URGENT HELP NEEDED- Bulldog not eating for 4+ weeks

[quickie]

My 6 year old, neutered male, English Bulldog named Quickie is not eating anything at all. Any advice or similar situations and diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

Some background info:
Quickie is a large Bulldog, who is typically 75-85lbs. He is always ravenous for food- or anything that may look or smell like food.

He has eaten Royal Canin Hyrdrolyzed Protein food for his entire life and never had any issues or distaste for it.

about 6 weeks ago, he developed an aversion to it along with some diarrhea and vomiting. We eased him onto a duck and rice diet for a few days but the symptoms were never relieved.

he developed very thick drool pouring out of both sides of his mouth at a constant rate and stopped eating all together. At this point, we took him to a vet, receive new food recommendations along with antibiotics, stomach soothing medications and probiotics. All X-rays showed to be clear of any foreign objects, just slight gastroenteritis. Blood work was ok as well.

Over the next 5 days he became more and more adverse to any sort of food- back to the vet we went. New antibiotics, stomach soothers, steroids, and an appetite stimulate were all prescribed.

more decreased appetite over the next few days with all of the same symptoms, and at this point, about 15lbs down, we were referred to a specialty hospital who watched him for 2 days administering fluids and medications. X-rays and bloodwork taken again, along with ultrasounds. Consensus was again, gastroenteritis. He was not eating for them there and we were sent home with another round of antibiotics, appetite stimulants, steroids, and omeprazole. And simply “he’ll eat when he’s hungry, he won’t starve.”

many more additional vet visits after that and we still have not received any help.

quickie is not eating AT ALL- not even McDonald’s chicken nuggets and ice cream.
We’ve reached out to a homeopathic vet at are grasping for any sort of solution to get him to eat.

currently, he’s barely surviving on a high calorie nutritional gel and subcutaneous fluids. He’s now 58 lbs, (approx 25 lbs lost in 6 weeks) and about a 3 on the BCS scale… I am desperate for any sort of guidance.

are there any issues (neurological, etc.) that could be causing this???

thank you

 

[Cbrugs]

It sounds like you need to find a new vet. If it’s been that long and he’s still not eating there must be an underlying issue.

 

[quickie]

It sounds like you need to find a new vet. If it’s been that long and he’s still not eating there must be an underlying issue.

Yes, we have seen a couple of different vets. We are on vet #4.
I was hoping for some input from someone who has dealt with something similar before.

 

[helsonwheels]

This is a great example why we tell dog owners never feed any pets Royal Canin, Science Hill or anything made by Purina. This is what happens “down the road”.

Definitely you need a new vet that knows bulldogs. The problem with your dog is his immune system is shot. Completely down. You will need to rebuild it. Losing weight that fast isn’t good. It creates other health issues.

Stop all kibbles, start feeding him either a raw diet or home cook. Boil a big turkey NO salt for a good 6-8hrs, keep topping water over the turkey as you will be using that broth. once cooled off, remove all fat on turkey n whatever floats as fat. Like a soup. Get carrots, green beans, peas. No potatoes. You can add fennel as it’s great for digestion. Feed him 1/2 cup of the turkey, one cup of the veggies n top with the broth. I personally would start home cook to get the stomach back on track then go raw.

All meds will destroy the gut even in humans. You need to feed probiotics. Gets some fermented sauerkraut or fermented veggies or plain Greek yogurt. I prefer fermented foods as it’s higher source of probiotics. Feed a couple tablespoons per day. Get that gut flora going or your dog will get worse with all these meds.

 

[Manydogs]

I agree with @helsonwheels suggestion- but also, are you sure that Quickie has not swallowed something? Is he known for eating anything "forbidden", such as socks, small toys, etc. Things swallowed don't always show up on an xray. Just another possibility.

 

[Libra926]

Is there an update on Quickie?

 

[2BullyMama]

Yes, we have seen a couple of different vets. We are on vet #4.
I was hoping for some input from someone who has dealt with something similar before.

Have you tried ground turkey and egg noodles?

@oscarmayer … any insight?

 

[oscarmayer]

My first thought is that he has a tooth abscess and it's downright painful for him to eat. Did any of the Vets check his teeth?

 

[O-G Bullies]

Have you seen Dr Paul Navin? He’s in Lockport and he’s a bulldog specialist.

 

[roanne9145]

My 6 year old, neutered male, English Bulldog named Quickie is not eating anything at all. Any advice or similar situations and diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

Some background info:
Quickie is a large Bulldog, who is typically 75-85lbs. He is always ravenous for food- or anything that may look or smell like food.

