Sirius' prednisone munchies. This is too weird!

[DemoTex]

An hour ago he ate a big moth that was flopping around on the deck (wingspan of about 5"). I watched him eat the whole damn thing. Voraciously! Yesterday I thought I saw him eating a big bug, but I wasn't sure. I feed him dry dog food supplemented with a half can of Hills N/D (neoplasm diet) every morning. In the evening I always have some tasty morsels for him. Tonight it was a plate of rice with some chicken gravy.
When he was so sick three weeks ago, he was eating gravel. I found it in vomit and in his feces. That seemed to be a very fleeting thing. The veterinary oncologist thought that might be a mechanism to replace something lost in the lung/stomach bleeding.
Any DUers with experience with insect-eating dogs? I left a message for Dr. Michelle to call me back tomorrow.


Sweet Sirius

[grannylib]

1. I dunno about dogs but my cats eat anything that flies or crawls or

scurries
Hope it doesn't make him sick, he's a cutie:-)

[DemoTex]

4. Well, he is already sick with hemangio sarcoma .. but I know what you mean

He has had 15 weeks of adriamycin chemo therapy, surgery, and is now in an ifosfamide chemo regime. I can relate to his drug-induced appetite. In college in the 60's I did not inhale, but the near proximity of the evil weed caused me to fill a grocery cart with $175 worth of useless shit. Know what I mean Vern?

[grannylib]

6. *lol* and are you sure you're not my hubby in disguise?? he asks me

that all the time

Sorry to learn that Sirius is truly ill; sending warm fuzzy puppy wishes for health!!:hug:

[Lars39]

2. That stuff can put humans on a 24 hour eating binge!

I can't imagine what it would be like to not have access to the fridge.
:o

[miss_kitty]

3. Stella was very interested in a large moth this morning

If I didn't have her on a leash, I think she would have snacked on it. It was so beautiful, though, I couldn't let her have at it. I think its a terrier thing, tracking down 'vermin.' This thind was flapping in the bushes and making scampering noises.

I think if Sirius is eating anything it's a good thing. As long as it's not rocks. Or fire ants. or...nevermind you get the pic. Rice and chicken gravy? Yum!

[DemoTex]

7. He was eating rocks three weeks ago. When we thought he was slipping away.

I found gravel in his vomit and his stool. He almost died that week. I nursed him back with hand-fed water and fillet mignon (maybe he was faking for a steak!). He is the best dog I have ever known. But with hemangio sarcoma, his days are numbered. Thank Dog we have Nick-Nick!


Sweet Sirius


Slick Nick-Nick

[China_cat]

5. Dogs on prednisone will eat ANYTHING

They are voraciously hungry all the time. We have one that's been on it almost a year now and we've seen the same thing. Bailey will eat anything and in all quantities. Bugs, lizards, cat shit, anything he can get in his mouth.

One of the downsides of prednisone, though, is that if the dog is on it long enough, he will start to lose his hair. Bailey looks like crap right now but without the pred he's in so much pain from a chronic ear infection that his life isn't worth much. With it he's almost a puppy again and there's no way I'm going to consider discontinuing the pred (and his life) just because he looks bad.

So Sirius isn't being weird, he's just trying to stop the hunger.

[DemoTex]

8. Good info China_cat .. thanks.

When I take him to our downtown Greenville condo, walking is not fun anymore. On the city streets he finds anything from chicken bones to human vomit and feces (especially early Saturday and Sunday mornings). The bar scene problem is so acute that the city council has just restricted hours of alcohol sale. Not that it matters anymore. We sold the condo (close on 9/30) because of the problems with two fairly big dogs. We have a contract on a great 100 year-old art-nouveau/deco/arts-and-crafts prairie cottage, with a doggie door and super-fenced back yard.


New digs for good dogs!

[yellowdogintexas]

10. "sigh" that house is heavenly. I just love Prairie/Craftsman

style homes.....

a lovely place for good doggies to be indeed!

and Prednisone will make you want to eat the table without salt!

[DemoTex]

11. We had a great prairie cottage one block from Highland Park in Dallas.

It was fantastic. I sold it for top dollar. The buyer tore it down and built a McMansion. I was 800 yards from Cheney's house. I trained sweet Sirius to shit in Cheney's yard.


Our place on Cragmont in Dallas. Gone now.

[yellowdogintexas]

13. damn good dog!!!! shitting in Cheney's yard...I love it nt

[havocmom]

14. Nice dog house!

The prednisone prolly doin some odd stuff to the old rascal. A male pal of mine had to take a long course of it and complained that he now has a much fuller appreciation of what his wife went through with her three pregnacies. He was starving, craving wierd stuff, got puffy feet and burst into tears a lot.

Glad to hear the sweet old mutt is feeling good enough to hunt bugs and whopper moths!

Hugs and pats to both the T dogs!

[Darth_Kitten]

9. How is Sirius doing?

:)

[DemoTex]

12. Other than bug eating? Fine, really.

He is really doing well. But it is a fragile existence with hemangio sarcoma. We know the reality. He only has a few more months. Max nix. He is my little boy, and he knows it!

Mac

[DELUSIONAL]

15. My cat would catch grasshoppers and give them to my dog

The cat is a mighty hunter and he liked to catch the grasshoppers.

When I checked to see what my little dog was eating -- she was enjoying grasshopper legs. She was also on heart meds -- and adjusting to the new meds -- and she was eating bugs supplied by her best buddy -- her cat.

Sirius might need something -- and some ancient instinct might be guiding his new taste in bugs.

BTW -- thanks for the update on Sirus -- I was just going to ask if there had been a Sirius update.

[DELUSIONAL]

16. Interesting article BBC -- Tiger Moth caterpillars change diets

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4722233.stm


Grubs fight parasites with food
Caterpillar, Michael Singer
The caterpillars develop a fondness for certain plants to fight a parasite infection
Tiger moth caterpillars have been seen medicating themselves to treat a nasty influx of parasites.

Scientists found the caterpillars' sense of taste actually changed when they became infected with parasites.

Instead of avoiding certain alkaloid plants, the caterpillars actually developed a fondness for them.

This change in diet helps to beat the creatures' parasite infection, the researchers report in Nature.

The finding is slightly unusual because often when animals change their behaviour following a parasitic infection, it is to the invaders' benefit.

"It is a new and surprising kind of interaction between organisms," said Elizabeth Bernays, of the University of Arizona, US.

"When parasites change the behaviour of their hosts, it's usually to their own advantage."

I also have read research about Chimps in the wild who seek specific plants when they are ill -- other species have been observed to seek out certain food or plants when ill.

Perhaps Sirius has an innate ability to find something missing from his diet or perhaps as an antidote???