Shih Tzu Won't Eat???

[Up-the-Creek]

Quote:
I am so glad to hear you consulted a vet. Keep an eye on her and give her lots of love,..she will be back to her perky self soon!

 

[horsejody]

Try hand feeding her. My Lhasa always eats better when I hand feed him one piece at a time. I guess it tastes better that way. Yes, he is very spoiled.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

She ate a little bit this morning, but apparently threw that up at some point today.

I'm taking her to MY vet. I don't know the vet very well here, but it seemed like an emergency.

She's on puppy food right now and she DOES like it better when I feed her piece by piece. I really don't know what else to do.

I thought if it was only because she hadn't eaten that was causing the vomiting, now I'm really worried because she threw up food that wasn't digested and had been in her for at least 2 hours.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

If there is nothing wrong with the dog, once I determine that, then I get very tough about the eating thing.

Dogs can easily get habituated to certain criteria when they eat. Meaning, that occasionally people train their dogs to eat only under certain circumstances without realizing they are doing it.

If there is nothing wrong with the dog, here is what I would do:

Set meal times. AM and PM is reasonable. Stick to regular meal times.

Prepare food, put the dog in a confined area, a crate is ideal, or you can gate off a room with a baby gate.

Let dog have access to the food for 10 minutes, UNDISTURBED. No talking from you, no standing by to watch, no hand feeding.

After 10 minutes remove the food. Give the dog no access to other food until the next meal time. If the dog did not consume all the food at the first meal, offer half what you did the first time.

If the dog does not clean up the second meal, skip the 3rd meal, and offer the half amount at the 4th meal.

I would continue to put down food and remove it after 10 minutes until the dog decides that what you put down is delicious, and IT WILL. You have to have some guts tho, for this method to work.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

OK, we were all thrown for a loop on this one.

I decided to take another look inside Vida's mouth and noticed something odd. A tooth had disappeared. Unfortunately...it didn't fall out. It has been overtaken by the gum...so she will need dental work of some sort. I'll have to make an appointment for it this next week. She's eating soft foods (yay!) but not much at all.

I'm going to see if she will chew on some greenies, or should I even bother at this point? Would brushing her teeth help at all?

 

[Redyre Rotties]

oh the poor thing!

I would soak and/or grind her food until you can get her seen by a vet.

And beware of Greenies!! Too many dogs have either died or had these things surgically removed from their gut.

Hope she is feeling much better soon.

 

[Godsgrl]

I've heard of the dental problem with dogs where their gums grow over their teeth. It's a big problem with boxers, didn't realize small dogs could get it. Sounds like a problem for the vet. I hope your dog gets to feeling better soon.

 

[beefy]

why didnt the vet look in her mouth?!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

He did, but only noted "tartar" buildup. I don't really know if the tooth was just not as inflamed as it was today?? (Like I said...not my usual vet.)

After giving her something to chew on (NOT a greenie!

) the inflammation has gone down. She's playing with toys, and even cleaned up some soft food tonight. She's perky and happy! I might get her another one of the dog chews that have the teeth cleaner in it again. It really seems to have helped her?