# Samsons not eating



## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Hi everyone, 
So I started samson yesterday on chicken thighs and wings. He has had diarrhea from the kibble he was on and continues to have it and he isnt eating but maybe 1/2-3/4 of what he needs. He has started guarding his food so I know he likes it, he just wont finish it. I want to take him to vet but I am worried the vet will say its bc of raw. I upped his bones to try to harden his stools but so far it hasn't worked. I am starting to worry. BTW for anyone who doesnt know samson is a 8 week old puppy with estimated weight of 85-90 lbs.

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## Dustin4321 (May 15, 2013)

My now 14 week pup has had soft stools even with decent bones on chicken. Been using beef and they have been solid all week. It could be just chicken is too soft of a meat. Try other kinds soon and give him some kaopectate or pumpkin flesh in the meantime to firm those logs up. Plus a dietary change will almost always give the runs. 

Stick with it. My girl is growing slowly and developing wonderfully, getting some adult coat hair, firm ears, healthy bone size, good muscle tone, all because of raw.

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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

He had diarrhea before you started the raw? I would get his digestive system straightened out before starting raw. My dog is raw fed but if he gets sick I put him on a homecooked bland diet. 

I would suspect the diarrhea is not from the kibble and is from something else. I assume he's been wormed? Has he had vaccines recently? Eaten anything weird? Was the protein in the kibble chicken?

I would forget about being nervous about the vet and take him in.

ETA: Once you rule out serious health problems you can give him slippery elm powder about a half hour before he eats. That will help with the diarrhea. And don't go overboard with the bone. Constipation is very painful!


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

I am taking him to the vet now. I will let everyone know whats going on thanks. 

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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

So he is all checked out. They did a parvo test just to be sure and that was negative! Thank GOD!:happyboogie: They said even though he was wormed the kind the breeder gave him did not cover everything, so they are doing another worming. I have to bring a fecal sample in to test for parasites but, he is on a strict chicken and rice diet for a week. Hopefully this will the end to the runs. Thank you so much Bowwowmeow! I feel stupid for not bringing him earlier I just thought it was due to the food changes. They gave him an IV to re hydrate due to all the diarrhea. And prescribed some anti nausea and anti diarrhea meds to help him keep his food down. Do you think it will be safe to start him back on raw after he is better or should I wait till he is older? Thanks.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Did they explain how to prepare the chicken and rice? You should cook the rice in twice as much water for twice as long so it's soupy and mushy. I usually just cook the chicken right in with the rice or you could bake it and puree it. You can also add sweet potato (healing to the gut) and a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to each serving. 

The deworming meds can be hard on the gut so I would also add in a probiotic for a while or get some good organic kefir. 

What meds did he give you? 

And once she's better it should be fine to start raw. Lots of pups are weaned onto raw.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

No, they did not explain how to cook it she just said boiled chicken and rice. It is not Samson's normal vet bc they cant deal with parvo and that was what I was initially worried about. They gave him an IV of subcutaneous fluids and Cerenia 10mg/ml at the vet for rehydration and nausea. They gave me Metronidozale 250 mg and Proviable KP cat/Sm dog(paste and capsules) to give at home. I also have to take his fecal tube back once my girls wake up. I have been reading that the parvo test can have a false negative if their was blood in the stool...which there was. I guess I will ask when I take the fecal in, but should I be asking for a different test to make sure he does not have parvo? I was scared to death that it might be parvo once I read the symptoms, I barely slept last night. I was so happy to find out he tested negative but, am starting to worry again.Thanks everyone for all the help.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

there may be blood in the poop because his GI is messed up..

I do what Ruth explained in regards to the chicken/rice/pumpkin..Right now I'd let his gut settle, and wait on the raw for a bit..


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

What is the difference between kefir and organic probiotic yogurt? I bought some plain probiotic organic yogurt, no added sugar for myself and used it in his dinner and had to rinse it off the chicken bc he would not touch it. He was hungry bc I caught him licking his empty bowl. He is going to town with it without the yogurt. I tasted it and it taste like sour cream to me. I have bought this before, and it always taste this way. I only add a tablespoon to my smoothies and can't taste it but he would not even try it on the chicken/rice combo. I am going to grab some pumpkin from the store when hubby gets home. I usually have it on hand. I also have a mini pig, and anytime he has pooping problems,which he hasn't it a long time, I always use the pumpkin and it works great. Thanks again.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

That's funny that he didn't like the yogurt--most dogs love it. Kefir has a lot more probiotics in it than yogurt. I usually tell people to forget about yogurt and either buy kefir or refrigerated probiotics at the health food store because a tablespoon of yogurt isn't going to do anything for the gut. 

The blood is probably from straining. I think if he had parvo he wouldn't be bouncing back like this. 

That is a lot of drugs for him. I would think metro would be enough. If you want to go natural in the future you can use either activated charcoal or slippery elm. There is also a great homeopathic product called "Digestive Upsets" that works really well. That's what I give Rafi.

