My dog won't eat, has bathroom problems
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| OMG! I have a Dixie OES, too!
A couple of questions. How long have you had her for? How long has she not been eating for? Is she skinny? What does she weigh and how tall is she? What kind of bathroom problems does she have? I assume she had a full check-up...teeth etc. What type of prescription food did the vet recommend and what is it supposed to do to help? In health cases your vet is the best bet, but some answers to these questions may bring some suggestions here. Welcome to the forum! |
| I've never had a finicky eater, so good luck to you!
Welcome to the forum! |
| We've had Dixie since she was 8 weeks old. She is 1 1/2 years now, 62 lbs, but she is really tall for a female. The vet says she is not "underweight", but he'd like to see her put on a lb or two. He gave her Z/D canned and dry, Prescription Diet by Science Diet. Befor that we were feeding her Hill's Science Diet canned beef and dry lamb and rice. Even that she wouldn't eat unless prodded. Her bathroom problems have been going on since we got her. We got her from a breeder in Nevada, not a store. She has had girdia 3 or 4 times. The vet re-tested her and found her negative for girdia and parasites. She had a prescription now for metronidazole 500 mg. She will have explosive diahrrea followed by really loose stool, the kind you can't pick up. She is also VERY nervous. She has extreme seperation anxiety. I have always wondered if that might not be part of the problem. Thank you for all your advice! We love our little sheepie, and want her to be healthy. |
| Our Maggie is an extremely picky eater but she's almost 14 and we feed her almost anything she wants just to get some food in her. I wouldn't suggest that with a young dog like Dixie. Keep in mind having a dog that's a bit on the lean side is much better than one that is overweight.
IMO, there are a lot of dog foods out there that are better than Science Diet. My dogs have eaten Eagle Pack, Merrick's or Innova with great results. As far as the diarrhea, try adding a couple tablespoons of canned pumpkin to her food. This actually works to regulate the dog's system, firming up loose stools and softening hard ones. Be sure to use regular canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Hope this helps! Nita |
Welcome to the forum 
Sorry Dixie isn't feeling well, since this sounds like it has been an ongoing problem I would have your vet investigate further.... possible immune systems problems, enzyme deficiencies, irritable bowel disease etc... Also, Science Diet is not a great food, vets just recommend it because they sell it.... perhaps look into another food? |
| London is a really picky eater too, was a bit underweight for a long time.. We've tried Science diet - wont eat, then we had him on Diamond - which was a big no no... Nutro - he likes it so so but bad diareaha.. now we have him on Purnia Pro Plan - he loves it.. eats abotu 4 cups a day now. |
| If you think separation anxiety is actually part of the problem or is causing her distress, you might ask your vet about Clomicalm, Clomipramine or some other anti-anxiety drug. Here is more information on this condition...
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... INT&A=1502 We brought a rescue in that had separation anxiety big time. And there were tensions between this sheepie and our Schipperke-mix. I'm happy to say that with the meds and behavior modification, our rescue (Panda) is not as spaztic and nervous... she's much more relaxed but still a goofy girl. Our Schipperke-mix (Meesha) has adjusted to her and has been successfully removed from the meds. This approach was a success in this particular case. I know you don't want to keep seeing the vet but if these bouts of diarrhea have been going on for a long time it could cause her harm and you really need to determine the cause. No way am I a vet but when they do a stool culture, what do they find? It sounds like there are no parasites but is there a lot of bacteria? If yes, ask the vet if a 3 consecutive day course of the white liquid Panacur might help her. (My vet attended a seminar on it.) I won't tell the story again and bore everyone but it cured my pack of recurrent diarrhea. It was pretty gross... no way you could pick it up. No parasites were ever found only high bacteria. Please keep us posted on how she does. I hope she's better soon. |
| We use Purina ProPlan too and it's the first food that agrees with 5 in my pack... one of my sheepies is on a prescription diet for struvite crystals so she doesn't get the Purina food. We use dry Purina ProPlan Extra Care for Sensative Skin and Stomachs... they make a canned version too. But be sure to ask your vet before trying any new food. If new food is introduced over a periof of 10 days it's less apt to cause digestive problems. We do 1/4 new food to 3/4 old food, 1/2 new to 1/2 old, 3/4 new to 1/4 old, then all new. It seems to help prevent any additional upset. |
| Thank you all for the great advice. I have boiled her a chicken and steamed some rice. She is eating that with gusto! I also took some advice from my Aunt who told me that since her pups are food sensitive too, she is using their kibble as "treats" I have begun to put Dixie's "treats" where her old treats have gone. She will eat about 3 cups of kibble that way! Silly girl...so easily tricked. Anyway, just wanted to say thank you!
Dixie's mom and Dixie |
| Great news! |
WELLCOME! |
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