Need Advice...Please help
I'm Brenda. I'm new to the forum and for those of you who don't know am the recent proud owner of Elsa a four year old OES whom I rescued from a breeder on Sunday. She had a huge infestation of maggots and was very sick. My vet and groomer got her all cleaned out and she just finished her scrip of Deramaxx and is still supposed to be taking Simplicef. She is negative for heartworm and her blood work came back showing no problems. I was able to give her a nice bath finally yesterday which at least made her feel pretty and a bit more active. Here is my problem. I can't get her to eat, drink or take her meds. I was concerned because she hadn't had a BM since Sunday when I brought her home, but low and behold this am I had a nice present on one of my area rugs. Number one and number two. No diarrhea. So at least her bowels seem to be functioning. (Lord knows I have taken her outside frequently enough to go. I think she may be a bit shy about having someone watch her go potty.) Well, I removed her mess and put it in the backyard where I want her to go, but potty training is another issue. She has a crate, which she goes into voluntarily when she wants privacy, but I have been letting her wander to wherever she feels comfortable for the time being. The first priority is getting her healthy. I need to know how I can get her to eat and take her remaining meds. I couldn't get her to open her mouth for me to force them on her. She has basically eaten 1/2 can of A/D food from the vet which amounts to about 1/2 cup every other day. When I have had her outside, she has been eating grass, but I know dogs do this. My yard has not been sprayed with anything. I thought that since she had a BM this am, that perhaps she would feel like eating, but no go. She was at the vet's all day Thursday for this and they couldn't get her to eat either, but found nothing else wrong with her. I could use some advice on any tricks or favorite treats I can try to at least get her meds in her. I haven't been exercising her that much because I didn't want to wear her out. Yesterday after her bath we took a walk around the block and we have been walking around the yard to familiarize her with her territory. So please give me some help here guys! My furbaby needs to eat something! I should add what she has been eating. I've had the best luck with the Hills Prescription Diet a/d from the vet, but now she won't eat that either. I had planned on feeding her Iamms Lamb and Rice dry and had bought the wet to mix it with to switch her over. She ate it, but later threw it up. While she was kenneled at the breeders she was being fed some dry food that came from their local co-op. Well certainly I've been TRYING to get her to eat something better. I have also tried peanut butter and soft cheese. Is it possible she is depressed? She was also separated from her life long litter mate, when I took her? |
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| This is a tough situation. Is it possible to get some of the food she was being fed earlier? I was going to recommend peanut butter when I saw you said she didn't want it. Have you tried putting her meds in cream cheese? It is very difficult because the meds are supposed to be given with a moderation of treat, but if she won't eat her other food a moderation becomes too much!! Hmmmmm. When was the last time she ate? Do you know HOW she was fed at her other place before? Maybe in her crate?
As far as the potty training based on your other post she's probably never had any training before. In fact based on her living situation before she may not understand what grass is (if she was in a filfthy area). Sooo I'm guessing she's suffering sensory overload with all the new stimuli and - don't forget - probably just beginning to learn about human contact. She's used to being with her doggy pals and now she has to adjust to living in your pack. I wish I had more advice - hopefully someone else will. I'm glad you have the vet working on this with you as well. Maybe they'll think of more tricks . . . |
| I don't think getting the same food she had at the co-op is an option. It is over 3 hours away.
I've just tried putting a smorgusboard of tempting treats in her crate, lamb and rice dry, peanut butter and cheese again, cream cheese, lamb and rice wet, and the food from the vet. She has walked in twice, sniffed them all and walked out again. Maybe if I just leave them there and go hide she will try something, but I think she will just follow me to wherever I go....  |
| I'm not sure what to suggest, I have been through this a couple of times, and though it is stressful, if your vet rules out any medical cause all you can really do is wait for the dog to get back to normal eating habits. A dog will not usually starve itself.
The vet needs to rule out parasites (interior and exterior), as well as rule out any possible causes of pain, like ears, teeth, sores in the mouth or throat, possible intestinal obstructions etc. Maybe the dog feels sick to it's stomach.... maybe tums would help? As far as drinking, the dog needs fluids, so check for dehydration by pinching the skin (gently) at the neck, if the skin stays folded and doesn't go down immediately, the dog may need some iv or sub q fluids first. Try giving ice cubes too, most dogs love ice cubes, at least that would be a small amount of water. I think this dog has an infection somewhere... the vet really needs to go over her thoroughly, if the white count was elevated (which it should be if there were maggots) then a course of antibiotics would be needed, and that would most likely stimulate her appetite as well. If she is on antibiotics, maybe a different one is needed. |
| She has been at the vets for two out of the 6 days I have had her. She has been on antibiotics and pain meds for her sore bum. My vet left for vacation today, so I may need to try and get through the weekend with this unless Elsa really takes a turn for the worse.
