Sick yorkie?! HELP!! PLEASE!

[keveneven03]

I recently adopted/rescued a yorkie from a lady. Her story was that she bought it from a breeder two months prior and just doesn't have time for the dog. So here I am with a little cute 4 year old female yorkie.

Anyways, I am very concerned as I have had her two days now and she will not eat her food, will not drink water, very lethargic, scared of every movement (almost like she was abused). I took her to the vet to have her checked out but the vet says she is normal on her temperature etc.. She did however say that her teeth were very bad for a 4 year old yorkie and that this is possibly the cause of her not eating or drinking. Does this seem right?? So far I have only gotten her to eat a small amount of boiled chicken, and a small amount of canned dog food at the vet. So far I have not seen her or gotten her to drink any water. Nor have I seen her have a bowel movement at all. I am starting to worry that she may have something worse and be very sick as she only wants to lay down all the time and is very droopy. Any help and info is greatly appreciated!!

[Sandyd]

I work with a rescue group up here in Minnesota so I'll try to give you a few tips. First a few things about your comments that pop out to me. If your little girl is 4 years old and has bad teeth and the prior owner only aquired her a few months ago, I suspect they didn't get her from a breeder but that she came from a mill. Most of our mill dogs over a year old need to have a dental when they're sterilized and a dog by 4 years old ususally has to have teeth extracted during the dental. They have been living in a bacteria filled environment with poor or little food and bad water quality so their teeth take a big hit.

I am wondering how long ago you aquired your little Yorkie? If it's been just a few days or a week, she may just be trying to adapt. So here are a few things I do for a new rescue who comes into my home:

1. Love, snuggles, cuddles and a lot of lap time. Your little girl may have been in another home for a few months but I would suspect that she is not used to being in a home environment and if the previous owner didn't have time for her, this part was missed. If she wants to just snuggle on you, let her.

2. To temp food, especially if they have bad teeth, I put some water through my coffee maker to get really hot water and add that to their kibble and let it really gravy up. As soon as it's cool enough to eat but still warm, I feed. I will even sit right next to them and put it in my hand and let them lick it off to begin with. If she won't eat off your hand, you can try a spoon. If she won't eat, lift the bowl and do not let her free feed. If she doesn't eat, offer the meal again a bit later. Eventually she will notice that the only time she is going to eat is when you offer it and you'll be the provider.

Another idea if she's not eating is to get some baby food meat, the really small jars that are just strained chicken or turkey. I cook a cup of minute rice and in the water before I add the rice, I put the meat in the water so when the rice is added, it soaks up protein too. Plus they think it's nummy. A cup will last a few feedings so just refrigerate it and warm it up for the next meal.

If you do cook chicken, boil the chicken with the bones but no skin and when the meat is ready to fall off the bone, remove the bones. The broth will be bolder if you leave the bones in while cooking. I like picking up legs and thighs because it's the darker, softer meat on the chicken.

3. Watch for dehydration by looking at her gums. If they're getting tacky, she's getting dehydrated. But as long as she's taking some sips here and there of water, she should be okay. Also by adding the water to her food, you're giving water. I also put additional water bowls by the door outside so coming in and out, a quick sip is good.

The first few days the most important thing you can do is bond with her. The more safe she feels, the faster she will feel comfortable eating and thriving.

Try these things and let us know if she's improving.... others will have more ideas.

Sandy

[kjc]

I'd ask the vet to be more aggressive with her treatment. Was any bloodwork run? Did she do any xrays? These would be the basics I would do with a 'new to me dog' that's not acting right....

[Yorkiemom1]

Nutra-Cal is needed immediately to get this babys sugar level up! If you do not have that, put Karo syrup in a dropper and give it to her.....she needs about a 2 cc....that is about 1/2 teaspoon. (Dr.Millers Pet Nutra Drops is better than Nutra-Cal...it is easier to give and they LOVE it....www.animalwellness.net[/B]] | or call them 631-834-2387) That could be why she is so "droopy" and lethargic. You need to be giving her this at least every 3-4 hours....but that is temporary fix...she needs to be eating. If her teeth are hurting her, feed her baby food, chicken or lamb...let her lick it off your finger. Of course she must drink water to survive....you may need to syringe water into her mouth...unflavored Pedialyte is better for her than plain water at this juncture. How was she acting when you got her??? She may just be very insecure and frightened in her new environment, or there may be more to it. How much does this baby weigh?

[Lorraine]

I agree with all these posts, you can't just wait and see with this one. She needs more aggressive Vet care, blood panel, check for dehydration and if she is either put her on IV therapy for a day at the clinic or fluid under the skin. As was suggested feeding the baby food to try to get her to eat, try offering water with a syringe. She could be in a state of shock and 'frozen' although I don't know how long you have had her. If longer than 3 days she should be responding a bit better than she is.

