Eating Very Little

[Shannanigan]

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?

[tanza]

Take him to the Vet.

[renaultf1]

+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.

[DebraDownSouth]

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.

[Patty]

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

[Shannanigan]

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.

[Kipawa]

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.

[Whoalookitsme]

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!

[dmey]

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

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