# Please help!



## ladolce_98 (Dec 26, 2007)

I have a Golden that I adopted about 8 months ago. Recently, he developed a hacking kind of a cough. ( this is not kennel cough, more like a cat coughing a hair ball.) Then it moved to not eating. I took him to the vet and it was determined that he had a fever and a slight elevation of white blood cells. The doctor said that all the other tests came back fine. We put him on ampicilin and are giving it to him three times per day. After we started the medicine, he seemed to improve. The coughing lessened, but the finiky food issue remained. The problem I am having now is that he will not eat any kibble. We have changed brands and he is still not interested. However, when I give him human food, like bread or meat, he will gobble it right up. He is playing and chasing balls like a pup. I was thinking about preparing a "human meal" like ground meat and rice to see what he would do? Any other suggestions.


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## Rob's GRs (Feb 25, 2007)

If this were me I would let him eat what he wants until this coughing episode is over. This may mean some home cooked food for a while. Then slowly mix back in your kibble to what you were giving him. 

Did he eat his kibble well and seemed to like it before getting this cough?


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Keep in mind that dog's learn very quickly. It's very possible that your dog's initial refusal of food was due to him not feeling well. If you then offered him something more tastey (meats and bread), it's very possible that he learned not eating his kibble earns him a reward. If it were me, I would put down his kibble and give him a set time (10 to 15 minutes) to eat it. If he does not, remove the bowl and try again at his next scheduled feed time. When he gets hungry enough he will eat... don't worry, a dog won't let himself starve. You could also decide you'd like to switch him to a raw diet, but I suggest doing some research into it before making that switch. Rice is a binding agent, great for when your dog has the runs, but I'm not entirely sure it's something that should be fed over an extended period of time. The problem I see with homecooking him meals and trying to switch back to kibble is you are likely to wind up right back where you started with your dog eating around the kibble or refusing to eat without extra goodies to entice him. Whatever you choose to do, good luck! Hope to hear he's feeling 100% again soon!!

Julie and Jersey


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

You might want to make sure he doesn't have 'megaesophagus'. My dog had this and her first symptom (lasted awhile) was a hacking cough. It really wasn't a cough, though, it was the dry kibble getting stuck in her esophagus and the hacking was her effort to get it back out again. She would and could eat canned foods and she never acted like she wasn't hungry, it's just that the dry kibble couldn't make it all the way to her stomach. The first link (below) has a little cartoon dog that demonstrates the difference between a normal and an abnormal esophagus.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_megaesophagus.html

http://www.brightleaf.com/rusty/megaesophagus.htm


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## Hiltonrio (Jan 19, 2008)

Just no grapes or onion powder, toxic for dogs.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

You could try to add some warmish water to the kibble and let it soak in a while before giving it. It will bring the "kibbly" smell out and could entice him to eat. 

The problem is see with just rice and meat is that, while it can be good in the short term (e.g. to help with digestion issues), it cannot be used for long periods of time without creating some nutrient deficiencies. Like Jersey'sMom said, it can also reinforce the idea that if he refuses kibble, something else will come by.

I hope he will feel better and go back to his regular eating habits soon.


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## Thor's Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Has he finished his course of medications? If not, I'd give him a mix of kibble and human food mixed together, just to get through until the meds are done. If he's done with his meds I would pick a brand of food and stick with it. If he doesn't eat I'd go back to the vet, there may be a secondary problem. Most pups will find a brand of food to their liking.


