My dog's not eating

[CruiserMom]

Until you find out what's going on with her...

Ask the vet if they have some kind of nutritional supplement that you can give her. A long time ago, I had a dog that went thru a bout of stomach upset (never found out what the cause was), and she would hardly eat at all. The vet gave me a tube of something that was very high calorie and high nutrient, and I could just squeeze a little on my finger and get her to eat that. He said that would keep her from getting too weak. I can't remember what it was called.

She did eventually get over it, probably took about a month and she lost alot of weight. She recovered and lived many more years.

 

[TexasErin]

Honey's back at the vet today. I really thought that maybe she was getting better, but this weekend showed that was not the case.....

She ate the whole bowl of chicken & rice for a couple of days; then the next day, she ate half the bowl; and then nothing. We got her to eat a little of it last night, but what little she does eat, is now causing diarrhea.

She is having x-rays done, in case, maybe there's some kind of obstruction. And she has lost another pound. I'm so worried.......

 

[RUDisney]

Honey's back at the vet today. I really thought that maybe she was getting better, but this weekend showed that was not the case.....

She ate the whole bowl of chicken & rice for a couple of days; then the next day, she ate half the bowl; and then nothing. We got her to eat a little of it last night, but what little she does eat, is now causing diarrhea.

She is having x-rays done, in case, maybe there's some kind of obstruction. And she has lost another pound. I'm so worried.......

She can have diarrhea now because you changed her diet all at once. Some dogs can handle that with no issue. Others have to be weaned from their old food when more and more of a new diet is being added.

Now is the time to start plain or vanilla yogurt in her food. The same probiotics that help humans get back to normal help dogs, too. Just a tablespoon once a day should help.

I wish I was closer to you so I could give you and Honey a hug. It sounds like both of you can use one. I hope your little fur baby feels better very soon!

 

[tammymacb]

Ask for X rays.

I had the identical thing happen with my greyhound, Shuggie.

She was behaving normally, and suddenly began to drop weight. We took her to the vet who examined her and drew blood. He said she was hypothyroid. I insisted on Xrays also, which we scheduled for the next Friday. On Wednesday she took a huge turn for the worse. I took her to the ER vet where X rays were done and an ultrasound was performed the next day at an internists. She had lymphoma.

 

[Patricia721]

Please let us know how Honey does at the vet. I hope everything turns out OK for your little girl.

 

[walden]

Honey's back at the vet today. I really thought that maybe she was getting better, but this weekend showed that was not the case.....

She ate the whole bowl of chicken & rice for a couple of days; then the next day, she ate half the bowl; and then nothing. We got her to eat a little of it last night, but what little she does eat, is now causing diarrhea.

She is having x-rays done, in case, maybe there's some kind of obstruction. And she has lost another pound. I'm so worried.......

I'm sorry so that she is still so sick. I'm glad you are getting Xrays and hope that this uncovers the cause. I'd also ask the vet to repeat the bloodwork to see if there is any difference in the WBC levels, and for the high calorie gel that a couple of us recommended above. Honey shouldn't lose any more weight.

Ask for X rays.

I had the identical thing happen with my greyhound, Shuggie.

She was behaving normally, and suddenly began to drop weight. We took her to the vet who examined her and drew blood. He said she was hypothyroid. I insisted on Xrays also, which we scheduled for the next Friday. On Wednesday she took a huge turn for the worse. I took her to the ER vet where X rays were done and an ultrasound was performed the next day at an internists. She had lymphoma.

So sad. Not to scare the OP too much, but we went through something similar with one of our greyhounds. She seemed perfectly fine until weight suddenly started dropping off her -- like 5 lbs in 5 days over a holiday weekend -- and she went off her food. I got her into the vet fast. The initial diagnosis was mild pancreatitis per the bloodwork. We treated but she became dramatically worse fast. More bloodwork, Xrays, ultrasounds, daily IV fluids, consults at Tufts Vet Hospital -- we did the whole shebang. Less than 10 days after initial symptoms we decided to let her go before inflicting more pain on her. It was visceral hemangiosarcoma that had already destroyed her spleen and pancreas. Called the "silent killer" because it is so hard to diagnose and often symptomless until terminal. Prognosis was <6 weeks with chemo and massive painkillers or <2 weeks with just pain control. The first diagnosis wasn't wrong exactly, her pancreas was certainly inflamed, but due to cancer not to fatty foods.

For those whose dogs do get a cancer diagnosis, I find this site very useful in explaining medical terms and types of cancers for the lay person. I don't always take in what my vet says when I'm upset.
http://caninecancerawareness.org/canine-cancer-diagnosis

 

[walden]

Any update?

Hoping Honey is OK.

 

[TexasErin]

Honey is back home. I went to get her late Tuesday afternoon and the vet said that the barrium balls, (which he gave her to do another x-ray to see if maybe she had a tumor in her stomach that was causing obstruction) passed through her stomach which was good, but that he still thought he saw something abnormal in her stomach. He really wasn't sure what he was seeing, so he mailed the x-rays to a specialist in Dallas yesterday morning.

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear anything. She still won't really eat. I cooked her eggs Tuesday night and got her to eat a couple of hand-fed bites. So then I tried chicken again and got her to eat a couple of bites. Last night was about the same, but this morning, I couldn't get her to eat anything......

The vet went ahead and gave me a different kind of antibiotics in case it is just some kind of infection----and also some thyroid medicine since she was on the low end of normal, hoping this will help to perk her up and get her to eat again. I started them Wednesday morning, so I know I shouldn't expect anything really, but I keep hoping that she will eat more, so it is really depressing me that she isn't.

I think I might try cottage cheese tonight. A coworker mentioned chicken broth.....

