Poorly pup

[Cassie01]

Theis started being sick early on Monday morning. I kept a close watch on him and hoped it would pass within 24hrs. Unfortunately, he continued being sick this morning.

I took him to the vet, who after the consultation, didn't appear overly concerned (he has no temperature and no abdominal pain). Vet advised no feeding for 24 hours and then switch to a rescue pack of wet food - he also prescribed rehydration sachets, and of course, if symptoms worsen, advised me to call or another visit.

My concern now is that pup is not drinking. I have tried all day offering little sips of the rehydration fluid but he turns away. I have got a little plastic syringe and tried with this, but Theis doesn't want to know.

Has anyone else any experience of this or something similar and how long is too long for him not to take any water?

[twiceover2]

Will he take plain water without the rehydration sachets?

[Cassie01]

Nope, tried that too :-(

[Neon]

Sorry your pup is unwell.  A young dog can quickly become dehydrated so it is essential you get some fluid into him.  If he's not drinking voluntarily,  I would fill the syringe, get someone else to gently hold him while you lift one side of his lip up and gently squeeze the water through (the tip of the syringe should fit between his teeth).  

[Cassie01]

Thanks, Neon.

Just tried that and some minor success. Pup not at all happy with the unwanted attention from the syringe - he growled, very softly, but a definite growl. I tried a bit with it again and he turned away, but he did start to lick some of the drops on my hand. I repeated just squirting a little on my hand and he licked off the water. It can't have been more than a teaspoon in total but it went in!

I shall keep trying at intervals before bedtime.

Thanks for replying and your assistance :-)

[Neon]

Well done.  It's fiddly but if he is getting a little, it's better than none.  I would have a word with your vet tomorrow though, if no improvement.  Good luck and keep us posted. x

[JennyBee]

Have you tried using a spoon and seeing if he'll take it off of that? I've been in a similar position recently with my cocker, she just doesn't seem to drink after coming down with pancreatitis. She doesn't want to drink out her bowl but will drink off a spoon. If not, I'd agree with Neon about getting someone to help you. Hope he perks up soon

[Archie bean]

When my last cocker Dickon was poorly with pancreatitis he wouldn't drink either but he did have a little lick of an ice cube. Might be worth a try. Hope your little one perks up soon. 

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Hi Cassie - hope Theis is feeling a bit better.

Have you tried feeding him ice cubes? I've tried this with Henry before when he hasn't been drinking much and he usually licks at them for a bit and then plays with them and then swallows them - presumably even swallowing them results in fluid intake.

FYI Henry doesn't really drink anything unless he's eating kibble (dry food) - if he's on chicken and rice or tinned (after his neutering op last week) he doesn't seem to need any additional water. I've tried the ice cube trick and he always ends up getting some water via this method, as I worry about him dehydrating.

You can also tell if a dog is dehydrated by looking at their gums. Here's some info from a website with a few hints about dehydration:

"Symptoms of dehydration . . .

1.  The skin loses elasticity as it loses moisture.
This can be somewhat misleading since younger and fatter dogs will have more elasticity than older, thinner dogs.  It is important to have an idea of what your dog's skin looks and feels like on a normal basis.  Pinch a little skin between your thumb and forefinger on your dog's back.  When you release it, it should pop back into place immediately.  (You can try this on the back of your own hand as an example) As the tissue under the skin loses moisture, the skin moves back more slowly.  In extreme cases, the skin doesn't pop back.

2. The eyes appear sunken and lack moisture.

3.  The mouth appears dry. ... gums and nose are dry.

4.  Delayed capillary refill time
Pull up your dog's lip and look at his gums.  Place your index finger firmly against the gums so that they appear white.  Remove your finger and see how quickly the blood returns to the gums (they will become pink in that area again).  This is called capillary refill time.   If you do this when everything is normal, you will have a basis upon which to compare.  The gums of a normal dog refill immediately,  the gums of a dehydrated dog could take 3 seconds or so to return to their pink state. "

Hope he recovers soon. Must meet for a walk and play when they're both better.

[Patp]

How is Theis this morning?

Pat

[Cassie01]

He's still out of sorts and not drinking as much as I'd like him to be voluntarily. We have successfully managed to squirt two or three syringes of rehydration fluids in but pup is none too pleased with this process (though once it's done he seems fine with the intake). And on the plus side no more vomiting. (I will try the teaspoon and ice cube drinking solutions later today).

I got really frightened reading about pancreatitis last night and I had managed to convince myself this is what he had. Hopefully, this morning I can be a little more rational about it.

I’ve called the vets today and although without testing they can’t completely rule out pancreatitis, they’re doubtful in this case. Apparently there have been several dogs in the area coming in with the same symptoms and they’re assuming a gastric bug of some sort. She also said it’s not the end of the world if he doesn’t drink the rehydration fluid and just to add a couple of spoons of water to his recovery food.

The thing is he is definitely off his food - you can't normally enter the kitchen without him attached to your side, but this behaviour is notably absent and it feels very strange now it's missing. He's also far more lethargic than usual and tends to find comfy spots to sleep in (normally on a bed or under one).

On a positive note his bowel movements have all been normal, he doesn't appear to be in any pain and when taken out seems to have normal energy levels and trots along happily. He’s asleep now but when he wakes I’ll offer him another couple of teaspoonfuls of food (he refused this morning’s offering) and see how it goes from there.

So not yet out of the woods but fingers crossed he’ll be on the mend soon.

Thanks for all of your advice and support – very grateful to have a platform such as this for help and support when things aren’t going so well.

(((Thanks everyone)))

Sophie: Thanks for posting the advice, really helpful – I hope Henry is okay after his op and definitely catch up soon.

[SophieBlueRoanLover]

Poor Theis. Have you tried any wet food - the Goddard vet sells some Royal Canin sensitive one, and Henry had this after his op - he was hesitant at first, but ate it out of my hands in small mouthfuls (and no, I wasn't tempted to try any!).

Re the pancreatitis, try not to worry - reading stuff on the internet can be bad news as we always assume the worst. I'm sure it's just a bug that'll pass soon (I'll be avoiding Hurlingham Park for a while!). xx

[JennyBee]

Hope I didn't worry you by mentioning pancreatitis . While Brodie couldn't eat or drink when she first fell ill, she was also in severe pain and wouldn't have been able to keep down even the small amounts of fluid you've managed to get into your boy. It sounds like he is well enough in himself, despite whatever is wrong. Fingers crossed here that he starts eating and drinking soon .

[Archie bean]

It definately doesn't sound like pancreatitis if he is out and about and trotting around happily, so try not to worry. xx

[Ninasmum]

Sorry Theis isn't too well atm 
As he is also off his food, perhaps it might be worth trying him with a little white fish/rice or boiled chicken breast/rice 
The ice cube might work for him too 
Hope he is feeling better very soon 
Its always such a worry as they can't tell you how they are feeling