my dog is sick and doesn't eat

title5 · 09-19-2008, 07:33 PM

Hello everyone:

My 2 year old dog has a very very upset stomach and the doctor prescribed Reglan and Pepcid for her. After being hospitalized and got I.V. in her body the day before yesterday, and now being at home, she refuses to eat. I have to force water.

I've tried all her favorite food but she still turns away. She only responds to chicken jerky (her most favorite) but I don't want to give it to her because it would cause her to vomit again.

I have chicken baby food, can i inject bit by bit into her mouth? She has not been eating for 30 hours now. Should I force her to eat? I'm desperate. Please help.

Thank you.

Annamarie · 09-19-2008, 08:28 PM

have you taken her back to the vet? or to a different vet?

B-doggy · 09-19-2008, 08:38 PM

Most dogs will eat when they are hungry - I understand how stressful it is when your dog won't eat. Have you tried heating up her food? A dog's tastebuds are about 1/6th as strong as ours, but their sense of smell is hundreds of times better than ours. You can try something light, like plain white rice. A special treat I make for my dog when he is sick is peanut butter frozen yogurt.

Blend together 1 cup organic yogurt (with the active bacteria), 1/3 cup peanut butter, and 2-3 TBSP honey, pour it into an ice cube tray or little cups and freeze it for a few hours. It's easy on their stomach and Bronx loves them!

Hope your dog feels better soon

title5 · 09-19-2008, 08:45 PM

Anne Marie: Yes, I took her to the emergency hospital and saw a doctor there a 4 in the morning and I went to another hospital to have her admitted 8 hours later. They did blood works, xray, and urine tests on her and all came back normal. I haven't taken her to any other vets besides those two.

She is very alert and responsive but seems a bit tired and just refuses to eat.

B-doggy: I will try what you mention to see if she eats. Thank you.

Annamarie · 09-19-2008, 09:03 PM

i would offer small amounts of boiled chicken every few hours. if she can handle that you can try giving larger meals with some rice. i wouldn't do the baby food because it usually has some spices in it which could upset her tummy more.

title5 · 09-19-2008, 10:28 PM

Thank you anna marie. I will stay away from the baby food. I've been offering her boiled chicken but she refused to eat. Anything I offer, she would sniff and then turn away (and not in the sad way) it seems like she is picky of the food.

Do I, now, just wait to see if she's hungry then she will eat?

my father said that I.V. fluids may have caused her feel full hence when I was a baby and got really sick, they put me under I.V and I just didn't eat for 2 days; after that, I start to eat again. Is it true case for dogs also? Please help.

Thank you.

lady'sgangie · 09-19-2008, 10:43 PM

I know that vets have special canned food that can be heated and added to the top of thier other food. (aparently it has numbing qualities.) When I had to do this all I needed to do was put a little on my finger and rub the roof of the mouth and then he would eat the rest on his own. It is made by Medi-Cal.

Annamarie · 09-19-2008, 11:25 PM

an IV wouldn't make the dog feel full. you can try the recovery vet food but our dog wasn't crazy about it. if your dog isn't eating by tomorrow i would call the vet again.

title5 · 09-20-2008, 03:43 AM

my dog now drinks a little of Pet Ag DogSure Meal Replacement (about 4 ML since I have to inject bit by bit into her mouth--I'm waiting for every two hours to feed her again) but she still doesn't eat rice or boiled chicken.

I'm not sure if this will cause watery or soft stool (she currently has nothing in her stomach now and unable to go to the bathroom except peeing)

I will contact the vet tomorrow to see about Medi-Cal food can. Thank you for your kind replies. If you have anymore tricks, please let me know. Thank you.

title5 · 09-22-2008, 02:02 PM

Update:

I took my dog to another vet on Saturday. All 3 vets said that she has an acute gastritis and she should be fine soon. The vet said to force feed her and if she still doesn't eat on her own then bring her in. I've been force feeding her since Sat and she stopped vomit and poop in regular feces. Recently this morning, she poopped dark brown very soft excrement in the early morning 2 hours after regular ones.

Her last dose of medicine was at 7PM the night before. I'm confused. Why would her body does such things?

She still refuse to eat as she is a picky eater but now drinks on her own when she is hungry. Is it a good idea just to stop force feeding her so that she would eat on her own?

I'm worrying sick out of my mind right now.

Bellasmom · 09-22-2008, 02:10 PM

Call the vet and let them know that she has just started drinking on her own. Ask if you should wait and see if she will start eating soon still too instead of forcing her. My opinion is that she will but I am not a vet!

lady'sgangie · 09-22-2008, 10:17 PM

I think that you should continue to feed her. I just returned from the vet today with a sick cat (I know not a dog) but the vet was more concerned about him not eating then him not drinking. She said that animals get enough fluids through the food so that eating should be what we concentrate on.

agility collie mom · 09-23-2008, 08:45 AM

Fluids are more important than food. You can live without food for a few days but cannot live without water. Most of the time a vet will do SQ fluids in a debilitated animal which will usually get them though at least a day without having to drink. NutraCal
http://www.petcarerx.com/pcrx/Produc...Nutrical%20Gel
is a dietary supplement that can boost caloric intake. However check with your vet. First stage baby food chicken is fine. It doesn't have seasoning in it because it is a first food for human babies and would cause stomach upset in them. Second stage baby food has some seasoning in it. Another thing you can try is the canned chicken just make sure you rinse it before feeding. We suggest this to client who do not want to boil chicken for their dogs easy alternative.

Patt · 09-23-2008, 11:20 AM

Lots of good suggestions. I would continue to force feed. You might try canned A/D which is a high calorie food, you mix it with a little water and force in her mouth with a syringe (NO needle). Most dogs and cats love it. Purchase A/D from your vet. Sometimes pets won't eat because they have a temp. I hope she is doing better soon.

agility collie mom · 09-23-2008, 06:09 PM

I love a/d for sick pets. They all seem to eat that if nothing else because of its "aroma". Stinks to us, smells wonderful to them!

title5 · 09-28-2008, 09:10 PM

thank you for all your helps and replies.

I force fed her for a week and now she started eating on her own with boiled chicken, rice and boiled carrots. She is active and normal now.

I found out that the reason she refused to eat in the 1st place was because of Waggin' Chicken Jerky. She only eats the treats even when she is sick. That chicken jerky bag is very dangerous to small dog.

Thank you, again, so much for all your concerns.

agility collie mom · 09-28-2008, 09:52 PM

I'm so happy to hear that you dog is eating again. It is very frightening when they stop eating. Great job!