Is Maddy sick or am I just worrying too much?

[The Food Group]

As some of you may know, I posted a discussion about 2 weeks ago about Maddy not feeling well. This is sort of an update/request for your input/opinions.

A little background:
Maddy frequently skips meals (up to 3 in a row) and last Thursday she threw up twice on an empty stomach (just bile). We've noticed Maddy gets gassy every once in awhile, too. Friday morning we took her to the vet. We had a regular check-up scheduled anyway so this was good timing. The vet checked her out and said she looked good and was acting like she felt okay but due to her "symptoms" wanted to do some blood work.

Fast forward to today...
The vet called and said Maddy's blood work came back clean (Yay!) and that I could give her 1/4 of a 10mg tablet of Pepcid AC daily during the time of day she most likely eats less. Vet recommended continuing said regime for at least 10 days to see if we notice any kind of difference in Maddy. First of all, I have never heard of giving a dog Pepcid AC...what do you all think of this? I'm not big on medicating when it is not absolutely necessary. How do I even know if Maddy really needs this? She hasn't thrown up since Thurs...I thought Pepcid AC was for gas/intestinal issues?

The vet then tells me that if this doesn't seem to make Maddy feel better we may want to consider a hypoallergenic prescription diet to eliminate a food allergy. YEAH RIGHT. I politely continued listening but I should have stopped her right there...I am not paying an arm and a leg for some CRAP food that will not even be good for my dog. She was telling me of all the things they take out of food...what is left? Some dehydrated corn? Yuck. But of course now I am worrying, feeling very "unarmed".

I realize that some dogs just don't have big appetites and that I probably shouldn't care so much that Maddy chooses not to eat (no matter how strange I think it is.) I'm worried I am now making a big deal out of nothing, like if she could talk she would just say, "Whatever, I'm cool, stop making a big deal Mom!"

Please tell me what you guys think about all of this! I really appreciate your insight.

I should probably add for those of you who don't know, Maddy is almost 11 months old and she is currently eating Taste of the Wild. We just finished a 15 lb. bag of the salmon formula and now we're on bison and venison! Yum!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Tina, if you haven't looked through our Homecooking Section here on the Food Group, you may want to do so; also, there are several great individual discussions on homecooking, including several recent ones by Jane, and of course, our DK Cookbook group, for which there is a link on the main Food Group page.
To browse through our FG discussions, click "Back to Food Group" discussions above, and then you can "view all" or do a search for "homecooking".

[Tina J.]

I joined the Food Group a couple days ago but haven't had much time to look around yet. I'll get around to it real soon. Thanks!

[Bronwen Watts]

Nancy, this is exactly what we went through with Tyson for the first year plus. No matter what food we switched him to, we had problems (throwing up, gassy sometimes, diarrhea), and Tyson was always skipping meals; we were always trying to hand feed him, mix treats into his food, mix canned food in--anything we could think of to convince him his food was appealing. We were so worried, and we tried everything, including some of the prescription diets before we knew better. However, after joining DK and specifically the food group, I switched Tyson over to Acana (we started with the Pacifica, and alternate between that and the Wild Prairie) about 3 months ago, and the change has been drastic. Tyson NEVER skips a meal anymore! He is ecstatic when it comes time to feed him, he bounces around and barks at us to feed him faster, and he scarfs down his food. It is such a joy to see him eat every meal, and every kibble in his bowl. It is like he is a different dog at meal times now. And he stopped throwing up, the diarrhea is gone, and although we initially experienced some gas when we first switched the food, even that has stopped now.

Obviously I don't know if what Maddy is going through is the same as what Tyson went through, but it certainly sounds very similar. Perhaps changing her food might help--you might be able to find something she likes (consistently), and then just stick with that. Good luck!! Keep us updated.

[LG & Sadie]

My Sadie has been on pepcid a/c daily most of her 3 years, and will sometimes need a pepto caplet as well. She followed a pretty gassy pattern-she would burp like a man (no offense to men) at a bar who just guzzled a beer.....fairly often...and had many bouts of either 1) not wanting to eat 2) eating and vomitting or 3) diarrhea which on a few occassions led to her being dehydrated. My Vet attributed it in part to her temperment.....she is an anxious gal. I am new to food discussions, but since her Bravo complete & balanced raw food diet change 8 months ago.....we have had no episodes of any of the previously mentioned symptoms. I guess we found what works for her....I know there are strong opinions out there~so, I am certainly not saying or suggesting a raw diet is the way to go. Just sharing some of Sadie's struggles. And sending healing thoughts Maddy's way~

[03pilqobzlvp7]

Hi Nancy, have you heard of those toys that you put kibble in and it falls out a piece at a time? I can't remember the name, but that might be just the trick for your picky girl. Duff eats TOTW too, but he is on the Roasted Fowl flavor at the moment and his appetite has picked up significantly. I think he likes it a lot better than the other flavors, even though he seemed to like those just fine. He also went through a VERY picky few months starting at 10 months and I'd say he only started eating more than a cup or two a day (sometimes less or none at all) at about 13 or 14 months. Now he is back to a healthy appetite, so it might be just a phase.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I had the same problem with my doodle. He was on the same food for months and always ate really well. Then he stopped eating and would only eat it if I added something to it. Jars of baby food meats worked like a charm. I have tried TOTW and Quincy also wouldn't eat that. I am now trying him on Candaie Salmon Meal and Rice grain free and so far he is eating this without having to add anything to it. He also gone back to eating twice a day when I could barely get him to eat once and this would be at night after having gone all day with nothing. There's nothing wrong with adding something to her food as long as it is something that is good for her. Chicken and Rice is also good to feed them if they really are not feeling good. She probably doesn't have an allergy just something in the food the she's developed an intolerance to. Good luck hope Maddy if feeling better soon. Woof to Maddy from Quincy.