# Dog still won't eat, vets can't figure it out either.



## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

*Dog still won't eat, vets can't figure it out either. **Update - he's eating!***

i had originally posted about this last fall

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=78032


well, the problem still continues, unless i change his food every couple days, or change up what kind of soft food i mix in, he will not eat. and i'm talking, he has gone up to 6 days without touching his food. yet he still will run and act normal outside, gets excited for people over, etc. 

hes now down to about 69 pounds(always maintained at 79-81 lbs) and starting to lose muscle mass. 

i've had him to two different vets, both well recommended, and have had every test run on him that i can, they cannot find anything medically wrong with him. the last vet said it may be a psychologic disorder of some point, since we have our first child in the house, even though its been a year now.

he will sometimes eat ok for a couple days on his own, and then the only way i can get him to eat is by hand feeding him 1 kernel at a time, otherwise he will turn his nose away.

i've done the feeding pattern someone recommended on here, with giving him a short time to eat, and if he does not finish it, cut the next meal in half, etc. he simply just won't eat, and will go 6-7 days without eating.

exercise does not change anything either. last sunday, i had him out on the river with me, it was 8+ hours of him running on the islands, swimming, retrieving, chasing critters etc. I figured for sure he would eat that night - Nope, didn't touch his food at all, wouldn't even eat one piece.

he literally is wasting away before my eyes, and nobody can figure out whats wrong with him. it is embarrassing to take him on walks in the neighborhood because of all the looks and comments from people. you can see his entire rib cage, most of his spine, shoulders and hip bones, etc. he is actually getting "gross" and looks like something you see on those humane society commercials. 

why would he starve himself like this?


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## metalone67 (Apr 3, 2009)

Will he eat table scraps? If he has, then try a raw diet, buy some chicken necks and thighs. Uncooked chicken will not harm him they can have bones and all give it a try. If he eats then this will be his diet and its better for him. Good luck.


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## D Osborn (Jul 19, 2004)

Have you tried a stomach coating medicine? Have you tried a round of amoxi in case he has an ulcer?
Dogs are like people, if it hurts they won't eat.
Carbon got down to 70 pounds. I put him on Amoxi, used pepcid Ac and a stomach coating medicine, all carefully times. I mixed baby cereal in there for calories.
Other than that I would head for a specialist.


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## aichach (Jul 16, 2005)

Did you consider a food allergy and try the expensive food from the vet for food allergies? Had to go that way with one one my old labs. Worked when nothing else did. Same symtoms you are reporting.


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## Final Flight Retrievers (Jan 23, 2010)

You wrote in your original post 



> but, i picked up some pro-plan shredded blend, to see if he would eat that, just to try something different. because with his lack of eating (went 3 days one time), and illness, he was losing weight. he loved the pro-plan, ate it always.


Have u been feeding him this??


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

wackemnstackem said:


> You wrote in your original post
> 
> 
> 
> Have u been feeding him this??


Go back to what he would eat. Obviously the best food or what YOU think is best does him no good if he won't eat it. If he is on the Diamond, he probably doesn't like it for some reason. My dogs didn't like Diamond. Have you had his anal glands checked? I had a dog that wasted away and was bred and she wouldn't eat. Oddly enough it turned out she had anal glands that hurt and as soon as they were evacuated, she started eating again. She did associate the pain with food, very unusual, but it happened.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

D Osborn said:


> Have you tried a stomach coating medicine? Have you tried a round of amoxi in case he has an ulcer?
> Dogs are like people, if it hurts they won't eat.
> Carbon got down to 70 pounds. I put him on Amoxi, used pepcid Ac and a stomach coating medicine, all carefully times. I mixed baby cereal in there for calories.
> Other than that I would head for a specialist.



yes, we tried for that also. vet gave me two meds and had me give him pepcid. i was giving him 3 pills, twice a day for a week - made no difference.


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## Pam Spears (Feb 25, 2010)

I'm sorry, it's terribly frustrating, isn't it? You care for your dog, are willing to give them the best, and want to be proud of them. And it isn't enough, and they go around looking like abused orphans. Been there, still not far from it.

