Won't Eat Or Drink

[Guest greyladydown]

I just received this email from a woman that adopted a sweet, slightly shy, 2 year old girl from us over 2 months ago. She had been doing very well. We did a full tick panel (Protatek) on her before we adopted her out and all was negative. I'm getting ready to call her now, but wondered if anyone else had a similar experience or any advice.

 

This is part of the email ...

"I am having some major problems with Lea. I have taken her to the vets several times first for diarrhea. Then when that seemed to be under control, she lost her appetite and refused to eat. Her weight dropped . Back to the vet again to try and get a handle on whatever the problem. antobiotics and thorough check showed nothing. Seemed a little better eating a little better, but not much. Then she didn't want to drink her water. tried broth diluted Now i am really concerned. Back to the vet they gave her an i v and different and stronger meds. Urine tests, stool tests, blood tests. Tested for leptospirosis .. results negative . I have tried boiled rice and boiled hamburg. boiled chicken. boiled hamburg patties. PlainYogurt. lowfat cottage cheese. Biljac. Tuna. To try and tempt her to eat. She will pick out the pieces and leave the kibbles . I am my wits end. it is like she is depressed. Not interested in company. Do you think she isn,t happy here? I am afraid that she is going to die and I don.t know what to do for her. She is so thin and sad looking."

 

[Batmom]

I would probably repeat bloodwork and make sure a greyhound-savvy vet reviews it. Would also want her teeth/mouth looked at.

 

For getting a dog to drink, I mix milk half and half with water, warm to room temp, and give it in a people bowl, holding the bowl while they drink. If dog can't handle dairy, then try @ 2 teaspoons of molasses or honey to a cup of water.

 

If she'll eat goodies (beef, tuna, chicken) but not kibble, then feed her just goodies. Zema (55 lbs but not very active this winter) maintains weight on @ 1.2 lbs of ground beef WITH the fat per day, plus @ 200 calories worth of treats.

[ahicks51]

Was there a thyroid panel in there anywhere?

[Guest sheila]

I'm no expert on anything and this probably isn't the answer but I will throw it out there for consideration. I have had two 'shy eaters' meaning that they need to be left totally alone to eat. If another dog is eating in the same room, they would tend to walk away. If I were to walk into the room while they were eating they would bolt. If I hovered or in any way tried to entice them to eat it seemed to make them even more reluctant.

What works best for me is to give them their space while their food is down and make sure no other dogs or people are around. I give them 10 minutes to eat and if they walk away and don't return on their own I pick up the food until the next meal time. This seemed to go a long way in getting them to eat.

Even now my Sammy could be so hungry she is dancing at the kitchen door in anticipation, but will not eat if I walk into the kitchen. She will run back out and stand at the kitchen door and wait for me to leave before she will go back to eat.

[Guest greyvettech]

You may want to ask your vet about a thyroid panel or even abdominal radiographs or ultra sound...If she was dehydrated when they did bloodwork, they should repeat blood work while she is hydrated-enzymes can be off because of dehydration -I know the question is why she became this way in the first place...but you may also want to get a second opinion from another Veterinarian or even think about going to a specialist...I wish you luck...

[RobinM]

I agree with the thyroid panel and possible shy eater. This must be unbelievably frustrating and sad. I would be flipping.

 

Is her stomach ok? Does she "hear" anything going on in her stomach? Is she gassy? Can she get another opinion?

 

Is the vet being really through?

[Greytlady94]

Is she in Ohio? If so can she get copies of all the test results and take her to OSU?

[Guest Guppy]

I'm certainly no expert but I wonder if socializing with another Grey or considering getting a second would help?

 

Leanne

[silverfish]

Obviously getting all possible health avenues covered is essential (have they checked for a blockage/partial blockage?), but after that it could be behavioural, especially with a shy dog. Is she a first time adopter? Does she have experience with greyhounds?

 

I wonder if it would be worth getting someone over there as an observer to see how this dog is with the lady? Not meaning to imply any criticism, but I know that sometimes with the shy/spooky ones, they just won't thrive unless they feel secure, and an inexperienced new adopter may perhaps not understand how to do this.

 

It may be that all she needs is a few pointers - like what Sheila was saying about leaving her to eat completely alone - and maybe some good reading matter?

 

She could also try plugging in a DAP unit and see if that helps?

 

I guess the bottom line is, does this dog simply look unhappy, or does she look sick? Is this lady experienced with greyhounds enough to know the difference?

