Aa
Senior Dog Not Eating
My dog, Riley, will be ten years old this summer. We got him from the SPCA so I don't really know what breed he is, but he kind of makes me think of an australian shepherd (although a picture of a nova scotia duck tolling retriever in my dog breed book looks almost exactly like him). They said he might get hip displasia, but they say that about all "bigger dogs." For the past couple of weeks, he hasn't really been eating. My dad feeds frozen raw chicken and most of the time, one meal will be frozen veggie cubes (blended veggies frozen in an ice cube tray). He tried a soupy meal when Riley stopped eating, thinking it was his teeth. He's had a gum problem for a while now. His gums got inflamed and sort of swallowed his teeth. I looked at them last night and it's receeded enough that you can see a little of the teeth, all of the back of them, and it's begun sticking outward a little. The soupy meal was just a powder you mix with water. I think my dad said he ate a little of it but he still didn't eat that much. I was petting him last night and I could feel his ribs and his hip bones.
He had a vet visit a few days ago. our vet is hollistic and she said he might be dying. she did a blood test and he goes in on monday for the results. if there isn't anything showing up on them, she'll do an xray and tell us what we can do to either save him or make his last days comfortable.
i'm not ready to lose him, but i know if i understand why he's dying then i can get over it better. my grandma had a horse that stopped eating before it died and that's the first thing i thought of when my dad told me.
also, i read an article that said changing the time they eat may cause it. we had day light's saving time a couple weeks ago, about the same time riley stopped eating. i really don't know if that would cause it, especially because that's never happened before, but i figure ever bit of information helps. so please, help me figure out what's wrong with my dog.
He had a vet visit a few days ago. our vet is hollistic and she said he might be dying. she did a blood test and he goes in on monday for the results. if there isn't anything showing up on them, she'll do an xray and tell us what we can do to either save him or make his last days comfortable.
i'm not ready to lose him, but i know if i understand why he's dying then i can get over it better. my grandma had a horse that stopped eating before it died and that's the first thing i thought of when my dad told me.
also, i read an article that said changing the time they eat may cause it. we had day light's saving time a couple weeks ago, about the same time riley stopped eating. i really don't know if that would cause it, especially because that's never happened before, but i figure ever bit of information helps. so please, help me figure out what's wrong with my dog.
He died. March 24th around 1 30 am in southern-central florida. My vet confirmed, it was kidney failure. About 6 or so hours before, he started bleeding out of his mouth. He went to lay outside and he didn't move around very much.
He wouldn't eat the chicken last night. I tried to give him some pills. He got half of the charcoal one for his stomach and all of one that smelled like green tea. He tried to throw them up but I couldn't see if he actually got anything out. My dad gave him something this morning, [down his throat] bark powder mixed with water. It's supposed to help his stomach too.
that would be a good idea. i don't know if she wants to go over the results with us or anything like that. he's getting some antibiotics and he's been on missing link. my dad said he didn't eat the chicken this morning. i don't know what it is, but i'm going to work with him tonight.
Good job! Plain canned white meat chicken is one food that dogs will rarely turn down. Try mixing it in with the rice because he needs the carbohydrates as well as protein. Chicken and rice is fine for a couple weeks while a dog is very ill, but not something to use as a regular diet. It wouldn't hurt to give him senior vitamins at mealtimes too. I'm concerned that it's taking so long to get the lab results in. The lab my vet uses has a next-day turnaround time for things he can't test for in-house. Maybe you could call in the morning to see if they can rush the results in so you don't have to wait through the weekend?
i gave him a few bites of chicken from winn dixie and.. he ate it. but then he wouldn't eat the rice in his bowl.
I don't know if he has much time left, but I will try to do the rice thing either tonight or tomorrow. Thanks so much you guys.
So sorry about Riley...I don't know if he's dying or not, but I just wanted to say that when my dogs don't feel well, we give them nonfat plain yogurt (no fruits, no sweeteners) or lowfat cottage cheese mixed with rice. That has never failed to get them to eat.
I also get their teeth cleaned by a doggie dentist that does anesthesia-free cleanings. General anesthesia seems like an unnecessary risk to them, but I still want them to get their teeth cleaned.
I also get their teeth cleaned by a doggie dentist that does anesthesia-free cleanings. General anesthesia seems like an unnecessary risk to them, but I still want them to get their teeth cleaned.
Have you ever thought of having dental work done as when an animal has teeth problems eating may hurt as it sounds like you are feeding frozen food so chewing will irritate the gums and any teeth that are infected. I would suggest using a soft food for now and see if he can eat that and try to brush his teeth as there at petsmart toothpaste for dogs and cats. We have Greyhounds and they eat rawfood and eat raw turkey necks which helps work their teeth and gums real well. The time of day does matter as animals don't know the difference like humans do. Their stomachs and routine may change but daylight saving time will not cause an animal to stop eating. Have you noticed a change in the dogs bowel movements like are they soft or runny or do they urinate more often ?? I know for sure that animals need routine so meal at same time or close to it and don;t free feed as like us animals need a feeding time as a shedule like us. I hope I have made sense as I have 7 dogs and one is 10,9 and 7 and the rest younger. I have been around dogs for over 40 years. I do agree that Holistic Vets are good but sometime an old horse doctor type vet is all the dog needs. Hve you thought about feeding rice and maybe tuna for a change ???
thank you so much! i don't know what kind of dental disease it could be. riley's breath being nasty? like smelling bad? yeah. i noticed that last night. and my dad said he smelled bad this morning. i'm pretty sure his gum condition wasn't ever treated by a non-holistic vet.
You may be correct that Riley is dying. However, it may be that he is simply starving to death due to severe dental disease. Was the condition ever treated by a non-holisitic vet? Holistic treatments have their place, but a combination of that along with traditional medicine has the best outcomes.
Have you noticed if Riley's breath has become noticeably nasty since he stopped eating? That can be a symptom of organ failure like liver or kidneys. The bloodwork should tell you what's going on there. If the labs are normal, it's probably the dental disease that's killing him.
Have you noticed if Riley's breath has become noticeably nasty since he stopped eating? That can be a symptom of organ failure like liver or kidneys. The bloodwork should tell you what's going on there. If the labs are normal, it's probably the dental disease that's killing him.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Dogs Community
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
