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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

What on earth is wrong with my dog/s?

57 replies

MotherofPufflings · 21/06/2026 10:08

Sorry, this is going to be on the long side.

9 days ago we sadly had to put our 8-ish year old rescue dog to sleep. He had ckd stage 2/3 and anaemia but seemed to be doing OK, then had a gradual increase in fussiness over food over a couple of weeks. He then came down with bad diarrhoea (small amount of vomiting) and we just couldn't get him to drink enough to stay hydrated. He spent almost a week at the vet every day on fluids and anti-emetics but within 12 hours of stopping every time he'd refuse to drink, although would eat small amounts. He was increasingly miserable and with no clear cause we made the horrible decision to pts.

Duirng the time he was ill our 12 year old dog also became increasingly picky. We did manage to get him to eat but assumed it was stress and his normal pickiness. A few days after dog 1 died we left for a motorhome holiday with dog 2. At this point he more or less refused to eat other than cooked chicken with a lot of encouragement. He then came down with d&v. Spoke to a vet helpline and they felt he was OK at that point as eating and drinking. 24 hours later he was completely refusing to eat so contacted a local vet. He gave an anti-emetic injection and dog 2 then did eat a good amount of food that evening. We also gave an omeprazole capsule as suggested by vet. Unfortunately he was very sick overnight - but more like burping and regurgitating food rather than actively vomiting. Refused to eat again.

Saw another vet yesterday who was at a loss. He's well hydrated, temp at top end of normal but diarrhoea continues and the main issue is refusal to eat. She gave another anti-emetic injection (prevomax) plus metaclopramide and steroid injections. He still won't really eat! He had a very small amount of kibble last night but refuses offers of everything else including cooked chicken.

Overnight he's had no vomiting but woke a few times to go outside and had small amounts of watery, mucusy diarrhoea. Still drinking normally but will not eat!! He seems reasonably bright, keen to go out for a walk and sniffy and interested. We're almost certainly going home tomorrow now to get back to familiarity and our own vet - tbh we'd have gone before but where we are is much cooler than home right now so in some ways I feel he's better off here.

Just at a complete loss and really scared we're going to lose dog 2 as well 😭

OP posts:
MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 20:34

The patient after a (very) small meal and a drink

What on earth is wrong with my dog/s?
OP posts:
DinoLil · 22/06/2026 20:41

I've heard about plugin air fresheners being catastrophic for dogs. Do you have any?

I'm so, so sorry you've lost your friends. Sending you so many virtual hugs x

Valpolichella · 22/06/2026 20:44

MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 20:34

The patient after a (very) small meal and a drink

Beautiful boy 🥰🥰 Hope he picks up soon. Have they given you Lypex to add to his food?

CarrieMoonbeams · 22/06/2026 20:48

MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 20:34

The patient after a (very) small meal and a drink

Oh my heart! The eyebrows, the smile and the twinkly eyes, that's surely too much cuteness from one little scrap ❤️

Here's hoping the little bit of food and the drink stays down.

One of my dogs had colitis a few years ago which was stress related but went on for months, so I totally sympathise with how helpless you must be feeling. Please keep us updated when you can.

MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 20:49

Valpolichella · 22/06/2026 20:44

Beautiful boy 🥰🥰 Hope he picks up soon. Have they given you Lypex to add to his food?

No! I will ask about that, thank you. We bought a can of low fat Hills today, hopefully that will be OK for now.

OP posts:
Dearg · 22/06/2026 20:59

My girl has chronic pancreatitis, which has been worse since we lost our olde dog, her companion. Stress events - Fireworks, major changes, - exacerbate it.

I watch her diet very closely, but have found that Adaptil plug-ins help with the stress .

Sorry about your lovely boy. It’s awful when they are ill.

Twiglets1 · 22/06/2026 21:29

MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 20:34

The patient after a (very) small meal and a drink

Little sweetheart

BruceLeTerror · 23/06/2026 15:50

MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 19:15

Thank you, I've been encouraging him to drink as much as possible and I'm reassured that his hydration levels have been good whenever he's been assessed this week.

Sorry, I wasn’t teaching you to suck eggs 😳
I hope your little man is improving today 💐💐

MotherofPufflings · 23/06/2026 16:22

BruceLeTerror · 23/06/2026 15:50

Sorry, I wasn’t teaching you to suck eggs 😳
I hope your little man is improving today 💐💐

Oh gosh, not at all, I've appreciated every single reply on here, but I think my reply came across as a bit brusque, sorry 🙏

So the little dude seemed pretty miserable this morning, but he's been eating small amounts throughout the day. He was then sick 3 times in quick succession early afternoon so I've arranged to see the vet again later this afternoon. But having said that he has been very perky over the past hour and has even been playing with his squeaky toy ❤️ I'm really hoping he's turned the corner 🤞 Thank you for asking after him.

