Our Maltese is having problems eating commercial dog food due to his age and having had teeth pulled out. He is eighteen years old, has arthritis, and is blind so any help would be appreciated.
Thank you.
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Congratulations on caring for your dog and enabling him to reach this ripe old age. I would try canned food, or dry food softened with water or home made broth (commercial broth has too much salt). What teeth he has left may be quite sensitive. I would probably try some soft foods, some chicken, cooked carrots in moderation if his appetite is not real good. A conversation with your Vet may help too. There are good medicines available now for arthritic dogs, but they are by prescription.
When my dog got old and lost most of his teeth the only thing I could basically feed him was cooked oatmeal, cooked pasta, and cooked white rice. You can cook some chicken and mince this up really fine and add it to the dog's food.
My dog , also 18 years old , has had all of her teeth out. She now eats more than ever. I use a good brand tinned dog food. Loaf style [ not chunky meat ones ]. I mash the food with a fork & mix in a little hot water to make it mushy. I sprinkle a tsp of very finely chopped cooked chicken breast or steak on top. [ this seems to stimulate her to eat ] I cook & chop this in advance & freeze in little containers & only get a container out one at a time.
I would purée his food to a consistency he can gum
I have always cooked for my dogs and they have done well.
I would suggest cooking chicken thighs with peas and rice. until very soft in water unsalted. Remove bone of course.
I sure agree too with what everyone has suggested. I had my female dog also for 18 years, and fed her what we ate too.
When she got older and began having health problems, the vet recommended initially that I use the food processor and make her what we called "chicken or turkey" balls. Like "meatballs" but with meat, veggies and rice. That way she got all the nutrition she still needed.
I cooked the carrots, rice and turkey or chicken, separately, then ground it up together in the processor where there was still "texture" to it, then made good sized meatballs out of the mix. I'd make a couple of weeks worth of meatballs at a time.
I'd wrap each meatball separately in saran and then put them in freezer bags, then each night before bedtime, I'd put a couple of those "veggie and meat balls" in the frig to thaw, since I'd use them the next day for her meals.
She lost her appetite as time went on, as she had renal failure, I then had to puree her food-as per her vet, so I could then syringe little amounts at a time into her mouth.
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