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Loss of appetite & the runs

Montster

Active member
monty's fed 2x a day - once in the morning & once at night. he is NOT a picky eater - the food is practically gone by the time the bowl is on the ground

yesterday, i noticed that he didn't really eat his breakfast & then grazed through his dinner, which is very out of character for him.

then today, monty had a huge case of diarrhea & is still not eating. monty's no stranger to the runs, but this is the 1st time where he hasn't had much of an appetite. i've given him a little chicken which he'll eat no problem, but he won't eat his regular kibble.

has anyone else gone through this? i'm thinking i probably need to take him to the vet, esp. if this continues tomorrow. any thoughts on what it could be? also, do you think i should take some of his diarrhea in (which poses challenges all on its own!)

thanks so much!
 
Hi Montster

How old is Monty and what kibble does he usually eat?

If he is a puppy I'd take him in to the vets today (or if it is night-time where you are then in the morning) as there is less margin for error with the youngsters.

Have you checked to make sure that Monty's kibble is not one of those that have been recalled?

Also were his recent meals typical of what he normally eats or did he get something, or more quantity of something that is not routine for him?

How does he look in himself other than his loss of appetite? Is he lethargic, not himself, quieter than usual, etc?

For my adult dogs, if they are just off their tucker & have the squirts for just 24 hours I usually sit on them for a day & just give them clear chicken broth (no meat) in boiled rice. If they do not show signs of improvement within 24 hours, or if they look sick, ie not behaving in their usual manner, then I take them to the vets straight away.

also, do you think i should take some of his diarrhea in (which poses challenges all on its own!)

It never hurts to take in a poo sample in these cases. The vet will just dispose of it if he doesn't need it. Shouldn't be too difficult to collect. Just follow him around when he is out to do his poo. All you need to is little disposable jar & a stick. You don't need to collect a whole big poo. Even a smear is usually enough for the vet to run his tests.

Let us know how he goes.
 
hi caraline - thanks for the response!

monty's a little over 3 years old - so i think i can wait until tomorrow to see if the diarrhea continues, as it will be 24 hrs tomorrow am.

his kibble isn't on the recall list (chicken soup & nature's variety). i did refill his dog food bag yesterday (i usually buy 18lb bags but put the kibble into a smaller bag for ease of use), but the food is from the same bags i've been feeding him from and there haven't been problems. my friend's dog was over a little over a week ago & her dog now has the runs (due to an infection, which according to her vet, is not contagious). do you think this could be stress related?

he seems a little more lethargic than usual, but still has v. high spurts of energy, so i'm not sure where he falls in his "normal" spectrum of energy.

i guess all i can do is wait it out until the morning and see then - poor guy - i just want him to be comfortable right now.
 
I do hope he settles down during the day for you. Try to keep his fluids up if you can, as the runs can result in dehydration pretty fast. If he'll drink some broth, that would be great.

Keep us posted.
 
You can usually wait 24 hours for just diarrhea, but a dog that isn't eating and also lethargic would be a bit more of a concern. I'd definitely call and get advice directly from the vet's office; they may feel he should come in today. If there is absolutely any chance he could have gotten into something and eaten something poisonous I'd get him in right away to the vets. Also: you really have seen this odd behaviour for two days now -- longer than 24 hours -- so I would want to get him in.
 
take to vet

My Lightingbug just did the same thing last week but, had blood in his diarrhea, he dehydrate and slow down. They put him on IV fluids which help. Lighting got in to some plastic which we found in his poo poo and the vet said it he could have had an allegic reaction or it seem sharp so it was irritable to his bowels. He's better, but don't let you bady get dehydrate. I was told rice, cottage cheese and some ice cube for diet. He wasn't eatting before but he like the rice and cottage cheese....then I add chichen.
 
monty was in MUCH better spirits yesterday - back to his happy energetic self AND being the little food vacuum that he usually is! but figured i didn't want to take any chances & took him to the vet this am. basically, the vet didn't find anything wrong w/ him & said it was most likely some sort of stomach flu or he probably ate something bad when i wasn't looking.

so i think i'll stick w/ the chicken & rice & broth for a little while until everything is back to normal.

thanks for all the feedback!
 
That's good Monty is feeling better today, it's so worrisome when our little friends are sick. My two still have the diarrhea, I had thought they were getting better, then last night they both got liquid diarrhea something fierce, I'll be taking in a stool sample today. Give Monty a smooch for us!
 
Glad to hear he's back to his old self. I will usually fast them for 24 hours and watch for any other signs....lethargy, whatever. If they don't come around after 24 hours or exhibit other signs....off to the vet!!
 
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