My dog won't eat

[mrsstats]

My dog is 15 years old. She's not eating and she is vomiting. Took her to the vet, she lost 2 lbs in 2 months. Not good as she was always thin. Looks like a bag of bones. They took blood tests to see if if will show anything. In the meantime, I have tried all types of food. She doesn't want anything. Any suggestions??? Thanks.

[binny]

Im so sorry :(

Did your vet give you any ideas for food? I remember once we had to grind up food for our doggie when he was sick.

[epcotfan]

I'm so sorry. It is awful when a beloved pet is ill. :(

Sometimes stronger smelling foods help. If your doggy is unwell and her senses are off perhaps that might entice her. Perhaps liquifying her food may help. She can lap it up. Did your vet recommend giving her dramamine or Pepto for vomiting? Perhaps if her stomach isn't so upset from vomiting she might be able to take a little in? I know in some circumstances it has been recommended. Maybe you could ask your vet. Obviously she shouldn't get dehydrated.

I had to give gravol to my ferrets when they were ill. It seems to help. You could check with your vet to find the correct dosage for a dog based on her size and weight (if she recommends giving it)

[damo]

Have you tried cooked rice? Our vet recommended that when our dog's tummy was upset and he was old.

[mrsstats]

Thanks for the help. The vet recommended Tagamet, which we just gave her. As far as the food, boiled chicken and rice with salt or garlic salt seasoning is what he recommnded. Tried that, still not interested. Will wait for the blood work, if that doesnt show anything, they will do xrays.

[Serena]

I don't have any advice, but I hope she gets better soon.

[disykat]

Our dog ate cottage cheese and rice (and kept it down with the help of some medicine) when she wouldn't eat due to an upset tummy.

[MerryPoppins]

Once when my dog was really sick the vet said to try baby food meat. She ate it when she wouldn't touch the regular dog food.

[WillyJ]

Have you tried just plain milk? She might lap that up and at least get a little nutrition. .

I'm sorry to hear your puppy is sick Mrsstats. . Pets do become like one of family and it's hard when they're ill. . . :( I hope the vet finds out what's wrong asap and can get her fixed up for you. .

Good luck. .

[Antonia]

My dog is seventeen and has cataracts and is mostly deaf. He will always eat a slice of American cheese - especially if I hand feed it to him.

[dianeschlicht]

Nix the milk idea. Dogs, even healthy ones, do not digest cows milk well. It has a type of amino acid their systems can't digest. Cotage cheese is a good suggestion. Usually when an old dog stops eating, it is a symptom of something worse. The most common thing is that the kidneys are shutting down. If that is the case, the blood work will show it. You might be able to turn things around by having the vet give fluids and start a canned perscription diet for kidney function. They often quit eating because their system isn't able to digest properly. The Taqgamet will help too. Just be sure the dog continues to drink. Many times I have had to give an old dog water with a turkey baster until they were feeling well enough to drink on their own.

[fklhou]

It is not a good sign when a dog stops eating. You might try a product called Redbarn. My DW uses it at dog shows to bait the dog in the ring and we use it as a supplement with dry food. It has a strong smell but our dogs love it.

Good luck with your dog.

[Muppet]

Bread and butter always worked well for our dog. Also as daft as it may seem the smell of a chicken cooking followed by a bowl did the trick.

I do hope you dog is ok.

[TigerBear]

I also suggest trying baby food. It has worked for me anytime my furbabies have stomach problems. They especially like the chicken. I'm so sorry to hear your baby isn't feeling well.

[lynetteSC]

No advice ... but good luck. It is amazing how attached we get to our furbabies! Keep us updated!

[lisajl]

I would only go with the vets suggestion. I work for a vet. There is probably a reason to feed your dog what they suggested.
It is best to follow their advice.

When we send bloodwork in, it is usually back the next day.
So, hang on, make sure your dog gets some water to keep him hydrated.

I am sorry to hear he is so sick. It sure is difficult to see our pets go through this stuff. It is sometimes difficult to figure out what it is, too!
If they could only tell us.....

Good luck, hope your puppy dog is feeling better soon!

[mrsstats]

Blood work came back. Nothing shows up. We are taking her in for x-rays today. She is still not eating, still throwing up. Just wish they could talk at times like this. Will let you know how she makes out. Thanks for all the kind words.

[mrsstats]

My dog had x-rays this morning, nothing shows up on that. We are now waiting for an ultra sound. Don't want her to have anything wrong but would like them to find out the reason she is not eating or holding anything down. Don't want her to be suffering.