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## beth44 (Apr 24, 2008)

Are you giving him wheat based kibble. its not healthy anyway. The vet said he has done so many surgeries for bloat on dogs on wheat/corn food diets. There are many safer alternative that are healthier. Try the natural dog meat can dog foods. Avoid anything that says meat byproducts as that means killed dogs & cats from the shelters, pet shops, vets, etc. Look for can dog food with real meat, like chicken, beef, etc as the first ingredient. With either potatoes, sweet potatos, carrots, apples, pumpkin, green beans, green peas in it. Avoid grains. Avoid corn. Both wheat & corn causes lots of gas, which inturn can cause the fatal bloat. I am always amazed when people think a dog having gas is normal. They don't have gas, when eating real food. They may burp from eating too fast, but gas is virtually nonexistent in real & natural food diets. We learned the hard way about pet food.
The first vets we went to, knew nothing about pet food, but told us to feed commercial dog food because their vet school was paid by the highly profitable meat byproducts dog food, which of course it is profitable, dead dogs & dead cats are free to pick up, so free protein, and the rotting wheat from the cereal companies is also free to pick up, all used to make commercial dog food. So thats another way to check if you have a good vet. If they tell you to feed commercial meat byproducts and wheat and corn based foods, run. I would love to have a business where my main ingredients were free, all I have to do is pick it up. If I didn't have any morals, I would be making cheap pet food too.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

I had a Cocker Spaniel who would go a few days without eating. She would turn her nose up at her food. On day 3 she would finally eat. She lived to be 17. She was always very fussy. I wouldn't let them go too long without eating though. I was always thankful on day 3 she gave in!


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Glad to hear he is feeling better.*

I basically agree with what everyone said. I, too, would make sure it's not megaesophagus if the cough returns

When my dogs had an upset stomach the vet would always suggest making some hamburger and rice for a short while.

I have a Samoyed that regulates himself as far as food is concerned. If he feels sick to his stomach he will not eat. We always know when Snobear is about to throw up. He has skipped 2 days without eating.


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## cham (Feb 21, 2008)

ladolce_98 said:


> I have a Golden that I adopted about 8 months ago. Recently, he developed a hacking kind of a cough. ( this is not kennel cough, more like a cat coughing a hair ball.) Then it moved to not eating. I took him to the vet and it was determined that he had a fever and a slight elevation of white blood cells. The doctor said that all the other tests came back fine. We put him on ampicilin and are giving it to him three times per day. After we started the medicine, he seemed to improve. The coughing lessened, but the finiky food issue remained. The problem I am having now is that he will not eat any kibble. We have changed brands and he is still not interested. However, when I give him human food, like bread or meat, he will gobble it right up. He is playing and chasing balls like a pup. I was thinking about preparing a "human meal" like ground meat and rice to see what he would do? Any other suggestions.


This sounds very much like what I went thru recently with Mitchell, after all the blood work, blood cultures,chest xrays, and esophageal lavage which also was tested and cultured the final diagnosis was EOSINOPHILIC BRONCHOPNEUMOPATHY http://www.nic.fi/~hra/Translations/Eosinophilic.htm

The more I read the more I think more dogs are not properly diagnosed, my understanding is this is becoming more common, but it mislabeled as a non contagious kennel cough. Mitch was hit with all kinds of meds, he was dewormed with Ivermectin/pyrantel, spent 10 days on an antiparasitic/antifungal/dewormer, antibotic, and a Prednisone taper. He is a whole new dog now, and hopefully it was not allergy based, and that what ever it was is long gone. But if necessary I would put him back on the Pred it was a miracle drug for him, even if I cant take it personally.

Good luck and if the dog isnt any better print it out and give to your vet.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

When my dog had a cough, the vet would treat with antibiotics, it would go away awhile and then come back. He couldn't keep anything down when this was going on. I took him to a different vet, it was megaesophagus and he had aspiration pneumonia from it. We lost our dear boy due to that vet's inability to diagnose my golden's health issue correctly. He was 12 and could have lived a few more years if he'd been diagnosed and treated correctly earlier. It still makes me sick.


