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    mcbrash's Avatar
    mcbrash Posts: 6, Reputation: 2
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    #1

    Oct 30, 2007, 03:47 PM
    My dog refuses to eat
    I am at my wits end with my 6 year old husky/shepherd.

    She had not eaten for about 3 days so we took her to our local emergency vet almost two weeks ago. They did a series of x-rays and also a barium swallow on her. They saw, what they thought, was a mass, which was not allowing food to empty from her stomach. They gave her something to empty all of the barium but this did not work as quickly as they said it should have. They advised us to take her to our reg. vet for further tests. After taking another x-ray, our vet decided that she should have surgery to see what was going on. Surprisingly enough, he couldn't find any obstruction at all and said that perhaps her stomach may have moved and by opening her and checking everything, it hopefully had righted itself. He checked her liver, spleen and stomach and all seemed fine. He did send some tissue samples off for a biopsy and everything has come back normal, no abnormalities at all.

    We are having to feed her through a syringe into the side of her mouth, which she eats and keeps down. As soon as I try to put it into her mouth, she spits it out. Our vet has checked everything and has said that she is a perfectly healthy dog and he is completely puzzled at her behaviour.

    If someone can give us some ideas I would be so grateful. I am so worried about her as she has already lost 13 lbs in just two weeks.
    RubyPitbull's Avatar
    RubyPitbull Posts: 3,575, Reputation: 648
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    #2

    Oct 30, 2007, 04:09 PM
    How long ago did she have this surgery? Recoup time can take a couple of weeks. How is she responding to everything else? Is she acting normal, going for her usual walks, urinating/defecating without issue? Does she seem spunky or her old self, in every other way?

    This is a puzzle and you likely won't find any complete answers to your dog's problem online. I would keep feeding her with the syringe and see if she doesn't start eating on her own in a couple of days. If not, it may be time to take copies of all your records, from the emergency vet and your regular vet, and seek out another opinion. Possibly consider taking the results of the surgery and the x-rays your vet took, back to the emergency vet and see what he/she says.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #3

    Oct 30, 2007, 08:52 PM
    Yes, likely she still has a physical problem. RubyPitbull has given you a good plan.
    mcbrash's Avatar
    mcbrash Posts: 6, Reputation: 2
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    #4

    Oct 31, 2007, 03:21 AM
    Thank you for replying to my message so soon. Shelby had her surgery 2 weeks ago today (Wed). She is still not back to her normal self yet. She goes for her walks but not as far as she used to go, she will not bark when someone comes to the door, no kisses, no paw. She eats from the syringe OK but anything put in her mouth, including her favourite treats, she just spits out.

    She is urinating OK and has had a couple of bowel movements, of course, not as many. Our vet has said if there is no change by today, he will recommend a specialist for us to take her to as he is just as baffled as us.
    RubyPitbull's Avatar
    RubyPitbull Posts: 3,575, Reputation: 648
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    #5

    Oct 31, 2007, 06:07 AM
    Honey, I think the specialist is a good idea. I don't like the sound of this at all. Please let us know how Shelby is doing. I truly hope that this is something that can be corrected easily.
    mcbrash's Avatar
    mcbrash Posts: 6, Reputation: 2
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    #6

    Oct 31, 2007, 11:17 AM
    We have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow (Thurs) to see a specialist. In the meantime I am continuing to feed her from a syringe and she is tolerating the food, although does not like it. It almost seems like she is really angry at us for some reason. When we had friends over she gave them kisses and paw but to us... nothing. I just pray that something can be done for her, I can't lose her.
    RubyPitbull's Avatar
    RubyPitbull Posts: 3,575, Reputation: 648
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    #7

    Oct 31, 2007, 02:46 PM
    mcbrash, please don't worry. You are doing everything you can for her right now. The specialist really is your best bet. Your dog is not angry with you. They don't get angry in the sense that we humans do. It is just that she is with you (her pack) all the time, and she also just doesn't feel well. Your friends aren't around all the time and she was just greeting them. Dogs, like wolves, do that with "friends" and family they haven't seen in a while. They don't do this with their other pack members who are around them all the time. If your friends would have stayed for a long while, she would have treated them as she has been treating you. Hang in there.
    mcbrash's Avatar
    mcbrash Posts: 6, Reputation: 2
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    #8

    Nov 1, 2007, 11:08 AM
    Thank you RubyPitbull. I guess I was just feeling sorry for the whole lot of us when I said she was friendly with friends and seems to be angry at us. I know she isn't really, it's just that I am so frustrated at everything.

    Right now she is at the specialist and will be there for the rest of the afternoon. They are doing more x-rays, ultra sounds and blood work to find out if there are any changes since the last ones were done. It seems like we are right back at the beginning again but hopefully we will have some answers when we return to pick her up.

    It just breaks my heart to see the look on her face when we have to leave, if only she could understand why.
    RubyPitbull's Avatar
    RubyPitbull Posts: 3,575, Reputation: 648
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    #9

    Nov 1, 2007, 11:35 AM
    I know honey. They are our babies, we can't handle seeing them in pain, and it is frustrating because we can't give them immediate relief. Let us know what the specialist says when you get a chance to come back online.
    mcbrash's Avatar
    mcbrash Posts: 6, Reputation: 2
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    #10

    Nov 2, 2007, 01:12 PM
    We took Shelby to the specialist yesterday where they did bloodwork, x-rays and ultra sounds. The vet thought that her liver was slightly enlarged and the bloodwork confirmed this. Bloodwork done on the pancreas has not yet yet come back so we won't know the results until Tuesday of next week. We are still feeding her though a syringe on a low fat diet though, in case she has pancreatitis (sp?). When we put the food into the side of her mouth she eats fine but straight into her mouth, she still spits it out. If all results come back showing there is nothing wrong, a feeing tube might be the only answer for awhile.
    She did throw up yesterday after we got home but I think perhaps she drank more than she should have and on top of that we fed her to soon. Today she has kept all food down.
    Thanks once again for the shoulder to lean on, I really appreciate it.
    Cheri71's Avatar
    Cheri71 Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
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    #11

