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Post by Tom Kennedy on Nov 9, 2010 19:45:53 GMT 10
I have a female greyhound who is 19 months old. It is 14 weeks since she came in heat and at around 8 weeks she went off her food, which I consider normal enough for some bitches. However this lady practically went on hunger strike. She has lost about 5lbs in body weight and as a result not alone can I not race her I can't even gallop her as it would contribute to more weight loss. I have had her at two vets and they couldn't find any abnormalaties. I have tried her with several different foods, beef, chicken, fish, tripe etc etc you name it I have tried feeding it to her. Any suggestions as to what my next course of action might be?
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Post by Joe on Nov 9, 2010 22:00:17 GMT 10
Tonsilitis?  Liver problems??? A good tonic like Collavet will usually "liven" them up, a couple of shots of b12 also helps on occassions. www.collovet.co.uk/Important... Collavet will swab, must be ceased 7 days before racing. |
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Post by Tom kennedy on Nov 9, 2010 23:44:05 GMT 10
tonsils removed last March. liver function perfect... have tried the collavet but hasn't improved since...
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Post by Tom Meulman on Nov 10, 2010 8:09:11 GMT 10
Hi Tom,
Eating problems can in many instances be a pain to resolve!
When that problem occurs in bitches while they are going through their seasonal it is often caused by the body going through similar changes as if they were pregnant. This includes the morning sickness type symptoms, and they go off their food.
The symptoms which include biliousness are aggravated by any foods that have a strong smell, and once the stomach is completely empty that in itself increases the sick feeling.
My suggestion would be to talk to your Vet and see if he can give you a script for some Stemetil tablets, or any other medication that is normally taken to lessen morning sickness as this will take away the sick feeling that puts her off eating.
I believe that in the UK prochlorperazine maleate, the drug in Stemetil, is available as Buccastem M as an over-the-counter treatment for migraine
Give one tablet first thing in the morning, and wait about an hour before trying her with something fairly bland.
My suggestion would be to try and give her some raw chopped chicken necks and maybe some cooked pasta, and then use the same routine for the evening meal.
You may have to repeat this whole procedure for several days before her system will start accepting her normal feed again.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by Tom Kennedy on Nov 11, 2010 2:37:35 GMT 10
Tom it has been 14 weeks since she came in season.... so given that she would have taken a dog at the end of week 2...she would have had pups 3 weeks ago approx if she had been mated. I have had greyhounds all my life and I have seen butches go off their food temporarily but this lady is the worst I have ever seen....
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Post by Tom Meulman on Nov 11, 2010 5:15:12 GMT 10
Hi Tom,
Unfortunately there are a lot of medical conditions that can cause lack of appetite, and they range from a severe hormone imbalance, through to diseases of the pancreas and other gastrointestinal diseases such as Celiac disease, viral hepatitis, cancer, heart disease, or something as simple as a zinc deficiency.
Because she has been examined by two Veterinarians I would have to assume that the major illnesses that cause a lack of appetite would have been investigated and discounted, and because the triggering factor in her not eating was the fact that she came on season, I would have to assume that this came about because of her feeling nauseous in the first place.
However the end result of this whole episode is that you now appear to have a greyhound that is getting close to suffering malnutrition, and the additional problems that causes.
As I have said previously, in many instances poor appetite problems can be difficult to resolve.
Treatment should include medication to relieve nausea, a pancreatic enzyme supplement to aid digestion, a zinc supplement as there is bound to be a zinc deficiency by now, B complex injections, and small regular doses of hormone injections to try and stimulate various body systems.
It may even be necessary in the initial instance to force feed her small amounts of food several times daily.
Cheers,
Tom
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Post by tOM kENNEDY on Nov 11, 2010 20:51:02 GMT 10
Thanks Tom.... the forced eating is something we have being doing for a while... breaks my heart but it has to be done... hopefully she will cop on a bit.... very soon....
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Post by Paul on Oct 11, 2013 10:05:48 GMT 10
Hi Tom, Eating problems can in many instances be a pain to resolve! When that problem occurs in bitches while they are going through their seasonal it is often caused by the body going through similar changes as if they were pregnant. This includes the morning sickness type symptoms, and they go off their food. The symptoms which include biliousness are aggravated by any foods that have a strong smell, and once the stomach is completely empty that in itself increases the sick feeling. My suggestion would be to talk to your Vet and see if he can give you a script for some Stemetil tablets, or any other medication that is normally taken to lessen morning sickness as this will take away the sick feeling that puts her off eating. I believe that in the UK prochlorperazine maleate, the drug in Stemetil, is available as Buccastem M as an over-the-counter treatment for migraine Give one tablet first thing in the morning, and wait about an hour before trying her with something fairly bland. My suggestion would be to try and give her some raw chopped chicken necks and maybe some cooked pasta, and then use the same routine for the evening meal. You may have to repeat this whole procedure for several days before her system will start accepting her normal feed again. Cheers, Tom |
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