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## ladolce_98 (Dec 26, 2007)

*Update*

Just wanted to post an update regarding my situation. First, thanks to everyone who posted. The information was most helpful!! I tried the finicky approach but it soon became apparent that this was not a finicky issue. The coughing became worse to the point where he began throwing up. So I took a chance and fed him some ground meat, which he engulfed with great delight. After that my husband and I decided that we need to take him in. They admitted him this morning and determined that he had lost 11 lbs. They have him on an IV and are going to do some tests. I will keep you posted...no pun intended.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I am praying for him and that it is nothing serious. That is alot of weight to loss and hopefully the doctor will find out what is wrong and he can start to gain some of the weight back.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

ladolce_98 said:


> Just wanted to post an update regarding my situation. First, thanks to everyone who posted. The information was most helpful!! I tried the finicky approach but it soon became apparent that this was not a finicky issue. The coughing became worse to the point where he began throwing up. So I took a chance and fed him some ground meat, which he engulfed with great delight. After that my husband and I decided that we need to take him in. They admitted him this morning and determined that he had lost 11 lbs. They have him on an IV and are going to do some tests. I will keep you posted...no pun intended.


I'm glad you took him in. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. I hope he's feeling better very soon!


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Sorry to hear your baby's still not feeling better. Hopefully the vet will figure this out quickly and he'll be back on the mend. All our best!

Julie and Jersey


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

I am praying for you and your baby that his condition is treatable and he is on the mend soon.


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## ladolce_98 (Dec 26, 2007)

*Update*

Just got a call from the vet. Said that it is either a diaphramatic hernia or possibly cancer. He said that he is leaning towards the hernia, which is usually fixed by surgery. He ask me if Jackson had ever been injured. I said not in my care, but he was a shelter dog and we adopted him less than a year ago so I was ignorant regarding his history. He said for us to come in this afternoon and we could look at the x-rays.


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## TiffanyK (Mar 3, 2008)

WOW! I will keep yall in my prayers too and I am anxious to hear the final diagnosis and prognosis!


Tiffany


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

I will say a prayer it's a hernia!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

Praying for you.


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

ladolce_98 said:


> Just wanted to post an update regarding my situation. First, thanks to everyone who posted. The information was most helpful!! I tried the finicky approach but it soon became apparent that this was not a finicky issue. The coughing became worse to the point where he began throwing up. So I took a chance and fed him some ground meat, which he engulfed with great delight. After that my husband and I decided that we need to take him in. They admitted him this morning and determined that he had lost 11 lbs. They have him on an IV and are going to do some tests. I will keep you posted...no pun intended.


Poor thing! I do hope the vet can get your dog healthy again. Sending pawsitive thoughts.


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## ladolce_98 (Dec 26, 2007)

*Potential Good News*

Hey everyone, I just got back from the vet and have potential good news. The vet showed me the x-rays and stated that he would "bet the farm" that it was a Diaphramical hernia. I filled him in that he did not suffer from the lethargy that is common in cancer and that when I did feed him the ground beef and rice he ate it like it was going out of style. The vet said that he was going to send the x-rays to a friend to get a second opinion, but he could go home with us tonite. So before we got into the house, I stopped by the grocery store and picked up some ground beef and rice. (The store clerk gave me a funny look when I got to the checkout line.) I got home and Jackson ate every piece of meat and rice that I put into his bowl. (I kept the food reasonable so as to not overwhelm him.) I will keep everyone posted on his progression.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

That is great news and hope the second vet agrees. Keeping good thoughts coming your way.


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## Thalie (Jan 20, 2008)

It is good that you found something he would eat with gusto. If it is diaphragmatic hernia, was surgery suggested ? Fingers and paws crossed here for your boy.

Here are a couple of links I found on this subject : 
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1571&articleid=263
http://www.lifelearn.com/c3/2005Diaphragmatic%20Hernia.pdf


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## ladolce_98 (Dec 26, 2007)

*Recommended solution*

The vet indicated that surgery is really the only option. You would leave it alone, but he would continue to have episodes like this one.


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## ladolce_98 (Dec 26, 2007)

*Okay this is weird*

Okay, so we returned from the vet and began feeding Jackson the ground beef with rice. So, of course, he gobbled it up like it was going out of style. Since we got home we have fed him this mixture for the last three days. Since then we have noticed that he has began coughing less and drinking less water. Basically, he is 80% back to his normal self. So the question is, despite the fact that it may be obvious, do I go ahead with the surgery? I am just worried about any type of surgery for the obvious reason.


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