Murphy Still Not Eating

[JPerrelli]

It's been 2 weeks that Murphy hasn't been eating well. The vet did a physical and blood work. The blood work came back fine. We put him on 2 days of boiled ground beef and rice which he ate, but when I started introducing his kibble he stopped eating well. He was eating Innova but had loose stools so I switched him to Natural Balance sweet potatoe and venison. I use his kibble when training, and he eats it then, so I don't think it's a matter of him not liking it. I've tried adding different things to his kibble like boiled chicken and this morning I added an egg. This is the guy that had his meals down in 30 seconds or less.
He gets sick every morning after his first drink of water. That's the only time he gets sick. He's not drinking a huge amount at one time. I am on well water now that I've moved. I'm going to bring a sample into the water dept. to have it tested, and in the meantime I think I'm going to get some bottled water. It's just weird that he'll drink the water the rest of the day and be fine, it's just the first drink in the morning that makes him sick.
I'm going to call the vet this morning to see what he thinks.
Anybody have any ideas?

 

[Leonard and his bud Snuffles]

Snuffles is not a kibble eater either. I have to doctor it. I found out Snuffles really liked boiled hamburger and rice when he had his stool problem back in late summer. I have mixed his kibble with that. I also now keep boiled hamburger in the fridge to add to his food. What I found he likes, is I put some in a bowl with a some water. I microwave it for a minute and that get it boiling and gives the water some flavor. I then stir that in and make a bit of a watery gravy. It has been working well here.

Two other thoughts. I know well water taste like crap here. Lots of iron and sulfur I think it is. Have you tried bottled water?? Also, where did you move from? Since your bio says TN, could it be just too hot and humid for Murphy??

 

[JPerrelli]

I try adding several different things in his food, boiled hamburger and rice being one. He'll eat most of the hamburger and rice, but when I add it to his kibble he won't eat. He will eat his kibble when we train. I've also tried giving just his kibble, but that didn't work either.
I moved from Tennessee to northern il 3 weeks ago. He was eating fine the first week, then all these problems started. I've tried taking him on long walks twice a day to see if that will stimulate his appetite, but that doesn't seem to work either.
I did run into a couple that has a newfy and st bernard though a couple blocks away! Murph was very happy to make new friends!

 

[victoria1140]

perhaps if he has a sensitive stomach the well water is too cold for him, try bottled or warming the water slightly to see if it makes any difference

 

[Liisa]

I think I would also try bottled water to see if that makes a difference. If the eosiniphil count on the blood work was in normal ranges, then it's likely not a food allergy. Let us know if you try bottled water....

Having had a dog with severe allergies who wouldn't eat well... I understand your angst.

 

[JPerrelli]

I stopped by the vet's office today, because when Murphy got sick this morning, he had a few little brown pelletts with the water he threw up. I wasn't sure what it was so I took it into the vet. They think it's probably rabbit poop. He's going in for x-rays tomorrow morning to see if that shows anything. So for now, he's back on hamburger and rice only, and bottled water.
I also stopped by the water dept to get a testing kit for my well water. I won't have that back until next Tuesday or Wednesday.
We'll see what the x-rays show. Hopefully nothing serious.

 

[NewfMom]

No advice. Just :hugs:

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

Rabbit poop? What else could he be sampling out in the yard?

Don't know if you've tried the NB Sweet Potato and Fish, but that's what our girls eat. Lucy picked it, from a line-up of several kinds/types of kibble samples. Maybe you should try that? Get several samples and put them out for him to sniff and choose? Maybe the venison isn't agreeing with his tummy?

 

[Bojie]

Hows he acting otherwise? Is there any way he got into something during the move and ate it? What does his poop look like? Did the pellets look like old blood? Just the nurse in me asking the questions...

 

[JPerrelli]

He's acting fine otherwise. He still loves his walks, we play in the yard and do some training. He just doesn't want to eat.
Since I switched to the NB sweet potatoe and venison his poops are finally solid. He's had pudding poops since I got him from the breeder. My sister had the same problem with one of her dogs, switched to to NB and he's been fine ever since. It could be the venison, but this started a week before I switched his food. I can try getting him the NB sweet potatoe and fish to see if he likes it better, although I've been using his kibble as training treats and he eats it. I'll see what the x-rays show tomorrow.
I spent the afternoon raking the backyard and checking again for anything he could be eating, but I don't see anything. I'm home with him all day and try to watch him pretty carefully, but he is a puppy and could have gotten into something which is why I think the x-rays are the next step. The vet isn't going to sedate him, he thinks he'll be fine without it, whew!!
The pelletts he threw up were small, round, soft and brown. It didn't look like old blood to me. The vet thought it was rabbit poop.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

Is he actually VOMITING..where his sides heave etc..or just blatting up the water? Observing that..and telling the vet which is it..may make a difference to the diagnosis.

