# Help - old dog with liver disease wont eat



## Turner1 (Oct 17, 2013)

Hi I hope someone can help me as they may have had a similar experience. Our dog is just thirteen. A few months ago we noticed that he wasn´t himself and wasn´t eating. We took him to the vet and he did a scan. He said that he has chronic liver disease. He prescribed three lots of pills but after three days or so he wouldn´t take the pills anymore, and it all got very stressful. In the end we had to take him to the vets everyday for a month for injections instead. The vet said his liver had gone done but that he was still very ill. He has now got to the stage that he is barely eating enough to keep him alive, just two or three mouthfuls of food, he is drinking water ok. He has lost so much weight. He still likes to go outside and hunt around in the long grass looking for mice etc. but doesn´t stay out very long. He is spending quite a lot of time sleeping but then he is thirteen. Has anyone else been through this and did you manage to get your dog to eat again. At the moment he is eating better than we are (if he would eat it that is) If he goes on like this we know it is only a matter of time before we will have to let him go as we love him too much to let him suffer. If only he would eat.


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm sure you have and are doing your best but sometimes it just doesn't work 

Hoping you have a turn around soon, before you have to take that dreadful decision


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

If you are offering him all the tasty things you might yourself otherwise enjoy such  as mince, chicken, fish etc. - things that smell appetising - then it really is just a case of waiting for him to tell you the time has come.

Such a difficult decision to make, but better a week early than a day too late 

Remember too, that he won't have any idea what is happening when the time comes. Perhaps your vet would come out to the house?

Take care x


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## Turner1 (Oct 17, 2013)

Just so desperate for him to start eating. I know we are getting close but he is still happy to go outdoors, he throws himself on his back and has a good roll on the ground something he has always done, still wants to go hunting for mice. The really terrible thing is that we lost another dog two weeks ago, he was eleven, he was being treated for a chest infection, but we came home (only been gone around three hours) to find that he had died. It was so sudden and unexpected. It is going to be so hard to lose two of them in such a short space of time. Two weeks ago we had four dogs and soon we will only be left with two. I keep telling myself no more dogs as at the moment I don´t thing I can bare any more of this pain. I know they have all been loved and have all had a good live, well since we got them they were all rescues, all abandoned on the streets.


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## Lurcherlad (Jan 5, 2013)

Grief is the price we pay for love.

So sorry you have already lost one of your beloved dogs, and now this


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## rona (Aug 18, 2011)

Have you tried green tripe?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Turner1 said:


> Hi I hope someone can help me as they may have had a similar experience. Our dog is just thirteen. A few months ago we noticed that he wasn´t himself and wasn´t eating. We took him to the vet and he did a scan. He said that he has chronic liver disease. He prescribed three lots of pills but after three days or so he wouldn´t take the pills anymore, and it all got very stressful. In the end we had to take him to the vets everyday for a month for injections instead. The vet said his liver had gone done but that he was still very ill. He has now got to the stage that he is barely eating enough to keep him alive, just two or three mouthfuls of food, he is drinking water ok. He has lost so much weight. He still likes to go outside and hunt around in the long grass looking for mice etc. but doesn´t stay out very long. He is spending quite a lot of time sleeping but then he is thirteen. Has anyone else been through this and did you manage to get your dog to eat again. At the moment he is eating better than we are (if he would eat it that is) If he goes on like this we know it is only a matter of time before we will have to let him go as we love him too much to let him suffer. If only he would eat.


Have you tried him on a home made cooked diet there is a couple of recipes below, one of which is a liver cleansing diet that may be of interest.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/liver_diet.htm
The above is the liver cleansing diet, its from a canine epilepsy website as anti seizure drugs like phenobarbital can cause liver damage but it may be worth looking at.

Again from the same website but different ingredients its a home cooked healthy adult diet
http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/healthy_diet.htm

There is also a commercial complete dog food called liquvite which has the consistency of soup, it has many uses
including for older dogs, or dogs that are ill or recovering from illness, it s complete and he may find that palatable and easy to lap and digest if he is still drinking well if you want to have a look at that more details on the link.
Your vet should be able to order it, or you can get it from on line reputable vet pharmacies.
http://www.liquivite.co.uk/

Only other suggestion if you have a liquidiser is to do a home made cooked diet maybe even one of the above and liquidise it and see if he will lap and drink it like a soup. The recipes gives supplements that you can add to make it complete too so that he isn't missing any vitamins or minerals.


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