What can we do for my dog? :(

[MattW]

A few days ago, the family dog was acting strange, and was having trouble walking. Yesterday, me and my dad took him to the vet, and he said the dog has had sort of a stroke. He said, though, that dogs recover from it a bit better than people do, and gave us some meds for the dog, saying he should be recovering within about a week or two. The dog is really dizzy, though, and the vet said we'd probably have to help him get food and water into his system, until he bounces back. That's kind of where we're having trouble.

 

This morning, my dad spent an hour struggling with the dog just to get him to take his meds. Though he finally lucked out and got the dog to take them, I'll be the one that has to give him his meds this evening, and that makes me nervous, because I don't know that I can get him to take them... That's not really the point, though; anyway, we've had trouble getting him to eat anything. He's drank some water for us out of a little dish my mom put out for him, but we can't get him to eat anything. I dunno if he's freaked that they have more meds in them and doesn't want to be force fed them again, or what; he did spend the last couple of days vomitting a bit (the vet said because of the nausea, which is what one of the meds is for), though he hasn't done so lately. So... any tips on how we can get him to start eating again? And on a lesser note, how can I get him to take his meds tonight?

[MattW]

A few days ago, the family dog was acting strange, and was having trouble walking. Yesterday, me and my dad took him to the vet, and he said the dog has had sort of a stroke. He said, though, that dogs recover from it a bit better than people do, and gave us some meds for the dog, saying he should be recovering within about a week or two. The dog is really dizzy, though, and the vet said we'd probably have to help him get food and water into his system, until he bounces back. That's kind of where we're having trouble.

 

This morning, my dad spent an hour struggling with the dog just to get him to take his meds. Though he finally lucked out and got the dog to take them, I'll be the one that has to give him his meds this evening, and that makes me nervous, because I don't know that I can get him to take them... That's not really the point, though; anyway, we've had trouble getting him to eat anything. He's drank some water for us out of a little dish my mom put out for him, but we can't get him to eat anything. I dunno if he's freaked that they have more meds in them and doesn't want to be force fed them again, or what; he did spend the last couple of days vomitting a bit (the vet said because of the nausea, which is what one of the meds is for), though he hasn't done so lately. So... any tips on how we can get him to start eating again? And on a lesser note, how can I get him to take his meds tonight?

[renaissancewoman101]

What are his favorite foods? You might be able to hide his meds in his favorite foods.

[renaissancewoman101]

What are his favorite foods? You might be able to hide his meds in his favorite foods.

[MattW]

Eh, he's always been the type that will eat anything, really, lol. My dad mixed up his meds with dog food, and still had trouble. At this point, I'm more concerned with him eating, period, than having to get him to take his meds tonight.

[MattW]

Eh, he's always been the type that will eat anything, really, lol. My dad mixed up his meds with dog food, and still had trouble. At this point, I'm more concerned with him eating, period, than having to get him to take his meds tonight.

[Vanishing Girl]

As for getting him eating again, why not just make up something extra tempting...just to get his appetite going...chicken, steak, etc. I don't know what you're currently trying to get him to eat-regular dog food or have you already tried the tempting goods? If it's been a few days and he hasn't eaten I would call the Vet back if he still doesn't eat in the next 24 hours and after the tempting choices.

 

The only successful way I've ever gotten a stubborn dog to take their meds (this sounds mean, but it worked and was quick). I pry their mouth open and stick the pill at the back of the throat, close their mouth, and begin rubbing the throat area to make them swallow. It's worked every time!

[Vanishing Girl]

As for getting him eating again, why not just make up something extra tempting...just to get his appetite going...chicken, steak, etc. I don't know what you're currently trying to get him to eat-regular dog food or have you already tried the tempting goods? If it's been a few days and he hasn't eaten I would call the Vet back if he still doesn't eat in the next 24 hours and after the tempting choices.

 

The only successful way I've ever gotten a stubborn dog to take their meds (this sounds mean, but it worked and was quick). I pry their mouth open and stick the pill at the back of the throat, close their mouth, and begin rubbing the throat area to make them swallow. It's worked every time!

[renaissancewoman101]

Can you call the vet and see if they have any suggestion on how you can get your dog to eat? The vet probably has dealt with cases like this and would be able to best help you.

