Total loss of appetite

[The Food Group]

Hi! I am posting for insight or suggestions but we are taking our 1 year old golden doodle, Lorenzo, to the LSU vet school today. Of course it is a long story so I'll try to hit the highlights. 

Enzo has been eating Science Diet since a pup as recommended by the vet (now I know better and will do better but essentially he is not interested in any food!) We got a brand new bag of adult kibble which he's been eating for a few mths (prior to that he was on puppy kibble same flavor)  before taking a trip out of state on March 1st. 

We took Enzo to my parents and we had a few walks outside and he may have encountered some sort of puddle or bacteria there. He is not a huge eater when other dogs are around/ he wants to play. He was not interested in eating and this continued when we got home. We ended up returning this bag of food. (possibility -bad bag of food) 

Took Enzo to vet 03/07 after he vomited up chicken and rice and was having diarrhea. They gave us the nasty canned ID food and metronidazole after doing a blood test and stool test as well as feeling for any obstructions. Those came back clear and they gave him a diagnosis of gastroenteritis. He did awesome on the wet food for one day and then refused to eat it. Throughout all of this time (minus the days that we didn't let him play as per the vets orders) he has played with our roommates pup and neighbor pups. We've been going on walks to try to rev up his appetite as well. 

Since then we have tried Blue Buffalo grain free as well as Solid Gold grain free salmon after he ate some of our roommates pups salmon flavored food. We've also tried Merrick canned food as a topper and as a meal. He has eaten about one day of each food before becoming totally uninterested. I fed him sweet potato and chicken over the weekend which he loved but refused to eat it last night. He did not eat anything yesterday except a Trader Joe's jerky stick. He will refuse other treats, peanut butter, chicken... We thought it may just be a picky eating thing even though he has never been picky and we have never fed him from the table or anything until now that we are desperate and acknowledge we may be making it worse but he is losing weight now and is lethargic. (he has gained weight at every vet appointment so far and the vet reported he should be leveling out now that he is about full grown) 

We have been trying to give probiotics daily- we got some probiotic frozen yogurt cups he loved while we waited for the proviable to come in - if he notices it on his food he wont eat it. He does not even come to the kitchen when he is hungry anymore, we have to make him. We have tried changing feeding locations as well. We have tried adding broth, warming it, adding toppers, adding PB.... 

It's just so frustrating to not know if he is all of a sudden an extremely picky eater or there is something wrong. We continue to put out his food but we get the most success when we hand feed him or feed him on a plate. After reading through Doodle Kisses I feel like I have gained so much knowledge but it has also led me to not want to take him back to our vet which we've loved because they'll just give us more cans of ID food. Again, we will take him to the LSU vet school this afternoon and keep you posted but if anyone has any insight, please share !   

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I strongly suspect that this has nothing to do with food. I'm glad you're taking him to LSU because I think there is something going on here related to digestive disease, or possibly a foreign body in the gut. I would hope that they will do this without having to be asked, but just in case, you want an Xray and possibly an ultrasound, and you want a GI panel run. 

[Laura and Angus]

I think it's really concerning that your dog is refusing to eat even treats. A picky eater will be picky with their eating..meaning they'll eat certain things and not others. This sounds like loss of appetite. Definitely need a specialist to do more testing to find out what's going on. I hope you get some answers soon! That sounds really frustrating and stressful!

[charlotte bednarsh]

Pls keep us posted...hoping you get some assistance and answers.

[Dawn Marie]

I am so sorry u r going through this. Holly us 10 now but went through something similar when she was 6. We spent many hours at the Univ of Madison and so many tests. They thought she had an autoimmune disease because of her blood work and symptoms. Loss of appetite, lots weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and muscle loss. It was heartbreakingly awful, scary, stressful and hard to solve. They put her on the lowest dose of prednisone for 6mo. It helped tremendously. I cried and cried not wanting her on this awful drug but it helped her eat, gain weight and become the Dog she had been. I switched her food to Acana duck and Pear and somehow a miracle happened and her blood work returned to normal. It was like her system fought back with the help of the prednisone. She has not had an incident in 4 years now. Holly is a picky eater and I'm always having to add a little topper to her meals. I rotate the 3 healthy things I know work for her. I pray you start finding answers. I'm so glad your getting help. Please keep us informed. Hugs to you. I know what you're going through.

[c zoomer]

I'm thinking I hope none of the Hill's wet food was on the Recall List !

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It was.
I didn't even think of that. LOTS of Hill's canned food recalled, including a couple of different i/d formulas:
https://www.hillspet.com/productlist

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so very sorry Lorenzo is ill.  My first thought when I read this is that Hill's has been on a recall  and dogs have died as a result.  I have NO idea if your Enzo might have eaten some of the Hill's that has been recalled, but I would definitely try to figure it out.  If so, you and the vet might figure a different course of treatment. I'd also be very leery of feeding Enzo any Hills products right now.  I'd try boiled chicken and rice or yams.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am glad you are going to a reputable place. I agree that i’d like follow up.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm very sorry to hear this Courtney. 
We have a number of members here whose doodles have had lymphoma. You will find some discussions about it in the health group. The decision to do chemo or not is a very personal one that only you and your family can make. From what I have seen, the chemo buys a little time, but not much. It seems that most of the dogs who have gone through it and gotten into remission do relapse shortly afterwards. :( 
I have a lot of experience with prednisone, although not for chemo or a fatal disease. For my dog, it did wonders, but he was on it for an autoimmune disease. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And please don't feel guilty. Nobody could have seen any signs or imagined something like this in a one year old dog. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am so sorry to hear your news. I hope Enzo has that Enzo has a pain free time ahead.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Gosh, I am so very sorry for this diagnosis.  Sending hugs of support to you whatever you decide to do.