My Standard Poodle has been diagnosed with anorexia. This problem started a few months ago and reached crisis point a few weeks ago. We have been doing quite well with me cooking her food and gradually adding a little dried food. What she eats one day, she might turn up her nose at another day. I think I have more varieties of food in my house than the pet shop does. If she won't eat we do not make a fuss and try again later. There is no plausible reason why this has happened as I have two other dogs and they all get on well together. I was wondering if anyone else has come across this problem with their dog. Her body went into starvation mode and she has hardly been passing any motions but today she has chronic diarrhoea which has set us back. We have done all that we possibly can but any other suggestions would be most gratefully received.
Judith Stephens, Mrs
She could try posting on these forums.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.napoleon.org.uk/phpBB3/index.php
Hi Judith, I'm no expert, but am an experienced dog owner. When you say you have many varieties of foods, and that you have been cooking for her, I wonder if you have ever tried her on raw? Has she ever had raw chicken wings/legs for example? I have only been feeding this way myself for the last few years (after owning dogs for nearly 30 years!)but my dogs and I have never looked back. It seems to be beneficial not only physically but mentally as well.
ReplyDeleteWe had an anorexic Std Poodle! Ours evolved after a series of chronic digestive upsets where our dog associated food with pain. It was a long, long road but we now have a dog who will (mostly) eat. Get in some NUTRIDROPS - vital to keep her strength up, and try CANIGEST from TRM. The real breakthrough for us came after neutering. Our dog will always be a fussy, picky eater but is now fairly stable. Phone me if you want to discuss 01303 266172.
ReplyDeleteI have had Standard Poodles for 30 years.... and bitches can be very fussy,especially at the onset of puberty and before seasons.... and after whelping.... The comment above maybe has offered you an insight and perhaps getting her spayed maybe the answer.... Though of course your Vet will advise, in case she is just too thin .What does she Weigh ?
ReplyDeleteWe have a female that won't eat if the weather is slightly warm and if we get a week or more of hot weather she won't eat anything till the temperature drops!
ReplyDeleteTry these dried fish as I don't know a dog yet to refuse these and super for bones and skin health:
www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dog_treats_chews/natural_treats_fish/47245
Also try liver cake: 1lb finely chopped liver put in blender with some milk or water (enough just to stop blender burning out) with one egg and 2 cloves of garlic. Mix mixture with 1lb of flour, I use wholemeal and cook in baking tray or cupcake tin until cooked also very good for dog health. The smell is something a dog will love and also never known a dog to turn this down, I usually get mugged by all dogs when out walking if I have any on me.
Are you sure your vet has researched all possibilities?
I hope you get this sorted! :o)
Judith, I would like to pose a few questions, though I would not pretend to be an expert but just some food for thought.
ReplyDeleteAre you/your vet sure that it is indeed anorexia and not some other condition/disease ?
While I am sure some tests must have been done to arrive at this conclusion, at times certain diseases and symptoms mimic each other.
Secondly How much do you trust your vet ? For example some vets are very good with a particular disease or they have a single track mind and refuse to look at a differential diagnosis only to realize later when the disease has progressed.
I would urge you to consider going in for a second opinion to rule out any other cause and would surely appreciate an update post.
I have a friend who has had this problem with her Standard Poodle It wasn`t anorexia but food intolerance. The dog`s belly hurt when he ate certain foods, so he felt sick and didn`t eat. He`s on Salmon and Potato and is fine now. We used the Elimination Diet to find out what he was allergic to - on this you feed only one thing (cooked chicken for instance). If the dog tolerates that for a few days you add a filler - rice or potato - and so on. Only add simple foods (not mixtures) or it clouds the issue.
ReplyDeleteMy friends` dog was allergic to chicken and rice, among other things!.
Yes we have a Poodle allergic to chicken too!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your comments , they have been a great help.The vets have checked Ania thoroughly and are quite satisfied that she has no underlying problems. She has been spayed and we maybe will never get to the bottom of why this has happened. We have a D.A.P collar which is helping and I am still cooking her food. I tried the raw food diet but she would not entertain it so I will now add the nutridrops to her food to get some vitamins in to her. Her immune system is down which caused the tummy upset which set us back 10 days. I am told it will take a long time to recover but we will persevere. I shall try and get some salmon and potato food and I like the idea of the elimination diet.
ReplyDeleteMy female Standard Poodle was acting the same for months; she'd get better and then the story would repeat itself. Three different vets diagnosed anorexia after various blood panels, barium x-rays
ReplyDeletefor obstruction, scans, endoscopies, you name it, poor thing had it done. Her teeth were thoroughly checked, too, and nothing was stopping her eating. Thankfully a lady from across the Atlantic read my post on Yahoo and found me though Facebook; she explained her similar situation: her dog had Addison's disease, which, although rare, is common in female
Standard Poodles. The test is a specific test and sometimes the electrolytes might be unbalanced, but not always. My dog only had one symptom of anorexia and none of the others.
I asked for the test to be done and was told her symptoms weren't indicative of Addison's, but if I wanted it done they'd do it. It came out positive; thankfully my Poodle is now doing okay but it could have had a different outcome, if she'd gone into full Addison's crisis. My vet has posted my dog's "weird" Addison's case in vet forums and has later found out that it's not so strange after all, and that more and more cases are being diagnosed. Hopefully Judith's Poodle's case is not Addison's, as if, unfortunately, it is, the sooner it's diagnosed the better.
Grace.
I have a dog going through a similar issue. I can so relate to what you say. It's so hard and frustrating. My girl goes into hypoglycemic episodes if she doesn't eat. If you want to write me, click on contact on my website.
ReplyDelete