dog sick???

[Kendall Aliza]

For the past week or so I have been struggling to get Shaddy to eat in the morning. I thought he was just being finicky bc I fed him wet merrick on top of his dry during the evening. So I finally caved and started giving it to him in the mornings as well. Unfortunately, him being finicky is not the problem I dont think. As soon as I let him out in the mornings he goes straight to the grass, I'll call him in to eat and he wont touch his food even though his tummy is gurgling. I've learned that if I can just get him to eat something he'll be fine and eat his breakfast... so usually, when he is like this, I'll mix in some chicken broth (less sodium kind) in with his water. He normally will take to this and we can go about our day. But the past two days it hasnt been happening. Yesterday he was whining all morning, but wasnt acting like he was pain. I finally got him to eat at some point... today he wont touch anything!! I even cooked up some kind of chicken soup and then drained it in an attempt to get him to eat the chicken and carrots, but to no avail. I have an appt with the vet at 330 and I really dont want to go. Have any of you has a similar problem??

[Andre Mendizabal]

Is he eating in the evenings? have you tried feeding him later in the mornings? I don't know, but healthy dogs usually don't reject a plate of chicken soup!!!!! I think you should go to your vets, with a urine and poop sample with you... is he doing his business without problems????
This sounds weird, I hope this is just puppy beign finicky!!!!! Anyway, you better post this also in the health section, they'll be able to give you more accurate info.
Good luck

[Mario Niepel]

Kendall, why don't you want to go to the vet? I learned from a very recent and very painful experience that it is probably a good idea to get a dog checked out thoroughly when its eating habits change.

Go to the vet and get you dog checked out. If nothing is wrong with the pup then it will give you peace of mind, otherwise it will ensure that your pup will get treated ASAP.

[Kendall Aliza]

He is pooping a little less but it has been nice and solid. He woke me up at 6 this morning and he hasnt touched anything (its 11 now). This all started when he wouldnt eat his dry food in the morning (this was like a month ago) and the vet gave him some steroids which he then remained on bc he had some kind of hip problem. The steroids seemed to help with the eating but he was slowly taken off them two weeks ago.

[Kendall Aliza]

Because I feel like I got to the vet way too much. :) My paranoia has always paid off... found out he has been shot 4 times and has some hip problems last time I went. But I dont know anyone who goes to the vet as often as I do.

[heathea]

Go to the vet.
However, my friends dog had something similar when the steroids she was on gave her an ulcer as well and bloating her and making her hair fall out.
I wish you good luck and hope it is nothing serious.
Take care,
Heather

[Jody Hayes]

Maybe you can ask for a frequent customer discount?:) Sorry...I too have been worried about my dog, he hasn't eaten his food in 3 1/2 days...I am going to give him till tonight then call the vet. He is acting normal, drinking and pooping normal. So I am going to keep an eye on him to tonight and go from there. Good luck on your decision.

[Kendall Aliza]

thanks! He did fine on the steroids, they made him very lazy though. I am more than likely taking him. Did you guys know that the vet on the 1800petmeds.com forum reccomends people to feed their dogs foods like evo?? I thought that was pretty cool.

[Valerie K]

Kendall,

I am SURE that we go to the vet at least as often if not more than you do. We joke with the doc's there that construction on the Esmee and Zoey funded wing is getting ready to begin. Our vet bills are astronomical, and we live in NJ so everything is expensive here to begin with... And because everything my girls have is considered congenital, the insurance I bought when we first got them actually covered very very little....

Every time I thought I was acting paranoid, it turned out unfortunately that I was right about something being very wrong. The one time that I had a concern and the vet thought that everything was actually ok, turned out later that there was a problem and that earlier visit and symptom helped her figure out what it was. One thing I do now is make sure I leave the vet's office with a copy of everything that goes into their file. I have them fax me their lab results, doctor's notes, everything to maintain a duplicate file at home. If we ever need to visit another doctor while we are away, I have their histories with me. And if I need to seek a second opinion, I can do that easily as well.

If I am not sure if a vet visit is required, I call them and talk to the doctor. They see enough of us and are always willing to spend time on the phone and even to call specialists if they aren't sure about what to do or if something might be a problem. I know that for me, knowing that I have two girls that hit the genetic wheel of misfortune, I prefer to err on the side of caution and not worry about having any regrets later on.

I hope it is nothing serious and that everything will turn out fine. And so you made another trip to the vet... so what.

[Andre Mendizabal]

Kendall, I have gone to the vet more than once a month since November... everybody knows our name and who we are, and they greet us with a "Oh Nala, what happened to you now?"... so believe me, you're not the only one... and the funny part is everytime I have gone to the vet has been for a very good reason, either shots, spay, problems with her legs, etc. So don't feel paranoid about going to the vet so often, most of the time, our "bad feelings" are right...

[Kendall Aliza]

Went to the vet and got some meds for shaddy, they think its worms btw. Apparently he also has ear mites!!?!?!?! No more dog park for you mister!

[Marne Benner]

Went to the vet and got some meds for shaddy, they think its worms btw. Apparently he also has ear mites!!?!?!?! No more dog park for you mister!

Poor Puppy. Hope he feels better soon.

[Jaime Cress]

Glad to hear that its not something serious! Good luck with the worms..no biggie I know, but its great that it wasnt something major!

[Andre Mendizabal]

:D Glad to hear he'll be ok... sorry to hear he'll miss the park :( But I sure hope he gets back on his feet again!!!! :bunny:

[Luciann]

well it is great that it was not serious, and sorry about the dog park

[TimberWolf]

I went ahead and moved this thread to the general health forum. I too am happy to hear things are working out. :)