Gsds have notoriously delicate and difficult digestive tracts.  Hopefully your pup will recover with no longterm problems. Be sure to feed him multiple small meals to get him used to eating again.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

I just ordered the "digestive upsets" from amazon. It will be here Wednesday. Thanks. She gave him the anti diarrhea meds to help him put some weight back on while recovering, he has actually lost a couple ounces since we got him. She said I could stop once he seems to be getting better. She was also worried about him throwing up the meds bc he had thrown up all last night and this morning. I am actually trying to find him a regular vet that practices holistic medicine also. Thank you so much, you have been such a help during all this. One more thing, she said today that I should just give him about 1/2c of each the chicken and rice. She said if he is doing better tomorrow I can add more. He seems to be doing much better tonight. He scarfed down his food and kept going back hoping more had fallen in. I didn't want to over do it so I didn't give him anymore. How much should I give at each feeding tomorrow, if all goes well.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Where are you located? 

I missed that he was throwing up too. That's why they gave him the cerenia! Poor puppy! Glad they gave him Sub-Qs. I'm sure that really helped him to perk up.

How long ago did you feed him? I would go ahead and give him another half cup if he's done ok holding that one down. Unless a puppy have parvo it is not recommended that you fast them. 

Did you speak with the breeder to be sure that none of the other pups are sick? I would do that for sure. It could even be something like coccidia or giardia which can be very serious in a young pup. 

I hope he continues to feel better!


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

I am Lake Stevens, WA. Yes I forgot I didn't mention the vomiting, it happened after my initial post last night and I was so distraught this morning forgot to mention it. I fed him at lunch bc he seemed really hungry, sniffing the trash, his bowl, pigs bowl he even tried licking his throw up from last night. I also fed him dinner, thats when I tried feeding the yogurt and he wasn't having it. He ate the whole bowl after I rinsed it off. He is defiantly feeling better. He is is in land shark mode now trying to play. I fed him his dinner about 1.5 hrs ago and he hasn't had diarrhea since he first left the vets office, he hasn't pooped at all though.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

He might not poop for a while because of the diarrhea and throwing up and all of the meds. Plus the rice will stop him up. 

I can understand why you were so worried! 

It's gorgeous where you live--how lucky! You're not far from Seattle so it shouldn't be difficult to find a good holistic vet. My sisters both live in Seattle (one in the city and the other in Bothell) and my mom just moved there last year.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Yes it is beautiful when the sky is clear. I think I have found one about 20 min away. They practice both, they try holistic as first route and western as second option. I think it is the best of both worlds. Well I just fed him a second serving and he ate it all up. We are military so we probably will only be here for another year or so. We try to enjoy as much of the outdoors as we can while here. When the sky is clear and you can see, the beauty will take your breath away. You forget how beautiful it is during the winter though.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Check for reviews and see which modalities they practice. Not all holistic vets are created equal! 

It's been a challenge for my mom to adjust to the weather but she definitely appreciates it when the sun comes out! Everyone tries to encourage me to move out there but I'm happy living here and visiting Seattle.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

This may be a stupid question, but what is modalities? Thanks.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Sorry...modalities are basically types of holistic treatment. So that could be acupuncture, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), chiropractic, homeopathy, etc. Vets practicing holistic medicine should have some sort of training nad preferably certification in whatever treatment modality they are offering.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Well he seems a lot better today. My little landshark is back. he ate about a cup of chicken but only finished about 3/4 c of his rice. He still has not pooped. How long before it should happen? I will check on the vet. Thanks for the insight. 

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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Oh, and I spoke with the breeder and he said he had not heard from any other owners but, he would send an email out to check. He said the wormer that I am giving Samson is better than the one he gives, but it can't be given until they are 8 weeks and he does worming before that. He was very helpful and told me to keep him updated on his progress.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

Samson waiting for lunch...its only 10 am. I am so glad he is feeling better.

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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

*Got Samson's fecal test back*

So he has Coccidia and hookworms. The vet prescribed him 2 more meds. I will let you know what they are when I pick them up. I asked if he needed to be on all of these meds and she said yes. Thoughts? I feel that is a lot for his little body. She said that they had to be treated separately, and that he needed to continue on the ones he had now. I can't figure out how he got the coccidia, he has not been around any other dogs. I do have a minipig, but he isn't showing any symptoms of being sick. I think I will take is poop in to get checked just in case. Any input would be great.


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## lindsay1126 (May 18, 2013)

He has round worms not hook worms


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I figured coccidia because that often makes puppies feel poorly. If you want to use herbal dewormers (instead of the other stuff) then go to this website: 

Natural Pet Health Store | Amber Tech | Holistic Pet Store | Ambert Tech

I would go with Kocci Free and Vibactra Plus. Email them to be sure the products are safe for puppies. 

If anyone else reads this thread you are going to get wildly different opinions because I am 90% holistic with my dogs and cats. I can guarantee that the above two products work though because I've given them to two of my dogs and both then tested clear afterwards. I've also recommended them to people on this board and the other board and they have worked for their dogs too.

Also, I know people use diatamaceous earth (food grade!) for roundworms for themselves and for their dogs.


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