At last!

By 9.30pm, Rusty still hasn't eaten a single morsel of food all day. The last meal he had was last night's dinner. Even then, he ate very little.

This morning, he rejected his entire bowl of food. When I got home from work, he looked weak and tired. He wasn't his usual self when I brought him out for his evening walk, I had to carry him home in my arms.

I cooked him a delicious meal of chicken, mixed vegetables and rice for dinner. The vet recommended that we should cook him his favourite food these few days to encourage him to eat. Rusty didn't show any interest in his dinner at all.

Seeing him so down and dejected made us all worried. I see Rusty shrinking everyday. His bones are beginning to stick out. Now I can understand why parents get so anxious when their babies are not eating.

When my kids were little, they would happily eat anything I served, even steamed broccoli and cauliflower. I can't imagine I'm fussing over our little dog now.

I decided to give it one last try before I call it a night. I started to handfeed him one piece of chicken. He sniffed and bit at it tentatively. It dropped on the floor. I picked it up and offered him again. This time he chewed and swallowed. Encouraged, I gave him another piece, this time with his antibiotic stuffed inside so he wouldn't miss his medication. He ate one after another until there were no more chicken left.

He looked like he wanted more. So I made some shabu shabu (thinly sliced pork) and hand fed him. He ate up everything! What a relief. I can sleep easy now.