WoW Petopia Community

So my dog has been on the same food for over a year (blue buffalo). She would eat so fast I would have to use a special bowl or put one of those balls in her dish to get her to slow down but the last couple of weeks she has been eating really slowly. Last weekend she wouldn't touch her food at all until I mixed in some plain scrambled egg, and the day after I had to feed her plain rice with plain scrambled egg to get her to eat at all. I got her into the vet and they ran some tests and she had abnormal bacteria in her feces. She has been on medication for the past 4 days and the vet said her appetite should come back by the weekend. The problem is that it hasn't and she stopped even eating the rice/egg and still refuses her old food. We went out and bought new food today and tried a new food dish and she ate some of her food but the rest I had to pretty much hand feed her like treats. The whole time she has been avoiding her food she has had no issues taking dog biscuits or raw carrots (her favorite) and begging for people food.

Have any of you ever had a dog that has been weird about eating (it almost seems psychological at this point) and what did you do to remedy the situation?

I have no idea... my cat was the same way a few days ago where he stopped eating or drinking much and then he barfed up pretty bad so we took him to the vet (still waiting for blood test result)..

We gave him grass the night before cause it usually settles their stomachs and he was absolutely fine and drank half his water dish and food bowl that night and the day we took him to the vet. He seems completely normal now-- i dunno if our problems are similar when you get down to the root of the problem but you can try giving her some grass?

Cant think of anything else you could do for her in the mean time... it sounds like the bacteria problem tho isnt getting better or the medicine perhaps is making the food distasteful -shrug- i hope everything gets better for her soon

Edit: The fact you took measures to reduce how fast she ate may have partially caused the habit if your thinking its phycological (man thats a hard word to spell..)

If your vet said the dog had abnormal bacteria in her feces, and said the meds should clear it up in X time frame and haven't, go back to the vet! There's clearly something medically wrong and they haven't fixed it. She could have a blockage, an infection, or God-knows what else : / I would only start looking into behavioral possibilities once all medical ones have been ruled out tbh.

It sounds like your dog is not a finicky eater, so this sudden change is appetite is not good. Definitely go back to the vet.

I would take her back to the vet.

i had a finkey eater dog once but he was just that way. poor pup i would def. take him back to the vet and tell them becuase not eating could lead to even more problems

Xakaal wrote:I have no idea... my cat was the same way a few days ago where he stopped eating or drinking much and then he barfed up pretty bad so we took him to the vet (still waiting for blood test result)..

We gave him grass the night before cause it usually settles their stomachs and he was absolutely fine and drank half his water dish and food bowl that night and the day we took him to the vet. He seems completely normal now-- i dunno if our problems are similar when you get down to the root of the problem but you can try giving her some grass?

Cant think of anything else you could do for her in the mean time... it sounds like the bacteria problem tho isnt getting better or the medicine perhaps is making the food distasteful -shrug- i hope everything gets better for her soon

Edit: The fact you took measures to reduce how fast she ate may have partially caused the habit if your thinking its phycological (man thats a hard word to spell..)

Be careful with handing out advise like that; a trained veterinarian is in a better position to make such a recommendation. Besides, doesn't grass tend to upset the stomach of a dog? This makes me think of the old advice about sucking the venom out of a snake bite; it won't work, and you not only expose yourself to the venom but to any blood-borne pathogens that they may have been carrying. That would be an example of uninformed advice doing more harm than good. I try my best to avoid giving out any advice for treating something that I am not trained and certified to handle myself.

EDIT(s): It's 'advice', not 'advise', stupid!

I believe dogs tend to eat grass to induce vomitting, so not something you want to give to your dog now (or ever, as there are other ways to induce vomitting... but please correct me if I'm wrong). But yes, make another appointment with your vet. Dogs not eating is typically a sign that something is wrong and should be addressed immediately. Get well soon, doggy!

I have to wait until later in the week when they have an opening at the vet office, but to answer some questions yes she is drinking lots. All bathroom duties are functioning normally and are right colors and consistencies. Now this morning and tonight she did eat her new food fine with no problems, I am going to see how the rest of the week goes but I have my fingers crossed. She has also had a very sensitive tummy and will get sick if she goes too long between meals or eats something weird. She finished one of the medications yesterday and then today she is eating fine so part of me is wondering if maybe the medication was making her feel ill.

To also add to her back history and explain my first post further she has always been a dog with some psychological/neurotic issues due to some things that happened to her as a pup before I had complete ownership of her (she was my ex's dog). She was left alone for long periods of time with little stimulation or exercise and she was also living with another dog for a while that used to attack her to steal her food. The other dog was a husky mix and in some of the attacks she was bitten to the point of puncturing her skin and drawing blood. When I was around I made sure none of this happened and when I moved to another town I took her with little argument from my ex. She pretty much grew up around/with my own schnauzer who is 2 years older (she is 4 now but was about a year old when I took her) and has always been a loving and protective big brother. When I moved to TX a couple of years ago we had an adjustment period where they had to get used to living with 2 cats but she has never shown any signs of distress of being around them and if anything torments them wanting to play.

Anyway sorry for the ramble but I wanted to give an update that today she seems to be doing much better, fingers crossed it stays that way.

oh im so glad she is eating!!! it could of been the meds that made her feel sick for a while, kinda like people, when they first start taking some meds it messes them up be it make them sleepy, hyper, etc. I would keep an eye on her though but glad she seems to be doing better!! i know when they give the kennel cough shot some dogs get dieherra i know my new dog got it from the kennel cough shot, lasted about a day but then his bio went back to normal.

Kepp us updated on your poor girl. So glad you took her out of that enviroment she was in

Oh and for those wondering/curious what Chloe looks like, here is a picture I took of her recently. One of her favorite things is to lay in the sun when it shines on my bed mid afternoon and that day she was trying so hard to stay awake while I was petting her ears. Literally 10 seconds after that photo she was passed out cold.

Awwww what a cutie!!

She ate both meals again today with no worries. She even did her excited twirls for her dinner tonight. Looks like we may be in the clear! Thanks for the good vibes from everyone for her to get better.