What To Do When Dog Wont Eat

[JJNg]

Glad you're taking her to an internist. While you going for the new problem, I would definitely ask their input on the PLN too. Hope they can give you some answers.

[Guest snakes]

I know nothing about the kidney or PLN issues, however, here added baby food to kibble always sparks interest in food - there are a variety of flavors and have no added salt, sugar, or fat.

[Guest kar]

while snow was on antibiotic (which is till working it was a shot) and demarx she was eating and acting llike her usual self. Has now been off dermax for three days - now this morning will not eat again. will call vet again this morning but I am betting really disgusted especially after seeing medical specialist who said same thing. Can dermax increase appetite. what is wrong with her why won't she eat?

[PatricksMom]

If she's eating with pain medication, and not when she goes off it, you need to be looking for sources of pain and how to treat it. Why isn't she taking the Deramax anymore if that was working?

[BatterseaBrindl]

If she's eating with pain medication, and not when she goes off it, you need to be looking for sources of pain and how to treat it. Why isn't she taking the Deramax anymore if that was working?

^^^^^^

 

[Guest kar]

I would like to know why and where my dog is having pain. Vet said she has run all tests she can think of. dermax does have side effects on kidneys and liver. She hates to put her on this long term. I am really at my wits end as to what to do with this dog. She did not eat again tonight.

[PatricksMom]

I know you want to understand everything, many of us have had a dog, or more, where we never got a conclusive diagnosis and its frustrating. And every medication you give carries some risk. But if your dog is in pain and refusing to eat, the pain and the not eating need to be addressed, regardless of whether or not you ever get to the bottom of the cause.

 

She certainly could have arthritis--there's no test for that and xrays can be inconclusive. I'm sure other people will have other ideas, but the pain and not eating need to be your priority. If you're really worried about the kidney liver issues, talk to you vet about trying a different kind of pain medication, like Tramadol or Gabapentine.

Edited August 1, 2014 by PatricksMom

[Batmom]

Didn't she just have some jaw pain/swelling? My first thought would be teeth.

[Guest kar]

both don't think it is teeth

[CharlieRhea]

Hi Kar

Seems you have a lot of knowledgeable advice here. That being said, I've never endorsed "senior" foods but only good foods. Senior isn't for seniors unless the dog is overweight as it is lower in fat. Not all dogs that are seniors are overweight but sometimes too thin.

 

Your dog is not a senior, try adding green tripe from a can, a great natural probiotic. It is stinky so some ppl won't use it but it will sometimes entice a dog to eat. You could also try adding some canned sardines and mixing it in with her food, also smelly but healthy. I'm not a fan of Science Diet long term, too many grains. I know it helps some dogs short term for some conditions. If in fact you need lower protein but it doesn't seem so from responses here, you could try Natural Balance or others where the 1st ingredient is not meat but sweet potato or brown rice hence lowering the protein. Would you add some canned food? Evangers makes a great line. Best of luck to your finicky eater, hop that's all it is.

[NeylasMom]

I have to admit I am having a hard time piecing all of the information together from the various threads about this dog, and I think we must be missing information somewhere along the way, or maybe I have just missed it. From what I understand, 2 vets, your usual vet and now a specialist have told you that your dog has kidney disease, but none of the lab values you've shared have supported that. Then there is a growth on her face that went away with ABs and therefore could quite likely be an abcess and yet both vets are telling you they don't think it's likely it's a tooth that's causing her pain, which just seems unlikely to me. Without dental x-rays, which require anesthesia, how would they have ruled that out?

 

You've asked repeatedly here what to do and what pretty much everyone is telling you is to quit worrying about her kidneys and start worrying about managing her pain and getting her to eat, but you always have a reason for not doing what people are suggesting. I'm not sure what any of us can do for you at this point? What are you looking for here?

[Batmom]

As NeylasMom indicates, the dog needs a thorough dental exam and probably x-rays.

 

The dog feels better and eats better when taking Deramaxx. Deramaxx is an anti-inflammatory. The last place there was visible inflammation, and quite recently, was mouth/jaw-associated. That's where any reasonable person would look first.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

As NeylasMom indicates, the dog needs a thorough dental exam and probably x-rays.

 

The dog feels better and eats better when taking Deramaxx. Deramaxx is an anti-inflammatory. The last place there was visible inflammation, and quite recently, was mouth/jaw-associated. That's where any reasonable person would look first.

Listen to this poster,,,has never sent me the wrong way in 8 years.

[Guest kar]

I will have a dental on her both vets felt it was not tooth related because the swelling was halfway between the end of her mouth and her ear. I had brought her to the specialist thinking she would do dental xrays, and she told me they do not do dental xrays there - your regular vet does dentals. My regular vet told me she does not have the equipment to do dental xrays which I don't quite understand. I was rather disappointed at the specialist because I thought I would get better answers and positive action. All she told me is that if the swelling came back it would have to be investigated and she did not feel it was a growth.

 

I have started to mix solid gold holistic in with her other food.

