Hello! Happy morning (or noon or night or whatever you think it is right now)!! I’m checking in to share some good news and some bad news. What do you want first? I usually want bad news first, but this time I’ll make a news sandwich with good/bad/good. Plus a side of fries. Always get a side of fries with your sandwich.
First some fun stuff… Tina from Carrots n Cake came all the way from Boston to visit me in LA. I was super excited to see her since it’s been a long time since we’ve drank hung out together.
We caught up at her super trendy hotel and then took a little walk to get dinner. I told my phone ‘salad’ and we ended up at Chopped. It was really good.
Her hotel had happy hour so we enjoyed some wine for dessert.
We really only walked around for 30 minutes but we able to enjoy many very interesting sights and people and sounds and smells and all that fun stuff that comes with Los Angeles. God bless it.
This morning I braved the sprinkling sky and hit the sidewalk for an 8 7 mile run. I ended up getting a call about halfway through and stopped to take it and walk for about a mile. A reporter and I have been playing phone tag all week and finally connected so she wanted to interview me right then. It ended up being kinda random because I am very LOUD and felt like I was walking down the street yelling into my phone about RUNNING and EATING and WHEY PROTEIN POWDER and RUNNING SHOES!!!
Well, I was using complete sentences but I get super excited to talk about running and food so I was probably very pumped up and loud and looked like a crazy person (which I should be used to at this point).
Pre-run I had an english muffin with PB&J. Sometimes going back to the basics is the best. When it comes down to it I feel like I still love my old favorite foods – watermelon, bread with PB, eggs, tortillas, big salads and rice….
Post-run I had a protein shake on the way out the door.
Now comes the rough stuff…
Then, I got ready super quickly and headed to my parents’ house. My dog Roxy has not been eating and just seems like she doesn’t feel good so I took her to the vet. They gave her an IV to rehydrate her and took her blood for a blood test. She is such a good dog, she just chilled out and let them do whatever.
Want to know what $200 worth of water looks like?
This:
The vet called me with her test results and said she has pancreatitis. It’s nothing really major at this time but she needs to stay away from fatty foods and stay hydrated.
She doesn’t eat table food, but the yard has two BIG avocado trees and she grabs them when they fall from the branches. She and Bailey (our other dog) have eaten avocados their entire lives (she is almost 11). But I think at this point she needs to stay away from them and eat a low fat diet.
High fat foods are hard for her pancreas to digest so she has to avoid them for at least a week. She promised she would start a detox on Monday after she enjoyed a few pizzas and avocados and margaritas this weekend since it’s her friend’s birthday (or insert some other excuse here that I make up to avoid going on a diet).
Now I have to research low fat dog food to give her. But she is also sick and super picky right now so I have to make sure it’s something she would eat and won’t be wasted. I think she either needs a low fat canned food or some kind of sauce to put on her dry food that’s low fat.
Nutshell: She is feeling a little sick because she eats too many avocados.
Good news: More avocados for me.
Weekend Reading for Runners and Eaters:
The Anti-Running Plan via Runner’s World
Runner Arrested for Refusing to Run on Sidewalk
I Get to Run RER via Women’s Running
Marathon Runner stops for a burrito and beer – he is my spirit animal, or at least should be my friend
I also have a picky dog that gets pancreatitis. Hers was flaring often so now I give her a Pepcid before meals with a bit of canned low fat food (EN by Purina), 10-20 minutes prior. Then I feed her a low fat prescription dry dog food (EN). For treats, we give the yellow box Cheerios, wet EN, and plain popcorn. Good luck!
Awww! Poor puppy. Now, how about Roxy, does she become better?
My dog always liked carrots and didn’t mind other veggies, like broccoli and green beans too. A coworker makes lean ground turkey for her dog w the rice as well, an alternative to chicken breast. Good luck, hope your pup feels better!
I’m late to the party as everyone has already mentioned chicken, rice, and frozen veg for your dog, but no one has mentioned CHICKEN WATER.
To prevent dehydration when my dogs get stomach bugs, I boil some chicken on the bone in water until the meat falls off and then I strain the water and voila! chicken water! It has lots of electrolytes and a teeny tiny bit of protein. My dogs love it and go crazy for it, so when they are sick and not hungry or thirsty, I’ll make them chicken water to make them drink something. My husband tells me I’m crazy, but it works!