[Guest greyladydown]

Update:

Thanks for all the comments, keep them coming. We had a long talk with the adopter last night. We learned that Lea initially had a fever of 104F, coupled with diarrhea. Her vet suspected an infection, and put her on Amoxy then switched her to Cipro when things weren't improving fast enough. The vet also prescribed an appetite stimulant (sorry, don't know the name), checked her teeth and mouth thoroughly and did a physical exam on her abdomen (no radiographs). She was improving until the adopter ran out of the appetite stimulant a few days ago, then the problems started again.

 

Lea will be seeing our vet this morning for a second opinion. Our vet is very grey savvy and studied under Dr. Couto at OSU, so she'll be able to consult with him, if needed. Although the dog is a little timid, she's not a spook and was thriving in the home for the first month or so. We were getting very positive post-adoption reports. I'm leaning toward a medical problem at this point, but I know that sometimes emotional/mental states can lead to medical problems.

 

We have a DAP going here constantly, so I'll tell the adopter about that possibility.

 

Please keep Lea in your thoughts and prayers.

[Guest ss556]

Hoping Lea feels better real soon.

[Guest Cris_M]

Just a couple of extra thoughts...

 

With Lea on antibiotics, those could be part of the problem. Most antibiotics cause stomach upset of some kind, and some dogs are more sensitve to them than others.

 

Lea sounds a lot like Duncan in personality (i.e not a spook, but a bit shy). If Duncan's stomach got upset, he would be slow to start eating again -- especially the same foods that he linked in his mind with the stomach pain. Also, even after 16 months, Duncan wants to eat alone. He doesn't even like me watching him from the window. (Unless we are travelling and then he wants me a few feet from him while he eats. I guess it's a lesser of two evils kind of thing.) So, if it were Duncan having the problem, I would be sure not to run out of the appetite stimulant, provide him plenty of alone time/space to eat, and change foods completely.

 

I know this can be a hard thing for some folks to go with, but raw feeding is what turned Duncan around. He really just did not thrive and was super skinny on everything else. He would eat just enough to live. He wasn't unhappy, just didn't like his food. Perhaps this might be worth a try for Lea.

 

Let us know how things go.

[Batmom]

If nothing else turns up, may want to have her tested for the fungal diseases (blastomycosis, histoplasmosis).

[silverfish]

If it's a result of her being on antibiotics - which is a good thought, BTW - then the solution may be as simple as feeding her a tablespoon of bio-active yogurt twice a day. We do this with Jack when he has an upset tum and it works quite well!

[Guest houndlover]

Any update from the vet visit this morning?

[CaliforniaGreys]

I hope they get to the bottom of this quickly, obviously something is going on with this little girl.This is just an idea about the lack of drinking. One of my 10 yr old females does not drink enough and as a result, she has had a few UTI's. There is nothing medically wrong with her,she doesn't drink enough. She showed interest when I had a glass of gatorade so I lowered the glass and she drank every bit of it. So now the water dishes are always filled with fresh water and one with gatorade. Misty hasn't had a UTI since. I know it may sound foolish, but it worked.

[Guest greyladydown]

Ah, we're finally back from the vet. Lea has a bad case of hookworms! She's also anemic and her WBC is high. She had no fever today. All her other tests were normal and all of her organs are functioning normally. The good news is that she almost inhaled the A/D canned diet that the vet gave her today. She was dewormed today and will get a repeat treatment in two weeks. She'll be taking special vitamins to build her back up and will return for a check up in 2 weeks.

 

This must be either a new infestation, or something that she had in her system that was dormant. We got her from Florida in November and she was negative then and was negative again when she was adopted in January. Her family vet also ran a fecal in February when her troubles first started and that was negative also.

 

She's had 3 fecals done (at 3 different vet hospitals) and each was negative. She was dewormed with Drontal Plus in November and then with Strongid as a follow-up 3 weeks later (that is a routine thing that we always do with the new dogs). She's been on Heartguard Plus since November. Go Figure!

 

(Did I mention how much I hate those hookworms!)

Edited March 8, 2008 by greyladydown

[CaliforniaGreys]

I am so glad they got to the bottom of this. Poor girl is now going to feel so much better. Great news, thank you

[patricia]

Sending prayers for a speedy recovery.

[Guest mandm]

This is great, but yucky, news. And a good reminder to those whose recently retired greyhounds are having stomach problems, to first look for the obvious, intestinal parasites. Clear fecals and routine, pre-adoption wormings are not proof that the dog does not have worms. Panacur is well tolerated by most greyhounds, even those with sensitive stomachs.

[Guest FreddyGirl]

Thank heavens all has turned around. You feel so helpless when they won't eat or drink.

[Guest greyladydown]

Clear fecals and routine, pre-adoption wormings are not proof that the dog does not have worms. Panacur is well tolerated by most greyhounds, even those with sensitive stomachs.

