cardiac dog not eating

jules · 09-09-2007, 10:35 PM

My boy was diagnosed with DCM last year and has been on cardiac drugs ever since, after a holter exam he was then put on anti arythmia drugs and to help with breathing he has been on injectable frusomide for over a week. He stopped eating over a week ago, at first he would only eat hand fed food and only steak, now he wont eat anything, he has been back to the vet for tests which have turned up nothing to explain this, I have been force feeding him. The vet now suggested to come off his heart drugs for 36 hours to see if this can bring his appetite back. Has anyone else had this problem?

Dobes&Hounds · 09-09-2007, 10:46 PM

I had a period where I had to force feed my Mercury when he had digoxin toxicity. We drastically lowered the dose and his appetite came back. With all of the cardiac drugs, nausia and loss of appetite can be a complication. Have they tried giving something for upset stomach or an appetite stimulant like B vitamins?
I am so sorry for what you are going through. I just lost my heart dog to DCM in May. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

tjmom · 09-09-2007, 10:56 PM

If I'm reading your post correctly it sounds like he stopped eating about the same time that you started the new drugs. I would check with the vet on this. I'm so sorry that your boy has been diagnosed with DCM. It is a horrible disease that effects so many dobies. We lost our first dobie a month before his 4th birthday to sudden dcm. I hope that you are able to get him to eat soon. One more question: Is he drinking?

Murreydobe · 09-10-2007, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jules

My boy was diagnosed with DCM last year and has been on cardiac drugs ever since, after a holter exam he was then put on anti arythmia drugs and to help with breathing he has been on injectable frusomide for over a week. He stopped eating over a week ago, at first he would only eat hand fed food and only steak, now he wont eat anything, he has been back to the vet for tests which have turned up nothing to explain this, I have been force feeding him. The vet now suggested to come off his heart drugs for 36 hours to see if this can bring his appetite back. Has anyone else had this problem?

Anorexia is a BIG problem with DCM dogs. It can be caused by the progression of the disease itself, or from the drugs used to treat it.

One thing I found that really helped was to give them their meds with a small amount of food, even if you have to stuff them. Many of these drugs carry this caution for human use due to the drugs causing nausea, but pet owners are rarely given this suggestion.

Once your guy gets the fluid in his lungs under control they'll probably back off on the diuretics, and you might find his appetite improves after that.

**doberkim** · 09-10-2007, 07:04 AM

A few things -

first, what drugs IS he on, and when were they started. Like Laura said, if one was actually started when this anorexia started, I'd discontinue that one (at least for a little bit) and try for another similar drug.

You can always take him off the drugs to get him to eat (though IME and your vets too, the lasix is most likely not the problem, I've never had to stop that one).

The other thing to keep in mind is, with DCM and other heart dogs - i don't hold out for dog food. If all your dog wants to eat are cookies, lunch meat, and baby food, then make feasts out of it. There are also many sweet things that these dogs tend to really like that are safe because they are low salt - angel food cake or pound cake (yes, I am serious), frosted mini wheats, and cliff bars (the nutrition bars) are all suggestions given by Dr. Lisa Freeman, a nutritionist at Tufts Vet School when my own dog stopped eating.

robinb · 09-10-2007, 12:39 PM

Thanks doberkim for the good info. My thoughts and prayers are with you Jules.

Robin and Rex

**dragonman** · 09-10-2007, 02:16 PM

Drago and I send our thoughts and prayers.

Riagogogo · 09-10-2007, 02:19 PM

This all freaks me out.....since it is so common in dobes. I am a critical care nurse by background and currently work for an interventionalist (plasty/stents) I took Rudi into the vet for his annual checkup and all was ok. She wasn't too keen on going ahead and doing an MSU thyroid panel, she said he looks great and he doesn't look like a hypothyroid dog to her. (Rudi stays on the skinny side, his fur on his back is a little more sparce than I have seen other reds look and he has a thinning patch to his left flank, doesn't have a ravenous appetite. But eats about 2-2 1/2 cups of Innova EVO once a day. He had a horrible smell to him until I switched him over to EVO.)I want to get Rudi an echo, just to put my mind at ease. He doesn't have symptoms per say, he is a couch potatoe and I've been getting myself and him out more, hiking and walking my hilly neighborhood. We both get pretty out of breath and he drags a little towards the end (no wheezing and I can't hear him wheeze or hear fluid(rales/crackles) My question is how much does a canine echo cost and for it to be read? I am not very satisfied with my current vet, I just don't get a good vibe from her. She didn't even look in his ears or mouth, until we were just about to leave and I reminded her to do so. (yikes!)

Murreydobe · 09-10-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riagogogo

This all freaks me out.....since it is so common in dobes. I am a critical care nurse by background and currently work for an interventionalist (plasty/stents) I took Rudi into the vet for his annual checkup and all was ok. She wasn't too keen on going ahead and doing an MSU thyroid panel, she said he looks great and he doesn't look like a hypothyroid dog to her. (Rudi stays on the skinny side, his fur on his back is a little more sparce than I have seen other reds look and he has a thinning patch to his left flank, doesn't have a ravenous appetite. But eats about 2-2 1/2 cups of Innova EVO once a day. He had a horrible smell to him until I switched him over to EVO.)I want to get Rudi an echo, just to put my mind at ease. He doesn't have symptoms per say, he is a couch potatoe and I've been getting myself and him out more, hiking and walking my hilly neighborhood. We both get pretty out of breath and he drags a little towards the end (no wheezing and I can't hear him wheeze or hear fluid(rales/crackles) My question is how much does a canine echo cost and for it to be read? I am not very satisfied with my current vet, I just don't get a good vibe from her. She didn't even look in his ears or mouth, until we were just about to leave and I reminded her to do so. (yikes!)

The cost of an echo depends on where you have it done..some regions are far more expensive than others. I pay about $400 for an echo, but the cardiologist I use is in a practice that's known to be pretty expensive, in an area (downtown Los Angeles) where EVERY specialty practice charges a lot.

If you can find a cardiac clinic given at a show or by a breed chapter club, then an echo will cost you a whole lot less.

Many hypothyroid dogs are asymptomatic-I'd never rely on their appearance as any kind of a gauge of that. You can get a free T4 done rather than a whole thyroid panel..that should be fairly inexpensive and is touted as being something like 95% accurate in diagnosing hypothyroidism.

**velmadobe** · 09-10-2007, 03:10 PM

If you can find a cardio clinic, the cost of an Ultrasound is much less. My club is hosting one on the 22nd and the cost is $160 for a short EKG and Ultrasound done by a specialist. It is a great deal. Other clubs host them as well.