[Rpdsniper243]

I've been watching for worms in her stool but no such luck with that... not that its luck but better than the obvious. She is still extremely playful and not acting out at all. She hasn't really had any change in demanor or temper or the way she usually acts. I at first thought perhaps it's because of the heat also, I know that she sheds like crazy in the summer and she can't ever seem to stay cool so we have a baby pool for her to lay around in and play in. Like I said she drinks tons of water all day long also. I'm not sure that she has chewed anything that we know of as of lately, she does like to chew the skin off her tennis balls but she hasn't for awhile. I work for a police department and spoke with our animal control officer who also has show dogs and he said perhaps she is bound up but I've seen her poop twice today so I'm not sure if being bound up is the problem. He told me to try and give her puppy chow and see if she eats that and if not then to take her to the vet on Mon or Tues. We also had another dog that passed away about 2 months ago, and I'm wondering if that may have something to do with it. After Bear passed she began to pee inside here and there for a few weeks and act out a little. She has since stopped that but has not been eating nearly as much? Any other advice would be great, it seems that all of you that post on here know what you are talking about... Thanks

Mike

[Viv]

Hello again,
Jazz my 8yr od GSD is still hit and miss with her food intake and her sickness bouts, some days (like last night) she showed real enthusiasm for her food and any dog biscuits and chews we offered, so I offered her more than usual because I'm worried about her weight loss. she ate it all with ghusto and still wanted more, but I was afraid she would be sick so tried not to over indulge her. she didnt throw it back up which was great. :) Now this morning I offered her her breakfast as usual (dog food dried and added gravy to try to get her interested), she sniffed it and turned her nose up at it), I thought she was feeling poorly again (her nose is nearly always not cold and wet like it used to be).
Anyway my daughter took her for her usual walk and was horrified when she saw her eating what she asumed was grass...on closer inspection however she discovered she was eating other animals poop :eek: (probs dogs) it's not the first time she has done this, but I thought she had stopped, has anyone any idea WHY she could possibly want to turn down her own nice fresh food for dog poop? and could this be what is making her ill??

many thanx Viv

[Msawsm7177]

We recently acquired a 12 week old mini dashund problem. At the store they said sometimes he gets picky about his eating so when he won't eat add a little sliced low fat turkey to his food. When we do this it causes diareahha of the liquid form. So we stopped. Now the issue is a few things.
One when I take him out side to go to the bathroom he will urinate outside but will not go number 2. He purposely waits until I bring him in the house and goes on the floor and then runs and hides because he knows I'm going to firmly tell him verbally that is a bad boy. I can stay outside for an hour and he will still do it so I'm giving him plenty of sniffing time.
The second problem is now he won't eat now. I told my husband maybe he doesn't like the food.
The third problem is he is gagging like he has something caught in his throat.
The pet store gave him a bunch of pigs ears which he loves to chew on
(could this be causing the above problems).
And the fourth and final problem is he has this stuffed animal he loves to play with but once in a while it almost appears like he is trying to hump the toy.
I told my husband when we see this to scold the dog because I don't want him to get in the habit of humping things (Is this common for puppies?)

We are scheduled to take him to the vet on Thursday for his 2 week check up but I'm not sure if I should wait.

He is a very active dog and loves to play but I need to solve these problems.

Please help... :eek:

[LoveMyBooBooGirl]

Hello. Unfortunately, when purchasing a dog from a pet store you run the risk of it coming from a puppy mill. And it sounds like that may be the case with you. Most dogs are from mills when purchased from a pet store, especially small toy breeds. Puppy mills are raised in the same poor conditions as veal cows, many die, most that live are ill and have severe health problems. I wonder however, why it is you bought a dog that the petstore informed you wasn't in top condition? (picky eater) a puppy should always have a big appitite fro just about anything you will let him eat. The one health issue that jumped out at me is the pig ears. A mini/toy breed has a mouth too small to properly chew a pig ear or standard rawhide flip, especially one so young. Those treats are better suited for med. To lg. breed dogs. With any new toy or treat, watch your pet closely. If he likes the pig ear, a "mini-dingo" or "mini polar chew" would be better. They can be found at petsmart/petco or walmart. And the humping is normal. If it is not a bother for you with the toy, then its not a big deal. Just make sure to teach him not to do it to people's legs. :) concerning the diarreah and poor appitite, I would see if I could get him into the vet sooner. For his health and in case you need to hold the pet store responsible for anything. Good luck.

