5 yr Old German Shepherd Will Not Eat - Page 1

Hello All,

Hoping someone could help me out. I have a 5yr old GS who just stopped eating (lost 10 pounds). He has been drinking tons of water, and his urine is very clear. He will sometimes regurgitate a little back up. I took him to the vet and the blood test came back pointing to kidney problems. They did a sonogram on him and could not find any cancer or tumors. They said everything looked fine. They did perscribe Amoxocillin for possible leptospirosis. Yesterday I was able to get him to eat by putting a little chicken broth on his new perscription food, and of course he still eats peanut butter. The vet is sending his urine to be cultured to see if they can find something. I also notice alot of dog hair in his stool. I was just wondering if anyone had advice, or has gone through this as well.

Thank you!

Stop giving him Peanut butter.
Perhaps take a close look at what you have been feeding him and maybe make a switch, gradually.
What did the vet tell you?

Moons.

I actually just started feeding him peanut butter because that is what he will eat. I usually don't feed him people food.

Vet does not really know what is wrong.

I disagree about not giving him peanut butter. A little bit won't hurt him. Give this dog anything he will eat except for high protein levels until his kidney function is back to normal. The diet your vet gave you is probably a kidney diet and it won't be the most exciting thing for him to eat. Hopefully the antibiotics will help and he will start getting more and more hungry and his bloodwork will improve. To stop eating and already to have lost 10 pounds is a serious sign. It is good you have taken him to the vet for tests. The fact that bloodwork shows kidney problems is a good start at figuring out what is going on. Leptospirosis might be a good bet, and in that case, a different antibiotic is probably going to be prescribed. The issue of the fur in his stool is likely related to kidney problems. Dogs and cats, and even humans will itch more when the kidneys are not functioning properly. So he may be licking and or biting at his skin more than normal and that is where he ingests the fur. I would try feeding him a little at a time, and more frequently. In the meantime, rely on your vet and if you need to, get a second opinion. There are other possibilities besides primary kidney disease or leptospirosis. The drinking of lots of water and the fact that he cannot concentrate his urine is also a sign of more than one possibility, including parathyroid issues and other hormonal imbalances. 

Good luck.

Dogs sometimes just get tired of a particular food, good food or bad.
Adding things to it that are good for the dog will add a little variety and spark the appetite.
Hence the chicken broth (low sodium).
I add canned salmon sometimes, cheese, meat scrap from the table, among other things.
Some people feed Raw.
Sometimes just moistening dry dog food helps.
10 pounds is a real drop and should be taken seriously.
Peanut butter makes a treat but not a meal, and could effect the appetite.
What do you feed usually?

Is the fur in the stool his?
The vet said he didn't really know?
What about that blood work.
Could the dog be eating mice or moles, digging in the yard, tape worms?
I don't think Peanut butter makes the best teaser for the appetite, just my opinion.
But get him to eat something.


P.S.
If your not satisfied with your vets answers don't hesitate to get a second opinion.
Beyond a message board.

My advice is to listen to your vet and do as he tells you to do.If I didn't see some improvment in a week or so I would get a second opinion from another vet, not from a forum.Did you tell the vet about the hair in the stool and the peanut butter ,if not I would call him and tell him in more detail what the symptoms are and what I was allowing the dog to eat.If you haven't already ,take a fresh stool sample to the vet .                                         Michael

Did your vet look for digestive tract obstructions?  I had a dog several years ago with these same symptoms and an x-ray showed a mass blocking the entrance to the small intestine.  Surgery revealed the culprit to be a new potato, apparently dropped by one of the kids while helping their mom with dinner...Brody got to it first and swallowed it whole.  It turned out to be a really expensive new potato...

I am sorry you dog is not doing well, please after you get back all the tests, have your vet recommend a specialist.
Always,
Cee