Dog having stomach issues + not wanting to eat regular food

[SAcres]

My dog was doing pretty well. But my well meaning but grossly uneducated about animals mother kept complaining that he was shedding too much and looked skinny. So against my better judgement I decided to switch his food to the Costco nature’s domain food. It came well recommended, and was reasonably priced, so I figured I’d give it a try.

My dog has been prone to a sensitive stomach since he was a puppy. Over the summer he had an incident that was a little scary. He threw up a few times, had some bad diarrhea, and then hours later refused to eat and started acting visibly uncomfortable, dry heaving, and stretching. He is a large breed dog (Akita mix) so I was worried about bloat and brought him to the emergency vet who treated him with a shot to calm his stomach down and an antibiotic that is commonly used for digestive issues.

fast forward to the fall when I switch his food. I switched it slowly and at first he seemed fine, but then started with BAD diarrhea. No throwing up, still eating just fine. I put him on chicken and rice, thinking it was the food, but he didn’t get any better. I was contemplating making a vet appointment when he started refusing the chicken and rice, very unusual for my always hungry dog. So back to the vet we went, for another round of the same treatment. But he hasn’t bounced back very well. He started treatment October first and ended a day or two ago. His diarrhea is gone but appetite is not back. I put him back on his old food and he is turning his nose up at it. I have to hand feed him or act like it is “human” food before he has any interest. He has a follow up vet appointment in another two weeks, but I’m a worry wart and am incredibly concerned I’m just missing something obviously wrong with him.

Im not sure if I should start him on a probiotic or something in the meantime. I think I’m going to give my vet a call tomorrow but if anyone has gone through figuring out digestive issues before please share your experiences. It’s very frustrating to not have an immediate cure button!

TIA

[Sswor]

Yes, nothing but problems on commercial dog food so switched to home cooked and no problems since. It’s been a year. At the time 2.5yo was at the vet approx every 3 or 4mo with some sort of fairly serious GI disorder. Was prepping so much chicken/rice bland diet that in the end I realized it was akin to madness to keep switching back to commercial dog food because he was just going to return to presenting with GI upset. Why not just keep him on real food? So I did and it was best thing I did for his gut. Dog food is junk food.

ps. probiotics were key to getting everything back on track following a bout of GI disorder.

[Simkie]

I’d treat him for stomach ulcers.

[S1969]

What is the antibiotic and what was the suspected diagnosis? Im thinking metronitdozole? But why? I know some dog show people will keep that in their tack box and give anytime a dog has GI issues but my vet will not prescribe it without a dx.

Id probably get a 2nd vet opinion at this point. If it’s a parasite issue (e.g. giardia) you need to know whether the treatment worked. On top of all of those possibilities, ulcers/reflux could be an issue or in general a food intolerance.

Most dogs on commercial feeds do not have this type of problem so i would not be ok assuming it is simply a food issue.

[stargzng386]

Try one of the low fat prescription dog foods it’s worked wonders on my dog that had constant stomach issues for years and it worked wonders. Sometimes they just have low level pancreatitis

[SAcres]

I have thought about switching to home cooked, or at least partially home cooked. But I worry about vitamin imbalances, calories, etc. It is something I will ask about.

I was also wondering about stomach ulcers. I had never really heard about the issue in dogs but assumed it could happen. Is treatment similar to horses? I will add it to my question list for the vet. He burps sometimes, which I have never experienced with a dog before, so I am wondering if reflux or ulcers are an issue.

I’ll check the pill bottle when I get home to see what he was on. I did research it when it was first prescribed as I was scratching my head at the idea of using an antibiotic for GI issues, but it apparently pretty common to use it.

Yes, obviously this is not “normal” but I know there are many dogs out their that are food sensitive, have GI issues, etc. I am having trouble getting answers from my vet and she just seems generally unconcerned with his issues.

I have been looking for a different vet all together but I’m having a hard time finding one that has emergency hours, good reviews, is within 45 minutes of where I live, and has seemed knowledgeable/well equipped when I talked to them. The one vet I tried switching to had very rude receptionists, refused to tell me anything about the vets that worked there, and tried to schedule an appointment almost a month away even though I explained that my dog was having issues and was looking for a second opinion. My horse vet also recently took an indefinite leave of absence so I can’t even ask her for recommendations or an opinion on the issue.

Thanks for the suggestions. I’m going to look into ulcers and treatments.

[Romany]

Our vet lent me a book which I’m currently browsing for ideas - we have an ancient JRT type with a delicate stomach (although he begs to differ, eating anything and everything within reach). It’s all about making your own dog food, lots of different ideas, many honed for specific health or dietary requirements, written by Hilary Watson, a scientist who seems to have some credibility. It’s hard to buy the book, however, for some reason, and the author sells a proprietary vit-min supplement through vet clinics. For better or worse, right! She has a website, etc.

