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974371 tn?1424653129

Dilemma with a rescue dog

I am usually responding to posts here but seeing what input I can get on a rescue dog situation.
My daughter, who is very animal savy and was an Animal Science major, called tonight to discuss a rescue dog she has.  At one of her work sites, due to it's remote location, people often dump dogs out there.  A couple of weeks ago, a co-worker called to tell her they had found a very emancipated dog in the road that morning. My daughter agreed to foster him through a rescue group she works with.  He is extremely thin, maybe 2-3 years old, signs he had a collar on at some time, is neutered and chipped but it is not registered.  He is very sweet, doing well with her other dogs,misfiring dogs, kids and other people.  Sounds great, right?  Well, he won't eat.  She had him Vet checked, blood work and stools are fine.  He seems afraid to eat out of bowls, etc.  she has tried different foods.  He may eat a couple of times then acts scared and will not touch any food.  
I gave her a couple of ideas but would appreciate any feedback.
So hard when you just don't know the background on these poor animals.
21 Responses
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Avatar universal
Two things came to mind... some sort of digestive issue, like a tummy ulcer, or something that if she gives some kind of antacid type stuff, it will soothe the pup's continued eating issues.  Better yet would be for your daughter to check out a couple dog websites that can talk about what real FOOD (instead of medicine) to add to his kibble/canned food.  But in the end, I think it might be wise if the vet has an endoscope, he can look pretty far down his upper digestive tract, sometimes to the small intestine, OR if the doc doesn't have that instrument, then the vet can do an ordinary black-and-white x-ray, just to see if there is a blockage in there.  Also, the X-ray might reveal some problem that would reveal why the dog wouldn't go outside that day.  Well, that's my two cents.  In the end, I think your daughter is doing an OUTSTANDING job.  Oh, and I WAS going to suggest a paper plate for food, but if he's eating fairly well now out of a bowl, no need for that idea.  GG
Helpful - 0
974371 tn?1424653129
Sorry about your Angel.  How sad. That almost sounds like a Cancer.

Yes, know about the supplement you are talking about.  The good news is, he has been active and alert but was only eating some.  We are hoping he has turned the corner and will continue to eat.  
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Avatar universal
My dog, Angel, had to be put down last month, due to her losing almost 13 of her 25lbs in about 6 -8 weeks.  I or we visited the vet & she prescribed carafate 1/2 pill 2x per day. (which just happens to be a med I take.)  This pill, once swallowed with water, it coats the stomach & helps with digestion issues almost immediately.  Also, I was told to get prevacid & gave 1/2 of that pill 2x per day.  The store brand worked ok.
These meds helped Angel for a couple of those weeks, but finally she couldn't keep anything down, so I had to take her to the vet.  I loved her too much to watch her suffer any longer.

Oh yes, if your not sure about the meds, you may be interested in the 'Tube of PROTIEN I would give her, due to her not keeping food down.  It was like in a tube of tp.  I would  place about 1 1/2 " strip of this paste on my finger.  Then would open Angel's mouth & tried to rub it on her tongue.  It is chicken flavor so she liked it, I would try to give this 2-3 x per day.  

I hope this all helps.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
So good to hear he is eating now. Perhaps he just needed some time to get comfortable. Thankfully she gave this poor guy a second chance
Helpful - 0
974371 tn?1424653129
She has some pics and videos on her FB page.  She got two Nygerian Pygmy goat babies.  One is a week or two older then the other who was one of 4 so she was supplemental bottle fed and very tame.  Yep, when she goes in their pen, if she leans over or squats down, they are right up on her back.  They have a large shed building with a ramp up to it. When my daughter heads up there, she will say, "Baby goats!"  They start running and jumping and bleating.  Too cute
Helpful - 0
1916673 tn?1420233270
Oh wow, you have to get her to post some pictures ... especially of the pigmy goats. I love goats. As a kid (ha) I worked at a dog kennels where they had a goat called Buttons ... we became great friends, even though he was forever jumping on my back when I wasn't aware he was there. All I needed to do was bend down to pick something up, and there he was, on my back. Sure wish I had acres of land for such a wonderful menagerie.

Tony
Helpful - 0
974371 tn?1424653129
Yes, keeping fingers crossed he continues to eat!  Who knows what this dog has been through and someone obviously owned him at some time!  She said, so far, he is a very sweet dog.  Luckily, he us in a pack of various ages and her dog, Gage, is just a rock and very tolerant of other dogs.
Yes, bet she adopts him!  At least they have a couple of acres now so what is 2 Minature horses, two new Pygmy goats and 4 dogs?  LOL!  
Takes after her mother.  
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1916673 tn?1420233270
Hi. That's great news. Seems like it may have been a historic problem, now overcome by the influence and reassurance of a new pack ... a fabulous pack ... and (uh uh ooh) a forever home? :)
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974371 tn?1424653129
Spoke to my daughter today and asked how the rescue was doing.  Well, he finally started eating out of a bowl!  She said he has eaten his last 7 meals out of his bowl when the other dogs are fed.  She has no idea why but is just hoping he continues to do so as he seriously needs to put some weight on.  She said she tried feeding him inside, outside, from different bowls, plates, in the grass, on the floor and from her hand.  Said she tried everything short of standing on her head.  LOL!  He is still great with the other dogs. Instead of taking him to work, she left him out with the other dogs in the house, came home and nothing was amiss.  My bet is, she is going to flunk fostering again!  Yep. That will be 3 out of 5 she ends up keeping. Maybe this one was meant to be.  Her old "heart" dog, Gage, just turned 13 and is showing her age.  This dog looks very much like Gage, whom my daughter rescued from a friend who had her chained to a tree.  Her ribs were sticking out too.
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974371 tn?1424653129
Ok, tony, will do.  Haven't talked to my daughter recently.  Will ask about the water bowls.  Hopefully, she will have more time to go into more detail.  This is a stumper, poor thing.
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1916673 tn?1420233270
Keep us informed. It will be interesting to see whether something works. Sounds to me like this dog is certainly suffering from an unknown (but dreadfully imagined) history. Hopefully, he will gain enough confidence to see that not all humans are bad.

