Pet Owners: My dog is on a hunger strike!

[Deleted]

We have a cocker spaniel, a breed with notorious bad ears.  She is partially deaf because of one surgery already.

She also gets multiple staph infections because they have notorious itchy skin.

The vet prescribed this horrendously expensive food ($90 for a month's supply) that is super non-allergenic.  He wants to see her in two weeks to see if that is working.  He specifically said that he was prescribing it because it was faster than trying a lot of the other specialty foods that take a month to see if they are working.  He only prescribed two weeks work ($45), but they were out so we bought the month's worth.  Normally, you would mix the new food into the old food, but that wouldn't meet his two weeks' window.

She ate it fine the first day.  She gobbled it even.  Second day, she wouldn't touch it.  I am guess she had an upset stomach.  She also had no bm.  Third day (today) she wouldn't touch it.  Her bms were fine but a little soft.  She looked hungrily at my granddaughter's cookie and thought about sharing it, but I took the granddaughter into my lap to finish it.  You will never see a more hopeful dog.  Lol.

So she's now two days without any food.  She is getting a little cream cheese to get her to take the antibiotic for her staph infection.  But that's it.  She is not dehydrated; she is drinking plenty of water.  She is just refusing to eat the new food.

She is a notoriously stubborn dog.  She does not do rain.  If I try to haul her out when it barely misting, I am more likely to pull the harness or collar off.  You literally have to pick her up and throw her out when you want her to leave the carport if she doesn't to.  It is actually funny except not in this situation.

Will she eventually eat the food, or do I need to call the dr?  Tomorrow will be Day 3 of no food if she doesn't eat it.  It isn't that she doesn't like it (remember that she gobbled it the day we gave it to her),  I honestly think it is a battle of wills.  She can't have any treats except a few nuggets of this food.  She can only eat this food.

Help?

[Deleted]

One of my dogs was scared of the other for a while (this was after they lived together for years) so she wouldnt eat. i ended up hand feeding her for a little while. So i probably dont have any good suggestions.... Maybe try pouring chicken stock or something like that over it?

[busymom]

Go ahead & call the vet.

My only other suggestion is my own Bad Boy Puppy LOVES vegetables. Especially cooked green beans. I'd probably put some in with the new food, as well as some of the juice. My dog is a VERY picky eater, but would probably eat anything just to get his green bean fix.

[Deleted]

I caved.  I mixed some of her old food into her new food.  Remember that it is the evening of Day 2's Hunger Strike.

I blinked first. Shame on me.

She very carefully is spitting the new food out on the floor.  It would be funny except that it is expensive and supposed to be helping her.

Good news is that she isn't pigging out considering how long it has been since she has eaten.  But I've cleaned up new food from the floor twice already, and the bowl is still half full.

I will be checking to see if this food has a "satisfaction guaranteed" statement.  I will write them even if it doesn't.  If I can't get her to eat it, how will it help her?

[Gardening Grandma]

susanna
I'm sorry,, I have no suggestions about getting her to eat, but wanted to ask if you've done a blood draw to analyze for allergies?

We did this about 5 years ago and got a very detailed list of my dog's allergic reactions (to food, weeds, grass etc).

[constanz22]

My Maltese was put on a prescription food back in September after an episode of severe vomiting (cause still unknown and still has it occasionally).  He wouldn't touch it.  I was able to return it for a full refund.  The second brand he was put on he was better about eating.  But, when he was really sick, I had to cook boiled chicken and rice for him.  He loves it and to this day will not eat the food without a couple bits of boiled chicken on top.  I'd say contact the vet and ask for another option to try.

[Deleted]

Dec 23, 2013 19:46:09 GMT -5 Gardening Grandma said:

susanna
I'm sorry,, I have no suggestions about getting her to eat, but wanted to ask if you've done a blood draw to analyze for allergies?

We did this about 5 years ago and got a very detailed list of my dog's allergic reactions (to food, weeds, grass etc).

I haven't, and maybe this is what we need to do.

I wasn't really impressed with this food.  Its first ingredient is cornstarch (which means they aren't considering a corn allergy) and its second is a poultry byproduct that is derived from chicken feathers.  So they aren't considering a chicken allergy.  The only real protein is from soy, which isn't a good source of protein for humans.  Of course, I found this out after I came home.

But if she would eat it, I would consider it.  I don't want her to do without food.  I have been especially careful about making sure she is drinking water.  She can do a hunger strike for a couple of days, but I don't want her to get dehydrated.