 

Sorry, but with all due respect, I think your comment is a bit misleading ... dogs can easily pick up parasites after they are adopted - walking in parks, being around other dogs, etc. Yes, it is possible that negative fecals are false. Yes, it is true that hookworms can go dormant and the dormant worms are not affected by the deworming medications. Hookworms reproduce on a three week cycle, so it's entirely possible that a dog is worm-free upon adoption and shows symptoms of being infected with hookworms 4-5 weeks later.

 

Yes, I am senstive to this issue because I work so hard to assure that our available dogs are freed of intestinal parasites as soon as possible after they arrive here, and remain worm-free until they are adopted. Since the available dogs live with us and are part of our pack until they are adopted, I HAVE to be vigilant in keep them and my own personal dogs parasite free. My personal dogs are checked regularly. In the 3 years that we've been operating, all of my personal dogs have remained clean.

 

We do use Panacur when indicated, but it does nothing for most tapeworms, so a variety of deworming medications are needed.

 

Again, I'm sorry if I sound a bit snippy, but this is a very important topic for me. (Just ask my DH what I do to keep the yard clean ...)

 

 

 

 

[Guest mandm]

I'm sorry. I did not mean to criticize your adoption program in any way. It sounds like they did an excellent job. And I am no expert, but it certainly seems like the dog picked up the Hookworms after adoption. It is my understanding that Hooks are pretty easy to find on fecals, unlike Whipworm & Giardia.

 

But it seems that so many newly adopted greyhounds are plagued by diarrhea. Responsible owners have fecals done and are told the dog is free of parasites and then often spend lots of money looking for a solution to the problem. Mostly, the solution is not as easy as a few doses of Panacur, but sometimes it is.

 

When I got my greyhound off the track 2 years ago, he had Hookworm. He got two 5-day rounds of Panacur and was then put on yr round Interceptor. I also wormed him with Droncit. Fecals revealed no Tapes and he didn't have fleas, but I knew he had been around them. But the diarrhea continued. Fecals done every 1-2 months were always clear. The vet said that Hooks are easy to find, so the initial Panacur treatments were most likely successful. Further testing revealed that he had SIBO(Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and Babesia. He was treated for both. But thediarrhea continued.Switched him to raw, it helped a lot. But the diarrhea continued. Fecals every 1-2 months were always clear. Vet said next step is scoping. But first, let's worm him with Panacur, 3 rounds, on the odd chance that he has Whipworm, very elusive Whipworm. It worked, but he needed 4 doses. Nothing ever showed up on fecals.

 

So in the case of my greyhound, he had a lot of problems other than worms. But he also had worms. And he most likely had them for a very long time.

 

I hate Hooks too. But I hate Whips even more, because they are sneaky.

 

I don't blame anyone other than myself for letting my greyhound suffer for so long. Not the adoption program and not even my vet. I know greyhounds and I know Whipworms,I should have known better.

[Guest greyladydown]

I'm sorry. I did not mean to criticize your adoption program in any way. It sounds like they did an excellent job. And I am no expert, but it certainly seems like the dog picked up the Hookworms after adoption. It is my understanding that Hooks are pretty easy to find on fecals, unlike Whipworm & Giardia.

 

But it seems that so many newly adopted greyhounds are plagued by diarrhea. Responsible owners have fecals done and are told the dog is free of parasites and then often spend lots of money looking for a solution to the problem. Mostly, the solution is not as easy as a few doses of Panacur, but sometimes it is.

 

When I got my greyhound off the track 2 years ago, he had Hookworm. He got two 5-day rounds of Panacur and was then put on yr round Interceptor. I also wormed him with Droncit. Fecals revealed no Tapes and he didn't have fleas, but I knew he had been around them. But the diarrhea continued. Fecals done every 1-2 months were always clear. The vet said that Hooks are easy to find, so the initial Panacur treatments were most likely successful. Further testing revealed that he had SIBO(Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and Babesia. He was treated for both. But thediarrhea continued.Switched him to raw, it helped a lot. But the diarrhea continued. Fecals every 1-2 months were always clear. Vet said next step is scoping. But first, let's worm him with Panacur, 3 rounds, on the odd chance that he has Whipworm, very elusive Whipworm. It worked, but he needed 4 doses. Nothing ever showed up on fecals.

 

So in the case of my greyhound, he had a lot of problems other than worms. But he also had worms. And he most likely had them for a very long time.

 

I hate Hooks too. But I hate Whips even more, because they are sneaky.

 

I don't blame anyone other than myself for letting my greyhound suffer for so long. Not the adoption program and not even my vet. I know greyhounds and I know Whipworms,I should have known better.

 

Don't blame yourself! The Panacur and Interceptor should have taken care of the whips. But, those buggers can live in the soil for years and can infect a dog so quickly. Damn, I hate worms!