They put her under on Tuesday and at that time she also had her ears & teeth cleaned, rabies shot updated, and what sounded to me as a thorough look see. Her bloodwork was done on Thursday and sent to the ISU vet college here which is supposed to be one of the best in the country. They said it didn't show anything to be concerned about. I will definitely watch for the dehydration and try the ice cubes. Thank you for that knowledge. Maybe I really just need to be patient, but I really want to be able to give her her meds. |
Anything at all you can do to get those meds into her at the right times, no missing any doses, is what will help her the fastest. Good luck  |
| I will break this down into separate areas.
Elsa needs to feel comfortable, as she has just been uprooted from her home, nasty place as it was, and is in a strange place, with strange people and has been through many experiences she has never been through before. First thing I would do is get her a place where she feels safe, and let her get quite at home there. I wouldn't be letting her have access to the whole house just yet, as you want to avoid house-training accidents and you want to reduce her stress as much as possible. If she is happy in her crate, great...Crate her often. I would suggest she has free access maybe to the room her crate is in and that's it. You don't want to overwelm her. When you see that she is fine in that particular room you can expand into another one. I wouldn't get into walks or outings jsut yet. You do not have a "normal" dog, but one you need to gain trust from before she can accpet different things. I would work first on getting her to be VERY comfortable around you and feeling safe. Eating. The Hill Presription in not very palatable...Try it...You want something that will get her interest. Soft food usually does this because it smells good. If it is not doing the trick I would get different samples of dog foods from the pet food store and see which one she likes. A food with fish in it is usually a winner becasue it stinks. But I wouldn't worry too much about it just yet. She will not starve herself and right now eating might be the last thing on her mind. She may still be in "flight" mode or feel helpless and the act of eating would make her more vulnerable so she doesn't take the chance. Some dogs eat better alone, some with thier people around, some crated, some not....You can do some detective work to find out what is her comfort zone. Try some popcorn, toast, small pieces of cold meat....and it may be better for her on the ground rather than in a bowl. We had problems with Dixie and eating out of a bowl. Her food had to be on the ground "beside" the bowl, and we gradually moved it to its place. Some with the water. Try a metal bowl, ceramic, plastic...etc, to see which type of vessel she is familiar with, and where...alone, outside, in her crate. Meds. Once she will take treats of some sort it will be easier, but right now she needs her meds. At one time Dixe was taking 9 pills a day. She is down to 4, now, but even after 6 months she will not take them on her own. She sits between my legs as I am standing, she leans back against my knees, I gently lift her head up and I place the pills one at a time into her mouth. I pull the flap of her mouth to one side, slightly open her jaws and gently push the pill into the right side of her throat, just inside her line of teeth. To make sure it goes down I rub her throat to make her swallow, or GENTLY cover her nose so she has to breath through her mouth. This makes her swallow automatically. We have been doing this 2 or 3 times a day for 6 months. Dixie comes running to me for the routine for which she gets a little treat right afterwards. Hopefully her meds will make her feel better, clear up infections if she is on antibiotics, and help her to eat. The house-training is something you want to start on right away. Ignore all accidents, but by crating her and supervising her all the time they can be avoided altogether. Go to the housetraing area of the forum. There are LOTS of tips there you can use. Try something several times before moving on to something else. Consistency is key right now, and Elsa is looking for predictibility so try to keep a routine going that she can learn to rely on. That will help her settle in. Let us know how things go. |
| Nerves can really disrupt a dog's eating patterns. Definitely try something really good, but good for her. I feed my oldest dog canned Merrick and the boys get a little in their food too. The ingredients are human grade and really tasty-- big chunks of meat and veggies. I even tried some and it wasn't too bad. |
| Nicole gave great advice. Go slow!! You have a sensory deprived dog who needs to be brought into the world slowly. They don't think the way we do, they don't reason well. They respond in familiar patterns.
