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increased appetite

pippa

Well-known member
Pippin has been on phenobarbital 15mg twice daily for two and a half years and Vetmedin 125mg twice daily for 9 months.

Lately he seems to be always hungry and looks for his meals (half a cup of JWB kibble twice a day, topped with all bran in the morning) and treat (a bonio biscuit at mid day and a bite sze biscuit after a walk) earlier than usual.

He also looks for food in between meals, which he doesn't get!

He eats as much as my other two cavaliers even though they are bigger than him! They are all a good weight Gus and DJ are 8-8.5 kilo and Pippin is only 6-6.5 and has actually lost a few grams lately.

I only give the food stated above, with the odd treat of veg added to his evening meal, or banana, now and then.

I know when he started first on the phenobarbital he had an increase in appetite but lately he seems worse. He is due his annual check -up and blood test in April. I am wondering other than keeping an eye on his weight, to make sure he doesn't loose any more, should I be worried and get him checked sooner, and should I increase his food a little?
 
Has his weight changed at all when his appetite changed? Two of my Cavaliers have a disease called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and they began by becoming ravenous for food (really anything they could eat!) but were losing weight at the same time. I have done a lot of research on the disease it while it used to be only prevalent in German Shepherds, it is becoming more and more common in Cavaliers- I have two with it and know two friends who have Cavaliers with it. There is a very specific blood test for it, it is not covered under annual blood work. You can read more about it and the symptoms here to see if any of it matches what you are seeing.

http://www.epi4dogs.com
 
If he is eating normally -- or more than normal -- and losing weight without any considerable increase in activity, I'd see a vet before April. It could be a lot of things including his heart -- but is the kind of sign you probably want to have checked to make sure things are OK. Diabetes amongst many other things could also cause weight loss without decrease in food.
 
Thanks for the advice.
I had a word with the vet today by phone, I was told to increase his food at mealtimes by a small amount for the moment and keep an eye on his weight and to bring him for check up earlier than scheduled if any weight loss. The vet didn't seem worried by the loss of a couple of grams and said it can be just normal fluctuations or the scales.

He seems well except for his increased appetite...

I will monitor his weight and bring him to the vet at any sign of weight loss when I increase his food.
 
Update

Well after just under a week since I increased his food slightly, pippin has put back on a few grams:)


Not all good news though he still seems constantly hungry:huh:


I know Cavaliers are always hungry :rolleyes: as we have three I can compare, and his kind of hunger seems different?

I have called the vet to talk to her and I am just awaiting a call back but was wondering....A friend (who works in another vet practice, as a veterinary nurse) suggested I change his food, she explained that dogs who are on the same food for years can start to get kind of used to the food, so much so that it doesn't fill them or meet their nutritional needs. the three of them have been on JWB lamb and rice for about 5 years now, Pippin has a severe chicken allergy and it took a few years of different foods to finally find one that was ok for him, so naturally I am reluctant to change it.

Any opinions on this?
 
Pippin has been on phenobarbital 15mg twice daily for two and a half years and Vetmedin 125mg twice daily for 9 months.

Lately he seems to be always hungry and looks for his meals (half a cup of JWB kibble twice a day, topped with all bran in the morning) and treat (a bonio biscuit at mid day and a bite sze biscuit after a walk) earlier than usual.

He eats as much as my other two cavaliers even though they are bigger than him!

I notice the exact same thing with my Rigby, who has been on the same dose of phenobarbital for 6 months. She wants to eat constantly! She's also the same size as your Pippin, 14.5 pounds/6.5 kilos, (although she is only ten months old), but her weight has also fluctuated down and then sloooowly up. Aside from increased drinking and urinating, our vet never mentioned increased hunger, but despite her puppy training lessons, Rigby will jump into your lap and go right for your mouth when you are eating! She eats twice a day, too (12 hours apart because of the phenobarbital dose) with a few healthy treats in between, but it's never enough!

I think I also heard that staying on the same food for too long can be problematic, so I'd definitely like to hear if others have had experiences with that. We haven't changed Rigby's food since she was a pup because we worried a different diet would make her sick, but if that would make her less food crazy, it's worth a shot!
 
Well a week since I spoke to the vet again and we increased the food by another small amount as she advised.

He is holding his weight and even put on a little bit but is still a slim cavalier (I don't want him chubby as he has heart issues).

The hunger hasn't stopped though and he is driving us mad as he looks for food an hour after being fed, he barks and barks and runs to the press looking for his dinner even though he's just had it about an hour before.

He always gets his breakfast at around 7.45 in the morning and then a biscuit mid morning around 10 or 11 but lately he is looking for food again anytime between 8.30 and 9! Then if he doesn't get it will bark and bark until he does this morning I was busy tidying my room and closed the door on him and he almost broke it down!

My vet said it is because he is on phenobarbital but he has been on that since Sept 09 and was never this bad! When I said this to her she said he is getting older now so his metabolism is slowing down and he breaks down the medication differently....but surely then with slower metabolism he should be less hungry?

He doesn't even rest much during the day any more except if there is no one at home because if we move a muscle he thinks FOOD! Sometimes you can't even relax with a cuppa for his incessant barking for food....I am constantly trying to find different ways of feeding (amounts, times,etc) I think I may be going mad !!!

Pippin is 6.9 kilo, 15.5 inchs long(chest to bottom) and 11.5 high to the shoulder.


I always feed less than recommended on the pack eg. pack says 5-10 kg 115-190 grams daily. I fed pippin 35-40 grams twice daily, a bonio biscuit mid morning and a small bite size biscuit after walks,sometimes I add veg to their evening meal and they get the odd bit of apple or banana, they all get a spoonful of all bran in the morning meal. I increased him ( on vets advice) to 45grams first and from last weekend 45 grams morning and 50 evening. He is quite active but not as much as he used to be and has a grade 2 murmur. I usually feed more in summer and less in winter. He looks for food at every turn, and I know all, or most Cavaliers do but he seems genuinely hungry...? Am I wrong to feed him less than the recommended amount?
 
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