Treat anorexia like an emergency! Fast action is of utmost importance. You know your dog better than anyone, and if your vet indicates your pet may just be moody, persnickety, waiting for something better, etc. don’t accept it if you feel otherwise!
Inappetance is often a sign of a much larger problem. For Sadie, she had periodic spells where she wouldn’t eat her food, so the first couple of days of her not eating her dog food were not major causes for concern. At least she was eating chicken and we were in consult with our clinic, right? After 10 days of only eating chicken, I was gravely concerned that she wasn’t receiving proper nourishment. Chicken alone could not have all the nutrition she needed.
She was given the antibiotic Baytril “just in case” while we awaited blood work, and after discovering the pill/taste in her chicken 4 days later, went completely anorexic. It is possible that the Baytril affected her stomach in such a way that she suffered from gastritis or reflux, although I cannot know for sure (note: some dogs indeed go anorexic after taking Baytril). I do know that it’s hard on the gut. Three lessons I learned from this: 1) always give a probiotic during a round of antibiotics. They must be taken several hours apart to ensure the antibiotic can do its job, but the probiotic will make sure that the intestinal tract is not stripped of its good flora. 2) it is not always good to put strong drugs in a gut when you are unsure if there is an infection; sometimes waiting one day on results may not hurt, although not always. 3) inappetance may be caused by nausea, so by using medicines with good anti-nausea properties, your pet may feel better {these include, but are not limited to: cerenia (anti-nausea), mirtazapine (appetite stimulant w/ anti-nausea), pepcid (antacid), tums (antacid + calcium)}. Giving these drugs via mini-syringe mixed with dog food (specialty or watered down canned food), baby cereal, baby food (warning: stay away from carrots!), etc. will help at least with the nausea.
Some days I would cook for hours trying to get my girl to eat! It was very frustrating. The best advice I can give in the cooking department is try to tempt your pet with something that smells very good. I will post recipes in the future, but some suggestions are: pork roast, ground turkey, turkey bacon, bacon treats, eggs, peanut butter, and steak. Make sure all of these are properly drained with NO grease remaining! Another issue is Caloric intake; be sure to check with your vet to find out how many Kcals (1 Kcal =1,000 calories) your animal needs, as it depends on their weight (e.g., Sadie needed 210 kcal to maintain her weight, but 300 + to gain). The supplement NutriCal is also a wonderful resource, as is Ensure (if your pet won’t drink it, try mixing it with heated human baby cereal, giving with a syringe). Muscle mass can be quickly lost and add many complications, and trust me, YOU WANT TO PREVENT IT! During bouts of anorexia, your dog’s glucose level will likely be low; giving them a little syrup or NutriCal will help raise that level. I will post more specific blogs about feeding later. As happy as you will be that your pet is eating (if you are able to get them to eat), do not stop searching for the root of the problem! Getting them to eat is only a means to an end, not the end itself. Your dog is not eating for a reason. I felt like we were on a constant roller coaster, and sometimes when she’d eat I wasn’t always sure what to do next. Was she better now? But never did the eating spells cure the issue, so my advice is to keep looking for answers until you find out the real problem, and TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! If they eat in the meantime, that’s wonderful!
Knowing what I now know, I would suggest the following action if it has been a few days since your pet ate normally:
1) take your pet in and demand blood work {Complete Blood Count (CBC) w/ Differentials, Special Chemistry Panels w/ T4 (checking thyroid), Tick Titers, and Adrenal Function (ACTH) tests}. Some may wish to wait on the results from the CBC and Chemistry panel before proceeding with the others, but these additional tests will tell if it’s a tick-related issue or something is wrong with the adrenals, both frequent culprits behind anorexia. If the CBC shows infection, always ask the vet, “An infection where?” This is of utmost importance! I might even ask for blood cultures to determine the strain of bacteria, so as to treat with the most specific antibiotic possible. {Have the blood tested again immediately after dosage is complete; DO NOT ASSUME THAT THEY WORKED! If the WBC is still high, I would advise IV antibiotics NOW. Yes, that will most likely mean having to take your dog in each day for 10 days or so, and the headache of a catheter, but trust me, if you can beat the infection now, you will save your baby many headaches in the future! Now, I must note that the first time Sadie had her blood taken, her WBC was actually normal, but it would have helped greatly to pay attention to ALL abnormalities, however insignificant they seemed at the time.) If the T4 is low, ask if something can be given, such as levothyroxine, as dogs that may not be chronically hypothyroid often struggle with low levels during illness and meds can provide a needed boost.
2) Urinalysis (sterile sample).
3) Depending on the blood work, an abdominal CT Scan is preferred (some may suggest an ultrasound; if so, have the CD sent to a teaching hospital to be read by a veterinary radiologist; they have years more of experience reading tests than a regular vet). A CT scan will be clearer than an ultrasound.
Obviously, the cost of these can add up quick. That’s why I recommend Insurance! It will take a financial load off of you and give you more freedom. What’s more, if the problem goes on for too many days, you will likely end up spending more money in the long run and be met with far more complications. Again, I cannot stress the importance of quick and swift action! Don’t let a week go by before taking urgent action! It could make all the difference!
