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Dog not eating although all tests are normal

Hi,
My dog who is 11 years old and used to love his food suddenly stopped eating almost 2 weeks ago.
At the first day or two, we thought he had an upset stomach although he had no throw up or diarrhea. We took him to the vet on his third day. They run blood and urine sample and all tests came back normal.
They did an X-ray thinking he might have a blockage. They did not find anything.
Two days ago, we took him for an abdominal ultrasound. They could not find anything either.
They checked his teeth and they looked ok.
He has no symptoms besides drinking more water than normal, being lethargic and of course not eating. All his kidney tests were normal so they rolled out any issues with that.
We put him on Metacam for couple days to see if it will help him eating if will ease his pain. But it did not and instead we got an unset tummy.
His diet previously was very healthy, consists of Ziwi kibbles and Raw Dehydrated Food along with some cooked human protein (chicken, beef, and pork) with nothing added to the protein.
I do not know what we can do to help him eating. Any suggestion or advice helps. Thanks.
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Avatar universal
He might have a stomach ulcer or some type of sensitivity or some GI issue that isn’t easy to diagnose. My sharpei has stomach issues and the specialist Vet in NY suggested to give them PepZinGi pills, one pill day and night. Available on Amazon. This worked and my fur baby actually eats now during feeding times.  Before this, he would hardly eat at all no matter what I gave him. Bloodwork, vet exam, xrays, etc. $1k in vet bills later the regular vet said possibly gas but didn’t suggest an antacid pill. Then I consulted with a Sharpei specialist and they suggested the PepZinGi antacid pills. And, now my furbaby is eating and healthy.
Helpful - 1
4 Comments
I wrap the pill in sliced cheese.  Or you could try it in peanut butter.
I have same issues with my 12 year old bichon. She stopped eating, lost weight and became lethargic. Took her to 4 vets in one week. They did every test possible including bronscosopy, endoscopy, ultrasound, biopsies of abdomen and intestines. Can’t find anything wrong. She’s on steroids and anti vomiting meds now but still lethargic and no appetite. Internal medicine specialist performed the scopes and ultrasound so I’m sure they were done correctly. She also had fast breathing which has resolved now. She goes potty outside still but doesn’t want to go on walks. Has anyone had this same issue resolved? We tried roasted turkey, fresh cooked chicken, baby food. Etc. she will eat liverwurst but can only give her enough to hide her meds in per doctor liverwurst not good for her really. Now as I’m writing this she has decided to eat cat food!!  Any suggestions?
May I ask how much your Sharpei weighs and dosage / brand you purchased?  I want to try this also as I am desperate to help my baby!
There's nothing wrong with a dog eating cat food, especially if the dog needs to gain weight. Just watch for its richness giving the dog the runs.
675347 tn?1365460645
COMMUNITY LEADER
This is a mystery isn't it? Poor boy. I hope his appetite returns soon.

It's good all tests are normal, but doesn't help the diagnosis. Could he have got into something which disagreed with him at all? Even though it didn't cause obvious GI symptoms?

Has he been through any kind of unusual stress recently? Family arguments, moving location, missing someone etc?

If not....then it is a mystery. I am guessing he still gets the same amount of exercise?

Another possible thing to try is a stool analysis test. That would pick up any possible GI inflammation, or parasites etc. Such things might not show up on blood work even though general systemic inflammation does show up in Serum C reactive protein and ESR (Erythrocytce sedimentation Rate.) So his blood test would show tings like that but possibly may not have markers for a mild GI inflammation

How are his ears? If something is wrong there it could cause a mild nausea perhaps. Get the vet to take a look and to check for nystagmus (unusual eye movements)

Is there any possibility he has any kind of pain anywhere? Pain can kill appetite. You could perhaps find out by gently feeling all over his body from head to toes, all over, and watch for his reaction in any certain place. A yelp is obvious pain. But even the slightest flinch could mean there was some discomfort.

It's amazing how many dogs keep going, keep playing, keep walking, even when they have some discomfort or pain somewhere.

Have you tried tempting him with some food? Something really yummy and tasty? A bit of plain grilled meat or fish perhaps? Or a sausage?

I hope you find the answer, and he's eating again soon.
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Hi there,
Thanks for your reply.
We did not have any luck with my dog. Feeding is still a real struggle. We tried everything you can imagine from baby food to veal cutlets and barbecued liver.
He has been having few bites after I literally force him to eat. He also has couple kibbles at night. Whenever he eats, I am noticing that his back limbs tremble. Then he would run to the water bowl and drinks a lot of water. He also has been very lethargic during the day and sleeps pretty much the entire day but still goes for his normal walks.
His stool was totally normal. The vet put him on an antibiotic for GI inflammation for 7 days but it did not do anything.
Hello, my dog is showing the same symptoms and I was wondering if you ever found out what was ailing your pup? How is he doing now? Did it pass and how long did it last? Thank you so much, Deb
We also did the same battery of tests and all came out normal. We are at a loss….
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