The menu has been impressive.

Hand-made meatballs and spaghetti. Barbecued buffalo burgers. Flank steak and au jus. Sauteed shrimp.

Food fit for a queen. Queen Lexie, that is.

Ordinarily, this food would be off limits for a dog. And for many people. But with Lexie’s appetite wavering, I’m desperate to try anything that might inspire her to take a bite.

Since Lex lost interest in eating because of her advancing renal failure, her energy level has taken an obvious hit. She’s completely stopped eating several times, and it’s taking a toll. So with each gourmet meal, it’s amazing to see her revive from a listless dog to a peppy pup capable of wrestling her much younger brother, Charlie.

Lately, she refuses food in the morning. She’s turned into a late riser, and would rather snuggle in a tight ball on the couch, snoozing through her usual morning kibble. Once she’s up and about, her senior dog food just doesn’t lure her to the bowl.

By the time I am home from work, and it’s dinner time, it still takes cajoling to get her to consider nibbling. I’ve taken to sharing a portion of my dinner, carefully presented on a bed of her kibble. I stand guard above her as she eats, a loyal lookout for the food goblins seeking to steal her hunger.

Sometimes, if her spirits are low, I hand feed her on the couch. I’m glad to say, that’s not too often.

Usually Lex eats in the kitchen. She dives in for a couple minutes, then takes a break … disappearing through the dog door for a casual stroll through the yard’s bushes. I always watch through the kitchen window, to make sure she doesn’t vomit her meal, or stumble over a fallen branch. In the last couple weeks, Lexie has become somewhat frail, and her balance has deteriorated. Once she’s walking, she seems to do well, but it’s the starting up and slowing down that seem to trip her up.

When Lex returns to the kitchen, I call her back to the bowl. “C’mon, baby. Eat your nummies! Eat your nummies!” I’m sure Lex hates that I use baby language to describe her food, but she’s never complained. And she always, at the very least, makes an effort to eat some of the food … if anything just to appease her mommy.

Good girl.

She always eats her biscuit for dessert.

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