sick dog not improveing

[gruff]

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Hi we have a 14 year old  3 kilo cross poodle that has been off her food for some six weeks now and back and forth to the vet so many times . She has had injections to make her eat,and stop being sick , blood tests urine tests and a scan and also an exploratory opp to see whats going on with her which resulted in finding a slightly inflamed pancreas. but everything else checks out ok, including kidneys, liver , bloods   As she is still very lethargic and not wanting to eat .And drinking loads. but has stopped being sick.   she is causing no end of worry. i think our vet has run out of ideas and we have run out of money for more veterinary work.To us she has not  improved at all and its such hard work to get her to eat just a little bit and i think we have tried just about everything . We feel so sorry for her as she is normally as bright as a button and banging on the dog food cupboard half an hour before food time and now all she wont's to do is sleep and drink 

Have read somewhere that baby food might be a step forward in getting food down her so will try that today. Any further help would  be gratefully received  Thank you.

 

[JoanneF]

Given her age, I would let her have anything she finds appetising. You could also try some plant based enzymes as an additive - these help the dog draw more nutritional value out of their food, you can look them up on Amazon. Also her mouth may be sore so soft food might be better, or her back might be sore so experiment with her bowl raised a little. It's so hard to see them struggle, I hope you find something to tempt her.

 

[gruff]

Hi Joanne Thanks so much for your reply, yes tried lots of different soft foods she will eat a bit of fish one day and not the next so having to try lots of different foods tiny amounts lucky to get a small mouthful down her . I will try the enzymes as anything is worth trying. Thanks again for takeing the time to reply

 

[JoanneF]

No problem. I hope you find some success. Warming the food a little can help too.

 

[gypsysmum2]

You can get free advice over the phone from your vet. They have done all the tests so will be happy to advise on different foods etc. Most vets stock an invalid diet which is very nutritious and very tasty. It is called Hills i/d.

If cost were not a problem then you could ask for referral to a specialist. So sad to see them feeling so poorly and not be able to help.

 

[gruff]

Thanks for your reply. have tried hills i/d and she will eat one biscuit a day roughly ,tried crushing them up and mixed with water but still wont eat . But its whats causing her not to eat that worries us she comes looking for food when the other dogs eat but does not even try to put it in her mouth. Anyway all i could get her to eat today so far is about 8 corn flakes after refusing shredded chicken ,crushed biscuit, biscuit mixed with yogurt , white fish. all no , just a corn flake please. So booked avisit again with a different vet tomorrow so will see how that goes.  Thanks Again

 

[gypsysmum2]

Good move to see a different vet. They love nothing better than solving a case that has eluded a colleague

Hills i/d comes in tins too. It is highly nutritious and very palatable. If she would only eat a tiny bit it would give her some nutrition.

Anorexia can, sometimes, become a behaviour problem What can happen is that the dog has felt so awful after eating in the past that they just cannot bear to eat anything for fear of feeling awful again. This means you have to try weird things that she has never tasted before to kick start her eating. I know you have tried lots and lots of things but see if you can come up with something she has never seen before. It does not matter if you would not normally feed it to a dog because you are just trying to kick start her appetite.

Another thing that can happen is that they pick up our anxiety about them not eating and it makes them so anxious that they cannot eat. It is best to avoid saying things like "good girl" as she refuses food. It can "train" them not to eat because we are rewarding the refusal to eat. Just put food in front of her without looking at her and busy yourself around for about five or ten minutes before you pick it up without looking at her or commenting on her refusal to eat. Even discussing it with other family members will affect her.

Something else to try is to feed her somewhere totally new, like the car or the bottom of the garden. This can stop the memories of feeling ill after eating sometimes. Also a different feeding bowl or just throwing it on the ground as though to feed the birds?

Of course the above only apply if she has recovered from what was wrong with her. Hopefully the new vet will have some ideas. Are they an experienced vet? If not, and you are not happy, ask to see a partner in the practice or their most senior vet.