Here’s the book:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Balanced-Hilary-Watson/dp/B01D3TYXES/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539365944&sr=8-1&keywords=complete+and+balanced+hilary+watson

[Sugarwells]

Did you have any xrays or ultrasounds done? I ask this because I just lost my 4 year old Doberman last week due to a blockage that ruptured his intestine. Most horrible loss of my life and I don’t wish the pain struggle or vet bills on anyone. He had similar symptoms and was on and off his food for a while.

Spend the $$ on the xrays and have a registered xray tech look at them.

[SAcres]

@Sugarwells

Did you have any xrays or ultrasounds done? I ask this because I just lost my 4 year old Doberman last week due to a blockage that ruptured his intestine. Most horrible loss of my life and I don’t wish the pain struggle or vet bills on anyone. He had similar symptoms and was on and off his food for a while.

Spend the $$ on the xrays and have a registered xray tech look at them.

I’m sorry for your loss. I originally asked for X-rays but was told I didn’t need them. He currently has normal bowel movements, so I’m not sure a blockage would make sense, but I will ask again about X-rays.

Thank gou!

[Sugarwells]

@SAcres

I’m sorry for your loss. I originally asked for X-rays but was told I didn’t need them. He currently has normal bowel movements, so I’m not sure a blockage would make sense, but I will ask again about X-rays.

Thank gou!

My boy also had normal bowel movements, so it made his diagnosis even more puzzling. Hindsight is 20/20 and I just wish we would have done xrays sooner it would maybe have saved his life. I hope your situation is less dramatic and an answer is found soon and it is simple.

[Smashley]

I would get your dog tested for Addisons disease. Hair loss, stomach issues, and refusal to eat are all primary symptoms. Addison’s symptoms can come and go in spurts so it can take quite a bit of time to diagnose. They can usually make a guess in that direction with bloodwork, low sodium and high potassium is a marker.

[S1969]

There are several good vets in my area without emergency hours, but an emergency clinic in our area. I would take a good vet without emergency hours before I would take a bad vet with them. That is assuming there is anywhere to go for emergencies. And/or I would look for a specialty clinic and get a good workup.

[jetsmom]

@SAcres

My dog was doing pretty well. But my well meaning but grossly uneducated about animals mother kept complaining that he was shedding too much and looked skinny. So against my better judgement I decided to switch his food to the Costco nature’s domain food. It came well recommended, and was reasonably priced, so I figured I’d give it a try.

My dog has been prone to a sensitive stomach since he was a puppy. Over the summer he had an incident that was a little scary. He threw up a few times, had some bad diarrhea, and then hours later refused to eat and started acting visibly uncomfortable, dry heaving, and stretching. He is a large breed dog (Akita mix) so I was worried about bloat and brought him to the emergency vet who treated him with a shot to calm his stomach down and an antibiotic that is commonly used for digestive issues.

fast forward to the fall when I switch his food. I switched it slowly and at first he seemed fine, but then started with BAD diarrhea. No throwing up, still eating just fine. I put him on chicken and rice, thinking it was the food, but he didn’t get any better. I was contemplating making a vet appointment when he started refusing the chicken and rice, very unusual for my always hungry dog. So back to the vet we went, for another round of the same treatment. But he hasn’t bounced back very well. He started treatment October first and ended a day or two ago. His diarrhea is gone but appetite is not back. I put him back on his old food and he is turning his nose up at it. I have to hand feed him or act like it is “human” food before he has any interest. He has a follow up vet appointment in another two weeks, but I’m a worry wart and am incredibly concerned I’m just missing something obviously wrong with him.

Im not sure if I should start him on a probiotic or something in the meantime. I think I’m going to give my vet a call tomorrow but if anyone has gone through figuring out digestive issues before please share your experiences. It’s very frustrating to not have an immediate cure button!

TIA

If he will eat if hand fed, i always consider neck arthritis if dog is older…put food on a raised surface and see if he eats then.
. Or your mom may have been hand feeding and she trained him. I had a cocker that got sick. so i hand fed him. Once he was well, he didnt want to eat normally. I had to break the habit. Did it by putting highly desired items in his bowl on top of food…like cheese, bacon, and boiled chicken.

[stargzng386]

An ultrasound would diagnose pancreas issues and the symptoms can match your dogs. My vet wasn’t concerned about my dog going off food regularly and being super picky. I had to see a diff vet for something else and I told her about the eating and she pushed to dig in more. Wish I had done it sooner my dog is literally a new dog playing like a puppy licks her bowl clean every meal. She was basically in stomach pain her entire life until we switched her food.

[Bluey]

This was long ago, but practically every Akita we had in our dog club was known for touchy GIs.
Some of them were diagnosed with a pancreatic insufficiency and put on a special digestive enzyme.
Maybe ask your vet about that also?