Jake, our dog that I mentioned in your previous post, got so bad last winter after 7-8 months of "tough love" with his food (put it down, give him 15 minutes, then take it away) that he was down to 65 pounds. And this is a 26+ inch male chessie, he ought to weigh 75-80 pounds at least. He also never grew a winter coat. Then he had an episode of pooping blood while out hunting, scared us to death.

Vet has us put him back on bland food (boiled chicken and rice) for a couple of days. At least he ate that, LOL. She wondered if he had a food allergy, so we gradually put him on raw roughly ground elk and Sojos. On my own, I researched the internet and found an intestinal support supplement called Gastriplex. He seemed to finally get turned around, was eating up to 12 cups a DAY for a couple of weeks. After a month or so the processor ran out of elk and we had to switch to beef, but he seemed to tolerate that o.k. He's tapered off to 6 cups a day of the beef/Sojos mixture and has gained 10 pounds. He's still fairly lean looking at 75 pounds, but you can't see any bones and he's actually getting his coat back. He also has muscles, energy, and looks happy again.

Not sure if this will work for you, and I still don't know how much is the diet change, how much is the supplement, and how much is coincidence, but we're all a lot happier. If you're reluctant to try raw, the Sojos approach is based on ground instead of whole raw pieces, so it's a little easier to deal with (and you don't have to worry about the eating of bones, which bothered me a lot.) I also think there was a psychological component to the problem. I still put the food down and pretend to ignore him, as hovering seems to make him quit eating sooner. Just have to make sure the other dog doesn't get his food, LOL. Oh yeah, having another dog in the house has also helped, sometimes I think he eats it just so she can't have it


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

wackemnstackem said:


> You wrote in your original post
> 
> 
> 
> Have u been feeding him this??



yes, that is what i'm feeding him. he ate it good, like a horse, for the first 3 days, and then back to his regular feeding habits.


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## Mike Trible (Oct 23, 2007)

Where are you storing your food? Do you keep it in the original bag? Sometimes if you put the food in a different container, it will get a sour smell or taste from that container.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

Mike Trible said:


> Where are you storing your food? Do you keep it in the original bag? Sometimes if you put the food in a different container, it will get a sour smell or taste from that container.


its in the bag.


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## 2tall (Oct 11, 2006)

How awful to go through! I think I would be trying the raw suggestion right now. A quick trip to the grocery to buy one of those giant packs of frozen chicken pieces.


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## EdA (May 13, 2003)

Adrenal gland function test?, possible atypical Addidon's disease


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## MSDOGS1976 (Mar 7, 2009)

Sorry for your troubles. Yeah, I would give raw a try. Mix in some sardines. If he passes on all that, something is certainly wrong.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

I cooked up some chicken breast for him, he eats that fine, and also put some leftover chicken noodle soup over his dry food, and then he ate his dry food. So its not like he wont eat any food at all, just his plain dog food.


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## gward (Mar 15, 2010)

Had the same trouble with my dog. Did a raw egg a day over dry dog food for about a week. And now for the first time ever she has an appetite and is back to eating dry food without the egg.Worked for me, have no idea why.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

When I put the cut up chicken breast in with his dry food, he actually will sort the dry food out and spit it back out, just eating the meat


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## luvmylabs23139 (Jun 4, 2005)

Perch_44 said:


> i had originally posted about this last fall
> 
> http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=78032
> 
> ...


OK this is gonna sound a bit crazy however it worked for us.
Start with some scrambled eggs (use water not milk) and add low fat cottage cheese, hand fed.
After a bit get rid of the eggs and slowly mix the lowfat cottage cheese with kibble increasing the kibble at each meal and reducing the cottage cheese.
I spent thousands trying to figure out why one of my labs suddenly would not eat. All we ever came up with was that he got an upset tummy, and then ended up with an empty stomach issue where there was just bile and everything turned his stomach. Some how low fat cottage cheese settled ok.
Of course he was the one out of 4 labs that did not need to loose even a pound.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

Oh, and he eats milk bones just fine.

I'm convinced my dog needs to be put on meds for his head...


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## luvmylabs23139 (Jun 4, 2005)

Perch_44 said:


> Oh, and he eats milk bones just fine.
> 
> I'm convinced my dog needs to be put on meds for his head...


 
Is it possible that the kibble you are giving him is just too rich for his system and he knows it?