[Rpdsniper243]

Hey all,
Just wanted to update you on Kaci, we went to the vet yesterday and she had an extremely high fever! She has some type of infection whether its viral or bacterial they still aren't sure, they are waiting for the blood and urine test to come back... but thank you for all the advice!!

[labman]

To Rpdsniper243 I hope the vet is able to help Kaci. The vet is able to do little for viruses, except treat symptoms and support the body until the dog's own immunity clears up the problem. Antibiotics make quick work of most bacterial infections. Training can't fix physical problems. She may be back to near normal when the infection is cleared up, although still missing her companion. Please keep us posted.

To Msaws m ''The third problem is he is gagging like he has something caught in his throat. The pet store gave him a bunch of pigs ears which he loves to chew on (could this be causing the above problems).''

For that very reason, the large dog guide school that I volunteer for, forbids giving any of their dogs rawhide, pigs ears, ropes, etc. The school has had thousands of dogs under their care for decades. They have learned the hard way not to ever give a dog anything it can chew large enough pieces off to choke or block the intestinal tract. Unfortunately many people continue giving their dogs rawhide, pigs ears, etc. and even pose as experts and recommend others do too. Rawhide flips are very dangerous to large dogs that can gulp them down whole, sharp corners and all, as I have previously posted here. The larger the dog, the more likely it is to have trouble from rawhide. The most dangerous fools are those that won't heed reasonable warnings. Anybody can post whatever they want here. There is nobody here but other, better trained users to point out things that can kill a dog.

For the bowel movements. Try to keep him moving. Exercise stimulates the bowels and bladder. At that age, most bowel movements are accidents, they suddenly have to go now. If you manage for him to have a bowel movement outside, be lavish with the praise and petting.

The humping is normal, and often has to do with dominance and status rather than sexuality. Most people work at correcting the dog for it more to have a dog that is pleasant to have around. A 12 week old puppy from the pet store is not the easiest place to start on having a healthy, well socialized dog.

You should be feeding a puppy chow now. Switching to an adult chow for the
Larger breeds at 4- 6 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier
Joints. May be good advice for a little Dachshund too. Keep him lean and give his back time to support more weight.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest.
You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is
Different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog
Must have its food adjusted to its individual needs.

The gagging and not eating worry me. Maybe moving up the vet visit would be a good idea if you can get in.

To Viv Eating stools is common, disgusting to us. Eating their own usually isn't harmful unless you are trying to clear up worms. Certainly it exposes her to any problems the other dog has. Many young puppies die from even sniffing bowel movements of dogs with parvo. I would pass this on to the vet. They need every scrap of information to diagnose patients that don't tell anything. There are additive that keep dogs from eating their own stools. I usually work at cleaning them up before the dog has a chance. As for other dog's stools on a walk, watch her and give her a stern ''Bad dog!'' and a snap of the leash.

[Msawsm7177]

We recently aquired a 12 week old mini dashund problem. At the store they said sometimes he gets picky about his eating so when he won't eat add a little sliced low fat turkey to his food. When we do this it causes diareahha of the liquid form. So we stopped. Now the issue is a few things.
One when I take him out side to go to the bathroom he will urinate outside but will not go number 2. He purposely waits until I bring him in the house and goes on the floor and then runs and hides because he knows I'm going to firmly tell him verbally that is a bad boy. I can stay outside for an hour and he will still do it so I'm giving him plenty of sniffing time.
The second problem is now he won't eat now. I told my husband maybe he doesn't like the food.
The third problem is he is gagging like he has something caught in his throat.
The pet store gave him a bunch of pigs ears which he loves to chew on
(could this be causing the above problems).
And the fourth and final problem is he has this stuffed animal he loves to play with but once in a while it almost appears like he is trying to hump the toy.
I told my husband when we see this to scold the dog because I don't want him to get in the habit of humping things (Is this common for puppies?)

