My Dog Won't Eat. Help!

[tbhounds]

Personally, while I'm usually ready to jump to surgery if its warranted but, I'm not sure trying some tummy meds for a few days is a bad idea.

I know Pepcid has been reccomended (I would prefer you to have started with Prilosec but,...)-anyway for a 55lb dog you can start with 10-20 mgs twice a day--more she may develop soft stool.

Did you ever have an abdominal ultrasound done?? Are you saying they feel she has a mass or an obstruction??

[JJNg]

Given the information provided, it sounds like the most likely possibilities are IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) or some form of cancer in the GI tract, like lymphoma. IBD is treated with prednisone, and cancer would be treated with chemo. If it's cancer, would you want to pursue aggressive treatment with chemo? If not, it'd be a reasonable choice to just put her on the pred and try treatment for the better possibility.

 

However, we may not have all the info, so there may be other potential causes for her signs. I'd suggest sitting down with your vet, or the specialist, and ask them to explain what they are suspecting as the most likely causes of her problems. Then go over each of those possibilities and talk about what treatment would involve so that you know what the options are. Ask them what can be done if you decide not to do the exploratory surgery. Getting a diagnosis may be the best way to determine the most appropriate course of treatment. But if a client has decided they are unwilling or unable to go further with testing, most vets are willing to at least treat the symptoms or treat based on the best guess of the diagnosis.

 

IMO, the only reasons to proceed with any invasive diagnostic procedure, like an exploratory surgery, would be 1) if it will change the treatment plan and/or 2) if you just need to try to get an answer. Best wishes for your girl.

[greyhead]

We just lost a 12-year-old after a biopsy, probably because he was given a lot of sedation before the anesthesia. I say that so you'll be alerted to my current frame of mind.

 

When he was 8, an ultrasound showed changes consistent with IBD. We rejected doing an abdominal biopsy because of his age and the large amount of weight he'd already lost. I didn't think he'd survive the post-op period, which is very rough, even if he got through the procedure okay. And the results weren't going to change the treatment. (He took budesonide, and it successfully controlled the IBD. He didn't have the complicating factor of PLE, though.)

 

So I think you're quite right to reject the surgery, for the same reasons we did and for the reasons outlined by JJNg, even though you won't have what most vets consider a proof-positive diagnosis without it. You have my every good wish.