You can also try human baby food (the little jars). Also, I've heard that the human baby in jars that looks like little hot dogs is good for getting the appetite going, (I can't remember what they are called, but you can find them in the baby food section of the grocery store).

How often are you feeding him with the tube?

And also, how often are you offering food?

I would definitely try the nutri cal and if he takes to it (most do) you can start putting it on moist kibble. He'll definitely start eating if there isn't something more wrong.

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You can also try human baby food (the little jars). Also, I've heard that the human baby in jars that looks like little hot dogs is good for getting the appetite going, (I can't remember what they are called, but you can find them in the baby food section of the grocery store).

Yes, to all of this. When my dog was recovering from acute pancreatitis a few years ago, I made a white rice gruel, VERY well-cooked, with skinless white chicken just poached a little in the rice (and don't be afraid to put it in the blender or processor if he wants it softer). I alternated this with baby food to keep her interested. Those meat sticks (baby food chicken sticks and beef sticks; look like tiny hot dogs) were tempting to her, but I didn't give her a lot of them because they have the most fat of all the baby food choices and I wanted to make sure nothing would disrupt her digestion again.......

I bought the baby food rice-green-beans and added a little of the poached white chicken to that, and I thinned it out a little and also warmed it just to room temp (smells better and not so many calories used up in warming the food inside to body temp). I'd pick up a few of the different baby foods (they are very cheap --- way under $1), a boneless skinless breast of chicken (and save the cooking liquid for him to drink), and either the baby food rice (jar or little carton of baby food rice cereal to reconstitute), or regular white rice to cook very well-done.

All this sounds over-the-top, but my girl also was hospitalized for a week, and I was shaky -- it was touch-and-go for days. I was willing to do every single trick.

This doesn't make up a long-term nutritional program, but that's OK. You just want food and liquid in him.

In your case, I think the softer the better. I'd want to try very hard to get him eating himself and off force-feeding, and making the food as tempting as possible (and as fluid as you can to avoid dehydration again) might help.

Also, have you lined up a new vet yet? I would be on the phone in the morning, complete history in my hand, making an appointment to have the teeth and mouth examined.

This is all JMO, based on some experiences with recovering dogs.

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About 2 days before the pup got sick I noticed some blood on his rawhide chew.

is it possible the puppy ingested some of the rawhide chew and it caused a blockage? did you tell the vet you've been giving your pup rawhide?

please do not give rawhide chews any more. they are dangerous. switch to nylabones.

Ummm, how 'bout REAL bones? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> No toxins, clean teeth, win-win. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for all of the great suggestions, I am going to goto the store this evening and pick up some of the things you guys suggested.

I don't think that he ingested any of the rawhide, because there was none of it really missing, and the vet did xrays.

real bones for recreational chewing are usually hard leg bones. they will break teeth and are not safe.

now, if he wants to feed raw, and feed soft cartilege type bones like necks, wings, and ribs, that is different. but the pup will eat those, not just chew on them. and matthew would have to do some studying up to understand how to properly feed this diet.

nylabones are the safest thing for recreational chewing.

Why do they need recreational synthetic bones at all? What's wrong with eating bones? Even if he doesn't switch him to raw (but I'm hopeful he will <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />, RMBs are not going to hurt the little guy, and you don't have to worry about the toxins used to cure the rawhide. I guess I just think Nylabones are a waste of money. Real meaty bones clean teeth like nothing else.

if he is feeding kibble or some kind of commercial puppy food he should not be combining that with RMBs. when you feed RMBs you must know what you are doing. they are not recreational bones for chewing. if the diet is not properly balanced they can cause intestinal blockage, they can also throw the pup's diet out of whack. when you start raw feeding, you don't just toss the pup an RMB. there is more to it than that.

puppies need something to chew on. all dogs do. even my dogs that are raised on RMBs like something to chew on to keep themselves occupied other than meal times.

they get nylabones because the hard inedible femur bones are too hard and will break teeth. nylabones are not a waste of money. the dogs enjoy them and give them an outlet for their need to chew that is SAFE.