# If dog is not eating, do I just force feed her?



## andyACEcandy (Dec 14, 2007)

*Puppy has Giardia and just sleeps all day, allllll day*

Went to the vet and it turns out she tested slightly positive for Giardia.... it's some kind of parasite in the intestines caushing throwing up and diarrhea. I got a lot of medicine for her and she should be better within 5 days, however she still has to eat....

She isn't eating so do I just force the food down her throat? Mush the hard food with water and just open her mouth and put it in? 

Or is this not a good idea...


----------



## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

I am not an expert, but forcing food down a dog or any animals throat seems like a good way to a) get bitten or b) cause the animal to choke.

I would try offering cooked rice with broth poured on it in a bowl and see how things go from there


----------



## andyACEcandy (Dec 14, 2007)

a lot of people have recommended me doin this.... do i leave the rice kind of soupy/watery?


Well with the medicine, I am force feeding her that and she isn't biting. she definitely does not like it though but I mean I have to do it...


----------



## nlkeple (Sep 24, 2007)

For the rice I usually pour enough broth on it so that the rice is tasty, but not so much that I end up with a soup.

I would definitely try the rice/broth


----------



## Lorina (Jul 1, 2006)

Did the vet give you any medication to help settle the stomach? Like Metoclopramide (also called Reglan), or even tell you a dosage for Pepto Bismol?

If they feel queasy, like they're going to throw up, they won't want to eat.


----------



## andyACEcandy (Dec 14, 2007)

Yup, I got Metoclopramide and some other medicine and she is taking amoxicillin too....

I just wish she would eat!


----------



## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

Most dogs can afford to miss a few meals. Dont' force feed her. She'll eat when she's ready. If you want to entice her, put a bit of canned dog food in there. If she's had a real bad bout of giardia, her insides probably dont' feel so hot. If it were my dog, they'd probably be getting some rice or noodles and boiled chicken breast for a few days and then I'd wean them back onto processed kibble. I measure out the amount of water you use to make rice, plus a little bit extra just for good measure...then I boil the chicken until it's cooked. Remove and add the rice and cook. Once that's done, just shred the chicken and add it back in to the rice. I prefer for it to be a very wet mixture, so I'm a little heavy handed with the water.

If you use broth, be sure it's LOW sodium. Unless you make it yourself, most canned broth is way too high in salt to give to dogs.


----------



## andyACEcandy (Dec 14, 2007)

So, how long does giardia take to get rid of.... I researched and apparently it may take a long time

blah


----------



## LeRoymydog (Feb 25, 2007)

Just make sure you wash your hands really well after picking up after your dog. I had a dog with giardia once. My dog ate when he felt better. Dogs will eat when they feel well enough to. I wouldn't force the issue.


----------



## andyACEcandy (Dec 14, 2007)

How long did it take for your dog to heal from it? I keep reading about how it is just horrible and hard to get rid of and can last for a long time

blah


----------



## LeRoymydog (Feb 25, 2007)

I wanna say that it was at least a week for the symptoms to disappear... although I'm going strictly on memory, and it's been about 10 years ago.


----------



## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

When Shippo was sick with cryptosporidium (another lovely parasite), he wouldn't eat anything I offered him. The vet gave me a few cans of prescription food for his stomach, and it was extra stinky and it was the first thing he ate in days! Perhaps ask your vet for some prescription canned food that will be easy on your dog's stomach, and that the dog will take willingly.


----------



## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

andyACEcandy said:


> How long did it take for your dog to heal from it? I keep reading about how it is just horrible and hard to get rid of and can last for a long time
> 
> blah



About two weeks. Giardia, in the grand scheme of everything that can go wrong with a dog, is really not the end of the world. It's a fairly minor issue that, if treated properly, should resolve in a couple week. Just use precautions - wash your hands after cleaning up after your dog and pick up your dog's poo on a regular basis.


----------



## andyACEcandy (Dec 14, 2007)

Update bleh

Well, I woke up today and the worst thing that could have happened, happened. She diarrhead in her water bowl and was drinking the water. She got some gulps in before I got it away from her blah

Another thing is that she just sleeps all day... Even when we go outside in the backyard and sun (in texas), she just finds a place to lay down and stays there. She does pee but never poops outside, it's been inside for the last several times now....


Blah, huge step backwards after she drank that contaminated water.