I also heard that our beautiful boy's ashes are ready to collect when we get home, feeling a bit emotional about that 😢

OP posts:
spiderlight · 23/06/2026 16:34

I had a feeling it would be pancreatitis, as our previous dog had it. A very low fat diet, including treats, will be needed. We had to give ours food that was less than 5% fat on a dry matter basis - don't just go by the fat content on the tin. We were advised to use this calculator:
https://www.pawdiet.com/articles/dry-matter-basis-calculator-for-pet-food/

We used Royal Canin low fat initially, but then changed to Hill's i/d prescription low fat when the Royal Canin started to disagree with him. He was on low fat food long-term because he had immune-mediated pancreatitis, so we used to buy it in bulk from https://www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/ which we found to be the most reliable. I found this FB group useful for advice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1435920120029740. Buscopan helped with his cramps, but check with your vet.

I hope your gorgeous boy perks up soon and that it's just a stress/grief response rather than being chronic.

hididdlyho · 23/06/2026 16:46

He's adorable, hopefully he makes a full recovery soon and you're all managing to keep cool. I think older dogs can be more prone to bouts of pancreatitis, but it can also be managed well when diagnosed early (which it sounds like it has been with your pup). We were warned to watch out for symptoms when our old greyhound got diagnosed with kidney disease (as the two conditions often occur together) but thankfully he never got it. Vets will likely suggest semi regular bloodwork checks to monitor how he's doing.

CarrieMoonbeams · 30/06/2026 18:15

Hi @MotherofPufflings , just checking in to see how the wee fella is doing?

DBSFstupid · 30/06/2026 18:22

MotherofPufflings · 22/06/2026 20:34

The patient after a (very) small meal and a drink

Oh he is so beautiful OP💖

YesIKnowThatThankyou · 30/06/2026 18:32

HappiestSleeping · 21/06/2026 22:54

@MotherofPufflings when my wife died last year, our dog searched the house every morning, and every time we came home. Looking for her.

I asked the undertaker if I could take him to see her. We entered the room, he went nuts for a second or two, realised, and then sat for fifteen minutes before he wanted to leave.

He never searched the house again.

I’m so sorry for your loss. Thank you for posting this, it’s very kind to share this.

MotherofPufflings · 30/06/2026 18:52

@CarrieMoonbeams ah thank you for asking about him! He's doing really, really well now. He carried on being sick in the early hours of the morning, despite omeprazole, until last Friday. But since then he's gone from strength to strength. He's asking for food even outside of meal times, is being much less picky about what we give him and is generally full of beans.

We took him to pets at home on Saturday to escape the heat for a bit and to choose a new toy, which he has been enthusiastically playing with. Also got some pill treats to disguise his many tablets - absolute game changer, highly recommended!

MASSIVE relief to have him well again, he's such a sweetie.

I really appreciate all the support I had one this thread when he was ill, it kept me sane 🙏

OP posts:
MotherofPufflings · 30/06/2026 19:00

Feeling a bit dozy after a big dinner

What on earth is wrong with my dog/s?
OP posts:
YesIKnowThatThankyou · 30/06/2026 19:03

🥰 you’ve also posted it on the neighbours thread 🤣

CarrieMoonbeams · 30/06/2026 19:34

So happy to hear how much he's improved. And then the photo - just when we thought he couldn't get any cuter - the wee poking out tongue 😍

I have 4 dogs myself, all elderly, and I know how much the wee furry bandits can cause us so much worry.

Onwards and upwards, wee dog!

MotherofPufflings · 30/06/2026 19:52

YesIKnowThatThankyou · 30/06/2026 19:03

🥰 you’ve also posted it on the neighbours thread 🤣

🙈

OP posts:
noctilucentcloud · 30/06/2026 19:52

I'm so pleased OP.

MotherofPufflings · 30/06/2026 19:54

CarrieMoonbeams · 30/06/2026 19:34

So happy to hear how much he's improved. And then the photo - just when we thought he couldn't get any cuter - the wee poking out tongue 😍

I have 4 dogs myself, all elderly, and I know how much the wee furry bandits can cause us so much worry.

Onwards and upwards, wee dog!

Wow 4!! I would love that but I can't see my husband ever agreeing!

OP posts:
PrizedPickledPopcorn · 30/06/2026 20:15

I am so pleased!

BruceLeTerror · 30/06/2026 21:33

Ahhh brilliant news 🙏😍😍 he’s a cutie for sure xx

DBSFstupid · 01/07/2026 13:17

MotherofPufflings · 30/06/2026 19:00

Feeling a bit dozy after a big dinner

Wonderful news! Little sweetheart!

Thank you for loving our four legged friends so much💖

spiderlight · 02/07/2026 12:57

He's so cute!! Really glad he's doing so much better.

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