[damo]

poor puppy

[goofy4tink]

I'm so sorry to hear of your pup's not feeling so great. We've been there and done that too. I've had pretty good luck going the baby food route. Also, and this sounds strange I know, but canned pumpkin is great for their digestive systems. I was told that whether my dog is bound up or really loose the pumpkin will balance out the system. And it worked! Really helped when he was loose. Be sure to use only the plain canned pumpkin, not pie ready. The spices wouldn't be so good. But, as always, double check with the vet. Hoping he's feeling better.

[CJMickeyMouse]

Our vet gave us a nutrition drink (doggie Gatorade like) that our pup lapped up when we threw in some rice chex.

Also cooked rice with a little cooked lean ground beef.

Good luck with your furbaby!

[minnie56]

My poor old dog would also eat baby food meat when ill. Also, with another doggie...when all else failed..a slice of processed cheese was a hit......
Good luck....to both of you.......they sure can worry us!

[LuvTigger]

I hope your dog feels better soon, I know how you must feel.

I don't have any suggestions on what to feed her as far as just getting her to eat, but our vet says to give our dogs honey when they are having stomach problems or they're vomitting. Maybe that might help to at least settle her stomach.

[pumba]

I know the pain it causes us ......I could cry for yu now

[Serena]

Oh, poor thing. I'm sorry your fur baby is still sick. :(

[fklhou]

I do not know where you live but you might want to see if there is a vet schol near you. In Houston, we are 90 or so miles away from the Texas A&M Vet school (my sister is a grad of this school) and I have had friends take their dogs and other pets down to A&M when the local vet could not come up with an answer. One of my friends swears by the Vet school because they found an aswer where their local vet failed. The teachers/professors at the vet school have access to all of the latest research and equipment and may be able to come up with a diagnosis that your vet has missed.

This is a resource that you might want to consider.

Good luck.

[MinnieMe2]

mrsstats, I'm so sorry your friend is ill. It's dreadfully hard to see our elderly furbabies go down like that.

Canned pumpkin, plain without spices, is good for tummy trouble. I've used this for our basset, and he not only likes it, it helps with diarrhea OR constipation. Also, rice and chicken broth is usually tempting.

If you want more good advice, go to www.greatpets.com . There are lots of very nice, knowledgeable people there, including a veterinarian. Maybe they could give you some insight, but you did the right thing by going straight to the vet's.

Good luck. I hope she turns around.


{{{{{{{mrsstats}}}}}}

[wovenwonder]

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}
My Dog and Cats are all part of the family. I can imagine the grief you are feeling right now.
:(

[mrsstats]

We went to the vet last nite to pick up my baby and get the results of the ultra sound. Ultra sound was not conclusive but showed she could have Inflamatory Bowel Disease or possible cancer. To be sure they would have to put her under and do a scope and biopsy. At 15 years old, having a heart murmur, I did not think this was a good option. Dr said we could take her home and treat her as if she had the IBD. So we did, gave her a shot of cortisone and gave her predisone pills. It was not looking good. She was hardly moving, now not drinking and still not eating. We were preparing to have her put to sleep. DH stayed home with her today. She had a major bowel movement which was like unplugging a cork. Since then, she has started drinking water again and ate a little food. Has not thrown up. I am just happy I went with my gut feeling and brought her home last nite.

[fklhou]

Yeah. I am glad that your dog seems to be feeling better. Good luck on your pet's recovery.

[skuttle]

:) I hope all goes well from now on!!

[minnie56]

That it's smooth sailing from here! Maybe your baby feels a lot better now!

[DocRafiki]

I'm so glad your kid is doing a little better. I've been reading this for the past few days and worrying along with everyone. I somehow missed the fact that your pup is 15! It looks like your vet and I follow the same principle -- when all else fails, pump the steroids before giving up. :)

BTW, my new techs looked at me like I had 3 heads when I told a client to use canned pumpkin for constipation last week. :rolleyes: Hey, it works! (I don't think that applies to your pet here, but was just commenting on the mentioning of pumpkin for constipation and diarrhea).

Good luck getting her to eat & hold it down. Even I get very worried whenever my pups get sick; I can't stand even thinking about their getting old at this point... they have so little time here with us. :( Here's to many happy, healthy days ahead!

[LuvTigger]

I'm so happy that all is well now! Something similar happened to my dog too, she just needed a little "release." ;)

[goofy4tink]

That's good news. Glad to hear her system cleared itself out. Hopefully it will keep on. Prayers for you all.

[mrsstats]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and words. Just to keep you updated, my Mindy is hanging on. She is eating a bit. She has not been throwing up. However, bowel movements are a problem. She looks like a bag of bones, she is so thin. I am just happy that we have some more time with her. She is not in any pain so I feel I have made the right decision.

[Serena]

I'm glad to hear it, I hope she continues to do better. :)