# please help new-ish chi mom!



## lorrainelau (Dec 13, 2012)

hello everyone

i really hope someone here will have some help for me or at least have similar experience and knowledge. i have a 5 1/2 month pure bred long hair chihuahua named carter. since we got him we have been feeding him acana puppy + jr and hes always loved his food and gobbles it up. for the past week or so he has lost his appetite and will only nibble at his food here are some of the things that concern me:

- loss of appetite doesn't eat as soon as i put his meal down like he used to, sniffs around it maybe has a few kibbles or doesn't even eat it

- soft stools - he has never really had super solid stools we've been having issues with soft stools since we got him, sometimes he'll produce solid stools but most of the time they're kind of mushy

- sometimes in the morning his tummy makes noises like gurgling squishy sounds

we did 2 stool samples within the first month we got him so maybe like 2 months ago both came back negative despite the soft stools. carter is currently teething so i'm wondering if this may be part of the appetite loss

we've tried everything giving him his kibble, softening it by adding a bit of water, wet food, wet food mixed with kibble, some rice with some boiled carrots. he just doesn't really want to eat! our breeder recommended omega alpha para free and we have been giving it to him without seeing much improvement (today is day 5)

i know its a lot of information to process.. but any help would be much appreciated!!


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## lorrainelau (Dec 13, 2012)

1 more thing he threw up once last Friday or Saturday and again tonight both times when I wasn't home so I wasn't there to witness. Pls help I'm really worried


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## miuccias (Aug 22, 2012)

I really have no idea what could it be but it doesn't sound good. Why don't you take Carter to the vet?


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## Rach_Honey (Jan 13, 2012)

I second taking Carter to the Vet just to check him over and make sure theres no medical problems going on. 
How long have you left it before offering Carter something else to eat? Say he didnt eat his morning meal, would you leave him all day, then the next day etc, or would you offer him something else straight away/at the next meal time? 
Dogs, Chi's in particular, are so smart. If they refused their meal of kibble just becuase they didnt feel like eating it, then they were offered something really yummy straight away, thats kind of telling them to keep on refusing  
Its hard when they are so young too, as Chi's (particularly young ones) can get hypoglycemic - they need to have food to keep their energy levels up! 
So, definately check theres no medical reason, hopefully someone else on here can help with the mushy stools - maybe a change of food is required, the Acana is too rich for him?
Is Carter free fed, or does he have set meal times? 
I used to have this issue with my dog, Honey. She was such a pain to feed, so free feeding didnt work for me. We changed to meal times, and she did better, but still wasnt gobbling it up! We switched foods to fresh raw, and freeze dried raw, and now she is much better!
Also, if Carter is having too many treats throughout the day, he may not be hungry when meal times come around.


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## Quill (Nov 20, 2012)

Edie started doing this about three weeks ago, and I was super worried about it so I took her to the vets. She was fine - she needed her anal sacs expressing, which had been causing her discomfort and making her feel a bit lethargic and not want to eat. So, I'd recommend you take Carter to the vets first since it sounds like he could be having a similar issue, especially if he has loose stools.

However, my desperate attempts to make her eat caused a whole other problem with Edie - she realised that if she held out long enough, I'd produce something new and tasty mixed in with her meals. Her favourite treat used to be chicken, then it was cheese, until it was "anything I haven't had before", which was a nightmare!

So, on the vet's advice, I tried starving her - if she didn't eat breakfast after 15 minutes, it would go away until lunch, and so on. It didn't work like the vet said it would - she would begrudgingly eat a meal, and then refuse food until she was starving, and then repeat. She didn't just snap out of it and start eating enough. 

I know a lot of people say this isn't a good idea, but I started free feeding her a few days ago and it seems to have solved the problem. She seems to prefer to nibble at her food over the day, and it means I don't feel guilty about taking her food up when she refuses it (so I'm not tempted to mix in any treats!). Now I leave her breakfast down until she eats it, and then refill with lunch, and then with dinner. I measure how much she's eaten and it's pretty much exactly what she should be. 

Hope that helps, and Carter feels better soon!


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## MChis (Oct 13, 2009)

Was the vomit food or was just a yellow foamy type? I am guessing if he isn't eating it's probably the yellow foamy vomit? That would mean his tummy is empty & he is hungry.

I would offer food twice a day, leave for 15 minutes & take up what isn't eaten. I would also look into another food. If he's been having soft poos since you got him than the food he is eating isn't agreeing with him. I always recommend a premade raw like ZiwiPeak, Stella & Chewys, Honest Kitchen. The Honest Kitchen (we use only the grain free formulas) in my experience is best for firming up stools in most dogs but the other two work for the majority of dogs as well. We feed ZiwiPeak with some of the others thrown in there once in a while.

Anyway, a definite food switch I'd say is the best bet to firim up stools & hopefully help belly issues. I do know when a dog has a food intolerence they can develop an aversion to that food. Possibly what maybe happening here?? And I wouldn't be adding in wet food or anything to entice him to eat or it could just make him picky.

Like what was mentioned...if he's been having soft poos for a period of time he could very well need his anal glands emptied. Usually this isn't a problem in puppies but the prolonged soft stools could have made it an issue. 

I would also always add water to his food unless you choose to feed a food that already has moisture added. Water helps aid in digestion & will keep him better hydrated and make it easier on his organs in the long run. 

I may take him to the vet to have him checked out but....I would also look into a new food & be more strict about feeding schedules if you're not already. Good luck & I hope he is feeling back to his normal self soon!


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I second the vet visit. A pup that is having mushy stools and not acting right needs to see a vet. That food may be too rich for him.? I would try another food, maybe NOW,which I use and like.


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## lorrainelau (Dec 13, 2012)

First of all I would like to the thank everyone who took the time to try and help. I took carter to the vet on Friday and she suspects like you all that carter is refusing food because he realizes he'll get something yummy if he does and that the vomiting is probably from the large variety of different foods. 

Since Friday carter has been on a strict diet no treats only medical gastro intestinal and he is much better! I didn't feed him Friday dinner and he gobbled up both of his meals today, no vomiting and solid stools! 


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## Rach_Honey (Jan 13, 2012)

Good to hear that x


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## Buildthemskywards (Jun 16, 2012)

Only just seeing this now but it's good to hear that you chi is feeling better


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

Chico isn't too picky... but Kody..... now he is my "DIVA DOG" and if he thinks he can weasel better food out of me..... he will refuse to eat....... and ends up throwing up and getting sick..... I try to wait him out but sometimes I just cant', knowing he is sick.... I 'prime' him by feeding a few pieces of chicken then set his Stella&Chewy meal down.. he usually eats then.....


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## Evelyn (Oct 14, 2012)

Great news , thanks for the update!


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Great news!


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