Hope Roxican gets better very soon!! I have heard a lot of people say (and some here also) that chicken and rice and frozen veggies (carrots, green beans) are great for dogs with digestive issues and/or needing to diet. Sounds like stuff you could toss in crock pot and make it soft for her.
Keep us posted!
I cook for my dog bc it is actually cheaper but he likes boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast, rice and green beans and carrots. I just boil it. You can also throw in egg white powder for more protein or other veggies like peas or tomatoes. Good luck!
Poor puppy; I hope she gets to feeling better soon!
When my picky dog isn’t really into eating, I pour some chicken broth (or beef, veggie, etc) on her food and she is much more enticed.
My dog had pancreatitis as well. We fed him rice and ground turkey mixed equally. We had to start out feeding very small amount frequently, as he would throw up if he ate too quickly after his diagnosis. We slowly increased the amount and decreased the frequency. We still feed it to him because he loved it so much and our vet said its actually very healthy. He does have some prescription dog food (for a separate health issue) that he eats as well. I hope Roxie recovers quickly and leaves the avocados for you. Just invite me over if you need help eating them. 😉
My dog was diagnosed with pancreatitis as well! We feed him chicken breast, rice, and broccoli. Hope your sweet girl feels better soon!
Poor girl! I hope she recovers soon.
And I had no idea you guys had avocado trees in the backyard. I thought you ad to live in a hot and humid place to grow them.
Monica, look into Annamaet low fat grain free dry food. It’s one of only a few brands that have never had a recall ever and I’ve been feeding my rescue golden retriever puppy since 8 weeks when I started fostering him. He loves it, it helped him grow at a medium pace which is recommended for large breed dogs to prevent hip dysplasia, and it’s ash/mineral content is optimal. Fromm is another and I’m sure they have a low fat but I’ve never used them.
I get Annamaet from chewy.com or one other site I can’t remember off hand. it’s great, he loves it, it’s quality ingredients, your fog I think will do good on it
Aw! I hope Roxy is feeling better soon. It’s so tough having a sick pet. My pup is getting up there (she’s almost 16) and I always hate to see her struggle with walking and whatnot, but I’m thankful that other than some creaky joints she is still pretty healthy.
Also, I TOTALLY agree: you ALWAYS need a side of fries with your sandwich 😛
P.S. I actually recently started working with a company that sells high-quality, “no-crap” dog foods and they have a few different formulas. Feel free to email me if you want learn more . I’m happy to share in case you’re still on the hunt for something 🙂
So jealous that you have avocado trees……….That’s one thing that doesn’t grow in the South……….sounds like California has an abundance!
Hope the sweet dog gets better fast!
Aw im sorry to hear about your dog 🙁 So sweet that she just laid there allowing the drs to work on her. Hope you have a good weekend 🙂
Feel better Roxy! I am too far away to help cook but yeah stay away from the avocados mmmkay? I know it’s tough. They are pure goodness.
Hey RER, my dog has the same problem and is doing great on Royal Canin low fat canned food mixed with the same kind of dry food. Only available with a prescription but seems to be worth it! I hope that Roxy gets better soon!!!
Thank you. I knew one of my readers would know exactly what to do.
So glad it’s not something worse…sick pets are so scary! (and expensive!!!!!) I’ve heard good things about Hill’s Prescription Diet. My parents use it for their fat (re: JABBA) cat and he’s lost some weight since. Not sure about dogs though.
I want to see a pic of Jabba the cat 🙂
Aww poor Roxy. I hope she’s feeling better soon. Pets are like part of the family.
Glad your dog just has to diet and will be ok! I loved that marathon guy stoping for beer and burrito. He knows how to enjoy the journey!
My mom’s dog like canned green beans and canned carrots (rinse them off though, because of the salt). She is also on a diet, and gets these to fill her up! If Roxy isn’t eating maybe try those.
I think I may have pancreatitis?? Sometimes I have the above that Kelly mentions…
I was told last year that our mini-dachshund had to lose weight (he weighed almost 18 pounds) I simply cut out the treats and gave him less food per meal..1/4 cup 2xaday…….when I took him to his appointment just last week he weighed 10.6!! They were so proud of me and my portion control…it was like a weight watchers “hit my goal” kind of meeting for my dog. HA!
Now if I can have that same portion control over my pizza and beer …
My dog, Jorge, was also diagnosed with pancreatitis. He ended up having bloody diarrhea and cried in pain when walking. It was awful. Anyway, he’s been eating white rice and lean grilled chicken and has been doing remarkably well.