[KenJ1]

I have a female basset that i just got a few months back. Within the last month, she has stopped eatting! She is nothing but skin and bone. I had taken her into the vet and they said there was nothing they can do, she came back with a clean bill of health, except for being extremely skinny. I have tried several kinds of food, from top grade food, to low grade food, and nothing she likes! I have tried cooking her veggies and meat, and that seems to be ok for a while, then she gets bored of it now matter if it is different food. She is 7 months old, and i am scared that this will hurt her later in life. Is this a normal basset thing? I had a friend that had the same problem with her female around the same age, and as a result her female didn't grow very big at all. Any advice would be great

 

[CPZ'smom]

This is NOT normal behavior. I would first take her to another vet!! It sounds like the one you took her to offered nothing, and this unacceptable! I'm not a vet, but for goodness sake, they are supposed to be the experts, and to just leave you hanging like this is not right. Others will probably have more insight/suggestions, and I hope you can get the help for your fur baby that you need!
Please keep us posted.
Annie

 

[KenJ1]

They told us we would have to keep trying foods that she would take. Which we are now up to 13 different foods and nothing she likes, except kibbles and bits, was okay with her for a while. Which i don't like feeding that garbage, but she will take it for a few days and then she gets bored of it. I have her going to another vet early next week, so hopefully i can get more knowledge then.

 

[kittiesareus]

Have you checked her mouth or done xrays? I've heard of puppies eating a stick or something and it lodges in their throat and so they were unable to eat. Also an intestinal blockage ie. rock. Is she defacating?

 

[sadeyes2]

Kenji, my westie went through a stage like this. She would eat the same food fora few days and then refuse it. I was told to put the food down and leave it for 10 minutes, then take it away and give her nothing to eat till the next feed, which was the same food. At one stage she went nearly 3 days without eating, but I stuck to my guns and didn't change the type of food. She eventually ate it

Got to say though, that she stilll occasionally tries it on, especially if she's been given some tasty morsel of human food some time previous. I just wait her out.

I know bassets are renowned for being gluttons, but Toby will only eat a certain ammount each day and will often leave some food in his bowl.

Your situation does sound a lot more worrying though because of her losing so much weight and there's a good chance it is a physical problem rather than a dominance thing, but just thought I'd give you another angle on the problem.

 

[clarejon]

our basset is the same.

has she had her first season? or has she been spayed?

Snoop has always been a fussy eater - just sniffs her bowl and walks off. she's never hung around when she knows we are dishing up for food - she just slowly walks over and has a little sniff and walks away again.

occasionally she will come back 10 mins later when she ready!

does she not even like sausages or cheese?

we got very worried about snoopy not eating her two meals a day a couple of months ago but the vet said that she is totally fine and healthy and had a small layer of fat on her. he said that dogs are scavengers and that if they are hungry they will eat.

he also suggested to make the portions smaller, dont give her huge amounts or a portion you think she should be having, so to her it doesnt look like there is too much there if that makes sence.

Our one year old puppy is 45lbs - I'm pretty sure this is under weight but she does eat most of the time - just some days she doesnt fancy anything apart from treats!

C

 

[Soundtrack]

Some bassets are picky eaters. It's best NOT to cater to it, she's waiting to see if you're going to offer something better. It's also common for bassets this age to eat less than before, as they are not growing as fast as they did. This is when owners start worrying and fixing special dinners, so the hound quickly learns that if it doesn't eat it will be rewarded with attention and treats.

I've had a few that were seriously picky eaters when they were young, and very skinny. However, as long as they were otherwise healthy I just let them eat the amount they wanted without fussing or preparing special dishes. They eventually matured to be regular eaters and put on more weight as they got older (4-5 years).

If the dog has been thoroughly checked and has no signs of ill health other than being skinny, I wouldn't fuss about it.

 

[peachesndiesel]

I think I saw this episode on the Dog Whisperer. A woman had a dog that would never eat and she was always cooking him different foods. All he would ever eat was treats. I think the advice to her was to make him work for the food and not to leave it down for him all the time. She had to take him on walks and play with him and then afterward it was meal time. He was eager to eat his dog food after burning off energy on his walks.

 

[KenJ1]

OK i feel better now knowing i am not the only one that has seen this! I have been told a dog won't commit suicide through not eatting, but it's so hard when your baby doesn't eat! I could be over reactting, because i want the best for her. But she will refuse food and then an hour later be throwing up the white liquid in small amounts. The vet told me that she is healthy, just skinny. Her mouth looks normal, nothing wrong with that. She is not spayed or had her first heat yet, but i am thinking her first heat will be soon. I normally give her cookies throughout the day when we are doing our exercises, but i will stop giving her treats until she eats again. She is weighs 40lbs now, but you can see it's mostly bone, and she has huge muscles on her bottom, which is kinda funny right now in her state! But I am starting to think it is picky eatting going on, so i will wait her out, and hopefully had good news soon!

 

[SaintDog]

Warning ..... Unpleasant!

Did the vet do a fecal test for worms? worms or not ... if he/she did not ... time for second opinion and perhaps a vet change.

Regards ...

 

[KenJ1]

Yes she has been dewormed recently and has been checked. NO worms! She actaully ate her dinner tonight, which is great news! So i believe it was a picky eatting! :twisted:
I do not think i need to change vets, he has been really good with my girl, and most vets in my area are not so good. :roll:

 

[SaintDog]

I'm retracting my statement regarding changing your vet. I made a wrong assumption. I thought there was no check for worms. (How the heck did I get that?) Perhaps I should apologize to all vets who read this thread because of me jumping to conclusions. So ... I do apologize.

 

[KenJ1]

Actaully i went back and read through it all, and i believe that maybe i wasn't clear enough and gave enough details. Thanks for your help Sanitdog, i would of said the same thing if the roles were reversed. But she is still eatting strong again this morning Crazy dog just likes to scare me i think!

 

[JenniferT]

Our Lab does weird things from time to time that end up all being behavioral in nature....will just not eat some meals. The vet has always given her a clean bill of health...
You are correct that sooner or later they will eat!
Our Basset is not picky at all.....