Earl the min pin stopped eating

[KellyShari]

Good Evening;

Our 16 1/2 yr old min pin has been off food for about 8/9 days. We have moderate success with bits and pieces of things but he doesnt really like anything. We arent looking for a treatment but rather some ideas on what on earth to try feeding him. I have tried boiled chicken, raw lean steak, egg whites, homemade pasta boiled in homemade defatted chicken broth, small cooked potatoes, pumpkin, cooked and raw carrots, white rice. All of it served with an without chicken broth and both cold and hot. He seems like he wants to eat but nothing appeals to him. His energy is still good, and he walks and still runs up the deck after going outside. I dont know whether to withhold food until he gets hungrier or what to do. He has periods of lots of drinking of water and then some of not as much but a more normal amount of water.

He was diagnosed with atypical cushings about 4-5 yrs ago. We decided to treat him holistically with chinese herbs and accupuncture and a controlled diet of royal canin gastro kibble plus boiled chicken breast. Up until a week ago, he ate this without question. Then he suddenly stopped eating, and since he was always food motivated, we took him in right away. His liver numbers are off the charts.

ALB=41 g/L range 25-44
ALP=1267 U/L range 20-150
ALT=331 U/L range 10-118
AMY=1500 U/L range 200-1200
TBIL=8 umol/L range 2-10
BUN=17.5 mmol/L range 2.5-8.9
CA=2.72 mmol/L range 2.15-2.95
PHOS=1.51 mmol/L range .94-2.13
CRE=133 umol/L range 27-124
GLU=6.4 mmol/L range 3.3-6.1
NA+=142 mmol/L range 138-160
K+=5.2 mmol/L range 3.7-5.8
TP=80 g/L range 54-82
GLOB=39 g/L range 23-52

No vomiting or diarrhea. His white blood cells were normal indicating no infection. He is taking Clavamox antibiotic twice a day for a week

I am looking for any help in keeping him with us as long as we can. Our vet is amazed he has lasted this long as he has also had a few cancer tumours removed. Yet he seems well except for these numbers off the charts and that he wont eat.

Many thanks

Kelly Gray for Earl

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Kelly and welcome to you and Earl!

It would help us a lot if you could edit your post and add the reference ranges to those values you listed.

This could be pancreatitis, has Earl had any vomiting episodes? What about diarrhea or loose stools?

Most times a dogs eats with their nose, meaning the stinkier the food the more appetizing it is, so how about trying sardines or tuna, sometimes they prefer catfood instead of their dogfood, babyfood meats that do not contain any onion or onion powder can also be a hit. Also you may want to try a food supplement such as Nutri-Cal, a link to this: http://www.chewy.com/dog/tomlyn-nutri-cal-high-calorie/dp/57191

I would also ask the vet about giving Earl an appetite stimulant such as Mirtazapine.

Hope sweet Earl's appetite picks up soon.

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

Hello and welcome.

You could also opt for an ultrasound to see if something is going on with gall bladder pancrease liver etc.
For atypical Cushing's the recommended treatment is lignan and melatonin not sure if that would make a difference till you know why he isn't eating. How is his glucose?

Sharlene and Molly muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Definitely get an ultrasound done. You need to know why he's stopped eating and if something else is going on, this can skew the test results.

[KellyShari]

At 16 1/2 we didnt really want to stress him that much with an ultrasound. I tried the tuna...no go. The only thing that went today was lean bbq steak. I dont like to feed him our food and I am careful with fat content, but I'm kinda running out of ideas, plus he cant really live on steak alone.

[KellyShari]

Glucose was 6.4 mmol/L with an acceptable level of between 3.3 and 6.1

[Squirt's Mom]

People food is fine if he will eat it and it not upset his digestive system. HOWEVER, do not, ever, give him you food that has been spiced and seasoned to your taste. Especially avoid onion in any form and garlic. If you give him steak, make sure it is plain meat, no seasonings at all. Same for any meat, veggie, or fruit - just the food, no seasonings. ;) That includes BBQ as it contains onion.

[doxiesrock912]

Some dogs tolerate getting an ultrasound quite well. Daisy thought it was a belly rub and fell asleep.

[pansywags]

I feel for you - it's really trying when a dog is reluctant to eat. Mine was a super finicky eater for most of her life, and at the end it was particularly difficult to keep her weight up - but she never turned her dainty nose up at Stella and Chewy's Dandy Lamb patties (rehydrated). http://www.stellaandchewys.com/dog-driedlamb.php

I frequently used it as a topper to get her to take in some kibble.