bottlerocket Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Sam was rescued earlier this week from a shelter near here and he has a very calm personality. I have come to not expect him to be excited right away and ready to play, but he actually seems to be getting more sluggish/depressed. I spend alot of time with the little guy too. He will BARELY drink, eats next to nothing, and refuses 3 different kind of treats. I've tried Nutro, Royal Canin and Science Diet. I've also tried mixing them with canned food, egg, etc. The first day he was eating just fine it seemed, but still a little hesitant. Now I gave him a whole bowl of Royal Canin with egg AND canned food and he hasn't touched it. He hasn't eaten anything all day, and the amount of water in his bowl does not look like it has changed either. I called the vet since they are about to close and they said to try Pedialite or Gatorade to get him more electrolytes and prevent dehydration, but he wont go for that either. I have an appointment with the vet monday morning. Any ideas? He is very thin as well, probably ~30lbs or less and bony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Flavoring his water with some chicken or beef broth might tempt him to drink. You might also try offering him small amounts of food. Chicken/lamb/beef baby food is good food to try - get the ones that are all meat and not flavored or spiced. If he's crate trained, you may want to offer his food in the crate - he may feel safer eating there. Hope he's doing better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 How old is he? Does he have a snotty nose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 Not sure of his age. Probably 4 or 5. He was a stray rescue. And he does seem to have a snotty nose. Its dry on the front, but snotty and almost crusty on the top it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerfulgazelle Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 A stray rescue not eating and looking sorta punk could be all sorts of things...from the mild to the serious. If he is not taking water, though, that would move it up on the scale of serious for me. Do you have access to an emergency vet? And, if you have other dogs, do be sure he is being kept separated, so as to not share any cooties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 I'm headed to the store now to get him some baby food. Probably a syringe to I can squirt some water/gatorade in his mouth too. If he doesn't take that, an emergency vet might be my only option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted February 27, 2009 Report Share Posted February 27, 2009 If you can't get some fluids into him, an emergency vet is the way to go, and I'd go today rather than wait through the night. Try warming some chicken broth first, to see if he'll take it. You can dilute the meat baby food with water to make broth as well. If he gets some down, and it stays down, try mixing the chicken broth with the gatorade. You can also make rice cream - cook rice with a 4 to 1 ratio of water to rice, so that it's very soupy. Cook in chicken broth to make it extra tempting. Again, give him just a little, like a couple tablespoons, every hour at first. If that perks him up, then you can slowly increase the amount. It does sound like he's sick, poor guy. Hope he feels better soon. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 If he's not eating or drinking, I wouldn't wait till Monday to get him seen by the vet. Does your vet not have Saturday hours? Even if they're booked up, they shouldn't turn away a patient who's a potential emergency case. I'd definitely try syringing water/Pedialyte into him, and maybe a slurry of wet food of some sort. Also, if you can get your hands on something like Nutrical or even molasses, you can get some calories in him that way. Beware of baby foods--check the labels to make sure they don't contain onion powder as overdosing on onion can cause hemolytic anemia. Have you taken his temperature? Normal temperature is 100.5-102.5. It's pretty easy to do and now you can get digital thermometers that beep to let you know when they've gotten a temperature reading. A thermometer is something good to keep on hand whenever you have pets. If he's running a fever, he needs to be seen by a vet sooner rather than later. How about his mucous membranes? Are they pale? When you press your thumb against his gums, does it take the area you pressed a long time to return to a pink color (assuming it's pink to begin with)? He may have a very calm personality simply because he feels like crap. I hope you're able to get some help for him soon and get him feeling better. He could have picked up anything at the shelter or while running around as a stray. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Well I got him to put away a 2.5oz jar of chicken baby food. It is pure chicken and chicken puree, nothing else. I bought a syringe and I'll give that a shot to see if that will get him to drink. I'll go check the things you listed as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Well his gums dont take too long to turn back to pink, but they are a very light pink to begin with, which worrys me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 His gums should be bubble gum pink. Can you take his temp? Has he had any stools you can check for diahrreah or blood? Is his breathing labored or shallow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 His gums are probably a little lighter than bubblegum pink. More of a pale pink. I dont have a thermometer right now, I'll have to go grab one. No diahrreah and no blood in his stool. His breathing is normal most times. He'll pant every once in a while just laying around (no recent physical activity). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy in AZ Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Panting in the absence of physical activity or heat can be a symptom of pain or distress. Only you can judge how much possible distress he's in. When I've found myself in a situation where I need peace of mind where a possibly ill dog is concerned I call my vets emergency line and talk to the vet on call. Often that vet will give me info to assess the condition of my dog and advise me to bring him in or wait until office hours. Follow your gut and do whatever you need to do. I hope the little guy is feeling good soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 My dog's gums are always a very pale pink. In fact, when I first brought him home, I feared that he'd be found to have some kind of horrible disease, because his gums looked so pale. No vets have commented on it or spoken as if it were abnormal - though it certain is different from my previous dogs! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Well he ate the baby food with no problem, and is hesitant but will eat canned dog food now. He will have nothing to do with dry food though, no matter how much canned food I put in. I hope I was just overreacting and the little guy is just a really picky eater. I am still concerned with the water situation, however. He still shows no signs of drinking much at all as far as I can tell. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Just add water to the baby food, or make chicken broth. Phew, I was worried for you, but if he's eating baby food and you can get him to slurp some baby food soup, then the situation is not as dire. I'd still get him to the vet, though. Re read my post above about making rice cream, mix in some baby food. I might still take him to the emergency vet, just because I still wouldn't want to wait till Monday, with those symptoms of lethargy. Did you take his temp yet? Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Temp was normal, but still doesnt seem to be drinking. I'll give that rice cream a shot as soon as I get back from the store. Thought I had rice, guess not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Glad to hear he's eating something - hopefully your vet can find out if he's sick or just stressed out from the changes in his life. Not eating dry food could mean he just doesn't like it or has a dental problem, can't smell it (maybe a doggie cold), etc. You could try soaking his dry food in some diluted broth but if it were me, I'd continue with what you've doing until he sees the vet. He's a lucky boy to have someone care so much so early in the relationship - I'm sure he'll pay you back a hundred-fold during his life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 And he does seem to have a snotty nose. Its dry on the front, but snotty and almost crusty on the top it seems. I would get him to the vet ASAP. That is how one of our fosters was acting when we thought he had kennel cough/pneumonia... which was actually distemper/pneumonia. His nose was just as you describe. What color was his snot before it was crusted? If it was greenish it might be a bacterial infection. Either way I would get him to the vet. How is his mental sharpness, does he seem slow? I also had to seringe water down his throat and I could get him to eat a little baby food. Either way he could have something contagious, or he could end up like our Charlie who was to sick to make it. We lost Charlie on Christmas eve so I am still a little paranoid, but please get him checked out ASAP. No matter what kind of infection he may have if he is not drinking his body is not fighting it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted February 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 I would get him to the vet ASAP. That is how one of our fosters was acting when we thought he had kennel cough/pneumonia... which was actually distemper/pneumonia. His nose was just as you describe. What color was his snot before it was crusted? If it was greenish it might be a bacterial infection. Either way I would get him to the vet. How is his mental sharpness, does he seem slow? I also had to seringe water down his throat and I could get him to eat a little baby food. Either way he could have something contagious, or he could end up like our Charlie who was to sick to make it. We lost Charlie on Christmas eve so I am still a little paranoid, but please get him checked out ASAP. No matter what kind of infection he may have if he is not drinking his body is not fighting it well. His snot was clear before it was crusted, so doubtful its bacterial. It was watery for the most part. What surprises me is he urinates regularly, meaning 5 times a day typically. Not really sure where its coming from. He seems sharp though. He is sluggish inside and moves very lazily, but he is very quick outside. He doesn't have any of the typical distemper symptoms like the discharge from the eyes, fever, diarrhea or vomiting etc. He has a healthy appetite is seems, but just is being picky, at least thats what it seems like since he will put away baby food or canned food VERY quickly now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweet_ceana Posted February 28, 2009 Report Share Posted February 28, 2009 Good to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Well good news! It looks like this was just a phase he was going though adjusting to his new home. He's drinking water now, probably ~2 bowls/day, and eating dry food! I think he just doesn't like the taste of Royal Canin. I actually let him try some of the Sam's store brand lamb and rice and he ate it up! He seems alot more energetic too. I am so happy that he's doing better. Still taking him to the vet tomorrow for all of his checkups and to get him on preventative. Thanks everyone for the help and advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Great news! barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 I love good news! Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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