We are scheduled to take him to the vet on Thursday for his 2 week check up but I'm not sure if I should wait.

He is a very active dog and loves to play but I need to solve these problems.

Please help... :eek:

Thanks for all your help. I took him to the vet and it seems my little pooch just has diarehha from chomping on too many pigs ears... so I learned something new. He gave me a liquid stuff in a tube to feed him for a couple days and meds to soothe the diarehha. Health wise he is in tip shop shape right down to his heart and lungs.. and he weighed in at a whopping
3 lbs 6.8 oz...

[LoveMyBooBooGirl]

Glad to hear your mini dach will bet feeling better in the days to come!

[Msawsm7177]

So am I... now I can sleep again LOL...

Like caring for a new born baby :)

[connij2]

I have a 8 year old german shepherd. She too has periods of not eating for a week at a time sometimes. We live in Arizona and it is hot here (to say the least). Although she became an inside dog in the summers she still refused to eat for weeks and then she would start. We took her to the vet. Teeth, digestive system, everything was checked. Nothing wrong with her. Bottom line, this breed seems to know when they need to eat and when they don't. She is not skinny. Although she was when she was younger. She is fit and very beautiful. My advise. If your shepherd is not eating and it is concerning you, take it to the vet. Get the checkup. Then DO NOT switch the dog food. Give the dog what they have always eaten. Changing a dogs diet can be another variable to throw in the mix. The dog will eat. As long as the vet gives a clean bill of health you should be fine. P.S. This is the 4th shepherd we have had in 20 years and all of them went through this. As well, most of them preferred to eat in solitaire and in the evenings. We feed once a day in the evening and provide milk bones and water. The food dish is not usually empty until 4 or 5:00 pm. We refill it with 3 cups of food and she eats sometime after we go to bed or ignore her for the evening. Seems shepherds are funny that way.

[labman]

Thank you. Wise advice is not always easy to follow. 3 years ago, my 5 month old Shepherd went 3 days without eating. She was fine, but I was a wreck. Any time a dog goes more than a few days without eating, it is best to at least call the vet. More so with dogs that normally bolt down their food and look for, much more common in Labs, than Shepherds.

[gsdmommy]

I also have a gsd who doesn't eat much and whose ribs and butt bones stick out almost as if she is emanciated(sp) when I bought her she was 5mons old and 28lbs which now that we just bought another gsd at 13wks and she was 28lbs is really disturbing! Now our new puppy is 16wks and 38lbs she weighs almost as much as Heidi our first puppy who is now 43lbs. The vet has told me that we should get blood work done on her to see if that may be the cause of her being so skinny. I was wondering if you think it is worth the shot? I've looked up about dogs not gaining weight and there are so many different reasons as to why. She has been tested for worms and came up negative but we still gave her a dose of the dewormer just in case the worms were missed. She also ended up having mange which I hope is cured. Another thing that concerns me is I've never noticed her go into heat. She is now 10mons old now and yet to go into heat that I know of. I want to get her spayed but I don't know if her weight would cause her to be at risk of death? Please any information will be greatly appreciated!

Jessica mommy of 2gsds

[labman]

Starting where I am the surest, 10 months is a little on the late side for a first season, but some go longer. My Lab/Golden, Sheba, will be 10 months the 24'th and shows no signs yet. I surely expected it when she was to show at the state fair*. Your vet would be a much better judge of any risk to doing it now. Most vets do not like the complications of doing it when she is in season.

Have you specifically checked for a tape worm? Sometimes you miss the give away segments in the stool. Lean, and for a GSD, the ribs showing a little, is OK, but none of the bones should be prominent. If the vet says he can't do much more without blood work, better go with it.

*Took first in a class of 5.

