murphy not well?

hi all, hoping someone can give me some advice. murphy who is nearly 7 months hasnt eaten his breakfast this morning and hes not as lively as usual. after refusing breakfast he went into the garden to have a poo and was chewing on an overhanging tree. he is usually wanting to sit on my knee but instead he is lying down here in the house and when i call him he is just looking at me or lifting his head up. i know he may just have an upset stomach but i worry about the slightest thing with him. sorry to sound like and over anxious mother. mandy

Hi Mandy don't worry i think we're all like that I know when mine aren't feeling 100% they tend to self medicate by not eating anything apart from grass tree etc and if they are still not sorted out after a couple of day i take them to the vet. I dont know what the weather is like where you are but i know if its hot or clammy here that can make them not eat and be less lively.

Hope he's ok keep us posted Lorri

hi lorri, thanks for that. do you think i should tempt him with something to eat and if so what would be best or should i just leave him to come round to it when he feels like it? mandy

did he poo?

dogs often dont eat when they are blocked id keep a close eye on how much he poos!

also is he still drinking as normal?

cheri

hi, well would you believe it? i just made him some scrambled egg and he wouldnt come and eat it out of his bowl so i sat and spoon fed him it where he was lying and he ate the lot lol. he then got up and went to his bowl to see if there was any in there. he has now gone to lay back down but seems ok. yes he did poo and i will keep an eye on his drinking to make sure. he always has fresh water down and u can easily tell if hes been in it as it has drool and everything in it. still worried but not as much now. thanks for all your help. this site is great. mandy

glad he pood! i know its strange to ask but i always check and count poos when a dog is poorly !!!! im not obsessed with poo but like to know its still comming out!

aslong as he keeps drinking going without food wont hurt for a day or two its just why he doesnt want to eat!

be carefull not to over "baby" him with spoon feeding as when he is better he may still want it that way!

cheri

Hi Mandy,

So be careful with the spoon feeding, they kinda get used to the 'extra' attention & you dont want to be spoon feeding a 15stone saint LOL

If a dog eats grass, or leaves etc ususally its because they want to be sick & its their own way of getting out whats making them feel poorly. Some days, they just dont want breakfast, but eat their tea like its their first meal ever!!

As long as he is drinking plenty, dont worry too much. Have you checked to see if he has a temperature?

If he is still the same & hasnt got any worse then leave him be for a day or 2, then go to the vet for a check over just to be on the safe side.

Hope hes better soon, & try not to worry too much

if you do take his temp from his bottom make sure he is laying on his side as if he is standing he may well try and sit down fast and thats not good with a themometer up his bottom!

like i said and kathy said be very carefull about spoon feeding but maybe sitting by his bowl while he eats is better for now!?

cheri

I agrre with the rest about spoon feeding i know you only want to help but trust me it can cause more probs we made the mistake of doin this with our first bernard 1 time she was poorly and it took ages before we could get her back to eating on her own!! He will get up and eat when he's hungry just like the rest of us

Lorri

Hi Mandy!

Hard not to panic if our dogs aren't eating or acting out of character!!

Sometimes they just need to have their appetites 'tickled' as you did with the scrambled egg; sometimes they're a bit upset inside but it's self limiting and back to normal after a day or so; sometimes there can be an underlying problem that needs attention but I find that usually Han gets over a mild stomach upset after a day of just being given boiled rice (which he loves) and scrambled egg (possibly with some cooked chicken) - nice and bland and not too demading on the digestive system. I personally do not believe in withdrawing food for 24 hours as some people do.

Personally, I always give it about three days to see whether stomach upset is self limiting - then it would be off to the vet.

Agree that spoon feeding is not to be encouraged.

Agree that stools are a good indicator.

Agree that eating grass is fairly normal canine behaviour - Han does it regularly - sometimes he brings it back up, sometimes not. I try to give him steamed green veg with his food.

Get yourself well soon Murphy!!

Take care
BeBe

One of ours just did this a couple of weeks ago. He didn't eat for 2 1/2 days and had Diarrhea . We took him to the vet and he couldn't find anything wrong except that the x-ray showed a slightly extended stomach, but he did say he has seen this a lot the last few weeks. We gave him hamburger and rice when he would eat and made water available at all times. He was back to normal in 2 days. If you live in the US it could be the same thing.

hi all, thanks for all your replies.murphy picked up yesterday and was eating and drinking normally but did seem a little quieter than usual. perhaps hes finally calming down as usually hes quite boisterous. this morning he hasnt eaten his breakfast again but i am just going to leave him till he feels hungry. he seems ok and wanted fussing this morning but i am used to him bounding about so something is just niggling me that alls not right. if hes not back to what i see as his normal self by tomorrow i think i will take him to the vet to be checked. thanks again. mandy

while i was sending my last message murphy went and ate his breakfast so panic over for the time being. will see how he goes. will wait and see if he has a poo now. thanks. mandy

im pleased he's eating i know you will feel better now