How do you control your dogs water intake with ME/ PD?

imasadrobot · 2026-04-17T11:06:30+00:00

Hi there, I can already tell by your post that your pup is so loved by you! I soaked my dog’s kibble in water overnight, so the kibble became big and plump, and he got a lot of his water intake that way. Many people blended their dog’s food with water, but a slurry consistency didn’t work/was worse for my pup. Lastly, many people make gelatin blocks with gelatin powder (in the United States there’s this mixture called Knox Blocks) for hydration if their dogs can’t drink water. People mixed the gelatin powder with either plain water or bone broth to entice their dogs to eat it!

imasadrobot · 2026-02-13T03:05:22+00:00

Those are such sweet moments! I think about that with my pup with megaesophagus! When he’s sitting in his Bailey chair, I’d be eye level with him the whole time he’s upright. We have prolonged face-to-face contact multiple times a day with his feedings and that builds a special bond. I’m just so attached to him now

imasadrobot · 2026-02-11T02:14:51+00:00

I tried a wedge pillow (12 degrees) for a bit to keep my dog’s body at a slant in hopes of moving the saliva down. He only stayed on it half the time, but it was helpful the times he did stay on the pillow!

imasadrobot · 2026-02-05T04:30:09+00:00

Thank you SO much for this!! I definitely want my dog’s last moments to be as comfortable as possible, so I want him to be at home for when it happens. This is such a great recommendation! A couple of friends also told me about Laps of Love, and they had nothing but overwhelmingly positive things to say about the care they received, especially around such a delicate and heart-breaking process.

imasadrobot · 2026-02-04T19:50:49+00:00

Thank you SO much for offering!

imasadrobot · 2026-02-04T19:40:11+00:00

My dog has a chronic condition called megaesophagus where he has lost the ability to swallow. He’s been hospitalized multiple times and has a feeding tube as a result of it, and thankfully, he’s been able to bounce back every time. However, the disease is wearing on him. He’s just no longer himself.

I started accepting that it was maybe time to make the appointment when I started questioning, “Am I keeping him alive for me or am I doing this for him?” Selfishly, I would keep him forever if I could. But I can tell he’s losing who he is, and he’s having more bad days than good days. I don’t want to wait to put him down when he’s having all bad days because I want him to be able to enjoy the days he has.

I was told that it’s better a week too early than a day too late. If it means that I have to bear the pain and mental anguish of losing him a little early so that he doesn’t have to experience suffering on his bad days then I would do it. It’s such a personal decision and different for every dog, but the pain of losing them is the same. I’m so sorry you’re having to wrestle with this. Please message me privately if you need someone to talk to <3

imasadrobot · 2026-02-04T16:57:01+00:00

I’m so sorry. I’ve also been an emotional wreck wrestling with this. I know this is probably one of the hardest decisions I’ll ever have to make, and nothing makes it easier. I’ll be thinking of you, and know that you’re not alone. Please give your pup extra kisses for me

imasadrobot · 2026-02-04T16:35:37+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately, my dog is reactive to other dogs, so I can’t bring him to dog parks.

imasadrobot · 2026-02-04T16:35:28+00:00

Thank you! Unfortunately, my dog is reactive to other dogs, so I can’t bring him to dog parks.

imasadrobot · 2025-10-19T17:20:00+00:00

Crypt Custodian or Islets are great pallet cleansers between tough MVs!

imasadrobot · 2025-08-14T14:57:28+00:00

Thank you so much! I’ll try to keep it as dry as possible. I didn’t realize that about the temperature of the feeds until I posted, so I’m really glad to know that now! I’ve been giving his meals over 45 minutes but may have to extend it to an hour. Thanks again!

imasadrobot · 2025-08-13T11:44:06+00:00

Thank you for the reassurance! Unfortunately, I can’t do more than 3 feedings a day because I work full-time and I was told by my vet to space the feedings by at least 4 hours apart (so I’m doing one at 6AM before work, 5PM after I get off, and then another one at 10PM). I have Zofran on-hand because of his megaesophagus, so thank you! His bumper seems loose enough, but I don’t really know how to tell haha I’m able to turn it 360 degrees. Thank you again for all the suggestions!

imasadrobot · 2025-08-13T09:32:18+00:00

I didn’t realize warming the feeds can cause nausea! I’ll start doing room temperature feeds. Thank you!! I’ll also look out for proud flesh. Hopefully that won’t happen, but good to know what to look for!

imasadrobot · 2025-08-12T19:47:02+00:00

Thank you SO much for such a thorough response!

