Feeding Zoe

My Bichon, Zoe, has reached the ripe old age of twelve and a half. She has always been a great eater and would eat her own food and any leftovers given to her and whatever else she could snag. She once grabbed a slice of pizza from my sister-in-law as she was standing in the kitchen talking with the pizza in her hand.

As Zoe has aged, she has been beset by some health issues; diabetes and Cushings’ Disease among the leading problems. With these issues, her dietary choices have become quite limited and she is forced to survive on weight management kibble, which does not suit her fancy. The vet has suggested some toppings that I can use to make the food more palatable and still good for her. We have topped her kibble with parmesan cheese, canned pumpkin and chicken broth. All are somewhat acceptable to her, but not greeted with great enthusiasm. Before she became ill, I could leave the kibble and allow her to eat it when she decided she wasn’t getting anything else or became so hungry that even “weight management” kibble was appealing. Since her illness, she has to get medication timed to eating…therefore, she has to eat or I can’t get on with my day. I usually start with the simplest (for me) topping, either chicken broth or parmesan cheese. These she approaches with typical weasel characteristics. She drinks the broth and walks away. She burrows through the kibble, eating only the parmesan and leaving the kibble behind. Eventually, she will go back and eat enough to allow me to administer the medications and the rest will be eaten at her leisure; usually before dinner time. There are a few more items in my bag of tricks from the vet that I have been saving for a more hectic day…canned green beans, meat baby food and scrambled eggs. The thought of canned green beans is not appealing to me and is not something I buy…ever. If I were to use frozen or fresh…I would have to cook them, cool them and then serve them to her highness. This morning I was planning to cook eggs for myself, so a scrambled egg seemed the perfect choice for Miss Zoe. I scrambled the egg, picked up her bowl with the kibble already in it and distributed the scrambled egg evenly in among the cursed kibble. I gave it a moment to cool and placed the dish on her placemat. I was not watching her, I returned to the stove to cook my own breakfast. When I turned around, her dish was nearly empty and she was lying next to it like a sentry on guard duty…expecting more, preventing all of the other dogs living in our home (none) from stealing the scraps in her bowl? I had not a clue. She was vigilant and no one was going to get to her kibble scraps. Then it occurred to me, she thought I was cooking more eggs for her…she followed me to the table and sat by me as I ate. I imagined, had she not been blind, she would have followed each morsel from the plate to my mouth. Eventually she moved to the living room and fell asleep on the carpet after issuing a deep sigh of contentment. I guess scrambled eggs are the winner here.

Wordsmith647