When we tried to switch one of ours to a higher protien/ fat food because he was hard to keep weight on, no matter what brand we tried to switch him to by the time we reached the 50/50 mix in switch over he would refuse to eat the higher protien/fat food. He would grab a mouthful of the food, and spit it out on the floor. Then he would pick out the lower protien/fat food and eat that only. NOthing wrong with the other kibble as our other 3 labs would all eat it. I finally gave up and whenever he starts getting too thin I just have to give him a lunch as well as breakfast and dinner.


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## wheelhorse (Nov 13, 2005)

Perch_44 said:


> I'm convinced my dog needs to be put on meds for his head...


Not a bad idea. There are meds out there for anxiety that have been used safely in dogs. No harm in trying if everything else checks out normal.


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## Brokengunz (Sep 3, 2011)

sounds like me with a stomach ache. sounds like he will only eat something he thinks is special, A friend of mine had a lab pup that ate rocks, his intestines where plugged and gangrene started to set in, vet had to remove part of his intestines. in another episode, I saw it on tv they took out 2 1/2 bowls of rocks out of a dog. owner poored some grease from the bbq out on the rocks, dog thot it was dinner. xrays solved these
too problems
good luck


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## Janet Kimbrough (Aug 14, 2003)

Did you see Post #13 from Dr. Ed? He asked about a specific test.

Janet


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## pupaloo (Jan 6, 2006)

Have you tried putting him into his crate with his food and leaving him alone for 1/2 hour? He might pick up you worrying about him eating and it might be making him uneasy....


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## jeff t. (Jul 24, 2003)

EdA said:


> Adrenal gland function test?, possible atypical Addidon's disease


What is the answer to Dr. Ed's question/suggestion?

Has the dog had an Adrenal gland function test?


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## MikeB (Jan 9, 2009)

Perch 44,

Just curious, What dry food are you feeding now? What brands / formula have you tried in the past?


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## Daniel J Simoens (Jul 7, 2011)

I've been dealing with this in my 1 year old as since about 10 months. When he stopped eating his Purina One Puppy I figured it was time to move onto PPP but the eating didn't improve. I can get him to eat if I compound the dry food with canned food or yogurt. I don't let him go more than a day and a half without eating. I will be trying to raw egg tonight. Other foods I've also tried at BillJack so he could put some weight on. His last puppy visit he weighed in at 74 lbs, and I went back for a possible ear infection two weeks ago and he was 73.


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## Jason Anderson (Nov 10, 2009)

Sorry to hear, I know how frustrating this is. I went through this all last summer during the warm months. I was on PPP and during that time switched to Diamond Extreme Athlete which she is still on. After all the tests were done and $ spent with nothing found, I kept switching the different additives (chicken, rice, yogurt, etc) getting her only to eat a little or pick out what she wanted. I used to get so upset and just like during training sometimes, it is very hard to not show emotion even when you know you shouldn't. We fought and fought and I chose to sit there every meal and force feed her every meal one spoonful at a time followed by closing her mouth shut and having her swallow it. It was that or watch her wither away like you have. Around September, it went away and she ate fine on her own again...

The reason I write this now is in anxiety and fear that it is starting all over again! It has been very warm here the past couple days getting close to 80 and yesterday I noticed she ate her breakfast really slow. Today she left half of it and slowly finished it after I dumped the scraps of my sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on top of it. I am a little scared right now and do not want to go through what I did last year, but it may be coming. I saw one post that suggested trying a less rich food - something with less protein/fat and possibly making up by adding extra chicken, etc. Have you tried this yet? 

Good luck


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## LucyTudeOn4Feet (Nov 15, 2009)

Have you considered taking him to the Univ. of Minn veterinary teaching hospital? The vets at the schools are usually excellent at diagnosing the harder cases. You really owe it to your dog to get an answer. Sometimes regular vets are great at the normal stuff, but not on top of diagnosing the less common issues. 

Meanwhile, if he'll eat chicken and such, maybe he needs a cooked diet for him to get some weight on. Chicken breasts or ground turkey (Costco has this really cheap) cooked up with rice can be made in big batches and frozen into individual portions. It's really not difficult to do until you get it figured out. Long term, you'd want to research a proper, nutritional mix if you go this route.


