Was trying to reply on the other thread, but I guess it got locked or something. The vet let me take the pup home last night and he seemed back to his own self, except that he still wasn't very hungry. He would eat a little bit of kibble if I fed it to him and made a game out of it, by dropping it on the ground. His stools were hard again, and he was not vomiting.

He still had his cathedar in though, and the vet wanted me to bring him back this morning to make sure everything was ok, and to give him his meds and take the cathedar out. So I dropped him off at the vets and they told me they would call me this evening.

The vet said that he is going to have to teach me how to force feed him if he won't eat good. He also told me that if I wanted, he would keep the pup at his house free of charge, to nurse him back to health. Do you guys think that this is necessary? The pup seemed perfectly fine, except that he wouldn't eat a lot, and he never really had a big appetite. I think that if he went home with him, it would put more stress on an already stressed pup. He seemed so happy to be home and lay in the bed with me.

Any thoughts? Thanks guys.

Mike, Glad to hear things are better <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />You know if it was me I would just take him home. I don't really understand the vet wanting to house him at "his place" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

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Was trying to reply on the other thread, but I guess it got locked or something. The vet let me take the pup home last night and he seemed back to his own self, except that he still wasn't very hungry. He would eat a little bit of kibble if I fed it to him and made a game out of it, by dropping it on the ground. His stools were hard again, and he was not vomiting.....He still had his cathedar in though, and the vet wanted me to bring him back this morning to make sure everything was ok, and to give him his meds and take the cathedar out.....

So to be clear: He is not eating enough on his own?

Are you considering more tempting food (fresh food)? Just a thought. I would want to try everything, I think, to have the pup eating on his own.

Sounds to me like this vet is getting attached to your pup! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Trust your instinct. You know your pup. I'm glad to hear he's pulling through this dis-ease.

try feeding him something more appetizing than kibble!

boil some white rice in chicken or beef broth until it is very mushy.

if he does well on that for a day, then start adding boiled chicken or boiled hamburger, with all the fat skimmed off the broth.

if he's doing well on that, then give him a little plain, unsweetened yogurt and a whole raw egg.

if he's doing well on that, give him a little lean hamburger, raw.

and at this point, you may as well switch him to a real food diet.

get him a crate of chicken necks and wings and see how he likes those!

but, if you aren't ready to switch to raw, you could gradually transition him back to kibble by soaking it in beef or chicken broth with some of the rice and cooked chicken or hamburger.

give him the good stuff at least until he's out in the clear and is back to normal.

I'm delighted the Pup seems to be improving.

I have to agree with Alice.......kibble is not appetising at the best of times never mind when a dog is unwell,
I'd go with well cooked small pieces of chicken,ham...at the moment anything thats soft with an appetising flavour.
Hope everything continues to improve.

John

So glad to hear your puppy is improving. You might try tempting him with Gerber Baby Food Chicken or Beef sticks. Nobody wants to eat after they have been so sick. Start small and try anything you think might prime his appetite to start eating again.

Matthew, I went through all the posts, maybe I missed something, but I can't find out what the actual diagnosis was on your puppy. What did the vet say? Do you have any experience with really sick young pups other than this little guy? If not, I would take the vet up on his offer of him/her taking the pup & nursing it back to health (or at least until he is eating well with no runs or vomiting). The thing is, a little guy like this can go bad so quickly, better he be in the hands of someone able to catch it & put him back or keep him on supportive therapy. Personally, I would have him in a regular animal hospital with techs & docs on 24/7 to keep a real close eye on him. If he is not eating well, not only does his appetite need to get kick started, he needs to be getting some decent nourishment so his little body can continue to fight what ever is going on with him. The Doctor must have some idea of what is wrong with this dog. What is he telling you?

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Matthew, I went through all the posts, maybe I missed something, but I can't find out what the actual diagnosis was on your puppy. What did the vet say? Do you have any experience with really sick young pups other than this little guy? If not, I would take the vet up on his offer of him/her taking the pup & nursing it back to health (or at least until he is eating well with no runs or vomiting). The thing is, a little guy like this can go bad so quickly, better he be in the hands of someone able to catch it & put him back or keep him on supportive therapy. Personally, I would have him in a regular animal hospital with techs & docs on 24/7 to keep a real close eye on him. If he is not eating well, not only does his appetite need to get kick started, he needs to be getting some decent nourishment so his little body can continue to fight what ever is going on with him. The Doctor must have some idea of what is wrong with this dog. What is he telling you?

He never made a definitive diganosis. He said that he thinks it was either an extreme case of stress colitis or Parvo. He wanted me to bring the pup to him every night to stay at his place, and I think this would put more stress on the pup. He gave me the food and syringes to force-feed him, as well as the nutrients to give him as well. So I feel that I could do everything the vet can do, and allevite uneccessary stress.

Yes, you are probably right about the puppy being less stressed at home with you. Also, after thinking a little more, I realize how important this pup is to you, so I know you are going to really keep a good eye on him. I am really glad he's getting better. I hope you are doing okay, as I'm sure you must be pretty stressed too, with having to deal with a sick little guy. Be sure & take good care of yourself, too!