My labrador retriever is 1yr8mo old. About a week ago he suddenly stopped eating. I took him to the vet: on first visit he said he may need deworming and he doesn’t have any fever or anything. So I dewormed him - did not solve the problem. So I went again, he said he doesn’t look sick and asked if he had been in contact with a female. So I told the vet what happened 2 weeks ago: we were playing and the street and he didn’t have a leash on because I like to give him a little freedom late at night when streets are empty. But a stray dog passed by and he ran after him/her. So maybe my lab humped the dog if it were a female but I’m not sure. So now he seems to think it’s only sexual and that he’s not eating because of hormones. I live in a small town in India and that’s the best vet available but I’m not satisfied with the diagnosis. The vet has prescribed cyproheptadine (i think it’s the name) which I give him before feeding and he eats a little because it makes him hungry but it’s nowhere near enough. I have NEVER had a problem with food with him because he never left ANY food ever. When it comes to food, he was wild. This is why it is worrying me way too much. Please help!
Hey there @Arjun - welcome to the forum! We aren't vets here on the forum, and would normally suggest your vet to be the first port of call for this type of thing. How is he in himself? Is he drinking ok? Peeing? What about his poop? What do you normally feed him? I would be really worried if my dog wasn't eating for a couple of days, let alone a week. Even though you don't feel that happy with the vet, I think you need to go back to see him (if there are no others you could see). The cyproheptadine is an antihistamine I think - would normally be used to treat allergies, doesn't really sound like an allergy that you have described. I know some dogs can have a bit of diarrhoea or be sick after wormers, but not this long after. I there anything else that has changed? A change in your routine, or different people or animals in the house? Some dogs are very sensitive to their surroundings. I'm sorry you aren't getting more help from your vet. I would still go back and maybe ask for some blood tests?
Hi. Sorry for responding this late. I did take him to the vet but he asked me to continue the cyproheptadine and told me there’s nothing wrong with him so there is no point in prescribing any medication. It has been 20 days and he is still not back to his normal eating habits. I spend 30 minutes twice a day feeding him so his body weight doesn’t drop. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with the food and in every other way he’s completely normal. Super active and playful. But eats only half the food that he used to. Rest of the food I have to feed him as treats and in playful ways. He just leaves the food as is otherwise. This is very strange. Please help me out.
Entire male dogs can go off their food if there’s a bitch in season in the area, but it does seem like quite a long time. What food do you use? (Kibble/ tinned meat/ raw etc) If you use kibble it is possible it has gone off, if it’s got damp and then dried out again for example, so you could buy a small new bag and try that. Was the vet concerned about your dog’s weight? Perhaps he’s eating enough.
I feed him kibble. I did check and it doesn’t look like it has gone bad. He LOVES the Indian breads, but lately he chews the roti and just spits it out. As mentioned above, the vet seems to think it is hormonal/sexual. If it is so, can it go on for 20+ days? If yes, how do I correct this issue? His weight is fine because I have been maintaining his food intake regardless of his reluctance to eat (by play feeding and treats).
Hi Arjun, this is obviously quite a worry for you. I used to have a lab/spaniel mix, who had little interest in food in his youth, ESPECIALLY if there was a bitch in heat around. I used to spend ages literally spoon feeding him, encouraging him with tasty little morsels... As in your case, the vet assured me there was nothing wrong with him. The vet also told me that my dog would not starve himself to death. She told me to feed him twice a day, leaving the food down for five minutes. What he hadn't eaten after that should be taken away. No treats, no spoon feeding... She was right. He did get quite slim, a bit thinner than I would ideally have liked, but he really, really didn't starve himself. And once the hormones were back under control, he regained his normal interest in food. As long as there is no underlying health condition (and frankly, it seems right now you've done everything possible to check that), that your boy will be fine. Try to relax; hopefully he will too and he will get his appetite back. Try putting his food down for a couple of minutes and then taking whatever he hasn't eaten away. Harden your heart to his hungry eyes, and feed him again in the evening. If you feel he just isn't keen on the kibble, you can try putting a bit of warm vegetable or meat stock (without salt) on it to make it smell better. Good luck!
