Diet change

[Kara 1]

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I have never had a dog turn their nose up at raw ...and used to swap my foster dogs as soon as they came to me ...but my son has labradors and tbey couldnt eat raw ...they would be sick and after a week he gave up ....
What about looking for a more natural cooked diet for him ....poor dennis ...its horrible when they are sick

 

[Josie]

It’s hard to know what to do for the best... we only started him on it Saturday morning so I feel like we’re giving up too soonif I stop now.

I’m going to try 80% old 20% new for a week and if we still have issues i’ll Stop.

I’m really finding the raw smells on his breath also

 

[Kara 1]

Have you tried another raw meat eg lamb ...my lot cannot tolerate raw chicken xx

 

[Josie]

I’m just defrosting the turkey and salmon to try.

He refused to eat at all this morning even though I had mixed the raw with his normal food.

However, he did eat some cooked chicken I gave him.

So is him refusing because he’s being fussy?

 

[Mad Murphy]

When Murphy was very young we tried raw and he was sick so we gave up for a while..We tried steamed lamb heart which he ate with gusto but when his allegies got really daft we tried raw again and this time he stuck with it.. Im so glad because his allergies are now minimal..

 

[DixD]

Perhaps, with him being older, it might be worth rhe vet chcking him again, incase digesting the raw food is highlighting a problem? He could also be getting dehydrated from vomiting. With humans, it can happen quite quickly and affect kidney function. Not sure about dogs.

 

[JudyN]

So is him refusing because he’s being fussy?

Has he ever shown signs of being fussy in the past? If not, I'd guess that he is unsure about the new food, maybe because he's had a gippy tummy generally, and can, of course, smell the new food when mixed with his old food.

 

[Josie]

Not usually but he has got fussier with age I’ve noticed.

I even gave him food without the raw mixed in and he ignored that also.

His breath really smells bad also.

He’s just pacing round our office now :-(

Oh I don’t know what to do for the best, I feel so awful

 

[DixD]

Pacing isn’t good. I’d imagine it’s a sign of real discomfort. Has he been to the loo? Could he have a blockage? The bad smell sounds a bit like fermenting food.

 

[JudyN]

Have his teeth been checked? If there's no visible decay, could he have an abcess? It sounds like you need to speak to the vet again.

Make sure - as best you can - that he's not picking up on your anxiety though.

 

[Josie]

He hasn’t had a poo today although we have taken him out several times.

However, he hasn’t eaten anything since Sunday night (was advised to fast him all of yesterday and he has refused food today)

He did a diarrhoea poo last night. I’d imagine that his stomach is empty now?

Could he be pacing because his stomach is so empty?

Will take him to the vets of course and ask for an ultrasound but I know they’ll just say give him ‘chicken and rice’ and I’ve been back and forth with them so much already with antibiotics etc

 

[Lennor Magill]

Not usually but he has got fussier with age I’ve noticed.

I even gave him food without the raw mixed in and he ignored that also.

His breath really smells bad also.

He’s just pacing round our office now :-(

Oh I don’t know what to do for the best, I feel so awful

He hasn’t had a poo today although we have taken him out several times.

However, he hasn’t eaten anything since Sunday night (was advised to fast him all of yesterday and he has refused food today)

He did a diarrhoea poo last night. I’d imagine that his stomach is empty now?

Could he be pacing because his stomach is so empty?

Will take him to the vets of course and ask for an ultrasound but I know they’ll just say give him ‘chicken and rice’ and I’ve been back and forth with them so much already with antibiotics etc

Not usually but he has got fussier with age I’ve noticed.

I even gave him food without the raw mixed in and he ignored that also.

His breath really smells bad also.

He’s just pacing round our office now :-(

Oh I don’t know what to do for the best, I feel so awful

Hi Josie,
There must be an underlying problem somewhere. Ask the vet for a full health check including full blood works. If all comes back clear then he's gotten picky in his old age and he would eat when he feels hungry. Just offer him small morsels of his favourite foods perhaps he could be tempted.

 

[Josie]

Thanks @Lennor Magill

Have booked an appointment for this afternoon so will ask for full bloods to be taken.

Just want my happy healthy boy back :-(

 

[Mad Murphy]

Good luck @Josie I hope you get to the bottom of his problem soon and he feels well again.

 

[Josie]

Thank you @Mad Murphy - it’s such a worry especially now he’s 12.

 

[DixD]

I think I’m a bit paranoid, as we had a similar experience with one of our dogs. Started eating very little then stopped altogether. The vet thought he may have got something stuck in his oesophagus and did some kind of ultrasound/endoscopy. Turned out his gullet was fine, but serious stomach problems. He didn’t pace, but kind of sat upright against the sofa arm, in a very strange manner. Funnily enough, his blood tests showed nothing to indicate the problem, not sure which ones they did though.

 

[DixD]

Might be worth doing Kidney Function bloods to rule that out. I think kidney problems can pit you off food.

 

[Whippylove]

@Josie sorry to hear Dennis is still not feeling well I hope all goes well at the vet's today. Hopefully his stomach is still feeling off , antibiotics can make them feel rubbish just like us x

 

[Josie]

Oh no @DixieD were they ok once they’d found the issue?

He’s just eaten some rice and chicken with no persuasion but he’s already thrown up some cooked chicken I gave him earlier.

He’s been off the antibiotics for over a week now though :-(

 

[DixD]

Unfortunately not, but I didn’t want to worry you too much, as it’s probably not the same thing. Even if they’d felt they could treat him, he was a smooth collie with the MDR1 deficient gene, which a lot of them have, we found out just before then, when he was put on a drug that made his legs go out of control, he had no idea where they were. The MDR1 gene meant he couldn’t tolerate the drugs required, as they would cross the blood/brain barrier.