Puzzled so many problems!

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some fresh ideas on what could be wrong with my dog.

Let me try to sum this all up;

9 Year old Lab/Shep cross, female, spayed three weeks ago

Ok, so Dakota came out of her last heat cycle about 6 weeks ago and her appetite started to diminish, noticed that she vomited yellow bile twice when I woke up. She was drinking fine and would eat certain people food like hamburger and rice, chicken, cheese, bread ( i know bad but i was desperate to get food into her)

The week after her last heat cycle she went in for her needles, rabies, distemper/parvo, her weight was 85, vet said she needed to lose weight. Also prescribed glucosamine pills as she is slow to go upstairs.

We changed her food from Iams to Wellness Core (she didn't like that at all even with gradual introduction) then to Blue Buffalo Senior which she was eating fine.

Vet appointment immediately, as I was convinced it was pyometra, he ran blood tests, xrays, temperature check, listened to her heart, checked her gums very pink everything was normal. Sent us home with vet canned food (Medi-cal) for gastro problems she wouldnt touch it. During this time she lost 7 pounds.

Still wouldn't touch canned/dry foods, but would eat some chicken, ham. Again back to the vet after a few days, she ironically enough GAINED two pounds even with diminished eating. He recommended spay due to her age, so we did. No pyometra was found inside the uterus, he did find a huge ovarian cyst but wasn't convinced it would be what was affecting her appetite.

Following days after surgery she refused to drink or eat anything, her personality changed too, she became extremely whiney, she would howl and freak out if I left the room, panting heavily in spurts, went back to the vet for a recheck, all stats were normal still, he sent us home and said to keep trying to get her to drink and eat. Prescribed tramadol? for pain as he thought her moods were because she was in post surgery pain.

I bought babyfood chicken and rice, and mixed that with chicken broth and started syringe/spoon feeding her because I was so worried about her not eating.

Back to the vet after a few days as I am worried about how much I should be force feeding her to ensure she is getting enough. Her personality has always been very anxious, she's always been a timid dog, but things since surgery have been amplified by ten even as of today. Vet gave us Mirtazapine to help with appetite stimulation, she will now go to her water bowl and drink, and she will lick another type of vet canned food off a spoon, she still will not eat kibble or anything out of her bowl on her own. She has only been on mirtazapine for three days though.

Anyways, i'm exhausted after all this, do I give the mirtazapine more time to kick in and hope she returns to eat on her own? The vet says he is stumped beyond belief on what is doing this. He brought up an ultrasound before we had her spayed to check for pyometra signs but he wanted 800.00 (canadian) for it so we said no and opted for the 600.00 spay instead.

Do I seek out a second opinion? Or just continue on with the meds and hope, my husband just got laid off so money is very scarce now, We've already spent 1500.00 during this ordeal, I will exhaust all finances if we have too but I just feel lost when the vet tells me there is nothing he sees wrong!

Thanks in advance

I would say go with your gut and get a second opinion. If your vet, in three weeks, can't figure out what's ailing Dakota, it's time to have her seen by someone else. I would also recommend another blood test at this point.

Good luck :fingerscr.

I agree with LP. A full blood panel might tell you something. Has there been any diarrhea or blood in the stool?

I personally would be seeking a second opinion, seems like a whole lot of "band aid" medications being prescribed with no answers to what is causing the problem. If I were in your shoes that is what i would do.
Not saying this is what you must do, just my input.
I'm sorry about what you are going through and I hope that you can get this figured out soon for your sweet girl.

How are you force feeding her? If you put food in her mouth does she spit it out? Have you tried smearing canned food on the roof of her mouth?

I think I'd opt for a second opinion, and the ultrasound. The drug your vet prescribed is actually a human antidepressant but one of it's side effects is increased appetite, which is what vets normally use it for.

How are you force feeding her? If you put food in her mouth does she spit it out? Have you tried smearing canned food on the roof of her mouth?

My bad, force feeding didnt sound too nice now that i re-read my post, I'm actually doing what you said, I use a small spoon with canned food and smear it on the roof of her mouth, sometimes she will lick the spoon and food too.

She had a full blood panel done at the start and nothing was abnormal, also no bloody diarhea or vommiting, her stools are a bit loser than normal but still retaining a "shape" I assume that is from lack of fibre to bind her, but I have decided to go to another vet with all her files. I'll keep you all posted on the progress, and thanks for your replies.

Good luck, Melanie ....I hope you get some answers soon. :fingerscr :goodvibes:

I hope the new vet can shed some light on what's ailing your your girl, Melanie!! :grouphug:

:goodvibes: for Dakota!