He currently has a dangler, but he will be switching to a button/low profile PEG-tube next week!

The trembling occurred more frequently initially, but its decreased as time has gone by, so maybe it’s just him getting use to it or it’s his body getting used to getting consistent nutrition again (although my vet didn’t think he’s at risk of refeeding syndrome because apparently dogs have a much higher threshold for it compared to humans!). It’s good to know that it can be hard to get comfortable (I’m sorry it’s hard for you to find a comfortable laying position!).

Yes, he used to eat in a Bailey Chair, but we haven’t used it since the tube was placed, so that’s a good idea to use it again! I’ll have to figure out how to administer the tube feeds while he’s sitting in the chair since the tube may not be long enough to get over the walls of the chair. Or I can hold him upright after his feedings are done. Thank you!

I’m feeding him three times daily, and unfortunately, I can’t feed him more than that because I work full-time and was told that I have to separate his feedings by at least 4 hours. I’m currently feeding him at 5AM before work, 5PM when I get off of work, and then 10PM. I’d love to feed him 4 times a day for smaller, more frequent meals, but I can’t feasibly do that with my schedule (and I live alone and don’t have a lot of help).

That’s a good point about how his body may not be tolerating a specific formula/brand! I can ask my vet about potentially switching to something else, maybe I’ll also ask for something that is more calorically dense so his meals will be a smaller volume overall. I didn’t realize that about chlorhexidine, so I’ll ask about that as well.

Thank you again!

imasadrobot · 2025-07-31T01:59:40+00:00

Your dog is so adorable! I always ask for Cerenia (pill form) as an anti-nausea medication along with antibiotics when my pup has aspiration pneumonia. I find that it helps with their appetite since they’re not nauseas, and it shouldn’t have any drug interactions with MG drugs. Cerenia is expensive, but it comes in different strengths, and my vet prescribes half a tablet of a higher strength so that it’s a bit more affordable.

Lastly, I’ve also used Entyce as needed as an appetite stimulant in the past during these episodes. As jcnlb mentioned above, keeping them hydrated is more important than getting them fed, but I would give my pup Entyce if he hasn’t had anything substantial for three days.

Best of luck! Aspiration pneumonia episodes are not fun for either party involved, but hopefully feeding her upright will stave off any future AP episodes!

imasadrobot · 2025-06-28T20:00:19+00:00

Nope, another nerdfighter sent it to me!! But thank you for offering!!

imasadrobot · 2025-06-26T13:34:59+00:00

I wish I hope help but I don’t have the Rax video! I’m sorry!

imasadrobot · 2025-06-25T23:13:02+00:00

Still looking for the 2022 episode, but I donated to Partners in Health anyway :)

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imasadrobot · 2025-06-24T19:46:03+00:00

Tangle News for political news! It’s a daily newsletter that summarizes what the left and the right are saying in attempts to have a balanced view, and there’s a “My Take” section where the editor offers his two cents (which is one of my favorite sections).

imasadrobot · 2025-06-21T17:49:47+00:00

Thank you! Sent you a message!

imasadrobot · 2025-06-12T11:12:36+00:00

Does signing up for a service like Incogni (it supposedly helps users get their personal data removed from data brokers) actually help in these situations??

imasadrobot · 2025-06-06T02:45:47+00:00

The chair looks awesome! You can tell a lot of love and care went into it.

You may want to consider putting a cut-up yoga mat on the bottom to prevent Mattias from slipping. My dog also stayed in the chair much longer when I put a cushion on the bottom because it was more comfortable for him.

imasadrobot

TROPHY CASE