Tired Spaniel Refuses To Eat?

[alexandrite]

I hope I don't sound like an overly anxious dog owner. Is it possible that a dog would refuse food when he is tired?

My 2-year-old Cocker Spaniel usually lives for food, when his food bowl comes out he spins around happily and loves to work for his food (sit, stay, drop, find it, etc). We usually feed him once a day, around 6pm. His normal food is Advance all-breed dry food.

This weekend he's had 2 visits to the local dog park, yesterday and today - today he got a LOT of exercise running around, playing and chasing after a border collie who was chasing a ball. I fed him a small handful of food an hour before taking him to the park, and he was as excited about that as always. We took him home, waited an hour then offered him food, and he didn't seem excited about it at all! He ate maybe a handful. I even gave him a bit of peanut butter on the food, it's usually one of his favourite treats, but he just wanted to go in his crate and sleep.

Could he just be too tired to eat? He's acting fine otherwise, now that he's been woken up, I just heard him barking at a possum in a tree..

I left his bowl out there for him until he feels like eating. If he doesn't eat it by morning, is it time to grab him and take him to the vet??

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Dogs refuse food for all sorts of reasons - some routine, some serious. Give him 24 hours and don't fuss over him. What is his gum colour like? It's possible he ate something iffy at the park and will be right as rain in the morning. Make sure he has plenty of water.

If you get a chance, take a look at the colour of his urine. If it is a burnt orange/brown colour get him to a vet right away and get a full blood screen done pronto.

[alexandrite]

Thanks for your reply.

Gum colour looks normal, urine looked normal last time I saw it at the park. Poo looked normal too, when I picked it up to clean after him at the park. To my knowledge he hasn't eaten anything while there, but he's an outside dog (not my decision.. living at the in-laws' right now and that's their rules.. sigh) so he might have picked up something in the garden. We don't have any poisonous plants though, and he's been resting since we got home, except for the occasional run after a possum, which is normal behaviour for him. We just did a cane-toad check and didn't see any.

I googled a bit, and some websites advise to take the food away then try feeding again later? So that's what I did. About half is still in the bowl. He always has fresh water available.

Hoping he'll be back to his usual cheery gimme-food-now self by morning

[Elsha_UK_AU]

sometimes my 16 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is not fussed about food either.... sometimes he'd rather sleep. I go to bed around 10 but some nights my husband is up till midnight. On those occasions, the dog has normally run out around 11-12 and scoffed his kibble down and then come back to bed.

I wouldn't be alarmed. On the occasions mine hasn't eaten at night, he has fair hoovered the food down the next morning. Maybe offer yours some food in the morning if he doesn't eat tonight.

Susan

[alexandrite]

Thanks for all your replies.

This morning I found a pile of either vomit or poo in a corner of his crate (can't even tell, i think it's vomit though, but it looks fairly solid) consisting of mostly undigested food and some grass, and he never does these things in his crate unless he's really not feeling well. Right now he's laying down in his crate looking sad, still refusing food. We're taking him to the vet as soon as it opens this morning, just to make sure he'll be ok.

Edited April 26, 2010 by alexandrite

[Cockerlover]

Sounds like an upset tummy, if he has eaten grass ,they do this to help bring up something they dont want in thier tummy ,

I wouldnt be to consaerned ,but a vet check would be a good move .

pls keep us updated .

[gareth]

Sounds like he could have an obstruction. Hope all is well and glad to hear he is off to the vet this morning.

[persephone]

If the food looks undigested and it's been some hours since he ate it- a vet visit is definitely a wise move. he sounds most uncomfortable. Is there a chance he has eaten any foreign body- plastic bag/toy/ stick?

Hope all goes well at the vets, and it is just an upset tummy .

[Stitch]

Could be a coincidence but my lot have had the same thing so I am inclined to think that there is a mild stomach bug doing the rounds in Qld.

Initially I thought it was just a reoccurance of my older girls IBS/gut problems but as it worked its way through the rest of my dogs I am inclined to think that it is a bug.

It hit her hardest as she has a problem in that area but my others just had a bit of a vomit and a bit off colour then they were back to normal the next day or so.

If you are concerned just withhold all food for 24 hours then feed a bland diet for a few days.

[alexandrite]

I had to go to work this morning, our Charlie-dog looked absolutely miserable when I was going out the door, so shortly after I left, my husband took him to the vet. The vet's had a look, and said that it's a bit of stomach upset or a bug going around (like Stitch said) and that he should be okay. He may have gotten into something on the other end of the dog park that we may not have seen.

He's not meant to eat for the rest of the day (poor pup.. especially with yesterday's food coming back out!) and we can try to give him some white rice tonight. Apparently he's acting and looking better now than he was earlier, so that's good

The vet said we could mix some white rice and chicken to feed him later, but we're vegetarians, and it's been years since I've had anything to do with chicken. Will just rice be sufficient, maybe mixed with some of his regular dog food, instead?

My husband didn't ask this at the vet...

(Luckily we have a meat-eating house-guest at the moment, so we can ask him to do the chicken-cooking duties and give him chicken leftovers, haha!)

[poodlefan]

I had to go to work this morning, our Charlie-dog looked absolutely miserable when I was going out the door, so shortly after I left, my husband took him to the vet. The vet's had a look, and said that it's a bit of stomach upset or a bug going around (like Stitch said) and that he should be okay. He may have gotten into something on the other end of the dog park that we may not have seen.

He's not meant to eat for the rest of the day (poor pup.. especially with yesterday's food coming back out!) and we can try to give him some white rice tonight. Apparently he's acting and looking better now than he was earlier, so that's good

The vet said we could mix some white rice and chicken to feed him later, but we're vegetarians, and it's been years since I've had anything to do with chicken. Will just rice be sufficient, maybe mixed with some of his regular dog food, instead?

My husband didn't ask this at the vet...

(Luckily we have a meat-eating house-guest at the moment, so we can ask him to do the chicken-cooking duties and give him chicken leftovers, haha!)

You can always buy some cans of Hills I/D food at the vet. Its basically chicken and rice.

[CavsRcute]

I usually give my girl mashed potato anf steamed white fish as chicken makes her worse

[mita]

You can always buy some cans of Hills I/D food at the vet. Its basically chicken and rice.

Yes, I've used this with a sheltie following a tummy upset. Right...available only from vets.

[alexandrite]

Thanks for everyone's help and replies! Charlie the dog seems back to his normal mischievous self today, wagging tail, appetite and all

My husband is reading out on the verandah right now, and Charlie is sitting on his lap. Awwww. (Well, half oh his lap and half sprawled out on the chair, but he's trying his best to be a lap dog!)

Edited April 28, 2010 by alexandrite