Simon might have PTSD

[Zoom]

I don't have much to add besides agreeing that getting him on a balanced diet is going to be the first step towards fixing anything else.

Try and find a natural pet food store in your area. There are a number of limited ingredient diets (LID's) on the market now: California Natural (not grain-free), Nature's Variety (I think they have both the grain-free and regular version in a LID) and also Canidae has a new LID line. Also agree with Kat about SLOWLY SLOWLY SLOWLY introducing the new food into his diet.

And find a new vet. The fact that he hasn't mentioned anything about how unbalanced his diet is just screams "red flag".

 

[Romy]

Just another thought, what cut of pork do you give him? Some of the bigger parts like the hams are injected with saline when the pig is butchered to keep the deep tissue from spoiling as it cools. Excess salt could be making him pee more too.

 

[Doberluv]

I agree with Kat that he's not getting a balanced diet. He's missing bone meal and all kinds of vitamins and minerals by just eating cooked pork. Rice has pretty much nothing. If you're going to feed a home made meal, do some research on a raw diet including bones. They need a big variety of meats....all the essential minerals and vitamins. He's clearly not getting that with this cooked pork and rice. It may be that it worked for a while, but now he's finally showing the effects. If you're not sure about doing all the research necessary to do a home made (cooked or raw) diet (it takes a lot)...go gradually to a premium kibble, like Taste of the Wild. I wouldn't take it too gradually though. He needs to get what he's missing....maybe over a week's time. Taste of the Wild or other premium grain free kibble looks expensive, but it's not really so bad because there's no waste like there is with the cheap stuff. Vets notoriously don't know a whole lot about nutrition I don't think. After all, they often sell Science Diet, which is absolute junk. Dogs need to have a well balanced, quality food one way or another.

I can understand him getting stressed out over the storm at the time and maybe even for a couple days after. But I seriously doubt that it would ruin him this way this long afterward.

So, yeah....get a second opinion from another vet, definitely. Rule out medical/nutritional causes first and take it from there. The rescue remedy wouldn't be a bad idea either. Personally, I'd want to know which thing is causing it, so I'd hold off on the Rescue remedy and see if the diet change alone will help. In other words, single out things individually so you'll know which thing worked. That knowledge may be of use later. I hope he gets over this...poor guy.

 

[simon'smom]

Thank for all your info. I feel like an ass for feeding him this for so long. It was the pork shoulder.. and he LOVED it. (We do too!)
Anyway, I got a bag of Taste of the Wild and canned Canidae. I am giving him 1/3 can, 1 cup dry, 1/3c pork and 1/3 c rice 3x a day, with a 1030pm snack of water and dry with a banana. Since Sunday, his poop has solidified, no more squirts- but residual mucus.
However...his gas from both ends is outrageous! Seriously, he has sour stomach- his belches are gut wrenching! I though the septic backflowed last night, it was just him.
I know his bowels are in an uproar, and it will take time, but he really cannot do grains gluten or dairy. any suggestions on making this less painful for him, and us? I know he is hurting.

Good news is he let me sleep last night from 1030a to 6a. that was nice, accept my son woke a few times. ah well...

 

[Kat09Tails]

Get a can of probios from a feed store. All the bacteria of yogurt in powder form.

 

[Renee750il]

Try giving him some activated charcoal tabs, or Phazyme (simethicone) caps. They will help with the gas while he's getting back in order

 

[simon'smom]

So he has been on dog food now, we introduced him completely, with each meal, phasing out the rice and pork.
Now he eats still 3x, sometimes 4x a day, poops almost on cue, but still, last night he needed to pee/poop at 4am. Last he ate as of today was dinner last night at 8p.

Now we are running into what we have in the past with him.

He takes to the dog food just fine...for a little while, then he rejects it.
last pork/rice combo was about 4 meals ago- and he has eaten dry/canned for 3 past meals. This morning, I made him breakfast...he rejected it, then went outside and threw up.
I tried again at 12pm, added a poached egg to his meal (1c dry and 1/3 can- thinking it might be too much food) he rejected it again...
now its 3pm, and I am trying to give him a meal, no thanks. He won't eat, but when I go to make his meal, he waits eagerly.
This has happened before- he is so picky about his food. And he really likes real meat.
I can't let him go without food for more than 6 hrs or he throws up.
I am at a loss.

help!

oh, his gas at both ends stopped. thankfully!

 

[Kat09Tails]

Tough love.... most healthy dogs will not starve themselves to death. Put down the dish... pick it up 30 minutes later. If he eats he eats... if he doesn't he goes hungry til the next opportunity to eat.

 

[Zoom]

Then you need to contact Sabine with Better Dog Care and have her work you up a good raw diet plan. www.betterdogcare.com

 

[Maxy24]

If you are willing to do the work, he might do better with a raw diet. Then you'll know exactly what is going in.

 

[misfitz]

I agree with Kat, and also WelshStump. Some dogs can't tolerate pork. Some are fine, but I know my dog, when I feed her pork, gets really bad gas (sorry, TMI!) which seems to be indicative of a less-than-happy stomach. I don't feed pork for that reason. You might try a different meat and see if that helps. Kat has good advice, though!

Edited to add: The throwing up seems like an indicator of a bigger problem, to me. Not sure what would cause it, but I would talk to your vet. Might not be the food necesarily, but some other stomach issue.

 

[simon'smom]

we have talked to the vet before about the throwing up, and he suggested smaller more frequent meals during the day...sigh... and to give him antacid, because he has such a sensitive tummy.
I would love to do raw.
In my ideal world, I make him just the right amount of food, 2x a day and he is joyful when he eats.
I hope to get there one day.

thanks for the info! keep it coming...I got lots of reading to do!

 

[Kat09Tails]

Raw diet and antacids really don't go together, so I really wouldn't suggest that route. Commercial diet - I would suggest 3x a day. Put down the dish and pick it up again. It might just be that he's trying to tell you he's not hungry every single time that magic dish appears.

 

[simon'smom]

tough love it is. He now eats at 8a and 8p. When I put the dish down, he would stare at me. I set my egg timer for 15 min and wait. If he didnt eat, it was taken away. this went on for about 2 days. He actually didnt eat at all for 24 hours. It was trully a battle of wills. Obviously, since I have the opposable thumbs, I win.
So now- no more midnight runs, no more eating on a whim, and he is now required to sit and bark before each meal. (only because his bark is so sweet, I love to hear it!). He learned fast to eat what he is given, so he is no longer rejecting the food.
He is now eating less, I was giving too much, because there was food left over in the bowl, so I cut back on the food a bit. He finishes it now.
All is right with his tummy now= no more barfing, runny poop or belching.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and no people food ever, including raw...not yet, until I have a better grasp of that whole thing.