For pills here I use ground turkey or "butterballs" that is a butter/margarine spread that slips down the throat easily. Yes, I use the same technique as Nicole, actually placing the pill in the throat. Of couse lots of rubbies and kisses afterward helps. For food, I never went beyond boiled turkey and rice for newbies. I'd offer it, let them think about it (alone) for about 15 minutes and then remove it until the next feeding. We feed twice a day. Water is often drunk here late at night, could she be tanking up when you are not watching? Remember she isn't used to so much human interaction. Go slow. |
| Thank you all for the wonderful advice and taking the time to give it!!!
I did mangage to get her pills down after about 6 tries...she kept spitting them out so I had to really open wide and toss them way back in there! I've moved her to a more quiet area of the house for now and am watching the water level..... I'll keep you posted....not going to worry about the food thing right now unless she continues to refuse it. Water and meds are the main focus for today. She does seem to like pig ears though and has been chewing on one of those. She also loves her sexy new hot pink collar and her pet bed she got today. She just likes to lay her head on it for now. Thanks again! You guys are awesome!!!!! |
| She looks so much like Maggie, a rescue I drove 600 miles to bring home (truly a trip from hell, frozen hell with closed highways, blizzard, etc) Anyway, she too was a former brood bitch. Her idea of heaven was a down comforter she fluffed into a bed. I wasn't part of the selection process, but when I saw how much she loved it, I couldn't take it away from her.
She went to a wonderful lady.......who promply died a few days later! I didn't find out for about a week when the lady's daughter called and said she had Maggie...........back in the town I had originally collected her!! Maggie lived out her life with the daughter. Take care of Elsa, she's special.......and yes, she will come around but it will take time. She has much to learn. |
| Thank you for the warm story about Maggie. I realize it will take time with Elsa. I thought I'd post again with an update on her.
You guys all had such great advice and we have success! 
I think I was more of the problem than anything. I was doting on her and watching her constantly. You guys were so right about her not being used to that. I moved her to a small room off the kitchen with a child gate on the door yesterday as opposed to the living room where she was most of the time. Basically just gave her peace and quiet and low and behold last night she ate about one cup of Iamms lamb and rice dry, which is great because that's ideally what I had planned on feeding her. She drank about half of her bowl of water. She did not potty in the house and went right way when I took her outside! She willingly took her meds with a bit of the wet food this morning. Elsa is such a sweet girl with a loving disposition already. She loves to give kisses and follows me wherever I go. I think she has become much more comfortable with the downstairs area of the house now that she has had time to sniff EVERYTHING! I can't wait until she feels up to 100% so I can experience some of those sheepie antics you guys talk about.  |
| Great job Brenda!!! That's such a great update! I'm so happy for the good fortune that you've brought to Elsa. I just love that picture of her. I am thrilled by the progress. There may be setbacks along the path to a full recovery but this is a great start! |
| GOOD! I hope it keeps improving for you!!!!!! |
| Wonderful! Sounds like she's coming around! |
| Glad to hear that Elsa is starting to settle in. Adopting a grown dog is always like figuring out a puzzle. We have adopted several over the years, some with a good previous life, some not.
A suggestion to try with the pills - after she is settled and taking treats. I use a product called "Pill Pockets". They are similar to the Bil-Jac treats that come in a little carton, but are hollowed out like a cup. My min pin with CHF gets pills every day, and he gobbles them up - and he's a finicky boy. I put his pills in, pinch the top closed and I'm ready. I used them for my lab when she had ABX for her hot spots, and she loved them too (but labs eat anything!) They come in a green colored foil pouch. I get them locally at our pet supply, but I have picked them up at Petco's too. They run about $5 for 35 around here, and I think they are worth every penny! |
| How wonderful she is eating a bit for you now, good luck with your very special sheepie girl and big hugs for Elsa, she sounds like a real sweetie. |
bwilde wrote: we have success! Yay!!! |
| Great news! |
Yay for Elsa!!  And double yay for Brenda for rescuing this sweet girl!
Elsa will be the greatest dog you've ever had, once she settles in. You'll be experiencing the sheepie antics shortly and we'll be here waiting for the stories!! Keep up the great work! |
| She is a beautiful girl and bless you for nursing her back to health!! |
| Woohoo!
The way we got Barney eating after we first got him was to add cottage cheese to his dry food. He loves it! |
| So glad she's improving. I know it will take time, but it sounds as though you're on the right track. |
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