Boi stopped eating dog food....

[boimomma]

Boi suddenly just stopped eating his own food since last weekend, but he will eat other (people) food.

Last Friday evening we had to travel to DH's aunt's place which is a 2 hr drive away. We gave Boi his dinner before leaving the house. In retrospect that was a bad idea considering Boi has fear issues with being in the car - constant salivation and panting. So on the way, he threw up whatever he had eaten and just lay still with his head on the pillow. One of us always sits in the back with him and so I kept rubbing his belly to soothe him. Once we got there he was super excited 1) to get out of the car 2) to see DH's younger cousin 3) their 10 yr old dog Ralphie. So I thought he would be alright. Well, wrong. He wouldn't climb up the stairs leading to the front door. DH carried him to the door. There is another flight of stairs from the front door to the main living area. He was too scared to climb those too, so DH carried him up again. Then I somehow managed to get him to relax (we carried his bed with us) and tried to feed him again. He refused to eat but then somehow managed to finish about three quarters of it. I had to spend all next day helping him overcome his fear of steps/stairs. And he pretty much refused to eat anything but the treats I was giving him. We came home Saturday night and he did a little better in the car, no panting, still plenty of cold sweat though. Didn't eat anything Saturday night. Yesterday morning I tried giving him some turkey balls and he wolfed those down, he was hungry! Last night, just sniffed his dog food and left, so we gave him a few turkey balls again. DH feeds him during the day and he apparently hasn't eaten much so far today. We don't want to over-do the turkey. Until last night we weren't sure if it was the stress of the weekend or something else causing him not to eat. Today we're beginning to get really worried. He hasn't displayed any behavioral or physiological changes, as active as ever. In fact very happy to be home. Last time I took him out to poop, it looked fine. Called the vet and they are closed today and open only on Thursday.

I don't know what to make of this. Should I try canned wet smelly food? I would really appreciate any advice. We're heading out to aunt's place again for Christmas eve dinner tonight. Please help!

[Evey]

Stop feeding him things that are not his food. Is he drinking o.k.? A healthy dog does not need to eat every day, and as long as he is drinking and passing solids I would not worry. Sounds to me like he is training you to feed him people food.

[suebgone]

why are you putting this dog through this torture? if you are only going for a few hours - let him home. if you are staying for a couple days - put him in a boarding kennel.

I really don't know what turkey balls are but it you are talking people turkey, that in its self can cause severe vomiting & diarrhea, even death.

you usually don't feed a dog for at least 3 hours before taking it in the car.

you say you gave him treats & he ate them. you gave him the turkey & he ate them - see a pattern here? just like Evey said

[boimomma]

Stop feeding him things that are not his food. Is he drinking o.k.? A healthy dog does not need to eat every day, and as long as he is drinking and passing solids I would not worry. Sounds to me like he is training you to feed him people food.

He has been drinking water regularly and his poop got a little soft but still solid. I have stopped giving him anything but his food. I just wanted to check to see if he was just wanting to eat people food and not his own food. But after I made the first post he stopped eating any food, people or his own. I do realize that dogs will try to train you to give them people food, so I did stop everything but dog food after that first time. I felt so much better after reading your post that if he is drinking water and pooping fine there shouldn't be much to worry about. Thank you.

why are you putting this dog through this torture? if you are only going for a few hours - let him home. if you are staying for a couple days - put him in a boarding kennel.

I really don't know what turkey balls are but it you are talking people turkey, that in its self can cause severe vomiting & diarrhea, even death.

you usually don't feed a dog for at least 3 hours before taking it in the car.

you say you gave him treats & he ate them. you gave him the turkey & he ate them - see a pattern here? just like Evey said

I can see how this would look like I am torturing him but please believe me when I say I did what I thought was best. He is a very insecure dog considering he was adopted and given back twice before we adopted him. He is always very wary of new surroundings. Which is mainly why we are very unsure of leaving him in a kennel. I think the only time he was ever in a car was when going to the vet or to a new family. This is the first trip ever we have taken after adopting him. And it was only for one night at a time. Never for a couple of days. If I could have left him home I would, but that was not possible. We only made this trip because it was Christmas and we are newly married and all our family wanted to celebrate together. He did great the second time around, not worried or scared at all. They also have a dog and they had great fun. We always think of him first when doing anything. Also, I'm sorry about feeding him turkey. I had not realized it is not good for him.

Since the last two days he had also begun scratching a LOT and shedding a whole lot more than usual. We took him to the vet as soon as they opened this morning and they took his blood to check for anything unusual. They also fed him prescription Hill's wet food and he finished it all!! We were so happy we could have cried. The vet gave us Penicillin (Acepromazine?) for the scratching and shedding and Prednisone and Cerenia for car rides (which I haven't yet figured out if I want to use). We also brought home 12 cans of the wet food which he asked us to feed him once every 4-5 hrs for 3 days. The nurse was kind enough not to charge for the food. We will hear from them as soon as the results from the bloodwork come back. I hope he starts improving.

I want to thank you all for your support. This forum is the first place I turn to for any answers and I have never been disappointed. Thanks!!

Edited to correct medication names

[mynameislola]

Stress can harm the immune system, so the shedding and scratching may be due to the recent changes in the dog's routine. If the new food contains wheat or corn in large amounts that could also cause the skin problems.

Could you take the dog for short car rides every few days so it realizes that they aren't always goling to be bad? Putting the dog in the car with the engine off would be a good start. Then work up to starting the engine, then move the car a few feet. After a few weeks of that, depending on the dog's reaction, drive the dog around the block. IMO training is better than drugging.

Side note--here in sunny California, the term "boi" is often used for a gay male. I would not want you to be surprised by the reaction you may have when spelling it for people.

[ShockCollars]

Stress also affects human. maybe thats the reason that why it is happening.

[Macawpower58]

One other note on his insecuities. Do not pet, comfort and soothe him when he is acting afraid. Doing so is like a reward. It will reinforce his opinion that he was right to be frightened. Ignore fearful behavior, act as though nothing is wrong. Reward with a pet after the fearful behavior is over and he is calm once again.

[boimomma]

Thanks for your advice everyone! I haven't been getting notifications on this thread even though I subscribed.

In retrospect it does seem like stress played a major role. I do try not to soothe or comfort him when he is afraid of things (which he is a lot!). Sometimes I do think he might need a little encouragement. Am I wrong? I don't want to reinforce his insecurities. We are working towards desensitizing him to the car in baby steps. He has returned to his normal self, appetite and all. He still sheds a lot though and I'm hoping that will settle down too, soon.

Thanks again!