couple of bites of sandwich or noodles if we have spaghetti if he's in the room with ears and eyebrows up.

Andy's regular vet, Dr. Root, suggested we start giving him a tablespoon of Aloe Vera juice on his morning meal. Said it helps the digestive tract and joint issues too.

You gals have a wonderful weekend

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I just caught up with your updates from the last few days and you are incredibly strong and focused.

Like Tesia before her illness, Chance has never (of his own choosing) missed a meal or turned up his nose to a tasty morsel. This has to be hard for you.

Unlike Tesia though, Chance has had a myriad of health problems. I feel like we are always just getting him over something and then something new is developing - or my vet will say we have to keep our eye on it.

So I live in sort of a constant state of vigilance. So I tend to "notice" new lumps,bumps under the skin, on the skin, etc. Sometimes they have had to be addressed/treated, sometimes we are told just to watch for changes.

I am praying that Tesia's overall background of good health will bring her back to good health once her chemo is done. She must have had a good immune system to be healthy in all her years. So this strong foundation will help her to battle the cancer.

I truly believe that you are doing everything right. Her happiness quotient seems to still be high and this is great because it will send all the right signals to her immune system. Hang in there and know that better days are ahead.

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..... have a Golden day

Goldy1

Praying for Chance and for you, too!

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[IMG]http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii215

Tonka & Tucker

SNOBEAR at the Bridge
Dec. 23, 1999-March 27, 2010


SMOOCH at the Bridge.
Feb. 14, 1999-Dec. 7, 2010

I'm so glad you posted this. It's sort of exactly what I've been thinking about. I was wondering if maybe the reason she is eating her kibble with so little enthusiasm now that she's feeling better is because she wants the yummy chicken back. I think she could do without the boring rice. But I was getting worried that she wasn't getting the right nutrition with the chicken and rice diet, and I feel better now that she is eating the kibble again. I know that the first day I introduced the Fromm Salmon a la Veg, she ate with HUGE enthusiasm. I was wondering about switching to the Duck and Sweet Potato, but I worry about another change. Her poop is FINALLY healthy. Instead, I was thinking I'd take GoldenCamper's advice about sweet potato, and add some cooked cubes to the kibble, for interest and variety. At the same time, I don't want her to eat if she is not hungry, you know what I mean? I don't want to be coaxing her to stuff it in if she doesn't feel well. Here's an example: This morning, we came in from first out around 8:30am. She wasn't standing near her dish, didn't look interested, so I said, you let me know when you want supper, okay? (Every meal is supper. It was the word she latched onto early on in puppyhood). She came over about 5 minutes later, and I said, "are you hungry? Ready for supper?" and she responded (it's a body language thing). So I picked up the bowls and started getting her food. But while I was doing it, she went into my room and laid down. I put the food and water down, and she finally came out about 15 minutes later, ate a few bites, and left. Came back 10 minutes later, same thing. Came back 20 minutes later. I can't figure out if it is boredom, not feeling hungry, or the other concern I had that she has some kind of nodules in her stomach making her feel full. But I will try the sweet potato added to her kibble tonight.

Thank you. I hope it is a help, too. She definitely has had a hearty constitution for the most part, which is why I think it's been particularly hard to see her so unwell and uninterested in food. And I'm sorry you've had such a hard time with Chance. It is just so hard when they are not well. It's when you wish the most that they could talk.

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Tesia
"Joy and loyalty wrapped in sunshine."
The Laughing Dog Press

Sept. 21, 2000 ~ Feb. 5, 2013
My sweet, joyful, beloved heart.

I am sorry Tesia is not feeling better. Sending prayers for you and Tesia

One tidbit I read some time ago made sense to me. Dogs and humans do 90% of taste through our noses. While we mix up toppings for kibble I've also started buying Progresso soup and pouring a little on top of kibble from time to time. Since there isn't a ton of beef in their beef-vegetable soup it isn't bad for Andy, and the veggies and yummy taste seem to excite him.

Just like people, dogs like certain smells and tastes, others not so much. Trial and error has been our only MO for finding out which he likes and which he doesn't. We quit buying larger bags of kibble in the event he doesn't like one flavor or another. Though once they've tasted the 'good life' of human food, it's really hard to get that memory out of their heads. LOL Thus sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, and other toppings.

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I am happy to read that she is getting out and enjoying the outdoors. It must be so nice to put that nose to the ground and smell in those great scents from the walk!

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Lauren, Penny, and Luna!