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## ron david (Mar 14, 2012)

LucyTudeOn4Feet said:


> Have you considered taking him to the Univ. of Minn veterinary teaching hospital? The vets at the schools are usually excellent at diagnosing the harder cases. You really owe it to your dog to get an answer. Sometimes regular vets are great at the normal stuff, but not on top of diagnosing the less common issues.
> 
> Meanwhile, if he'll eat chicken and such, maybe he needs a cooked diet for him to get some weight on. Chicken breasts or ground turkey (Costco has this really cheap) cooked up with rice can be made in big batches and frozen into individual portions. It's really not difficult to do until you get it figured out. Long term, you'd want to research a proper, nutritional mix if you go this route.


bet you that costco stuff is coming from china
ron


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## charly_t (Feb 11, 2009)

Try a little goat's milk over the food. Not the replacer stuff but the real thing. Powdered can be bought at health food stores or odered, canned can be bought in the grocery store and the dairy case will sometimes have it in some stores. Also some of our picky eaters would not eat it after it got cold ( or had set for a while ). They liked it luke warm or just a little above. I should probably add that it does not soak into dry dog food very well. Some dogs prefer their dry feed softened so if you need to soak the feed some do so with warm water before you add the goat's milk to the mix. Good luck.


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## Chris S. (Dec 15, 2004)

jeff t. said:


> What is the answer to Dr. Ed's question/suggestion?
> 
> Has the dog had an Adrenal gland function test?





EdA said:


> Adrenal gland function test?, possible atypical Addidon's disease



Which Adrenal Function Test is your standard go to test when you start your study of possible adrenal disease? 

*ACTH Stimulation (3)*
- Low Dose Cortrosyn ACTH Stimulation Test
- High Dose Cortrosyn ACTH
- ACTH Stimulation Using ACTH gel Protocol

*Low Dose Dexamethasone Test (LDD)*
- High or Low test

*Urine Cortisol:Creatinine

Resting Cortisol

Abdominal ultrasound

Endogenous ACTH
*

I ask because I also have a dog with odd eating patterns. Six months ago the vet tested the liver function and everything was normal, so I continued on with life. Two weeks ago the same dog stopped eating again, some vomiting, and became dehydrated. The dog spent 48 hours at the hospital with IV for hydration and CBC tests were normal. Just wondering what tests vets like to start with if the vet investigates adrenal issues with my dog.

( I got this info from a PDF from wendyblount.com and a paper written by Jack W. Oliver, DVM, Ph.D)


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## Im_with_Brandy (Apr 22, 2010)

My dog loves this stuff.

http://www.primalpetfoods.com/


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## jecartag (Feb 25, 2011)

Chris S. said:


> Which Adrenal Function Test is your standard go to test when you start your study of possible adrenal disease?
> 
> *ACTH Stimulation (3)*
> - Low Dose Cortrosyn ACTH Stimulation Test
> ...




Here is a really good website that talks a little about Addison's Disease. Dr. Scot-Moncrief is an adrenal gland expert! Adrenal diseases can range from little/no functional secretion of hormones to secretion of too many hormones. Addison's disease is when there is insufficient release of hormones by the adrenal gland. At then end of her article, she talks about diagnosing Addisons and the different tests.

http://vetgrad.co.uk/show10MinuteTopUp.php?type=&Entity=10MinuteTopUps&ID=51

Hope this helps!


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## Daniel J Simoens (Jul 7, 2011)

By chance have you recently moved the dog food dish??? I did so I moved it back tonight (plus I also switched flavors of food) and he started eating again with no supplemental food on top. The egg on his old flavor food didn't work but he did eat when I put cottage cheese on top. Tonight it was just dry food and he ate. fingers crossed!


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## jecartag (Feb 25, 2011)

Just got this brochure in my mailbox at school....I have never heard of this food but it may be something to look into....

http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/


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## fjwrt (Aug 29, 2008)

EdA said:


> Adrenal gland function test?, possible atypical Addidon's disease


plus one on this, addison's can mimic almost any disease out there


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

Brokengunz said:


> sounds like me with a stomach ache. sounds like he will only eat something he thinks is special, A friend of mine had a lab pup that ate rocks, his intestines where plugged and gangrene started to set in, vet had to remove part of his intestines. in another episode, I saw it on tv they took out 2 1/2 bowls of rocks out of a dog. owner poored some grease from the bbq out on the rocks, dog thot it was dinner. xrays solved these
> too problems
> good luck



minus an x-ray, two separate vets have confirmed he does not have a blockage.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

pupaloo said:


> Have you tried putting him into his crate with his food and leaving him alone for 1/2 hour? He might pick up you worrying about him eating and it might be making him uneasy....



yes, i've tried this, and it did not work.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

jeff t. said:


> What is the answer to Dr. Ed's question/suggestion?
> 
> Has the dog had an Adrenal gland function test?



i know when he was in over the winter, they did check his rectum and also gave him an enema. i'm not sure that he had that specific test mentioned though. but i will for sure be bringing him in for that!


