13year old Rough collie

[PaulaSB12]

My 13 year old collie Lucy has suddenly started to refuse to eat dog food. She will eat whiskas cat food. I have tried expensive and cheaper dog food but she only wants whiskas. Anyone else had this with a dog.

 

[theoldchick]

At 13 years Lucy is most likely starting to lose her sense of smell, hearing and eyesight. Cat food smells stronger and has more salt than most dog food thus is more palatable. Having her teeth examined by a professional will determine if she has severe dental disease which can cause chewing to be painful. Blood work will determine if her liver, pancreas and kidneys are functioning normally. A CBC will alert the doctor to possible anemia or infection.

Just because Lucy is old does not mean she can't continue to live comfortably. She's an old friend to you and your family, and deserves to be spoiled!

Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[Frosty]

Good answer oldchick, and more in depth that I could have come up with!

We just had to let our 14 year old dog go last October, he also had severe hip dysplasia and possibly cancer. We didn't feel that it would be fair to him to put him through another winter. I don't know if it would work for a dog, but sometimes if a cat won't eat you can try things like sprinkling parmesan on their food to make it smell more. Or you can heat a bit of canned food in the microwave, stir it good and make sure there are no hot spots in it. Just something to make it smell more. For old Blackie, sometimes it was enough to mix canned food in with his kibble, or Iams makes a gravy for dog food that worked sometimes, too. Don't use human gravy unless you make it yourself, it has to be something without onions.

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
Bless her heart. At her age, I think I would just let her have the cat food. If it makes her happy, spoil her a bit.

 

[hollyclyff]

My 14 year old dachshund is the same way about dog food. I haven't tried cat food. Sometimes he will eat canned dog food, but often not. He still likes his hard dog biscuits though, so I don't think it's painful chewing that's the problem. I cook chicken for him. He likes chicken.

 

[A Dunne]

We have a 14 year old Westie that is the same way. I usually mix a little bit of wet dog food in with his dry so he will eat it. We never had problems before. I dont mix a whole lot, just enough that it smells appetizing to him.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

Definitely agree with vet checkup, and especially the blood work.

I run blood panels on dogs at 2 years, and then yearly beginning at 7 years of age. It helps to have a baseline done when the dog is young and healthy. Then if you track it yearly once they are veterans at age 7, often you can catch and treat things early that can extend not only the length but the quality of the dog's life.

Decrease in appetite in a dog that age would definitely have me at the vets to see what is going on.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
2x

We had show collies, 13 years old is OLD.

Blood work would be the first thing in order to make sure she is ok. I would not feed her cat food even I want to spoil her LOL! If she got into it when OP was not aware of her doing it or forgot to put the cat food bowl up out of reach, that would be OK but not day in or day out.

Tooth losses are common in collies after the age of eight to ten years old. Routine cleaning would help them do better.

Good luck with your veteran.....and hope nothing very serious is wrong with her!

 

[thebritt]

Careful with too much catfood. It's too high in protein, and can cause pancreatitis in large quantities, esp in an older dog. You could try pouring some chicken broth over a quality dog food to make it more palatable. At that age, quality can go a long way towards longevity. Oh, and a vet visit is a really good idea! Just as Grandma and Grandpa tend to see a doctor more often as they age...

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I had a poodle refuse dog food because he was sneaking into the cat food.

Vet said cat food is REALLY bad for dogs. He told me to put the dog food out and eventually he will eat it.

I hand fed him for a week and then finally, desided the vet must be right, he won't starve. He did eventually start eating it.

I feed all my pets Taste of the Wild. For the dogs, I add hot water and let it sit to make a gravy.

I have to feed in the bowls with pegs because my herding dogs just wolf down their food.

Good luck with your guy. When my rottie got up to 10 yrs and suffering from arthritis, I would cook chicken making a broth I would then add to her food to increase her appetite.

Good luck to you.