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max6166
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max6166 is offline  
Location: Canada
Joined: Feb 2017
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17-10-2018, 06:18 PM

Senior dog having problems getting food into mouth

I think my elderly toy poodle is having difficulty getting food into his mouth. This results in him eating much less food than he used to.

I often feed him a wet, store-bought, mushy beef and liver blend. He likes this food and has a strong appetite. He attacks his food voraciously, but very little food seems to make its way into his mouth.

When he was younger, he would eat more slowly and take big bites. Now he snuffles it with his snout, and small rapid bites.

I think the problem may be physical. He doesn't open his mouth as widely as he used to. And he is missing his small front teeth between the canines, which I think makes it harder for him to scoop food up.

He still has most of the rest of his teeth, except for some very small ones between the canine teeth and molars.

Any insight or tips would be greatly appreciated. The poor guy is losing a lot of weight.
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CaroleC
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Location: Stoke on Trent, UK
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17-10-2018, 10:30 PM
Poor chap, i would have a vet check. There could be so many reasons when they are elderly. It might be worth taking a fresh urine sample with you too.
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max6166
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18-10-2018, 03:22 AM
Thank you for your reply. He has been to the vet. We had bloodwork done but not urine. He does have some issues, but the first priority is to get him to eat more.

I watered his food down a lot today, and he seemed to eat more than usual.

On the other hand, his other favourite food is a chicken and rice mixture. He seems to get that food into his mouth fairly well, but then spends so much time chewing the chicken pieces that his overall consumption is still fairly low. I tried making the chunks smaller and he did eat a bit more.

It would be great if he could still eat on his own somehow, but I will likely have to hand feed him for now so he can get some of his strength back.
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brenda1
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Location: Lancing West Sussex
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18-10-2018, 06:39 AM
Make his food into a soupy mixture. Also turkey has a better aroma so maybe he needs something that smells more. That can also be moulied down to make a soupy mix.
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Chris
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Location: Lincolnshire
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18-10-2018, 08:19 AM
I'd be tempted to blend his food so that it is a soup that he can slurp rather than chunks.

Did the vet check his mouth? I'm thinking maybe a sore tooth or gum?
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Dibbythedog
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Location: Middlesex
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30-10-2018, 10:28 PM
I would get the vet to check his teeth and gums again, he might also have problems with his jaw such as arthritis. .
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