Here are a few pictures of Tux. She stopped eating for a while, refusing to take meds, and got frighteningly thin. I didn't think to take pictures at her worst. She's eating normally again and filling out a little. I think it was the bitter Tramadol she was avoiding. She caught on to all the ways I was hiding it in food and just refused to eat anything, even throwing up the pills if I put them down her throat.
So the Alaska vet prescribed a compounded version of Tramadol, in a supposedly taste-good liquid form, and then I once again changed her feeding routines and foods to shift her away from avoidance. So far so good, although she does not like the liquid Tramadol either, and I don't blame her. It smells like cough syrup, not something a dog might like. I'm not disappointed about it though. The compounding costs $50 for the same supply that costs $7 in pill form. That was a one time only purchase!
So in the morning I'm able to give her one Tramadol in pill form and one Novox, by rolling them up in a shave of cold butter and offering it to her along with three or four pieces of Vienna Sausage (whatever works!) so she swallows them quickly without chewing. Then she gets the Pannus medication in her eyes. I don't offer her food until after the morning walk, the other two dogs eat before the walk, and if she doesn't finish I take the food away and offer at noon. Also, I'm not getting the expensive Prescription food for a while because she was avoiding that but readily eating the other dogs' food. I give her the liquid Tramadol a half hour or so after the evening meal so it won't become another food thing.
Poor dog must hate me after all this torture.
