My 9 months lab not eating

[rajeevsundar]

My 9 months lab not eating satisfactorily.I have fed him with Pedigree, Drools etc etc. In the morning I take him for a walk and sometimes I used to make him run by throwing balls. He seems very active. I have shown three - four vets already. They give some de-worming tablets and de-wormed also. I have given him some tonics that they have suggested. But of no use. As I want to keep him alive, I used to feed him his food by opening his mouth and putting it into his mouth. I dont make him run , if I feel that he is weak. He is very lovely one and I dont want it to let go like this. If anything more is to be done, please suggest. I fear now that by feeding like this, it should not develop a habit like this even after his recovery.

[TwoBitsMom]

Hooray....!  
Rajeev, This is wonderful news....Thanks for taking such good care of Kittu....He is a lucky dog to have such a wonderful and caring family.
I pray that he will be with you for many happy and healthy years.
Connie

[rajeevsundar]

Dear friends,
Thanks for your valuable suggestions. Yesterday I have taken him to a multi speciality pet hospital named 'felican',  which is little far away from my home town. One Dr. Sunil Kumar is running that hospital. Very nice doctor. He checked up his blood and stool. he told me that, my dog is having microfilaria and worms detected in his stool.He took two injections. He also gave NOTIN, WYSOLLONE, JUGI  TABS for a period of one week and at the end of this course, deworming tab 'Fenbendazole for two days. Doctor checked up his teeth, heart beats and found everything normal. He aslo weighed him and found he is 31 Kilograms. He said it is good to have above 30 kgs for a Lab of 9 months. It is a fact that we are struggling to feed him like that.
Some how I am continuing with his medicines and expecting a good result after this.
Thanks once again to all of you.
With loving regards & Happy New Year,
Rajeev Sundar

[tonyb286]

Hi Rajeev. It's great to hear that Kittu is clearly getting better. Well done to you for getting him to the pet hospital. Hopefully, once he has finished his de-worming medicine course, Kittu will start eating properly. In the meantime, keep trying different foods with him. Remember that dogs are natural scavengers, so variety is the key to a good diet. Keep us informed how things go with him. It's so nice to hear of a successful outcome (sadly, there aren't nearly enough heard on here). Tony

[rajeevsundar]

My dear Connie,
Thankyou for your sincere prays and loving words. Today we have to give his last medicine. Yesterday I gave him a tablet for de worming and today also one doze. After that I'll have to report his progress to Dr. Sunil Kumar. Really he is a wonderful doctor. I am really thankful to him. AND A BIG THANKS TO ALL MY MEDIHELP FRIENDS.

Regards
Rajeev

[rajeevsundar]

Dear friends,
I am so happy to say that my KITTU is improving very fast. Soon after his medications started, the very next day he started taking his food his own and he is eating some what well. I am really thankful to all of you for your valuable suggestions and advices.Especially Tonyb286, TwoBitsMom, ginger899 and lindapalm. And Special thanks to Dr. Sunil Kumar. I really astonished to see the way he treated my KITTU. My Kittu didn't notice, when he took out his blood for check. So nicely he did that. Earlier another Vet near my home town wasted two needles for taking an injection.
   I shall give his updates later
Thankyou all
Regards
Rajeev

[TwoBitsMom]

It was so nice of you to give us an update on your dog.
I am happy for you, that you were able to get him to another vet.
I hope the medications and deworming will help.
As Tony mentioned...when your dog poops, clean it up quickly and dispose of it. If he poops in the house, or on any surface that can be cleaned, for example..floor, deck, sidewalk, carpet...use a good disinfectant to clean the surface.  You will need to do this, until he no longer has worms.  After that, try your best to keep your yard clean.  If you live in an area, where it is common for other animals in the neighborhood to have worms, then you may want to talk to a vet about de-worming your dog on a regular basis.
I hope your dog continues to improve...please let us know how things are going.
Connie

[tonyb286]

Hi Rajeev. That's actually good news, because the diagnosis is reassuring (that it's nothing more serious). Keep up the good work with the medicines and let's all hope he recovers quickly. Just one quick reminder, when your little guy poops, inside or outside, make sure it is picked up with a bag as soon as he has finished doing it, then dispose of safely. This will prevent the potential for re-infestation or the infestation of other dogs. Try the various suggestions made by prior posters, particularly Connie, as getting sufficient food in him will all help him achieve a good recovery. Nice to have some good news about your little guy. Tony

[TwoBitsMom]

Hi Rajeev...
If your dog is drinking milk by himself, You could try to liquify some food for him. Cook some oatmeal, make it very thin and runny, you could add some honey, or yogurt, or even an egg to this mixture. Be sure it is thin and liquid enough for him to lap up. You could also buy some bottled baby food and put it on a plate for him to lick, or buy some boxed baby cereal, like rice, and make it into a thin gruel, then add some honey, or yogurt, egg, or bottled baby food to it...the idea is to keep it thin enough so he can drink it by himself.  Another thing you could try, is to buy canned moist dog food, put some in a bowl...add a little water or milk, and because he is use to you hand feeding him,  mix it with your fingers..( so it has your scent on it )  ...Another thing you could try is to make him some sweet potato soup...when the soup is done cooking, blend it so there are no big pieces of potato...most dogs love sweet potato.  You could also try to see if he will eat cottage cheese.  As a last resort, if he will not eat or drink on his own...you could always try to feed him with a turkey baster.
Is your dog peeing OK....and pooping OK....?  

