My senior dog won't eat his food after illness. How to transition?

It is possible she's developed an aversion to her regular food due to the recent sickness you've described. I am unsure if her food made her sick or not but I would make sure there are no recent reports of illness or recalls associated with this food. I recommend feeding a bland, easy to digest food such as homemade, boiled chicken breast mixed with white rice. If she eats this well with no vomiting or diarrhea for a couple days, you can gradually mix in her old food to reintroduce it or try a different type of dog food.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry to hear that Iggy has had all these issues. It is best to start transitioning him back to his regular food now. I recommend just putting a handful of kibble in with the chicken and rice and just gradually increase the amount of kibble at each feeding (and reduce the amount of chicken and rice) until he is back on straight kibble. This should take 5-7 days. I would also recommend giving him prebiotics/probiotics (I recommend Fortiflora Pro) and use it daily until the stools have been completely normal for at least one week. Not only did the induction of vomiting change the normal flora of his stomach but also the addition of the antibiotics probably did more to harm the GI biome. Antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria. Fortflora is easy to use - one packet on his food once daily. It is a powder and is very palatable. Each box of Fortiflora has 30 packets so you will have a month's supply. ( https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/223965_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=138172&auto=true ) As for the water drinking, you cannot force him to drink but you can encourage drinking by using some low sodium chicken broth added to his food. Are you sure he isn't drinking from other sources (pool, toilet, puddles, snow, etc)? Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few things you can do to make his food more palatable while he gets used to it. For example, you may add low sodium chicken broth, veterinary approved gravy which you can get at your pet store or pieces of boiled chicken to it. Good luck!

It shouldn't be a problem to switch Cointhee to all canned food if this is what he is willing to eat. Canned food will be better balanced then chicken and rice so it's definitely the preferred option. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Cointhee continues to improve!

Hello. Have you tried any canned, wet or soft-moist foods? Some dogs do seem to prefer this as they age. I would especially try the FreshPet diet as many pets really seem to like it. If he continues to refuse to eat, you should have Dash evaluated by your veterinarian as there could be an underlying reason for his refusal to eat. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Any calories at this stage are welcome so boiled chicken and rice, with some vegetables, would be a good option if she is willing to take it. Vitamins/minerals such as the nutritional gel or a tonic would also be recommended whilst she is undergoing investigations for the cause of her poor appetite (kidney, liver or cushings disease would all be possibilities)

You can mix the 2 together and slowly decrease the amount of soft food he gets to get him used to dry food again. You can add a small amount of chicken or beef broth to the food to give it a little more flavor an entice him back to dry food that way