[renaissancewoman101]

Can you call the vet and see if they have any suggestion on how you can get your dog to eat? The vet probably has dealt with cases like this and would be able to best help you.

[iBroken]

I know someone in animal care who had a technique on how to feed an unwilling dog a pill.

 

Id really just pry the mouth open and throw the pill down the back of the throat. You usuallly then use a syringe filled with water and put it between their teeth (put syringe in side of mouth) to force them to swallow.

 

If you arent sure, I would go back to your vet for a demonstration on the best way to get your dog to take this pill.

[iBroken]

I know someone in animal care who had a technique on how to feed an unwilling dog a pill.

 

Id really just pry the mouth open and throw the pill down the back of the throat. You usuallly then use a syringe filled with water and put it between their teeth (put syringe in side of mouth) to force them to swallow.

 

If you arent sure, I would go back to your vet for a demonstration on the best way to get your dog to take this pill.

[ohemgee]

White rice and hamburger works good for dogs with upset tummys. We used to feed our dog that when he was sick.

[ohemgee]

White rice and hamburger works good for dogs with upset tummys. We used to feed our dog that when he was sick.

[MattW]

Can you call the vet and see if they have any suggestion on how you can get your dog to eat? The vet probably has dealt with cases like this and would be able to best help you.

 

Well, the vet told my dad that he wouldn't be in today; he's also doing some blood work on my dog, and he said he'd call tomorrow with the results. I know my dog was eating on Monday, but I'm not sure about yesterday, and so far today, he hasn't had anything. He's still kind of drinking water, though, which is hopefully a good sign.

 

We haven't really made any "tempting" foods, mostly because all of us have been kind of sick to our stomachs and stressed out about getting him to recover, so we haven't had the appetite for anything really good. My mom and I made ourselves some TV dinner type things, and we both put little bits of ours on a plate for him, and he sniffed around them, but didn't eat anything... Plus, he's too dizzy to walk or move around, so he wouldn't necessarily perk up for some good food, anyway. He's mostly been laying around in certain spots since we brought him home. He'll occasionally try to stumble to a different spot, but not very often; we can't even get him to go outside (to go to the bathroom) yet, so we have the blankets he usually sleeps on under him, since he's still urinating. Every now and then, he kinda growls like he usually does when he has to go out, but he won't really try to get up and go.

 

As for the pill thing, yeah, that's basically what my dad had to do, holding his mouth open and throwing the pill in. I just don't know if I'll be able to do it... My dog was extra tricky for my dad, because he kept using his tongue to shoot the pill out. It was kind of comical to watch, actually, but eh...

[MattW]

My dad and I made a sort of makeshift "stretcher" to take him outside for a little bit. He stumbled around (while me and my dad helped sort of guide him), he licked/ ate a lot of snow, and he got a tiny bit of poo out (which is good, I guess, because he hasn't done that in the last day or two, either). Still can't really get him to eat, though. If we try to hand feed him, he keeps turning his head away. My mom put out a tiny bit of pork roast she made, and he sniffs it a little, but he's not eating it. When she picked it up, since it had been sitting there for a while, he started licking the area where it was sitting. She also made a little cup of soup for him, figuring it'd be easier for him to drink than eat, but he only sniffed that, too.

 

*sigh* We want to get him eating, because the vet said if we can't get him eating and drinking again, we'd have to get him IVs to get him back to normal, and that's pretty pricey, I guess.

[Dinka]

Don't use pork or steak - these meats are too rich for a dog who has nothing in his stomach and it'll make him feel too sick if he eats it. Try chicken that's been blended up - it's not as heavy.

[MattW]

Still haven't gotten him to eat anything. I just spent the last 45 minutes wrestling with him to take his two pills. I couldn't get him to actually swallow them (for some reason, the "tickle under the throat" trick didn't work...), but they mostly dissolved in his mouth. Hopefully that should still be good enough...? *sigh* I gotta be doing this every night, too, because my dad works nights, and can only give the dog his morning meds. I don't know how I'm gonna be able to keep doing this... I don't even know if he's properly getting the medicine if they're just kind of dissolving in his mouth, rather than him swallowing them.