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

MikeB said:


> Perch 44,
> 
> Just curious, What dry food are you feeding now? What brands / formula have you tried in the past?



currently feeding Pro Plan Shredded Chicken blend.

up to 1 year old - Nutrisource puppy chicken and rice.

1 year old until fall of 2011 - Nutrisource Performance 30/20, chicken and rice blend. I had to keep him on performance food year round or he would lose weight.

fall of 2011 - after first vet visit due to illness and weight loss - pro plan shredded

then Diamond Extreme Athlete

quit eating that, back to pro plan shredded.

quite eating that, back to Diamond Extreme athlete

quit eating that, now back to Pro Plan Shredded again, and i've kept him on this for about a month, trying to get him to eat it steady.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

LucyTudeOn4Feet said:


> Have you considered taking him to the Univ. of Minn veterinary teaching hospital? The vets at the schools are usually excellent at diagnosing the harder cases. You really owe it to your dog to get an answer. Sometimes regular vets are great at the normal stuff, but not on top of diagnosing the less common issues.
> 
> Meanwhile, if he'll eat chicken and such, maybe he needs a cooked diet for him to get some weight on. Chicken breasts or ground turkey (Costco has this really cheap) cooked up with rice can be made in big batches and frozen into individual portions. It's really not difficult to do until you get it figured out. Long term, you'd want to research a proper, nutritional mix if you go this route.



i am seriously contemplating taking him to the University to have him checked out. I've already had him to two different vets now, and nobody can find anything wrong with him.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

well, i've been trying the raw egg over his food, one at each meal, 2 meals a day. it really helped for a few days, and then he got back to just sorting out some of the food, and licking the egg out of the bowl.

this morning i put a half a can of wet food mixed in with his dry, he ate everything. my wife gave him a little more dry food and the rest of the canned food early this afternoon, he ate most of it.

tonight i gave him some more dry food, one raw egg, and a spoonfull of cottage cheese mixed in. he ate about 80-90% of his food. 



also, this weekend i had him out on the river with me on sunday with some friends, boating and running around the backwaters. he played with the other labs that were with, was happy, swam all day, chased birds, retrieved, etc. he acts like his normal self in those situations, and has not lost a "step" at all, just looks like a giant rat is all...

i'm really confused, and frustrated by this, and really wish i could find someone that could tell me what is wrong with my dog.


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## IdahoLabs (Dec 21, 2011)

X-rays (of head/teeth, esophagus, stomach, intestine) and blood work normal? Will he eat wet food? When he does eat... is his poop of normal color/consistency? Is he eating anything else, ie table scraps, treats, garbage, cat food?

Do you have another dog that likes to eat?

My approach - I'd put less food in the dish than you think he'll eat (ie 1/4 cup). Try dry food with an egg and cottage cheese, or canned food, or slices of hotdog, or dry food with water/milk; put less than whatever you think he'll eat in the bowl. Put him on a sit-stay and feed another dog next to him. Let him up mid-way through and leave the other dog nearby - essentially peer pressure - and then put the dish up when he's done. Try feeding him 3-4x/day in *very* small amounts. What you're after is getting him interested in eating, and conditioning him to clean up his food. If all he'll eat is 6 kibbles, then feed 5, not 8.

I do feed ProPlan Shredded Blends to my 2 1/2 y/o male and he likes it. That said, there's many other good foods out there, some of them are pricy and not made by large companies, but if he'll eat the food it's worth it. I received some ads for Orijen and Acana foods the other day that looked interesting, just do some shopping.