Connie

[tonyb286]

Hi Rajeev. How's your little guy today? It's good to hear he had his vaccinations, which should pretty much discount parvo and a number of other potential illnesses. Lindapalm asked above about his gums and teeth, and whether its a bad or broken tooth that is preventing him from chewing - of indeed something like a gum ulcer. Take a good look (it's best to do this a little at a time, so upper right, then leave him to rest if he gets a bit pannicky, then lower right, etc.). Let us know if you see anything suspicious.

Tony

[ginger899]

It sounds like you are realy trying your best to help him. Keeping him hydrated is really important. Would he drink something like canned chicken soup? (make sure it contains no onions or garlic) Or maybe you could mix some of the soup with his milk, or some water? If gradually he could get something like this down him, his strength might come up?

Would this link be any help to you? You might find a good veterinary hospital near where you live where he would get more helpful treatment and diagnosis than he got before from the other vets?

http://www.hospitalkhoj.com/veterinarykerala.htm

[rajeevsundar]

Dear Tony,
Thanks once again. I have taken all the vaccines (Anti rabies and another vaccine for a number of diseases) during the third month and its booster dozes after one month. As he is drinking half a litre of milk in the morning, and some Rusk, he is keeping well. Some times he denies that too. Then we used to force feed him.
Rajeev

[tonyb286]

I was also wondering about the coughing. Can you confirm your puppy has had all his vaccinations (particularly against parvovirus)? Tony

[lindapalm]

Were his teeth checked by the vet?  He's too young for bad teeth, but is it possible a tooth  is broken, and hurts when chewing?

[rajeevsundar]

Dear Tony,
Thanks for your valuable comments. I am native of Alleppey, Kerala, India. In my home town all the vets, I met were not seems to be experts in treating puppies. They just had an external check and suggested for de worming. He is very active, So they say that, if he is active, nothing to worry. But I doubt he is having some internal problem. So one of my friend suggested to visit an expert in our neighbouring district- Cochin. But I didnt get his appointment so far. I heard that he is having a good laboratory to have all checks.I really doubt that he has some GI blockage, Coz when I feed him pedigree or Drools, he eats one or two and starts coughing and gives up eating. Then we used to feed from our hands. Still his eating is not satisfactory. He is very fond of Rusk (dry & stiff bread). He is a lovely one and I want to bring him up. I am 52 years old and so far not interested in pets. Especially dogs. And after I had my puppy "KITTU', I love him more or equal than my kids.So please give your valuable suggestions.
Thanks & Regards
Rajeev

[ginger899]

As you have had him checked out a number of times by a number of vets, the idea of a "second opinion" is probably a silly idea.....
I do presume they have all examined him thoroughly, and tested his blood/urine etc, and possibly Xrays of his gut to make sure there is no GI blockage or anything else gong on in there which could cause this?

Presuming all that has been done, then I cannot think of a logical reason why he will not eat!
How is he around food? Does he seem unsure, or even scared of eating? What is his history? Was he a "rescue" dog (with baggage?) If so, he could have possibly experienced something traumatic to do with food in his early life....?

Another thought is that dogs are extremely routine-oriented,  far more than humans are. When they get used to a status-quo, they stick to it, until things change.
I am wondering if he has got used to you feeding him? (only a thought I'm throwing out, it mght not have any relevance) So he has got unused to eating of his own accord?
I'll tell you what happened with my dog to illustrate what I mean. When I rescued her, she had only just begun to recover from Parvo, and her appetite was delicate. She ignored food in her dish. Then she slowly began to take tiny morsels from my hands, but still wouldn't eat from her dish. Every day I hand-fed her because it was the only way to get her to eat. She would stare at the food in her dish but wouldn't eat it. But she would take food from my hands. I wondered what was the matter. Then I came up with an idea, and took a piece of food in my hand, then dropped it just in front of her dish. Gradually she started to eat from the floor. Then one day I picked up a bit and dropped it right back in her dish! It took a few times to work, but eventually it did, and she ate from her dish again.

[tonyb286]

Ok, well labs are notoriously good eaters (which is why many end up being overweight), so clearly this may be something you need professional advice about. If four vets have checked him out and have not diagnosed anything, it may be a behavioural problem. I would strongly suggest trying to get your hands on some GREEN tripe, which is usually available in tinned or frozen form from your local pet store. If you buy the frozen type, remember it needs cooking (I use a microwave, 10mins at 30 per cent setting). Mix with a little boiled white rice. Dogs absolutely love green tripe, even though it stinks, and it contains all natural ingredients and nutrients. If your dog won't eat this, he won't eat anything.

Let us know how you get on. Tony