    Nov 2, 2007, 01:22 PM
    I would try table scrapes her favorite and see if she eats those. SHe could also be upset or even mad. My mother dobe did not eat for a week because they got a kitten and was paying clos attention to the new addition. WHen they made her favorite steak she ate that up right away.
    RubyPitbull's Avatar
    RubyPitbull Posts: 3,575, Reputation: 648
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    #12

    Nov 2, 2007, 01:44 PM
    Cheri, there is something physically, not psychologically, wrong with McBrash's dog. Table scraps are most definitely NOT a good idea. Most human food is too rich for a dog's system. McBrash, the thought of pancreatitis did cross my mind initially but there wasn't enough in your posts for me to assume that. We have been seeing a lot of people here with this problem lately. Cheri, fyi, table scraps are usually the direct culprit of pancreatitis. Too much fat, sugar, additives,. wreak havoc on a dog's digestive tract & system.

    McBrash, please keep us posted. Pancreatitis or liver problems would explain the vomiting and her not being able to eat. Recovery is a long, slow, and painful road. Keep her diet extremely bland. Just follow whatever advice the specialist has given to you. It sounds like you are getting some good help now. Call the office with follow up questions. They don't charge for follow up advice. Write down all your questions so that when they call or you call them for the results, you don't forget something that you feel is important. You are under a lot of stress and I know for me, when that happens, I get discombobulated and forget all those questions running around in my head. Then, as I am falling asleep, they all pop back into my head.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #13

    Nov 2, 2007, 04:48 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Cheri71
    I would try table scrapes her favorite and see if she eats those. SHe could also be upset or even mad. My mother dobe did not eat for a week because they got a kitten and was paying clos attention to the new addition. WHen they made her favorite steak she ate that up right away.
    I am very glad RubyPitbull has already explained why this is a very bad idea and not at all appropriate inthis case. As usual, she is exactly right and her post is well written.
    petpyrs's Avatar
    petpyrs Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #14

    Nov 2, 2007, 06:11 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by mcbrash
    I am at my wits end with my 6 year old husky/shepherd.

    She had not eaten for about 3 days so we took her to our local emergency vet almost two weeks ago. They did a series of x-rays and also a barium swallow on her. They saw, what they thought, was a mass, which was not allowing food to empty from her stomach. They gave her something to empty all of the barium but this did not work as quickly as they said it should have. They advised us to take her to our reg. vet for further tests. After taking another x-ray, our vet decided that she should have surgery to see what was going on. Surprisingly enough, he couldn't find any obstruction at all and said that perhaps her stomach may have moved and by opening her and checking everything, it hopefully had righted itself. He checked her liver, spleen and stomach and all seemed fine. He did send some tissue samples off for a biopsy and everything has come back normal, no abnormalities at all.

    We are having to feed her through a syringe into the side of her mouth, which she eats and keeps down. As soon as I try to put it into her mouth, she spits it out. Our vet has checked everything and has said that she is a perfectly healthy dog and he is completely puzzled at her behaviour.

    If someone can give us some ideas I would be so grateful. I am so worried about her as she has already lost 13 lbs in just two weeks.
    Have you tried cooking for her? I buy beef heart at the grocery or meat shop and then I smother it with salt and pepper roast it in the oven at 350 degrees. When slightly warm I cut it into slices and feed it to the dogs who just won't eat anything else. Beef Heart is high in calories, and very rich so give a few slices to start until you're sure she'll eat it because if she hasn't been eating this could really give her some digestive upset (if you know what I mean). Try alternating with string cheese or cottage cheese. You can also try the rotisserie chickens they sell in the supermarket... the smell of warm chicken will sometimes stimulate an appetite.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #15

    Nov 2, 2007, 06:35 PM
    Another very poor idea. Beef heart in no way approximates a complete and balanced diet.

    We are dealing with a sick dog here. Tempting a dog with rich food is nearly always the wrong thing to do.
    petpyrs's Avatar
    petpyrs Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #16

    Nov 2, 2007, 06:45 PM
    I understand you have a sick dog. I do rescue work and have had many experiences with 100's of sick dogs. All you are trying to do with the beef heart is stimulate the appetite... not make her sicker. You will need to find something she will eat. And I can tell you from my work with many vets, that beef heart while it may be high in calories is also high in amino acids and contains an enzyme know as L-Taurine that is responsible for proper heart and vascular function to mention a few. If you haven't tried this don't knock it... it just might be the thing to get her interested.

    Also sounds like you've looked for all of the big things, perhaps if you haven't already... look at the little things. Does she have any splinters in her throat, does she have any tooth abscesses... if your mouth or throat is sore, no one feels like eating. Look for all of the things they haven't done already.

    If all else fails, have them check her out neurologically and perhaps an MRI would be in order. I'm sorry your dog is sick.
    RubyPitbull's Avatar
    RubyPitbull Posts: 3,575, Reputation: 648
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    #17

    Nov 3, 2007, 03:25 AM
    petpyrs, I am sure you do a good job in your rescue work, but did you read this entire post? Tempting a dog with rich food at this point in time is so very not a good idea. If it is pancreatitis, your suggestions could kill the dog. At this point in time, McBrash needs to follow the advice of the vet and stick with the syringe feeding. When they are able to give her a definite answer as to what the dog is suffering from, then the diet can be modified according to the vet's directions.

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