Also- I'd give him a week of trying that new food in small amounts (conditioning to the desired behavior) and then I'd take him to the vet school if he's not eating like a Lab ought to. I have an Aussie who goes through bouts of not eating, but it's normal for him. A Lab that doesn't like to eat is a major enough there's very likely a problem somewhere. It's easy to get in the rut where the dog starts to eat just when you get worried, so you put off doing something about it, and then he quits eating for another week... don't let it happen to you.


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## RedDog (Apr 27, 2010)

I knew a dog who was very similar.... ended up being diagnosed with some sort of stomach problem. Once treated, the dog was a much better eater and worked better. It was likely that there was nausea and she associating that with the food. New food and she'd do well for a few meals before associating that with feeling sick. 

Finding the right specialist may make a huge difference...this dog was 5-6+ years old and had been seen by regular vets many, many times and this was dismissed as just a poor eater.


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## frontier (Nov 3, 2003)

Perch_44 said:


> currently feeding Pro Plan Shredded Chicken blend.
> 
> up to 1 year old - Nutrisource puppy chicken and rice.
> 
> ...


Has anyone ever mentioned that when you constantly change dog foods you can actually create a finicky eater. Have you been doing this since puppyhood? It does sound like there's a health issue behind this as well, but just something to think about.


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## D Osborn (Jul 19, 2004)

I have reread some of this and I am wondering-

I think I would talk to the vet (if he/she doesn't think the dog should go to a University yet) and treat it as an ulcer. So, pepcid mid-morning mid afternoon, 
Sucralfate 20 minutes before feeding, and amoxi.
http://www.vetrxdirect.com/product/view/sucralfate

Timing was the issue-a vet could do it better than I could, but the pepcid helps the acid, the sucralfate coats and the amoxi works on the bad bacteria. My vet make me give it 2 weeks, then if there was improvement we did it for 6 weeks. There were good and bad days, same dog can't eat chicken, hates it! I understand, If I get sick once from eating something.... or it makes my stomach hurt... Like the horse I ride hates puddles as he got hurt 8 years ago in a puddle. I found out from a friend that pork and applesauce food was the most soothing, but did not have enough calories after the initial 6 weeks, so now duck and potato.

It took Carbon over 3 weeks to get back to normal, and we **think** it might have been a from of potomac horse fever (Dr Ed will know what dogs get) or just some sort of bad bacteria that he got, as he got it about 2 weeks after being in the water down in Florida at a workshop- they had a ton of rain, Carbon got a huge hot spot under his ear, so his immune systen was not what it should be. It was a new place, and the weather was wild.

He never felt bad after the hot spot, just would not eat. He went from a good 76 pound to 69, and looked awful.

I think my point is some of these suggestions about stomach stuff takes a LONG time to heal, and dogs do get it. I know Carbon is prone, so my vet and I have a plan now. All I know is it is cheaper than treating a horse

This has never gone all the way away, he has a strange stomach. He is on chinese herbs and pumpkin and yogurt, a balance that is working now-


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

frontier said:


> Has anyone ever mentioned that when you constantly change dog foods you can actually create a finicky eater. Have you been doing this since puppyhood? It does sound like there's a health issue behind this as well, but just something to think about.




he will be 6 years old this may, so for almost 5 years he was fed NutriSource Performance. I only started changing foods, because he would quit eating them after a week, this is how this all started last fall.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

D Osborn said:


> I have reread some of this and I am wondering-
> 
> I think I would talk to the vet (if he/she doesn't think the dog should go to a University yet) and treat it as an ulcer. So, pepcid mid-morning mid afternoon,
> Sucralfate 20 minutes before feeding, and amoxi.
> ...



we did try treating it as an ulcer when i went to the other vet for a second opinion. he gave me two prescription meds to give him twice a day, along with the pepcid. This did not clear it up.



I do know last night he ate most of his food, and he was laying on the floor in the living room, and his stomach was going crazy making all kinds of noises. 

I just need to find a vet or test that can determine what is going on with him.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

IdahoLabs said:


> X-rays (of head/teeth, esophagus, stomach, intestine) and blood work normal? Will he eat wet food? When he does eat... is his poop of normal color/consistency? Is he eating anything else, ie table scraps, treats, garbage, cat food?
> 
> Do you have another dog that likes to eat?
> 
> ...




he will eat people food, milk bones, canned food (most of the time), his stool is normal also. 


this morning i gave him 1.5 cups of dry food (typically feed 2 cups at each meal) and two table spoons of cottage cheese mixed in. He ate probably 1-1 1/4 cups of food, and all of the cottage cheese. 


like what is happening is not already enough of a concern, I have noticed (in my opinion) that he is starting to lose some muscle mass in his shoulders and hips. ugh....