Inappetance is often a sign of a much larger problem. For Sadie, she had periodic spells where she wouldn’t eat her food, so the first couple of days of her not eating her dog food were not major causes for concern. At least she was eating chicken and we were in consult with our clinic, right? After 10 days of only eating chicken, I was gravely concerned that she wasn’t receiving proper nourishment. Chicken alone could not have all the nutrition she needed.
She was given the antibiotic Baytril “just in case” while we awaited blood work, and after discovering the pill/taste in her chicken 4 days later, went completely anorexic. It is possible that the Baytril affected her stomach in such a way that she suffered from gastritis or reflux, although I cannot know for sure (note: some dogs indeed go anorexic after taking Baytril). I do know that it’s hard on the gut. Three lessons I learned from this: 1) always give a probiotic during a round of antibiotics. They must be taken several hours apart to ensure the antibiotic can do its job, but the probiotic will make sure that the intestinal tract is not stripped of its good flora. 2) it is not always good to put strong drugs in a gut when you are unsure if there is an infection; sometimes waiting one day on results may not hurt, although not always. 3) inappetance may be caused by nausea, so by using medicines with good anti-nausea properties, your pet may feel better {these include, but are not limited to: cerenia (anti-nausea), mirtazapine (appetite stimulant w/ anti-nausea), pepcid (antacid), tums (antacid + calcium)}. Giving these drugs via mini-syringe mixed with dog food (specialty or watered down canned food), baby cereal, baby food (warning: stay away from carrots!), etc. will help at least with the nausea.
Some days I would cook for hours trying to get my girl to eat! It was very frustrating. The best advice I can give in the cooking department is try to tempt your pet with something that smells very good. I will post recipes in the future, but some suggestions are: pork roast, ground turkey, turkey bacon, bacon treats, eggs, peanut butter, and steak. Make sure all of these are properly drained with NO grease remaining! Another issue is Caloric intake; be sure to check with your vet to find out how many Kcals (1 Kcal =1,000 calories) your animal needs, as it depends on their weight (e.g., Sadie needed 210 kcal to maintain her weight, but 300 + to gain). The supplement NutriCal is also a wonderful resource, as is Ensure (if your pet won’t drink it, try mixing it with heated human baby cereal, giving with a syringe). Muscle mass can be quickly lost and add many complications, and trust me, YOU WANT TO PREVENT IT! During bouts of anorexia, your dog’s glucose level will likely be low; giving them a little syrup or NutriCal will help raise that level. I will post more specific blogs about feeding later. As happy as you will be that your pet is eating (if you are able to get them to eat), do not stop searching for the root of the problem! Getting them to eat is only a means to an end, not the end itself. Your dog is not eating for a reason. I felt like we were on a constant roller coaster, and sometimes when she’d eat I wasn’t always sure what to do next. Was she better now? But never did the eating spells cure the issue, so my advice is to keep looking for answers until you find out the real problem, and TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! If they eat in the meantime, that’s wonderful!
Knowing what I now know, I would suggest the following action if it has been a few days since your pet ate normally:
1) take your pet in and demand blood work {Complete Blood Count (CBC) w/ Differentials, Special Chemistry Panels w/ T4 (checking thyroid), Tick Titers, and Adrenal Function (ACTH) tests}. Some may wish to wait on the results from the CBC and Chemistry panel before proceeding with the others, but these additional tests will tell if it’s a tick-related issue or something is wrong with the adrenals, both frequent culprits behind anorexia. If the CBC shows infection, always ask the vet, “An infection where?” This is of utmost importance! I might even ask for blood cultures to determine the strain of bacteria, so as to treat with the most specific antibiotic possible. {Have the blood tested again immediately after dosage is complete; DO NOT ASSUME THAT THEY WORKED! If the WBC is still high, I would advise IV antibiotics NOW. Yes, that will most likely mean having to take your dog in each day for 10 days or so, and the headache of a catheter, but trust me, if you can beat the infection now, you will save your baby many headaches in the future! Now, I must note that the first time Sadie had her blood taken, her WBC was actually normal, but it would have helped greatly to pay attention to ALL abnormalities, however insignificant they seemed at the time.) If the T4 is low, ask if something can be given, such as levothyroxine, as dogs that may not be chronically hypothyroid often struggle with low levels during illness and meds can provide a needed boost.
2) Urinalysis (sterile sample).
3) Depending on the blood work, an abdominal CT Scan is preferred (some may suggest an ultrasound; if so, have the CD sent to a teaching hospital to be read by a veterinary radiologist; they have years more of experience reading tests than a regular vet). A CT scan will be clearer than an ultrasound.
Obviously, the cost of these can add up quick. That’s why I recommend Insurance! It will take a financial load off of you and give you more freedom. What’s more, if the problem goes on for too many days, you will likely end up spending more money in the long run and be met with far more complications. Again, I cannot stress the importance of quick and swift action! Don’t let a week go by before taking urgent action! It could make all the difference!