[retiredhorse]

When I got my dog, he was about a year old and had a somewhat sensitive stomach. One early time was definitely giardia and the other times, I think it’s related to his anxiety, especially about traveling – he doesn’t get car sick, but he seems to worry that he’s going to be left behind or something?

This caused him to not eat for a day or two, then eat fast and throw up, but then after throwing up, he was ok again. He grew out of it a bit – it really helped to have him on a routine for walking/bathroom breaks and feeding. And then only feeding very little if he was off his food for a day or two. Also adding water to his food. So after the first year, he’s been fine for 8-9 years.

More recently, within the last year, he ate grass, threw up a lot of bile, and had very loud stomach noises. When I called the vet, they said to give it a day to see if it would resolve itself, as that has happened in the past. I ended up taking him to vet anyway, because he seemed more uncomfortable than usual. Vet gave him a shot of omeprazole and sent us home with omeprazole pills to use “as needed” (when he stopped eating, if he was throwing up, or stomach making loud noises). We didn’t check for ulcers or put him on omeprazole daily or like with horses, vet didn’t seem to think it was necessary. The first week, I gave him 2 pills, 3 or 4 days apart. The second week, 1 pill. Third week, 1 pill. And he’s been ok since then. If we have to travel, I’ll bring his pills with me. If he has more stomach issues, I’d ask vet for more diagnostic work.

I also feed him pumpkin and probiotics. I’d previously had him on probiotics for several years, which seemed to help, but the most recent bout seemed to need something more, so pumpkin – the bonus is that my dog really likes it, so it encourages him to eat. I haven’t stopped the probiotics because it seems like they wouldn’t hurt, even if they’re not doing much.

[Sswor]

Yeah, enzymes, forgot about those. I feed a probiotic/enzyme combo supplement with the real food diet. Highly recommended for the GI sensitive dog.

If you don’t worry about balance/vitamins for yourself, same for the dog. If you’re really worried about vitamin insufficiency, you certainly wouldn’t eat Captain Crunch or Fruity Pebbles even though they’re “fortified with vitamins and minerals” and feel like everything was ok. Just some perspective. They sell otc doggie vitamins so no need to feed junk food just to get those.

Ps. calcium/phosphorus balance IS a legit concern with homemade dog food. Easily remedied with calcium supplement. I did the math once and my ~20# dog needs 4.5 egg shells ground to a powder in a week’s worth of food to satisfy his calcium needs. It’s an easy figure to google and calculate for your own specific dog.

Feeding a dog isn’t rocket science, anymore then feeding children is. Don’t let dog food companies convince you that only their product is correct. They simply want to make a profit. WE, on the other hand, want our dogs to be happy and healthy. They don’t care. If your dog, or thousands of dogs, suffer and live miserable lives consuming their crappy product, at MOST it will cost them a few bucks and ONLY if your extremely expensive lawyer can prove that their product contributed to or caused your dogs health issue. Watch PetFooled documentary on Netflix.

[anon55755751]

Not sure about the veracity of what I’m about to post, but a few years ago on some dog forums, some standard advice for GI and skin problems (including hair loss) was to try a different protein. If he’s only ever gotten chicken, even in the bland diet, may be worthwhile to try swapping it out for lamb or salmon?

I had one (dog, not akita) that was vomiting regularly when he was about a year old. The vet had us lower the fat content in his food, and he didn’t have GI problems after that. Switched to a salmon-based kibble at the same time, but I think in his case it was the fat.

[S1969]

@S1969

Most dogs on commercial feeds do not have this type of problem so i would not be ok assuming it is simply a food issue.

I’m quoting myself - yes, there could be a dog food quality issue here.

But it is also very possible (even likely) that there is more going on than just a “you’re feeding a crappy food”. I agree that switching to a different protein isn’t a bad idea but it might not be the answer.

Episodes of vomiting, dry heaving, stretching, and diarrhea are not what I would expect from just not eating a quality food. And loss of appetite is not something that I would associate with low quality food either.

I would get this dog to a specialist for a full workup and not try messing around with new foods, OTC ulcer treatment, or probiotics. All might help, but I would stop guessing.

[Lizrd]

@stargzng386

An ultrasound would diagnose pancreas issues and the symptoms can match your dogs. My vet wasn’t concerned about my dog going off food regularly and being super picky. I had to see a diff vet for something else and I told her about the eating and she pushed to dig in more. Wish I had done it sooner my dog is literally a new dog playing like a puppy licks her bowl clean every meal. She was basically in stomach pain her entire life until we switched her food.

This was exactly true for my Boxer, too. He seemed “fine” but getting older and just not as lively. Every one in awhile he’d be off his kibble. Then he had a bout of digestive upset where the symptoms were strong enough we took him in for diagnostics. It was pancreatitis. Switched his food and he is like a new dog. Lively. Silly. Energetic. Comfortable and sleeping through the night. Who knew?? I am so glad we had a resolution for his nondescript blahs.