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## lennie (Jan 15, 2003)

Perch...I hope you find out what is going on, it can be frustrating. My dogs were on Pro Plan Chicken and Rice for all there lives, when Purina came out with the shredded blend, all my dogs lost weight on it. They added soy and the cal. per cup were lower. Plus I had one with a Soy allergy! Switched back over to the original formula Chicken and Rice when Purina started making it again. Everyone gained back the weight. I love Purina Pro Plan Performance and original Chicken and Rice but hate the shredded stuff...seemed bad for my dogs.

Good Luck, maybe University is the way to go at this point. 

Earlene


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## jeff t. (Jul 24, 2003)

Perch_44 said:


> i know when he was in over the winter, they did check his rectum and also gave him an enema. i'm not sure that he had that specific test mentioned though. but i will for sure be bringing him in for that!


You may be confusing anal gland and adrenal gland.







Perch_44 said:


> i am seriously contemplating taking him to the University to have him checked out. I've already had him to two different vets now, and nobody can find anything wrong with him.


I wouldn't be reluctant at all to elevate the issue and get a referral to a specialist. This has been going on more than 6 months. Why wait?


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## lennie (Jan 15, 2003)

Perch, here is an article I just read on Soy in food. I love Purina Pro Plan, but the shredded blend does contain Soy, maybe there will be some information in the article that is helpful to you. 

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/28/avoid-using-soy-on-pets.aspx

Earlene


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

Perch_44 said:


> he will eat people food, milk bones, canned food (most of the time), his stool is normal also.
> 
> 
> this morning i gave him 1.5 cups of dry food (typically feed 2 cups at each meal) and two table spoons of cottage cheese mixed in. He ate probably 1-1 1/4 cups of food, and all of the cottage cheese.
> ...


Time to go to an internist and get some specific tests to rule out Adrenal problems, pancreas, B12, malabsorption etc. There are tests for all of those and the routine tests don't measure those.


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## Twolabsplus (Aug 29, 2004)

I WOULD GET TO THE NEAREST SPECIALIST ASAP.....

I almost lost a dog, in fact I did lose one dog because the Vets didn't know
what was wrong.... didn't really check. Gone at 28 months.... then the
dog I almost lost.... was finally diagnosed with Addisons. My Vet's pardner......
kept blowing me off.... so I took her to some Vets who are aggressive in
trying to find out what the problem is. Good luck, I know your trying your
best to help your pup.


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## GBUSMCR (Oct 5, 2004)

Don't be afraid to go to a specialist or move on from that specialist. I took my guy to a specialist, after 6 months with no real answers, took him to Tx A&M. Got answers and just thankful I made the decision to do it. FWIW


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## Laura Heyden (Aug 14, 2009)

I second the Addisons. I've known two dogs with disease and after diagnosing/treating several other ailments, to no avail, the dogs were finally, correctly, diagnosed with Addisons.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

Just wanted to give an update, and its a good update! 


sorry it took me so long to get back on here and post up, especially with all of the help everyone has offered up. I really do appreciate all of it!!


The vet ruled out addisons disease or any adrenal issues with some test results. she did recommend some "internal specialists" for me to contact if I wanted to. 

Up until last week, he still was not eating the pro plan very well, I was having to put a raw egg, or cottage cheese, chicken broth, or something in his food, every meal, to get him to eat. 

well, he still wasn't putting any weight back on hardly, and the last bag of Pro Plan Shredded was almost gone. I figured if i was going to have to "doctor up" his food to get him to eat, I might as well put him back on a food that he did so well on for close to 5 years, Nutrisource Performance. 

I picked up a bag last monday (4/23) after work. When i got home, i cut open the bag and in the process of pouring some in a bucket to mix with the remaining Pro Plan, i spilled some on the floor. He ran over, sniffed it for a second, and started to CHOW! 

I then put the 50/50 mix of Nutrisource and Pro Plan in his bowl, he would not eat it. 