It's been about 15-20 hours before she last ate. I boiled some chicken and she wasn't interested... just went back to sleep. Doesnt this sound like more than Giardia? I thought Giardia was just diarrhea/nausea... she has those yes but she also just sleeeeeeeps alll day no joke


----------



## Dana1384 (Aug 13, 2007)

my doxie got that when he was a pup, I feel for you, it sucks and I felt so bad for him because he was just exploding everywhere and he was passing blood. When I took him to the vet they gave me the meds I needed and also told me if I am having problems getting him to eat to give him a mix of rice, boiled chicken, and broccoli, and give it to him 2 to 3 times a day. I couldn't get him to eat dog food, or soft food, but he would eat the rice mixture, and he would also chew on ice cubes because he was not keeping water done either. 
He slept a lot and really was not interested in playing. I wouldn't worry about her sleeping to much, it just like us when we get sick. I would say though it took a good month, 3 vet visit before it was completely gone.
I also invested in a carpet shampooer to clean everything real good because there was no telling at first when he was going to explode to get him outside in time and most the time it did not make it on the pads I had out for him.


----------



## ChrissyBz (Aug 10, 2007)

I wouldn't force feed her, sometimes when dogs are feeling off they will voluntarily fast and unless it went on for longer than 2 days I wouldn't worry too much as long as you know what's wrong with her. (which you do) I've had Giardia myself just this past year and it really makes you feel like 10 lbs of S**T in a 5 lb bag. 

As long as she's drinking water so she doesn't get dehydrated. You don't mention what breed or how much she weighs. It's more important to watch the really small dogs closer as they can dehydrate faster.

If she will eat I would recommend that you give her the medication with her food. As the medication gives you nausea diluting it with food helps with that. That's what worked for me anyway.

Ok I just looked up your other posts and I see she's a small puppy I'd watch her closer than I originally posted She's very sweet looking. Good luck with the giardia.


----------



## hattrickinc (Nov 23, 2007)

after my baby beagle had surgery, i couldn't get him to eat NOTHING, not his favorite treats, not dry food, not ANYTHING. not even human food! So I went to the store and found the best smelling best tasting (natural) treats, and left them in various parts of the room.. being a beagle, he smelled them all and ate them, no problem..


----------



## Denis K (Aug 30, 2006)

My dog wasn't feeling to good so I took her to the vet, they did blood test and said that she is in great shape and thought that she might have a bug so he gave me some meds to give to her and that was last week. And now she wont eat anything not even baby food. So how do I feed her.? It's been three days now


----------



## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

First, talk to the Vet. When a dog doesn't eat, that's like a person having a fever - a clear signal that something is wrong.

If the Vet gives you the "all clear" then try some water on the food, a little gravy, or a small amount of ketchup.

How old is your dog, what breed, and how big?


----------



## DieselJunki (Feb 4, 2013)

Try some Tripett. I have yet to hear of a dog that will turn it down and it is much better than that Science Diet canned they have out there. It is a great addition to any dogs diet. All it basically is is green tripe. My puppy loves it and won't eat his kibble without it. It's got probiotics in it to help your dogs already upset digestive system. I also put some Probiotics and Enzymes from Mercola on my dogs food which aid in digestive health.

Also Plain Canned Pumpkin helps with diarrhea along with those digestive supplements I mentioned.

When my old Golden was very sick she wouldn't eat out of her bowl but instead ate from my hand until she was feeling better.


----------



## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

I worked with a vet who would tell people, as opposed to the "bland diet" thing for dogs who didn't want to eat, to give them something really tasty and smelly to tempt them to eat. She didn't think chicken/rice had enough stink and appeal to a dog who was off its food.


----------



## mashlee08 (Feb 24, 2012)

This thread is old.


----------



## DieselJunki (Feb 4, 2013)

Does it matter?

Old threads still help people who use the search function


----------



## nick1021 (Feb 18, 2013)

never try to force feed a dog - unless the vet says other wise - also even a few missed days of not eating food isn't going to normally harm a dog (I am talking in the sense of one in a blue moon not a weekly thing) - as long as they are drinking water. No water, then I would be much more worried. As for food, if you notice the dog getting weaker or condition not improving, call your vet, personally my vet loves getting calls, they feel that the owners are caring enough to notice and call in, plus it keeps them updated. Then again, my vet is a smaller office. 

When my dog got sick, she too didn't want to eat much, the vet told me what I told you above, and that they could also if needed give her a booster shot, that would make her more hungry, or inclined to eat. She sadly, was sick for over a month after drinking water at the in-laws that was left out and got bird droppings in it. (yet another reason not to let your dog run free in your yard) FYI - it was a bucket left out that had rain water - and was near a bird feeder - their dog, drank from the bucket the germs got on the hair of the dog, then when she went inside and drank from her normal dish the germs got put into that water, then our dog, drank from that water - just showing you how even other dogs can make your dog sick sometimes. Don't ask me how or why, but their dog never got sick, could be size difference or dunno, but just glad we didn't have to put her down.


----------