Tony
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974371 tn?1424653129
I know, tony, very curious.  I wish I lived closer so I could observe this myself.  I assume he drinks from a bowl.  I will ask her.  Yes, sounds like it is fear based but if food is very odd.  One wishes you had a crystal ball to see what these poor animals have gone through. Someone obviously owned him but why was he dumped?  My daughter has checked every avenue to see if anyone is looking for him and nothing.  I am sure she did that thoroughly.
She will keep trying new feeding methods.  I can mention the tube feeding.  I have done it but not sure she has but I am sure she could.  He has been checked for parasites and none were found. Forgot to ask if he was given a prophylactuc wormer.  She knows what round and tape look like so would catch it.
Right now, the rescue group is sponsoring him but I would not be surprised if she adopts him.  
Really puzzling.  Maybe there is some phobia going on.???
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462827 tn?1333168952
Try feeding in a crate, in another room, away from all other dogs AND humans.....No one around or watching!!! See if it makes a difference....
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1916673 tn?1420233270
Sounds like a really curious case ... does he drink out of a water bowl? If so, it's almost certainly food orientated and probably pure fear. I can only think - for the time being - to have the person the dog trusts the most to hand feed. And if that doesn't work, then he may need tube feeding for a while, just to get him properly nourished. My other thought was worming. Sometimes dogs with a severe infestation can feel so sickly they just won't touch food, even though the worms actually make them very hungry.

I honestly can't think of any other cause, or none that wouldn't have been found through blood and physical examinations.

Tony
Helpful - 0
974371 tn?1424653129
I suggested just trying the floor too.  She said it is almost like he us afraid of the food or afraid to eat.  She picked up a bunch of canned food and I to,d her to try making a gruel out of the kibble and adding it.  This dog seriously needs to put some weight on.

No signs of any nerve damage.  He plays with the other dogs, sleeps on the bed, etc.  she has a couple of raised feeders she tried but that didn't work either.

She also said he was fine for a week when riding in the car but is now salivating like crazy which is usually due to nerves or an upset stomach.  Poor guy.
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974371 tn?1424653129
The dog has been thoroughly Vet checked with blood work done and stools checked.  Everything, so far, has been normal.  I am sure the Vet checked his teeth and I am sure my daughter has. She us my daughter.
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974371 tn?1424653129
Karla, I will have to get more information.  I don't think he is acting like someone is coming up from behind.  Just odd behavior.  If she takes him to work, which she can do, he literally lays in a corner if her office all day.  He will not go out the back door.  He lays flat and she has to carry him out where he proceeds to lay disn again.  I really this is behavior from being traumatized as he is fine at her house in that respect.  I pretty much made the same suggestions.
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1040373 tn?1273687488
He doesn't act like he "can't" eat from a bowl, does he? Like maybe he has a pinched nerve in his neck or something?
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1040373 tn?1273687488
I'd suggest trying to feed him kibble just straight from the floor, or heating up some baby food or canned food and trying that. It sounds like he's hungry since he has eaten a couple of times.
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Avatar universal
Margo,
if the dog was just vaccinated a bunch at the vet when she got him, this will wreck his appetite for awhile.  She should try feeding the dog away from the other pets, in a room with a door closed.  Go ahead and get canned dog food... it smells so good and is easy on the mouth, plus if they get used to it before, they'll want it now... she can wean him off it later.

I'm assuming the vet checked for cavities in the dog's mouth or gum disease or whatever.  Also, if a dog has an ongoing internal disease of some sort, like liver or kidneys, those possibilities need to be ruled out.

If the dog's appetite is down from shots, then she can try after a couple more days, to fix herself a good-smelling dinner, fried chicken, gravy, browning potatoes and carrots and potatoes in the broth, with that cooking along for awhile, the odor can make her dog finally feel hungry, and he'll finally just eat.  Hope some of these ideas leads to some help for the pup.
GG
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462827 tn?1333168952
Hi Margot--Tell your daughter "Thank You" for helping this precious dog....More people need to step up to help the homeless animals....Rescue groups always struggle because very few people are willing to help!

Does the dog look over it's shoulder when it's trying to eat? Like something is sneaking up from behind?? What are the symptoms she sees at feeding time? Is there a consistent pattern? Where does she feed him?

Have they checked his teeth? Let me know any other details...Thanks, Karla
Helpful - 0
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