The package does have a "satisfaction guaranteed" statement so I will be asking for my $$$ back if she won't eat it.  But I'm just going to bag up her leftover food from tonight and see if she still spits it out tomorrow.  She didn't the first day.

[Gardening Grandma]

A suggestion: When one of my dogs had a severe stomach upset, the vet gave me a choice. The first was to buy a special bland expensive dog food.  The second was to cook a bland diet.  It was simple.  I cooked a big batch of rice. Also bought and cooked up ground chicken breast (turkey would do as well). Then fed him half and half.  It worked great and cost less than the expensive prepared food.

If your vet suspects a food allergy maybe ask about cooking your own dog food until you figure it out.  (I am still a fan of the blood draw for allergies)

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

There are also some limited ingredient diets on the market that you might want to try.  But it might make sense to try rice and chicken/turkey diet.  Your dog is likely going to think she hit the jackpot!

[Deleted]

I started buying a meat with no soy dog food from my local feed store. The dogs are chewing a lot less now.  Much better than WalMart brand and actually about the same price.

I used to have a dog with eating issues and the vet suggested chicken and rice.

[HoneyBBQ]

IME you should transition slowly from one food to another. The new food made the dog's tummy upset. So he correlates new food with tummy ache. Mix it in slowly over a period of a week and it should go better.

[Deleted]

That's what I am trying to do, but she's spitting the new stuff out.  She has always taken her food out of the bowl and put it on the floor to eat.  That makes picking out what she wants in this case so much easier.  Lol.

[constanz22]

You could also try coconut oil.  Organic, if possible.  I have found it at WalMart in the past.  It is in a solid form in a glass jar.  You can feed a spoon full every morning as a treat.  It is supposed to have great healing properties.  You can also rub it in your hands til it turns more liquid and put it directly on your dog's skin.  I have done both.  Many dogs love the taste of it.  Mine do, it's like a little treat for them.

I would also try the boiled chicken and rice for a few days, then slowly add bits of the new food to the chicken and rice.  My Maltese also likes to eat the kibble off the floor and will overturn the bowl and all the kibble out and then eat it.  Wierdo.

[violagirl]

I hate to go against vet advice, but they generally dole out crap food. I spent several years with a cat with chronic urine crystals and for awhile had him on vet prescribed Medical food. Until I read the ingredients and did some research. I thought i was feeding him good food, as it is sold by the vet and the vet should know right? Some food brands have right on their websites that corn is GREAT for cats and dogs. That will be true until corn subsidies run out and corn becomes a not so cheap filler/protein source anymore.  

Anyway, long story short, I have fed my cat a good canned food with no byproducts, fillers etc for the past 8 years and have not had a single problem since. My friend had a golden retriever with chronic ear infections, all it took was switching to a better quality food. She couldn't believe the difference. 

My other friends dog was dying of renal failure of an unknown cause according to one vet. They brought the dog to a holistic vet several hours away which put the dog on Taste of the Wild (which IMHO is not even the best dog food). The dog is totally healthy with the shiniest coat I have ever seen on a lab. 

This is probably the single issue I am most passionate about. I try to keep my mouth shut sometimes, but sometimes it is too hard. 

I suppose ideally we wouldn't feed our pets kibble, but as much as I love my dogs, I struggle to even feed myself truly healthy at all times. Although, I have been known to make chicken stew for a dog that was sick, which turned out to be one of the better stews I've ever made lol. 

Wonder why there are so many dog and people allergies now?

[tloonya]

What I used to say is that 'no one is going to die starvation death when food is around'...
She is 99% (being a spaniel who known as a vaccuum cleaner breed) has so much of her own weight to lose so she will only benefit from a dieting.

[steph08]

Cold turkey is never a good way to switch dog food.  Also that food your vet gave you is crap in a bag if the first ingredient is cornstarch followed by chicken byproduct.  Go and buy something like Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet. www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product.aspx?ProductId=14

You could also try a grain-free food. 

[tloonya]

Dec 24, 2013 14:07:15 GMT -5 steph08 said:

Cold turkey is never a good way to switch dog food.  Also that food your vet gave you is crap in a bag if the first ingredient is cornstarch followed by chicken byproduct.  Go and buy something like Natural Balance Limited Ingredient Diet. www.naturalbalanceinc.com/product.aspx?ProductId=14

You could also try a grain-free food. 

I second Nature Balance. They also made those sausages...yummm...I mean smell...

I used to cook for my dog but when she needed munchies she loooved Natural balance.