He has eaten Royal Canin Hyrdrolyzed Protein food for his entire life and never had any issues or distaste for it.

about 6 weeks ago, he developed an aversion to it along with some diarrhea and vomiting. We eased him onto a duck and rice diet for a few days but the symptoms were never relieved.

he developed very thick drool pouring out of both sides of his mouth at a constant rate and stopped eating all together. At this point, we took him to a vet, receive new food recommendations along with antibiotics, stomach soothing medications and probiotics. All X-rays showed to be clear of any foreign objects, just slight gastroenteritis. Blood work was ok as well.

Over the next 5 days he became more and more adverse to any sort of food- back to the vet we went. New antibiotics, stomach soothers, steroids, and an appetite stimulate were all prescribed.

more decreased appetite over the next few days with all of the same symptoms, and at this point, about 15lbs down, we were referred to a specialty hospital who watched him for 2 days administering fluids and medications. X-rays and bloodwork taken again, along with ultrasounds. Consensus was again, gastroenteritis. He was not eating for them there and we were sent home with another round of antibiotics, appetite stimulants, steroids, and omeprazole. And simply “he’ll eat when he’s hungry, he won’t starve.”

many more additional vet visits after that and we still have not received any help.

quickie is not eating AT ALL- not even McDonald’s chicken nuggets and ice cream.
We’ve reached out to a homeopathic vet at are grasping for any sort of solution to get him to eat.

currently, he’s barely surviving on a high calorie nutritional gel and subcutaneous fluids. He’s now 58 lbs, (approx 25 lbs lost in 6 weeks) and about a 3 on the BCS scale… I am desperate for any sort of guidance.

are there any issues (neurological, etc.) that could be causing this???

thank you

You need his trachea Xrayed to see if there is any phlegm stuck in there asap.Bulldogs are famous for phlegm. My beautiful girl wouldn't eat anything at all. My dog had exactly the same problem and she died and that is what she died from excess phlegm and a deep infection caused by the phlegm after the autopsy. She finally threw up tons and chocked to death. the worst experience of my life so it can't hurt to get an Xray to rule that out. Prayers

 

[thett]

My goodness this is heartbreaking. Loosing that much weight this fast is not good. There has to be a reason he is not eating and from the sounds of drool in combination this just doesn't add up.
I agree with Manydogs, obstructions are not always seen on xrays or on ultrasounds. You may be right to get and ultrasound redone by a specialist. Also have that trachea checked like roanne9145 advised and check the teeth. Try Helene's turkey and vegetable recommendation and see if Quickie will take it.. but my thought is a healthy 6yr old dog just doesn't stop eating completely.. something may be stuck in there that they are just not seeing.

My prayers go out to you and him. This is so frightening. Please just keep trying and don't give up until you get some answers. We will keep praying! Please keep us posted on all next steps.

 

[VooDoo & Breezy Cano]

My 6 year old, neutered male, English Bulldog named Quickie is not eating anything at all. Any advice or similar situations and diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

Some background info:
Quickie is a large Bulldog, who is typically 75-85lbs. He is always ravenous for food- or anything that may look or smell like food.

He has eaten Royal Canin Hyrdrolyzed Protein food for his entire life and never had any issues or distaste for it.

about 6 weeks ago, he developed an aversion to it along with some diarrhea and vomiting. We eased him onto a duck and rice diet for a few days but the symptoms were never relieved.

he developed very thick drool pouring out of both sides of his mouth at a constant rate and stopped eating all together. At this point, we took him to a vet, receive new food recommendations along with antibiotics, stomach soothing medications and probiotics. All X-rays showed to be clear of any foreign objects, just slight gastroenteritis. Blood work was ok as well.

Over the next 5 days he became more and more adverse to any sort of food- back to the vet we went. New antibiotics, stomach soothers, steroids, and an appetite stimulate were all prescribed.

more decreased appetite over the next few days with all of the same symptoms, and at this point, about 15lbs down, we were referred to a specialty hospital who watched him for 2 days administering fluids and medications. X-rays and bloodwork taken again, along with ultrasounds. Consensus was again, gastroenteritis. He was not eating for them there and we were sent home with another round of antibiotics, appetite stimulants, steroids, and omeprazole. And simply “he’ll eat when he’s hungry, he won’t starve.”

many more additional vet visits after that and we still have not received any help.

quickie is not eating AT ALL- not even McDonald’s chicken nuggets and ice cream.
We’ve reached out to a homeopathic vet at are grasping for any sort of solution to get him to eat.

currently, he’s barely surviving on a high calorie nutritional gel and subcutaneous fluids. He’s now 58 lbs, (approx 25 lbs lost in 6 weeks) and about a 3 on the BCS scale… I am desperate for any sort of guidance.

are there any issues (neurological, etc.) that could be causing this???

thank you

Any update on Quickie? I keep hoping you've found out what is wrong. Sending positive vibes and prayers.