[gsdmommy]

She has been checked for worms 3times and the first time I was told she had them they didn't say what kind of worm she had and I was given little white pills I had to give her by mouth, I didn't like that vet I was taking her to so I switched to another one and that's when I found out she had mange and we did another fecal test and it came up negative nothing was seen but I bought the dewormer anyway and she was given 10cc for 3days and I waited 3weeks and gave her 15ccs 3days, and now I have to wait 2months and give her 25ccs 3days. I doubt she has any type of worms left after that. She was also tested when she was taken to the emergency room because I thought she was having a reaction to the med she was taken for the red mange ivermectin but the vet there said that probably wasn't the cause. So, the next step is to get blood work done on her to see if we can find anything. Unfortunately it looks like we got her from a puppymill because she is scared of everything! She was not socialized at all. The people told me to send her back several times and I refused because there is nothing more they can do with her, and they said they don't sell gsds anymore.She's a sweetheart.Anyway thanks for your info. I appreciate it. I have contacted many breeders of gsds as well.

[daizysueb]

I've recently taken on my parents' 2 shih tzu's. They are about 5 or 6 years old. I've had them since Sunday, today is Wednesday and I've only seen him eat once. I have both of their bowls together in a corner of the kitchen. I do not feed them more than once a day, nor do I give them people food. I have given them a treat when coming in from the going potty. They are crate trained and are in the crates while I'm at work and at night for sleeping.

The female, Lilli, is doing fine. The male, Spike, is not. He's only eaten twice since moving in. He doesn't seem to be interested even in the treats. The past couple of times I've given them, he's just left it on the floor. My sister told me that they were having some trouble getting him to eat before he moved in with me. They had just gotten a golden retriever puppy 6 months ago, so I wonder if that had anything to do with it.

Any tips to get him to eat? Should I move his dish away from hers? How long should I let this go on before I really should worry?

I'm totally stumped.

[labman]

This sounds like emotional distress rather than a physical problem. Try TLC, lots of it. Talk to him, telling him what a good little dog he is. Brush him, keep him looking good. Take him for walks, give him butt and belly rubs. Some dogs are much slower to bond to new people than others.

I hope you have as much of his old stuff as possible, crate, bedding, toys, leash, anything else that was his. Maybe even return to the old neighborhood for walks.

[daizysueb]

Thanks for the advice. I've tried to pay more attention and cuddle him. He's been eating now and doing just fine. No more worries.

:)

[jab]

My dog, Merlin, has recently quit eating. He is about 13 years old and a lot of people have told me that is the problem, but for some reason I don't think that is it. I have tried getting him that can dog food that smells so good I am tempted to eat it. He even turns down deli ham slices. He has gotten really skinny and he hardly moves at all anymore. When he does he looks frail. I don't think it is his age because this happened only when he quit eating. Right now I am kind of getting him to eat this stuff called Nutri-Cal, a calorie supplement, to help give him a little energy, but he takes less and less evertime I try. I would greatly appreciate any help.

[alexmc1]

Hi, I have just got a 10mth old Sheltie from the SPCA, I have had him 2 days now and he won't eat a thing, he'll sniff but he won't even pick at it, I've tried him on heaps, human and dog food, he's drinking water like normal though. The SPCA thinks he's fine and its just a bit of strss and he's proberly just a picky eatrer anyway. He has thrown up a bit of yellow bile. I have managed to get him to eat something today by force feeding him, he didn't eat it willingly. The SPCA have also just told me that he had a sister as well which we didn't know about. Do u think there's something wrong with him? Or could it be that he's just a bit distressed and misssing his sister. He seems happy and is still bouncy and playful.
Thanks

[alexmc1]

That thing about force feeding him sounded mean, I had to get something in him as he's only eaten a little bit of cooked chicken, and nothing at all yesterday and had diarreah last night, so thought I better get something solid in him. We're a bit stumped, as he seems to be stteling in OK, we have another dog already who's tried to show him to eat but he won't copy, and the same thing with treats as the person above said, he'll just leave them on the floor.
Any help would be appretiated! As a couple of vets said there mite be something up with him keeping him from eating but the SPCA vet thinks its just stress, thanks