I put 2 cups of just Nutrisource in the bowl, he ate all of it immediately. But, this same type of thing has happened in the past with a food change and would usually last about 3-4 days, and then he would stop eating again.

Well, we are on 9 straight days, of 2 meals a day (4 cups total a day). he runs to his dish and eats it immediately.

I really do hope he stays this way, and its nice to see him put weight back on again. In just the past week, I've seen a noticeable change for the better in his appearance and attitude. 

The one thing that is driving is nuts, is he is having horrible gas, which he never did have before on this food, so i'm hoping its just the food change to the higher protein food. but he still is having solid stools, and eating like a champ, so i'm gonna put up with his stinky azz for a little while at least, to see if it stabilizes out. 

here's hoping for the best...


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## Pam Spears (Feb 25, 2010)

So glad you have some good news! It's a nuisance, but gas isn't the worst thing in the world. If he's happy, eating, and gaining weight, it's a small price to pay! Thanks for posting the update.


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## ErinsEdge (Feb 14, 2003)

His stomach has to be messed up. Get him some good probiotics to get his stomach bacteria working properly and I bet the gas goes away.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

ErinsEdge said:


> His stomach has to be messed up. Get him some good probiotics to get his stomach bacteria working properly and I bet the gas goes away.



like a good quality plain yogurt?


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## Jennifer Henion (Jan 1, 2012)

No to the yogurt. I had the same question and asked my Vet, he says our human yogurt has good bacteria for our human guts - which are totally different from a dog's gut. There is a powdered probiotic formula for dogs called FortiFlora. You sprinkle it on their food, or dissolve it in warm - not hot - water and put it down their throat with a syringe if you have to. They sell Forti Flora at most vet offices.

Jennifer


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

"If" probiotic is the way to go, our vet also steered us away from yogurt as many dogs are unable to properly digest milk based products. If you can't get the Forti-Flora (a Purina available through your vet) our vet suggested acidopholis capsules. It is a human probiotic capsule that you should be able to find at Walgreens or your local drug store.


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## Daniel J Simoens (Jul 7, 2011)

^ ^ let me guess, you bought FortiFlora from your vet after he/she told you that??

I added yogurt, even sour cream, and noticed a drop in gas from the dog. which reminds me, I need to pick up some more, tonight!!


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## The Snows (Jul 19, 2004)

Daniel, if it is my response above (^^) you are responding to ..... no I did not buy FortiFlora from the vet. I do have a dog that seems to have an issue with dairy products. My vet suggested acidopholis capsules which I can buy at our local drug store for approx. $11 for 180 capsules on sale. Gives me the probiotics my guys need at a reasonable price.


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## Good Dogs (Nov 1, 2005)

Sounds all very similar 'cept our GM had always been a finicky eater. Tried games with the older dogs hoovering around his food bowl to get him to eat before someone else got it. Mixed egg, canned food and whatever else we could think of and it worked for a few days, then nada.
Switched to Wilderness brand a few months ago and pup is at full fighting wieght, wonderful coat and cleans his bowl w/o any fuss twice a day. It's not cheap, but given how much Pro Plan and canned food we were throwing away after sitting uneaten in the bowl, it's ok. Maybe pup just has a palate for certain foods. Good luck.


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## Perch_44 (May 15, 2006)

Good Dogs said:


> Sounds all very similar 'cept our GM had always been a finicky eater. Tried games with the older dogs hoovering around his food bowl to get him to eat before someone else got it. Mixed egg, canned food and whatever else we could think of and it worked for a few days, then nada.
> Switched to Wilderness brand a few months ago and pup is at full fighting wieght, wonderful coat and cleans his bowl w/o any fuss twice a day. It's not cheap, but given how much Pro Plan and canned food we were throwing away after sitting uneaten in the bowl, it's ok. Maybe pup just has a palate for certain foods. Good luck.



i hope he's back to normal, and i like him eating the nutrisource as he always he always had good results with it, and is a good food in my opinion. 

just need to clear up the paint peeling farts that he never had before. wife is about ready to make him live in the garage...


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## Good Dogs (Nov 1, 2005)

Keep the windows open and good luck with your pup.


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## Jeannie Greenlee (Apr 15, 2009)

You might want to ask your vet if Gas-x or Beano is safe for your dog until you can get his digestive tract used to food again.


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