Dog Wont Eat

[chocchook]

She did blood and urine test. Everything came back normal which the vet was surprised.

Has the vet entertained the idea of hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease)? Poodles are predisposed and the absence of any clinical findings may be significant in a sick dog as normally you would see some changes in the bloods due to stress / cortisol release. It is something I would consider particularly with a good response to steroid treatment.

Hi Rappie will definitely ask the vet about this we are going to see her next week.

[chocchook]

I'm not saying to do this, because it has to be your judgement call .... but I can tell you that I went through quite a few different "diets" with my boy as well. He'd go off one, I'd try another. Sometimes I'd have a bit of success (i.e. at least eating, if not enthusiastic) and sometimes I'd think I'd found the answer (i.e. enthusiastic eating, weight gain as a result, symptoms appearing to abate and matters evening out). As it turned out, the closer I got to a diet which was to suit him the best, the longer he would last on it before he'd turn off it and symptoms blew out again.

I had run the gauntlet with blood tests and also with the (then new) saliva test via Dr Jean Dodds in USA. The results of that came back leaving me with pretty much no meat protein that my dog would tolerate.

My boy had by then turned away from every meat protein source I could think of to try him on (each one by one, and for a term).

As a last resort, I had him on Hills Prescription Z/D (cans and dry). He eventually stopped eating the dry, but at least the canned stuff kept him going. But over a period of months, he went off this as well (personally I don't blame him and was surprised he lasted that long). At that point, I simply didn't know what I could feed him. I'd tried the various meats raw and cooked (desperate times call for desperate measures); tried the inclusion of yoghurt and all those otherwise *yummy good things*. No go. And he was skinny ..... AND hungry. He WANTED to eat and was mostly enthusiastic when he knew I was preparing something for him (save for when he was feeling nauseous), but I'd present it, he'd go to eat it, perhaps he'd lick at it ..... and then he'd forlornly walk away from it.

That's when I saw something on Augustine's Approved. I really didn't believe it would be any of much difference - he'd been on roo mince before and that had been one of the last diet bases he'd been on before the Z/D when, after about 10 months, he turned off it. But with no other options in front of me, I felt I could do naught else but give it a try.

I sourced human grade roo mince, combined it with the AA suggested vegetable ingredients as well as the AA SuperBoost. His gusto for eating like there was no tomorrow returned and for the most part (save for a couple of days in more recent times, when his stomach became uncomfortable again .... but then it righted) has been on this and just as enthusiastically eating for at least 2 years. I never thought I'd be so happy and relieved to have my 'woof it down like a hoover' dog back to that again!! He's not *right* yet and I'm still investigating stuff, but his stools immediately improved and are good, skin outbreak symptoms receded and are far less frequent and severe. I'm still investigating (as aforementioned) but without finding this "diet" regime, I doubt he'd have survived this long.

Very interesting reading something to really think about. Thanks