In the last month, the feeding and medicating of our dog Charlie has become one of the most time-consuming and draining parts of our day. She’s on several medications to counteract the chemo side effects, and on the food side . . . well, it’s become intense.
Thanks to the chemo and the cancer, we never know what Charlie’s going to be in the mood to eat. We just pray that she’ll eat something. And make sure it’s not in a metal bowl, because apparently the metallic taste can be exacerbated by chemo.
The rest of the house has also become more disorganized, too, but this weekend I decided I had to tackle the Charlie Station. Her food, medicine, and other supplies were taking over our kitchen island.
I wanted to hide it away, so the bottom shelf of the corner cabinet became the Charlie Shelf. We have spare room in our cabinets, so I was able to move some items around to clear out the space for her.
On the left side we have cans of dog food, baby food, beef jerky, and a binder* that holds all her paperwork. The papers include her medication dosages and medical records, so if we have a question about a pill we’re giving we can check it easily.
*No women were harmed in the making of this binder.
The week’s pill regimen is organized into a caddy, and the extras are stored in a big mixing bowl. We use Greenies Pill Pockets 
On the right side we have paper plates and plastic spoons, because we were running out of both dishes and spoons when we used our real ones for her. Apparently metal dishes can give off a strong metallic taste when you’re on chemo, too.
Sometimes she only wants to eat when spoon fed, and sometimes she’ll eat off a plate. I don’t like the waste of disposables, but we had a huge stash of plastic utensils and also . . . sometimes you just have to take the easy way.
I’m not oblivious to the psychological implications of this project. I definitely tackled it with vigor, as if controlling the clutter and implementing a rigid system would somehow control her cancer. If only it were that simple!
Still, it feels really good to have a system in place, and to have the island clear again, so my brain can focus on offering her approximately 2,304 meal options every hour every day.
Charlie Update: Charlie has been showing more energy and more appetite the last few days, so our fingers are crossed that the first chemo is working its magic!
PS: Here is another pet food & medication storage idea that I implemented back when life was simple.
3 Comments
Our Dobe is on steroids and pain pills due to a mass between his vertebrae. At his age we did not want to put him through surgery, so medication is the chosen option. I found that he would not take a pill with a pill pocket/cheese/deli meat/peanut butter – but he will sit and drool for a spoonful of plain mashed sweet potato with the pill tucked into it. No spitting of the pill after you think it’s swallowed. And recently when we had to adjust his medication levels he was without appetite but would still take his spoonful of mashed sweet potato. Not sure if that would be something Charlie would care for but it is cheap and easy – I just nuke the potato then peel and mash right in a glass or plastic storage container and keep it in the fridge.
Thanks Monique! This is a great suggestion. This week Charlie decided she loved rice made with coconut milk as well as coconut greek yogurt. . . so I will also try the sweet potato. She likes soft foods that don’t require lots of chewing. Thanks for the tip – and good luck with your little man!
Actually, having all that stuff under control does reduce the amount of stress when you’re trying to find the right medications and foods together – so be fair to yourself – it’s more than just trying to take control of the cancer, it IS also about controlling the things you can control so that you have more emotional space for the things you can’t.
Big hugs for you and Charlie, so pleased that there are foods she’ll eat, and she has some energy. 🙂