MY POOR SHIH TZU what do you think is wrong?

Question

I have a male shih tzu, born november,2005. ever since he was a puppy he we have had to force him to eat. He was allways hyper, and was obsessed with squeaky toys and tupawear. Now the vet took blood and it came back normal. before that, he was throwing up daily or bi-daily, mostly foam/phlem. The vet put him on science diet i/d for sensitive stiomach (perscription) canned and hard food. now he stopped throwing up eating the canned, but he is less active. Everytime he eats the hard food he throws up. The vet said he can't stay on the soft food for much longer. What do you think?

Answer 1

I think I didn't go to school to be a vet, so my "thoughts" on the health of your dog, really aren't sound. What did your vet suggest?

Answer 2

Do you switch the food slowly? If notafter being feed canned food and suddenly changing to dry food can make any dog sick and throw up let alone a dog that has a sensitive stomach. I'd try switching very very slowly. Add a few pieces of the kibble in with the canned food for a week and gradually over a month or so try to add more dry food and less canned. If you absolutley can't switch the food your dog will just have to eat the canned food. Sometimes you have to just stick with what the dog can eat. Poor Pup. How miserable it must be to have problems like that. Give him lots of hugs and kisses. Good luck

Answer 3

Some dogs have more sensitive stomachs than others as you have quickly learned. As you are doing it's just trial and error. I think you are on the right tract, but you have to give the dog time to adjust to the food too. when you switch foods, it's a good idea to slowly switch them.. IE get new food, put some of old and some of new for about a week or two... Then you should let the doggie get used to that food for 2-3 months before introducing new foods.

You might want to research online natural diets, or foods you can prepare yourself from human foods. You can go to a local feed store and they will sometimes sell home made dog food. Just something to try. The internet is a wonderful thing :)

Be sure your dog isn't eating things in the yard, or in the house. Such as swallowing parts of his/her stuffed animals or sqeeky toys. Sounds stupid or maybe you have already though of that, but sometimes the simplest things we forget. My Shih Tzu didn't stop clewing on things and tearing up his toys till he was well into 9-10 years old. He lived to be 16 (human years).

If he is throwing up phlem or bile you might want to have him checked for allergies.

I have faith that you will find the right food. :) Sorry for your troubles.

Answer 4

Your dog has food intolerance to an ingredient in his old food that is also in the I/D. Dogs and cats can be intolerant of any of the main ingredients, your job is to figure out which. Look at the first 5 ingredients of both the I/D and the food he was eating before, and buy a food with a completely different set of top 5. Keep doing this until you can either deduce a list of what he is and isn't intolerant of, or until you stumble upon the right food for him.

This is a very common problem, like food allergies, and plagues many dogs (and people!). It's kind of a pain in the neck, but it can be controlled once you find the right diet for him.

Answer 5

Slowly introduce the hard food mix with the soft and gradually take away the soft food.. That should help at least it did with our little girl. She will throw up when she gets over heated and it's mostly foam, he maybe less active due to being full for a change.....We also feed her IAM'S lamb and rice small bits.

Answer 6

For heavens sakes, why haven't you already taken this dog to the vet? That eye needs attention NOW. When you own an animal it is your duty to provide proper care for it. Take the dog to the vet immediately, she is suffering. How can you see her like this and do nothing to help her? I'll bet if your eye looked like that you would get yourself to a doctor in double quick time. It's also against the law to fail to get veterinary help for a sick animal. You can be prosecuted for animal cruelty. Dont bother taking her to a pet store. The staff are not qualified in anything to do with animal health. They're sales staff paid to sell products, not give uneducated advice about animal health.

Answer 7

Try getting dry food that is very small add a table spoon of the can food and a little water small servings at a time. Try the dry food that consist of rice.

Answer 8

Many dogs suffer from digestive problems and diseases like IBD. I assume your vet means your dog can't stay on prescription food? I would switch him to a home cooked diet that agrees with him and is easily digestible. There are dog nutrition and home cooking groups on Yahoo and I suggest you join one. There are hundreds of knowledgeable people on these lists who can recommend a good diet and supplements for your dog.

Answer 9

Try moistening the hard food so that it is kind of mushy. My father in laws pug can not eat hard food unless they are small kibbles and they have to moisten it.

Answer 10

soak dry food in mixture of water and a little canned food