[Catdancer]

pills---use cream cheese--tuck the pills into a glob of cream cheese and they will swallow it whole-slides right down their throats

 

eating---get some beef, chicken and turkey flavored baby food--try the baby food--you can easily put it into a big syringe and squirt it into his mouth from the side

 

good luck--sounds as though he is not doing well at all---have you considered putting him down? His quality of life is horrible and I'm sure he is pretty damn miserable.

[MattW]

good luck--sounds as though he is not doing well at all---have you considered putting him down? His quality of life is horrible and I'm sure he is pretty damn miserable.

 

Well, at the moment, we're trying to avoid the "putting him down" option. He doesn't seem to be in pain or suffering at all; if he were, I think we'd definitely know it. He kinda seems like he's getting better, it's just going to be a little while before he fully recovers. From what the vet said (and from all Googling I've done on the subject), it seems he should be able to get a bit better within a couple of weeks.

 

We've got him to eat a little bit of rice, and we've been getting him walking around a little bit. He just seems really disoriented, which is what the meds should hopefully be helping once they really start kicking. My dad got him to take his pills this morning, and I just have to get him to take one of them later on tonight. At worst, I'll just have to let it dissolve in his mouth like I did last night.

[Catdancer]

yuck! Dont let it dissolve in his mouth, that will make him throw up. Go get a little block of cream cheese for $1.00 and put the pills in a glob of it, it will slide right down his throat. And def try the baby food...it's a greaet trick for sick dogs or cats. I did animal rescue and rehab for 10 years, and I've used the cream cheese and baby food more times than I can count. lol

[tina-rocks]

I just looked and found this useful websites with tips on how to help him take his medication.

 

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Bare with me and I will look for some more for you too

 

OK I have some more only these website with information about after stroke.

 

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I found a pet forums you might be interested in looking at

 

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This one should give tips on the eating side after stroke

 

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I hope this helps you and I am willing a full recovery for your beautiful dog.. Hugs sent.

 

 

Christina x

[MattW]

We kinda got him to eat a little bit of rice throughout the day, and he's kept it down so far, so hopefully that's a good thing. The vet didn't call all day like he said he would, but then he called about a half-hour ago and left a message saying that they were getting ready to leave the office, and he gave the number to call for tomorrow to get the results. My dad is at work, and I didn't want to answer it, because I didn't talk to the vet yesterday, only my dad did. I'm nerved up, though, because he didn't imply one way or the other if it was bad news or good news. I'm worried that him not saying anything means bad news, but I'm trying to come up with reasons why that's not necessarily the case.

 

Right now, we don't want to have him put down, or know that we'll have to in the next month or two. We're all very attached to him... Don't get me wrong, if he gets really bad, or is suffering too much, we wouldn't make him go through it just for our sakes. But we really don't want to hear that he's got a tumor, or some other nasty illness that will ultimately take him in the near future. I mean, I know no one wants to hear that, but still... It'd just be too gut-wrenching. I'm already getting upset about the worst case scenario. I won't get any answers until my dad calls tomorrow morning. I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep... -_-

[Citlali]

Maybe this is a stupid suggestion, but can the vet just inject the medicine? If you really can't get him to take it, then maybe you need to resort to that option. We had to do that for our cats on several occasions.

[MattW]

Whew, blood test came back fine. That's a total relief. We're gonna try some baby food for him, and maybe some more rice, since he was eating some of that yesterday. I think he's definitely hungry, but he still throws up once or twice, so I can't help but think that's why he's wary of eating. He's due to take one of his pills, now, but I'm pretty sure I can hear his stomach growling; I'd hate for him to take the pill on an empty stomach, especially since he might throw it up. At the same time, I don't know how much we can get him to eat before he takes the pill, and if he can't quite keep that down, he'll end up barfing up the pill, anyway.

 

Maybe this is a stupid suggestion, but can the vet just inject the medicine? If you really can't get him to take it, then maybe you need to resort to that option. We had to do that for our cats on several occasions.

 

Well, that'd probably be pretty costly, since he needs each of his meds twice a day. He's getting a little less difficult about taking them, it's just that my dad has a slightly easier time getting him to take them than I do, and I have to do the night time ones, since my dad works.