 

I have taken her to the vet so many times I believe my boss probably thinks I am crazy. But we have just had one person leave so we are short handed and I don't know if she will be more understanding in the future.

 

I did mention everything said on this board to both my vet and the specialist - I do appreciate all you are saying.

[dmdsmoxie]

Remember vets are not dentists, just like your regular doctor isn't as dentist. I know vets will pull teeth, but that doesn't make them a dentist.

 

If you want to try something crazy, call your regular dentist and explain what is going on with the dog and if he thought the swelling could be tooth related.

[NeylasMom]

I will have a dental on her both vets felt it was not tooth related because the swelling was halfway between the end of her mouth and her ear. I had brought her to the specialist thinking she would do dental xrays, and she told me they do not do dental xrays there - your regular vet does dentals. My regular vet told me she does not have the equipment to do dental xrays which I don't quite understand. I was rather disappointed at the specialist because I thought I would get better answers and positive action. All she told me is that if the swelling came back it would have to be investigated and she did not feel it was a growth.

 

I have started to mix solid gold holistic in with her other food.

 

I have taken her to the vet so many times I believe my boss probably thinks I am crazy. But we have just had one person leave so we are short handed and I don't know if she will be more understanding in the future.

 

I did mention everything said on this board to both my vet and the specialist - I do appreciate all you are saying.

Which specialty hospital did you take her to? Can you share the name of it here?

 

And can you contact the specialist that you saw and tell her that you still have concerns that you feel haven't been addressed. Typically after paying the boatload of money that a specialist consult costs, you are able to get follow-up care via phone or email free of charge. If nothing else, follow-up visits should cost less. But I would just get her on the phone and say you still have questions. Have them written down ahead of time so you can make sure you get answers.

[carronstar]

I have been away for a while and am just catching up on this thread. I think you are getting good advice from people here.

 

With regard to the swelling in her mouth, yes, you need to see a dentist. She at least needs a competent dental exam. There are things that just don't show by pressing on the side of her mouth.

 

If one of the drugs you have her on is Amplodipine, you should know that one of its well known side effects is gingival hyperplasia. I went through that last year with Aquitaine. Her gums swelled so much that her teeth totally disappeared. This happened after she had been on it for a while. It was rather sudden. It scared the pants off me! A few months later she developed an abscess, which didn't show from the outside, she didn't stop eating, etc. Had the roots of that darned tooth not wrapped around a vein causing massive bleeding, it would have gone unnoticed for much longer than it did. X-Rays at the Evet showed this, and they, like her specialist could do nothing more than refer me to the dentist.

 

Your dog hurts and is not eating, you need the consult with the dentist at the very least.

 

I agree with Neylasmom that you should be able to reach out to the specialist to get answers to your concerns.

[EZHARRY]

Sounds like my angel Easy. When she was 10 yrs, she lost weight. Could see her ribs. My old vet thought Easy had Kidney problem. The vet did urine culture, but came out neg. Did blood pressure checked up. We did everything like you did. Changed the food, still she didn't want to eat. She was picky eater all the time. I met Dr. Cuoto at Dewey, and told him about her problem. Sent him her CBC and urine analysis.

Found out, she was getting old and being a picky eater. She lived 4more years after this episode. She went the bridge with Osteo not kidney at 14 years old.

 

Hope Snow is just being a picky eater, not kidney problem. A big hug to you and Snow

 

Ps: Easy had only 14 teeth when we got her at 8 years old.

Edited August 6, 2014 by EZHARRY

[Guest kar]

dont know of a dentist for a dog have never heard of one

 

took her to vca vet hospita in shelton ct

 

she is on enalapril

Edited August 7, 2014 by kar

[sweetdogs]

dont know of a dentist for a dog have never heard of one

 

 

Here's one in Norwalk http://mypetdentalcare.com/

And one in Milford http://www.wellness.com/dir/2111753/dentist/ct/milford/connecticut-veterinary-dental-referral-service#referrer

 

You can also ask your vet & the specialist you saw for recommendations/referrals.

[carronstar]

Animal Medical Center here in the city has at least one board certified, and other extremely good dentists on staff. Both the senior and junior staff are extremely good, caring, sensitive and used to greyhounds. I know for my last two dentals with Aquitaine that the anethesiologist had rotated through the GH program at OSU. They also have Amicar on hand.

[NeylasMom]

It shouldn't be difficult to find a vet in your area who does dental x-rays. You may or may not need the veterinary dentist, which will likely be a lot more expensive than going to a normal vet practice. Might not hurt to do the consult either way. That's what I did with Zuri last year, we did the consult with the dentist and got the estimate. She felt he'd need some extractions, but nothing too difficult so I opted to go with a regular vet to save money. This year I just went with my vet. But for Violet, we are definitely going to use a specialist because we have some concerns about anesthesia and stress-related issues and they are willing to consult with a veterinary anesthesiologist to make sure she gets the best care.

 

When you call the internist back to follow up on your remaining questions, tell her your vet doesn't do x-rays and ask her for recs for vets that do quality dentals.