Jasper (12 yr old Mini Schnauzer) is now at peace

Thank you everyone! I will need to post an update on Jasper a bit later. Right now I am hoping that someone can help me by telling me how to make sticky white rice. I think you just use more water than usual and maybe cook it longer?? In the past when I have fed him the hamburger/rice, I have made the rice the normal way. It turns out a bit sticky, but not really mushy like others say is best.

He is still not wanting to eat and now is on a new antibiotic and he needs to have food in his tummy for me to give it. I was thinking of feeding him some sticky rice and maybe with some hamburger if worse comes to worse.

I think maybe it was Lori who has posted about how to make this before, but can't remember.

I am so sad about Squirt, even something as simple as this is a struggle right now.

Thanks in advance. I am a bit challenged in the kitchen, so any help is appreciated.

Hugs from me and Jasper

Hi Tina!

I am just now coming off a month of sticky white rice for Peg, so I am a pro as far as my own method! :rolleyes: ;)

What I do is take a sturdy pot and add about 1 1/2 cups of rice along with at least four cups of water. The excessive water to rice ratio is really key. Then comes the tedious part, which is standing and stirring the pot constantly as it cooks after it has come to a boil. You will want to turn the heat down low after it has first come to a boil, so as not to burn the rice as it cooks. But you need to keep stirring, stirring, stirring for the same reason. As it thickens and cooks, you may even end up adding some more water so as to end up with a very thick "porridge" of totally soft and sticky rice. This is kind of the same process as making risotto, so just consider yourself a gourmet cook on Jasper's behalf :). I've never timed it, but I'm guessing it may take around 20 minutes or so until the rice is soft. Oh, and if you can find short or medium-grain rice, it turns out even stickier than long grain.

I think Lori has an oven-cooking method that is less labor-intensive, so hopefully she will soon be stopping by, too. Oh, and last but not least, always keep the unused cooked rice fully refrigerated. I just recently learned that cooked rice can quickly grow some type of very dangerous spore if left out on the counter for extended periods. :eek:

Good luck!
Marianne

I could never figure it out either so I am totally useless but I can give you a really big HUG (((((((((((HUG))))))))))))))


Belly rubs to Jasper.


More hugs for you (((((((((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))))))))))

Hope the new antibiotic helps. I just add more water and then as they said, stir, and add even more water if you want the more mushy consistency. Stirring is key as Marianne said

hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin

Hi Tina,

Marianne mentioned that I use the oven to cook my rice and I sure do! Preheat oven to 300/350 degrees and then I take 2 or 3 boneless, skinless, low-fat chicken breasts and put them is a roaster, I then add around 6 cups of water and cover with the roaster lid or aluminum foil.

Throw that in the oven and check every 20-30 minutes to see if it needs more water, take out of oven when rice resembles a soupy texture, say about an hour.

Hope Jasper is feeling better real soon.

Hugs, Lori

Well there are some good ideas... me, I just put some rice and water in a pot and boil the bejeezus out of it till it goes mushy and only stir when I think of it LOL... no wonder I burn my pots :D:D Hope Jasper likes his rice dinner and is feeling better! xx

I've used a rice cooked in the past. Always use calrose rice, as it gets the stickiest. Add more than the recommended amount of water.

Thank you all for the tips about the rice. Marianne, I tried your method this time and it worked fine. I normally cook the rice with the lid on and no stirring. The extra water made all the difference along with the stirring, and fortunately, stirring is one of the few skills that I have in the kitchen! :D Lol. Lori, I will have to try your way the next time.

He ate about 1/2 cup of rice with some hamburger. I tried to sneak some kibble in but he wasn't too keen on that, so I cut that out. I was afraid he would stop eating if he thought I was trying to trick him. I put his bowl back down with the kibble, and throughout the afternoon and now evening he has wandered in and out if the kitchen and eaten a bite or two at a time, and has eaten most of it. Of course it is past supper time now and that was his breakfast. In a little bit I am going to offer him some more rice and hamburger.

Yesterday my vet called me at work and let me know that his urine culture had not grown anything after 48 hrs, but after 72 hrs it had grown strep. It of course is resistant to the zeniquin he was getting before, and apparently is resistant to quite a few antibiotics. She said it can be difficult to treat in urine but Clavamox is effective, so that is what she prescribed, 125 mg bid. She said she feels that his loss of appetite and overall not feeling well is related to the UTI, especially since we just checked all his labwork last weekend. She said dogs can feel pretty ill if their kidneys are affected, and we all know that his kidneys are a bit fragile anyway. So I am hoping she is right. I asked about mild pancreatitis, and she said we are already treating him the same way we would if he had it. She didn't feel that I needed to bring him in. I could just pick up the meds after work. She also said to give his dexamethasone daily for the next 5 days to help keep his Addison's stable during this time of additional stress.

He got the first dose of clavamox last evening since he ate about half his food. It is supposed to be given with food. It can apparently cause nausea and loss of appetite also. :rolleyes:

So today when I couldn't get him to eat at all throughout the morning, I called the vets office and talked to one of the techs about what to do. He ended up calling my vet at home as she wasn't working today. :eek: Apparently the Dr he checked with there told him to. I think they are all pretty scared of Jasper because he has so much going on all the time.

Well, my vet said to hold the clavamox for today and see if I can get him to eat the rice and hamburger. Tomorrow I am to offer him his regular food and if he won't eat, then give him the rice mix and the clavamox and then see how he does at supper. I am not sure, but I think she might be trying to see if the clavamox is affecting his appetite since now he wouldn't eat at all. :confused: I don't think it is the clavamox since this has been going on at some level for over a week now, and what I wanted to do is give it to him after he ate the rice and hamburger so we can get the medication going, but I didn't. I followed her directions exactly and will see how tomorrow goes. She said we will follow up on Monday.

So that is where we are at. I guess I just have to hope that it is the UTI that is making him feel so crummy and that the clavamox helps, if I can get it down him. I really don't know what else it can be. I was almost relieved when she said the culture grew something after 72 hrs, because this is something objective that we can treat. I know I am weary from constantly struggling to get him to eat. I know a lot of you can relate.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper

Hi Tina,
If he will eat the rice and hamburger, then that should be enough to give the clavamox with. It just needs to be given with food so as not to cause nausea right? How long does he take the antibiotic for?

Yes Strep can be very nasty stuff. Once you've had it, at least in humans, then you always seem to be susceptible to getting it again, so you want to knock this out of his system. You'll want to do a follow up culture after the antibiotics to make sure it is completely gone too.

If he won't eat and you can't give the meds, then I'd suggest giving him antibiotics via IV to make sure that he is getting treatment.

That would be my last resort go to, because the most important thing is getting rid of it.

Hang in there. You are doing a wonderful job. Jasper is not an easy case in the best of circumstances. I'm glad the doc thought of giving him the dex daily to keep him stable. That is likely a good call. Could help with appetite too.

hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin

Hi Tina

Glad you have something to work on now, I do not often see Strep in urine, so no wonder he has been off colour. Hopefully you can get the ABs going when he gets some food into him. I so hope Jasper tolerates it well and kicks that UTI into touch!! Yay you got the sticky rice sorted! Nice one! xx