No longer eating

[Kembe]

@ttobler
Hope everything turns out well. Keep us posted.

[JENGOSMonkey]

@ttobler Hoping for the best today. Good thoughts coming your way.

[ttobler]

Thanks all, unfortunately nothing solid to share. Ultrasound showed thickening on the first part of the small intestine. Will have endoscopy tomorrow endoscopy tomorrow wit hopes of understanding where/what the issue is and best path forward.

[Zande]

Fingers tightly crossed that they find something and can help him.

[ttobler]

Thank you all for the well wishes. Good news he is recovering after the endoscopy and has woken up, though a little on the cold side so will need to wait a few hours to see if he can come home. Small intestine is inflamed and biopsy's were taken. Unfortunately results for biopsy will not be in until week after next, but he should be coming home tonight. Dr believed it is IBD (Inflammatory bowel disease) and putting him on steroids, prednisone, anti nausea and anti diarrhea...lord help me with the meds, hope this "pill gun" she offered works. Has anyone had to use one with their Basenji?

[elbrant]

@ttobler The one and only time doodle needed regular meds: I put the pill inside a fingertip full of peanut butter. Of course, now doodle thinks peanut butter is nirvana, but she took all of her pills!

[Zande]

@ttobler Yes. I had a bitch who didn't need a vet at all until she was almost 6 years old. Then the kibble we used was discontinued. We found what we thought was similar but one girl started being very sick, not eating, but chewing grass and throwing up etc. We jumped through all the hoops until finally an endoscopy revealed Irritable Bowel Syndrone. The lining of her stomach was red, raw and bleeding. No wonder she ate so much grass to try to get rid of the pain and irritation in her tum !

She was put on Budesonide. One a day. And given a grain-free diet. I tried feeding her that and leaving the others on their normal kibble but it was chaos. We had 5 Basenjis at the time. So all the pack went on to the grain-free and I have stuck with it ever since !

After a while she seemed to be really on the road to recovery and the vets left it to me to control the dosage of Budesonide. I cut her to every other day and then to three times a week. If I caught her eating grass, she went back on one a day for a week or so.

This way we kept her going, and enjoying life, for another 7 years.

I am sure you can find the USA equivalent of Budesonide. Good luck !

[Zande]

@ttobler But I see your query was not about IBS but shooting pills down - - -

Cottage cheese, yoghurt (which helps the stomach anyway). They get too canny if you bury it in their food and you find an empty pan with pills licked clean and sticking to the bottom.

Basically anything they can't resist helps the medicine go down.

[ttobler]

@zande Thanks for the tip on IBS, will ask the Dr their thoughts on the meds after I do some research myself. I gave up on the pills, tried for 20-25 min this morning and the little bugger just pockets them in his mouth and eventually spits them back out. The antibiotics are in liquid form, so a non issues. I am having the pharmacy compound the steroids into a liquid form today. When he came back last night from the procedure, he was vey hungry and eating. We limited the amount as he has not had full meal in several weeks, but this morning he was no longer hungry. They gave him a steroid shot yesterday before I brought him hope so have high hopes that once we get him on some again he will at least eat.

[Zande]

@ttobler If it is IBS, the reason he is not eating despite his hunger is the irritation in the stomach. Basenjis eat grass and throw it up, usually with just a bit of bile, in an attempt to relieve discomfort.

Try him on a very bland diet of boiled rice and fish as I have suggested elsewhere recently. A coddled egg on a little bit of rice usually goes down well -

and I would get some form of electrolytes to prevent dehydration. If necessary, a little honey melted in warm water for him to drink as an addition to the normal cold water bowl always available (I hope !)

I have a bottle of concentrate electrolytes always on hand so I can offer it at need. Dogs love it !

If he eats when he is REALLY hungry, like after his enforced fast, then it has to be something which is making food either taste nasty or cause discomfort.

Try not to keep him on steroids for very long but obviously, be guided by your vet.

