My 1.5yr old Basset does not eat:(

[BASSET1]

Hi,

I came across this site and read all the comments, I feel a bit better. I have a 1.5 yr old Basset who has had issues eating a few months into his life. It continued, I changed his foods, mixed in wet food and soon after he hated dog food all together. I started to give him cooked human food, like chicken, ham, veggies, rice. He ate things time to time, but seemed to not be interested after a couple times.

I took him to my vet about of over 15yrs, he was a bit underweight as I could imagine. In the last 6-8 months I have taken my baby to the vet, his weight improved a bit, but not enough. 2 months back he was 47, for a male it should be 50-55. I actually was trying to put weight on him, so I could have him neutered since his one testicle did not drop. I have seen the vet maybe 6 or 7 times and it has added up, I did check ups, blood work etc. A few months ago his white blood cell count was very very high, he was on meds to bring it down. I now find out this was due to him eating alot of chicken, wish the vet told me this before.

My baby looks so hungry:(, I hate it! I took him to the vet a few days ago, he weighs 44 now, I scheduled him for neutering next Wednesday, I want it to be over with. His retained testicle could cause him issues, cancer etc. I'm hoping after his surgery, he will feel much better, eat better.

A regular neuter is $130, my dogs...$850 since it is not a normal surgery and because he has other little things going on as I mentioned. My dog poops, pees just fine. His water intake is normal, he is such a happy sweet loving Basset. I would do ANYTHING for him.

Today he ate a few slices of Kraft cheese, then I bought Nature Balance wet food(Fish & potato), rolled it into little balls and rolled it in his mouth. He spit it out, lol. If I get it far enough, he eats it. So he hada bit of that. Tonight I am going to try the rice water and gatorade and hope it helps.

His tummy seems to be in pain a bit, I touch him and he freaks out, vet said long before it was a bit tender. His liver is a bit inflammed too. Yesterday he ate plain rice, with fish, he did well. I was happy, at night I gave him a handful of treats which he ate.

Anyway I love my dog soooo much, I just want him better. Any comments would b great! Poor dog is still a baby and seen the doctor more than I have in the last 2 yrs. PLEAS HELP.

Thank you so much!

[BASSET1]

Ghilly,

I made the choice to neuter my dog because I felt it was the right thing to do, I put if off for a long time. He had his surgery done last Wednesday, he is recovering very well and eating better. I am happy about this. His x-rays came back all good, his heart liver & kidneys all look good.

I'm still a bit lost as to why his WBC is high, it seems to go really high and back down. Infection maybe, he is on Clavomax right now. This is something I want to get him off, any harsh meds will affect his body, but right now this is a quick fix.

His surgery cost me more due to other little conditions he has been dealing with, I was also charged for fluids, meds, a few other things. I know it is a ridiculous amount, but my Dogs health means more to me.

I have been dealing with this vet for over 25yrs, but I am looking into getting advice elsewhere too:).

[Ghilly]

I just wanted to add that I would most definitely find another vet to do the neutering.  The price your vet charges for a normal neuter is exhorbitant, but the cost of removing the retained testicle is ridiculous!!!  Normally, a neuter for a dog that size would be in the neighborhood of $50 to $80 depending on the area you live in, with the cost being  about $300 to $500 for the surgery to remove the retained testicle.  Your vet is planning a vacation or has a kid to put through college and he's trying to do it all on your neuter!  

I completely agree with Ginger though, NO surgery should be done until that white cell count is in the right area!  Operating on a dog that is already harboring an infection somewhere is just asking for trouble.  

Ghilly

[BASSET1]

Hi Karla & Ginger,

Thank you for your comments.

I bought him from a non breeder who was selling the pups. I keep in touch with her time to time, she told me there is no retained testicle issues with the father, but mother is also a picky eater. Otherwise both her Bassets are healthy. There has to be some genetics related to his condition  I bet.

Just to let you know I have been waiting a long time to have him neutered, I was waiting to see if his testicle would drop and for him to gain weight. I felt in my heart it was time to do it. His surgery was yesterday, it went well.

I was aware there were higher risks when WBC were high, he is on meds for that.  He has had a few blood samples done, around liver was a little inflammed recently,  that's about it. I also had x-rays done on him yesterday, there must be something off in his stomach which is causing him not to eat and elevated cells. I will find out tomorrow.
I just want my baby to get better:(.

This balance product, I only bought a few wet cans to feed him, before this mainly had him on Orijens. For most of the time, I cook him foods like
*Veggies, chicken breast,sweet potatoes etc. Even then he wouldn't eat, I had to play games to make him eat, all kinds of things I did.

When he was on meds for his cells, it did come down. It is hard to say if he felt better afterwards, because he was perfect in every way except eating. What kind of infection could he get? How?

Thank youuuuuuuu so very much for your comments, this is great.

[ginger899]

Any dog who has the possibility of infection hanging over him -or certainly a high white blood cell count should NOT be having surgery!! It is advisable to wait at least a week or two after the infection has fully cleared before scheduling surgery, and your vet should know that.

Regarding dogfoods.....everyone has to be really careful right now as a lot of petfods are under recall (salmonella bacteria apart from other issues) Try to find Karla's post on PURINA foods on this forum(anyting manufactured by Purina should be avoided like the plague right now) and another thread about other dogfoods which have been recalled.

Chicken does not cause infection. It's great food for dogs, and light good protein. But any salmonella-infected chicken which is undercooked, fed raw,or not handled with strict hygiene during preparation can get infected(such as allowing cooked chicken to come into contact with surfaces used for preparing raw chicken etc which haven't been scrubbed thoroughly, or placing it on cutting-boards which haven't been scrubbed)
And the thing is, you can't tell, when you buy chicken, if it is infected with Salmonella or not. It won't smell bad.

[Misfits4Me]

Hello & welcome......Where did you get this guy? Did he come from a reliable breeder?
On any of his blood work, has anything else (Besides High WBC) ever been off? How about his Liver Enzymes? Has your Vet ever mentioned that? Do you have any copies of his blood test that you could look at?

What dogfood do you feed, before the Natural Balance? (Which by the way is under a recall & should not be fed)! Is the chicken you mention Chicken Jerky Treats or are you talking about fresh chicken? Chicken DOES NOT cause a High White Blood Cell Count! Infection does!!!  

Did your dog feel better either during the Antibiotic treatment or afterwards? Even for a little bit of time?

Anything else you can think of would help us out.......IMO, I would not have him Neutered anytime soon......I think it's too risky until you can get to the bottom of his problem........Let me know, Karla