 

[Pea-n-Me]

How old is the dog? In general, when dogs don't want to eat there's something not right. Her weight loss is pretty significant and the lethargy is concerning as well. I hope you can find some answers. Praying for Honey.

 

[walden]

I'm so sorry Honey is still feeling bad. I hope she starts eating soon and that you get some answers.

Antibiotics can also cause nausea and upset tummies and should be taken with food. Cottage cheese or chicken broth on her regular food can help, but with dogs sometimes the stinkier the better. I'd be trying tuna or sardines too, or beef/ chicken or lamb baby food. Try putting a little blob on her nose and see if she licks it off. If she does, repeat!

Also, the high calorie gel which can stimulate appetite. I've used Nutri-Cal with success, but there are others. Here you go on Google.

http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CE4Q8wIwAA#

 

[nancyjvanwyk]

I am so sorry that your Honey is ill. Is she drinking water to avoid becoming dehydrated?
I have always had luck with boiled chicken breasts and boiled hamburg mixed with some rice for my furry people when they have been ill. I really feel badly that those items are not working for you. But just keep trying to tempt her with little servings at a time. The last time one of mine was sick, the vet said no more than 1/4 cup of the boiled stuff at a time and most of it should be rice as that is so bland.
Anyway good wishes are coming your way for a nice recovery for Honey.

 

[TexasErin]

Thanks everybody for all your prayers and advice....

We don't really know how old Honey is. I saw her on Petfinder and the pound said she was 2 or 3 years old. We decided to make her birthdate 2 1/2 years from the date that we got her, so we gave her a fictional birthdate of 10/24/01, which would mean we are guessing she is around 9 years old.

She has always been the healthiest dog, so I sure never saw this one coming. I called the vet before closing time and he hadn't heard back from the specialist yet, which I didn't really think that he would have yet. She is drinking water regularly.

I feel like we're in purgatory....

 

[TexasErin]

The vet heard from the specialist. Honey may have a tumor in her spleen. She's going to have exploratory surgery on Monday.....

She's still not eating anything. But I am glad that the spleen is not as major of an organ as the stomach.

Please continue to pray for my little girl!

 

[walden]

The vet heard from the specialist. Honey may have a tumor in her spleen. She's going to have exploratory surgery on Monday.....

She's still not eating anything. But I am glad that the spleen is not as major of an organ as the stomach.

Please continue to pray for my little girl!

I'm so sorry to hear this. My thoughts will be with you both on Monday. I hope the surgery goes well and the tumor is benign.

 

[RUDisney]

You're right. The spleen isnt' that important.

Prayers will be said for Honey's quick recovery.

 

[clh2]

I'm really sorry to hear this. Are they going to be removing the spleen? I just hate when the furbaby's are'nt felling well - because they can't tell us what is wrong.

 

[christiane]

Sorry to read of Honey's illness.

Has your veterinarian recommended an abdominal ultrasound? Or chest x-rays? Any time an abdominal tumour is suspected, an ultrasound should be considered before surgery. Also chest x-rays are important to see if there is potential tumour spread. If a tumour has spread to the chest, surgery may not be the best thing to do.

I would not take my own dogs to surgery before an ultrasound.

 

[Jockaroo]

Erin, I am so sorry to hear that Honey isn't feeling well. I saw your update regarding the spleen issue. I dealt with spleen removal with my beautiful 10 year old Scottie. I do agree that you should consider a chest X-ray and possible ultrasound prior to surgery.

My little dog got very ill one night. We took her to the vet ER and were told that she had masses in her spleen. Before doing the life-saving surgery the wonderful ER vet did chest X-rays to see if she had any signs of spreading cancer. She had emergency surgery to remove the engorged organ just prior to it rupturing. She was very weak and very sick from this. Her appetite did drop off some the week prior, but her condition came on very quickly.

My dog had some very serious complications following surgery and needed to stay in doggie ICU at the area pet specialty hospital for several days. We were told by several vets that removing the spleen can cause the heart to "throw enzymes" I wish I could give more info than cardiac enzymes, but I know my dog had multiple tests on her heart, ultrasounds, etc. until her condition stabilized. It was a hard surgery with a difficult recovery. Our biopsies showed the masses were blood clot material and not cancer. My dog survived one year after her surgery and passed from kidney failure caused by a chemo drug to treat bladder cancer--so unrelated to the spleen surgery. I did find that my dog developed lots of random, bizarre infections without her spleen. The spleen serves as a filter and giant lymph node.

Honey has my prayers and I wish you strength to cope with this. I do understand how scary this is. I do not regret having this surgery for my little dog--it saved her life that night and allowed us to share an extra year together.

 

[walden]

Any update?

 

[TexasErin]

Sad Update....

She's gone. The vet opened her up to remove her spleen and found little white tumors all over her liver. He called me to see what we wanted. The vet told me that we could try to manager her pain and do everything possible to get her to eat. I told him that I had already tried everything and she hadn't eaten in several days. He told me that the other option of not letting her wake up was probably the most humane, so that is what we did.

Its just so hard to think about her beautiful little face and her sweet personality, and know that I'm not going to see her again for a long time (I believe that we will see her again up in Heaven.) DD13 was saying that she can't believe that Honey was just lying on her bed on Sunday afternoon and now she is gone. I'm glad I kissed Honey goodbye after the vet took her- I teared up and the vet did, too. Our vets are really good, kind vets, so I know they did everything that they could to help her.

We're all just really gonna miss her. Her hair was strawberry-blonde and she looked like a mix of Benji, Andrew from Mary Poppins, and Freeway from Hart to Hart. She was so cute. And she would always do this playful snapping at us when we came home. She was so sweet and funny. I think our Great Pyrenees Molly is missing her and wondering where she is- Molly was a puppy when we got her and Honey took her in as her baby.

Thanks to all for your kind words and advice.