Skip to content

Eating Very Little

Basenji Health Issues & Questions
  • Hi all!

    Paco just turned a year old and as far as we can tell, is quite happy and healthy. However, since Friday (3 days ago) he hasn't eaten much at all.

    I think he ate his dinner Thursday (I wasn't there; I'm going off of what Chris remembers) and Friday I put his breakfast out. He vomited that morning before eating - bright yellow, almost like paint, actually. He didn't eat, and I figured it was because he had an upset stomach.

    He picked at his food that night, but didn't eat anywhere near as much as he usually does.

    Saturday (yesterday) Chris saw him vomit a little bit of white. He continued to eat just a few bites of food for his meals. Today neither of us saw him vomit at all, but he still has had "maybe" a cup of his usual dry dog food over the last three days, and he usually has nearly 2 cups a day.

    He continues to take cut-up hot dogs as treats, as well as bits of cheese. He also is still drinking water. We recently tried some new "chicken ball" treats that Chris brought home from a trip. Paco likes them and still eats them, too, but I'm wondering if maybe this new treat is the problem.

    Should I take him to the vet tomorrow, or just experiment by stopping on the treats for a while, or what do you guys think?

  • Take him to the Vet.

  • +1 to what Pat said, he needs to go the vet. Has he been going to the bathroom normally? I'd be worried about a blockage of some sort.

  • Any time a dog isn't eating that normally eats you may have an emergency situation… anything from blockage to pancreatitis. Miss one meal, yeah, but by day 2 it requires a vet.

  • I usually wait 24 hours in such circumstances and if it hasn't cleared up by then it's off to the vet.

  • Thank you all. After reading the responses I had decided to take him to the vet, but since I was busy in the morning I left him with the adult formula of Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul and it was all eaten when I got home. We'd had him on the Puppy Lover's stuff for his first year and were planning to switch to the adult stuff as soon as the puppy formula ran out, but it seems maybe he just thought the puppy food was stale (?).

    He's eating the adult formula now and seems fine - guess that was the easiest switch in dog food I could have expected, minus the worry.

    Thank you all again; I will continue to watch his eating habits just in case and bring him right in if he skips another meal anytime soon.

  • Keep a good eye on him over the next while, and don't hesitate to take him to the vet if you feel uncomfortable with anything.

  • Just for future references. My boss' (reference: vet clinics in houston) have always taught me when you have a vomiting dog stop feeding it. If it vomits in the morning dont feed breakfast. Let the stomach settle and for dinner feed little amounts(less than half of normal feeding) dont make the stomach work too hard. If they vomit anything given within a 24hr period a vet and some anti-nausea medicine is needed. If they vomit water every time they drink take away the water and take them to the vet. Sub Q fluids may need to be given to keep them hydrated and avoid the Gastrointestinal route.
    After switching watch out for diarrhea too
    BTW your avatar is adorable!

  • Yogurt works really well for when they may have upset stomach….

    P.D. is it unusually cold there as it is here?

7/9

14 Dec 2010, 00:56

Suggested Topics

  • 1 Votes
    12 Posts
    2k Views
    @annie said in Eating Disorder or Normal?: That is call him Catfish Ha! Damn you auto-correct.
  • 0 Votes
    19 Posts
    3k Views
    @maureen252 - You can add some wet, I do.... and also add some water with the kibble and wet food... I put in about a small tablespoon of wet. And some Basenjis do drink a fair amount... some of mine did/do some didn't
  • 0 Votes
    15 Posts
    4k Views
    Hi Shelley – Poppy did the same when she was a puppy with her own and the other dogs offerings but she has grown out of it now with the exception of rabbit droppings and as Scott says cat droppings which most dogs seem to find irresistible!. We have been feeding Royal Canin with no problems, so it may not be down to that. It may be a family trait! Steve.
  • 0 Votes
    8 Posts
    3k Views
    @kipper: Thank you to everyone for the great advice! Kipper is our second Basenji and the thought of loosing him at such a young age is horrific to us. Kip is currently taking metronidazole twice a day. I know the med does make him tired, but it's supposed to help get rid of his virus that in turn will bring back his appetite. I have tried all his favorites like cheese, sour cream and even homemade waffles. His diet is meat twice a day and free feeding of high quality kibble. The vet is very knowledgeable about Falconi and says all his levels are were they should be and the bicarb is all he needs. We will take Kip in again in 3 months for another blood test. Thanks again! Anna I don't want to doubt your Vet, But honestly, I find that hard to believe that he only needs Bicarb and not any of the Vitamins that are recommended in the protocol. If it were my dog, I would contact Dr. Gonto who developed the Protocol and run it by him and he is happy to talk to owners with Fanconi (it is Fanconi, not Falconi) about treatment along with conversations with your Vet. Also Thyroid testing is important for a dog with Fanconi. This would be the fill panel not just the one T4 level that are shown on regular blood work. Dr Gonto's contact info can be found at the bottom of the Fanconi Protocol information http://www.basenji.org/ClubDocs/fanconiprotocol2003.pdf Also you might want to consider joining the Fanconi Yahoo group for people with Fanconi affected dogs. They would also be able to give you good ideas since they are all dealing with dogs with Fanconi. It is a closed group for only people with affected dogs. If he was eating before the metronidazole then hopefully when he is done with that he will begin eating again.
  • 0 Votes
    5 Posts
    2k Views
    Topper loves to eat dirt and he gets a good diet and a vitamin/mineral supplement from the vet. I think he likes the taste!
  • 0 Votes
    10 Posts
    3k Views
    Viruses and bacteria can persist on the ground, in the air, on various surfaces for differing amounts of time depending on the nature of the beast (or bug as it were) so there may not have to be dog-to-dog or even dog-to-kid contact. Hand washing and shoe removal are always good ideas but there may not be much you can do about it. On the positive side, people and dogs too usually don't get reinfected with the same bug once they get over it the first time as their immune systems are now prepared for a second bout. Unless Jass or Keoki are immune-suppressed in any way, they ought to be fine here shortly.