[tanza]

@ttobler - Glad to hear that your Pharmacy can compound into liquid, hope that works. When I need to give pills and can't get them to take them in things like yogurt (which they grow up on eating off a spoon, so not usually an issue) but with elders will be if they don't want to eat and they know that you are hiding pills in the treats, I make a pack with them.... I put them between my legs, facing forward, tilt the head back and shove the pill down them... I promise them I will not hide pills in their food... learned this from a very good long time Basenji owner with a dog that had Fanconi. Had to take 14+ pills twice a day (thankfully with DNA testing for Fanconi and as long as Basenjis are tested there is never, ever a reason for a Basenji to be afflicted with Fanconi). This works 90% of the time... be prepared however that at times you might get "chomped" on.... trying to push the pill down...

[Kembe]

@ttobler
As Zande said *“ They get too canny if you bury it in their food and you find an empty pan with pills licked clean and sticking to the bottom.”*This is exactly what happened to me when I tried hiding medication in my B’s food. They’re just too smart for their own good! Try this method- it worked for me : https://youtu.be/ZN5Iil1hCAg

[eeeefarm]

If you have ever encountered a dog that is difficult to pill, you know there is no sure fire method. Many will notice it in food, however yummy it is, and spit the pill while swallowing the good stuff. Using the method in the video, which I have done many times, sometimes they swallow and then, just when you think you have achieved victory, they spit the pill that they have managed to retain.

OTOH, if you have a super cooperative dog, like my Border Collie.....he spit out the pill, I said "Blackie" and gave him an annoyed look, he looked at me and licked up the pill and swallowed it. "Sorry Boss". But Basenjis are not Border Collies, so don't expect that level of cooperation!

[JENGOSMonkey]

During Jengo's last year he was on lots of medications including pills several times a day. I used pill pockets, cottage cheese, real cheese, pieces of steak, a similar method to that shown in the video. None of them worked 100% of the time, so I alternated to keep him guessing. As others have mentioned... pay attention because they will hide it till they think you're not looking and then spit it back out. One thing I did find that worked pretty well was to wet the pill before putting the slippery thing in his mouth like shown in the video. He seemed to swallow it that way pretty easily and fast. Still, not always 100%.

[ttobler]

@kembe Thanks, great technique which I can use with the liquid meds as well.

[ttobler]

@tanza Yikes, that's a lot of pills! I am also glad we were able to get it on short notice. Our little guy does great at game of hiding the pill and spitting it back out later. When not ill, it was easy to stuff it into a piece of meat after giving him 1 or 2 pieces first w/o the meds. But as I stated, he is still not eating. He is hungry, comes into the kitchen any time I am there, but seldom takes anything. As of late, sliced ham is what he will take. was able to give him 2 slices yesterday and 1.5 today. Will see how he does a but later after the meds get into his system.

[ttobler]

Hello All,
I am sad to share that our Moe passed away just after midnight on the 21st. We were able to feed him grilled lamb chops for a few days but he was just getting weaker. Sunday he did not eat and could hardly stand on his own with out stumbling. I was holding him when he passed, so glad to have shared that last moment with him. Once I get the biopsy reports from the specialist, I'll be sure to come back here and share it the hopes that it may help someone in the future.

[Zande]

@ttobler I am so very sorry - but you can rest easy that you did all you could and you gave him a good life, better than that enjoyed by many Basenjis. All mine, bar one - the last, Hoover - have died in my arms. Its the last chance we get to show these incredible creatures we love them.

Bless you for getting a biopsy which may help others in the same boat.

[ttobler]

@zande I appreciate the kind words. He was a rescue, so know we gave him better home and he did have a good life, its just never long enough. And you are correct, it I am glad we spent his last moments together and I was able to comfort him one last time. Sorry to hear about losing yours..

[JENGOSMonkey]

@ttobler I’m so sorry. My heart goes out to you and your family. Moe had such a tough bunch of weeks. To me, you’re a super hero for staying by his side till the very end. I can tell you wouldn’t have done it any other way. Still... not everyone does. I hope your hearts heal.