 

[Ginny]

It'll be interesting to see what the x-rays show. Usually when they throw up first thing in the morning, there's some undigestable 'thing/s' in the stomach or intestines.

 

[Bojie]

It'll be interesting to see what the x-rays show. Usually when they throw up first thing in the morning, there's some undigestable 'thing/s' in the stomach or intestines.

That's what I've been thinking, but keep in mind, most things that they eat DON'T show up on xray. Unless it's metal etc. Bojie's plastic shower drain didn't show up at all

 

[JPerrelli]

Ok, here's what the vet said. X-rays didn't show anything. He thinks Murphy is having gastro problems. He sent me home with Cerenia for nausea and Forco which I had never heard of. It's supposed to help with constipation and diarrhea and colic. I've never heard of this before. Has anyone used this? I'm to sprinkle a tablespoon on his food at each meal. He'll be on boiled ground beef and rice for the weekend, then I'll slowing start introducing his kibble on Monday and let the vet know how he does.
I should have the test results back from the well water next Tuesday or Wednesday.
There's a natural pet food store next to the vets office. They had one of the techs go over and talk to them about Murphy's issues and discuss different food options for him. How many vets would take the time to do this?? They had suggested putting Murphy on California Natural grain free. They also gave the vet tech a free package of the Forco for me to try. I went the store last weekend and was very impressed with their knowledge of the products they carry, most of which are all natural.
I've just switched him to Natural Balance sweet potatoe and venison. I was thinking I would stick with this when I start giving him kibble just to make sure I don't upset his tummy by switching to another food.
What do you guys think?

 

[Murphy]

Have they tried him on sulcrate yet??? combined with antacids??

 

[Pipelineozzy]

How old is he and is he actually LOSING weight? How much DOES he eat?
Did they check his esophagus?
Over the years I have had a couple of dogs that became picky eaters as they grew...and there was nothing wrong with them. They were just picky eaters that did not NEED to eat as often as they had when they were growing very rapidly..and of course they worried me sick when they changed their eating habits. Their behaviour was normal etc.
I would consider having them look at his esophagus if the vomiting continues in the morning though. If this is just a small amount, and he's not heaving before he does it, it may NOT be coming from his stomach, and he may just have water pooling in his esophagus.

 

[Emma]

So his poo is okay? He is vommiting still? is it clear, undigested food? If he is pooing okay there isnt a blockage, but maybe an inflamation?

 

[JPerrelli]

Okay, I'll try to answer all the questions.
He's just blatting (like that word) up water. His sides aren't heaving. He only does this in the morning before he eats. Sometimes there's a couple pieces of kibble with the water. He didn't get sick yesterday morning or this morning.
The vet wanted me to also give him zantac, one tablet twice a day.
He's pooing fine. Actually, since I've switched him to NB sweet potatoe and venison, he's had solid poops since I brought him home from the breeder. I thought maybe the grain was bothering him. I'm still not sure if that was it, but even before I completly switched him, his stools were much firmer.
Murphy is 8 mths old and was 126 lbs last week at the vet, and 126 lbs yesterday. So he hasn't lost any weight. When I took him to the breeder before I moved, she thought he was too skinny. I was feeding him 3 cups 2x a day of Innova. She wanted me to increase it to 5 cups 2x a day while he was growing. She said he's going to be a big boy and needs the extra food while he's growing so fast. So that's was I had started giving him before all this happened.
I'm not sure if his esophagus was checked, I'll call them today and ask. If it's his esophagus that's causing this, would it happen throughout the day also? I think its strange that this only happens in the morning.

 

[lilly06]

In regards to the puddin' poops, has he been tested for giardia? I am not sure that would effect his eating habits but it would most certainly effect the loose stools. When Oliver had giardia it was hit and miss with the stools. Some were semi hard, puddin' and completely liquid......Just a thought.

HOw old is Murphy right now?

 

[JPerrelli]

He was tested for giardia 3 times and all 3 tests came back negative. Muphy turned 8 mths on Nov 3rd.