[bjh]

I imagine the change is very dramatic for your new girl. Did the previous owner give you some of the food your new girl was eating? She also should have given you food and feeding instructions. All yorkies are different. Some have led such a sheltered live, whether in a puppy mill or kept in a home, that it takes them time to adapt. Yorkies have so many different types of personalities so how your girl reacts will depend totally on her personality and not necessarily because she was abused. I suggest you call the lady you got her from and discuss with her what type of food she was eating and how it was prepared. All my yorkies love their dry food mixed with a little canned Pedigree dog food. You don't want to change your girl's diet suddenly because that can cause her to have stomach problems and perhaps get diarrhea. One of my favorite canned foods to feed is Pedigree Healthy Digestion. Most dogs love it and it is easy on their digestive system.

How much does your girl weigh? If she is a tiny yorkie then I would be a bit more concerned about her not eating and I would be giving her a little Nutri-cal. Yorkies are prone to having bad teeth. You can feel of her teeth to see if she has any loose teeth. I bet with a lot of love and patience your girl will slowly come around. I pray all works out for her.

[BLowry]

I'm sorry this is happening to you....I agree with the others...another aggressive vet visit is needed...my little Lillie just had a dental done 2 weeks ago...her teeth were really bad (will NOT let me brush her teeth or get near her mouth) I do add oxy fresh to their water but, her teeth were really bad...had to have 8 teeth pulled and 2 had already fallen out...I could see a slight change in her as I'm sure her mouth hurt ...however...she did still eat and drink...maybe get some baby food (meat) and see if she will eat that...I would be concerned that she isn't drinking or hasn't pooped yet...hopefully your vet can figure this all out and she can be a happy bouncy little lady.

[keveneven03]

Thank you everyone very very much for all your help and information!! This is our first time dealing with a yorkie that we believe to be a rescue and all this info helps so much.

To answer any questions, we have only had her two days, so I do think she will warm up a little with lots of love and care. But it does seem like she is somewhat sick, as I have had dogs previously that act this way when something is not right.

She is 4 years old and 6.8 lbs

The vet did not run blood tests, or X-rays and I am starting to question why she did not do any of this as a first step.

The previous owner (who says she had her for two months, with no time to care for her ) was feeding her Natural Balance Ultra small bites. I have tried feeding her this multiple times and she wants nothing to do with it. I will note that the previous owner also had a smaller, younger yorkie who was kept in the same run. I am thinking that she put the food down for the dogs and assumed both were eating and only the younger one was eating.

Update:

I fed her boiled chicken again this morning as she did not want anything to do with the canned food the vet gave us. I am starting to wonder if it is the warm food she likes? I tried giving her a tiny piece of the boiled chicken that was cold and she wanted nothing to do with it. At this point I am very glad she is eating anything at all. I am still unable to get her to drink however. I am going to try and syringe some unflavored pedialite this evening if she still does not drink.
I have also bought some baby food in the mean time and will try that also. I also am going to attempt to track down some nutrical as I have had lots of people recommend it.
She has perked up slightly but not too much at all. She is still pretty lethargic and always wants to lay down and sleep.
I will be spending lots of time with here to show her attention and love and I have been letting her lay on my lap and couch while petting her and caring for her.

Thanks again everyone! I will keep you updated as I try new things. If you guys have anymore suggestions or info, it helps greatly and is very much appreciated.

[Perrella]

Hi, since she is only eating warm food...it could be the cold is hurting her teeth more than you realize. She may need a dental done right away....did your vet say how urgent the dental need is?

Sending prayers you can find answers and she starts feeling much better. Thank you for caring for this sweet girl.

[msyorktown]

poor baby, I hope she feels better soon...

[keveneven03]

To update you guys as of this evening:

She has eaten a mix of baby food and the canned dog food that I got from the vet for her. I have to mix it up and warm it up for her to eat it.
She will not drink on her own except one tiny little sip of water. So I have syringed two syringe full's of pedialyte.
As of now she still has not had a bowel movement. I'm gonna keep taking her out every couple of hours. If I don't get a bowel movement from her by tomorrow afternoon, I will be taking her back to the vet.
I have noticed she seemed to want to walk around and explore a little more than normal after eating. So that is a step in the right direction.
Also do you guys think I need to give her nutrical still or is the pedialyte and baby food sufficient for the time being?

Perrella:

The vet did say that she wanted to get the dental work done ASAP and that it would probably be 12-15 teeth that were bad. YIKES!! However the vet did not really check her teeth or gums to well or in depth. I actually had to bring it up to her... So I don't know if it was a spur of the moment "lets make money" or actual concern. But either way I still do think her teeth are not in the best of shape at all.
Also I am a little worried about putting her into surgery right away and inducing even more stress on her. She has switched homes twice now in the last two months and I think part of it may be she is under a huge load of stress. I don't want to make the stress worse by throwing her into surgery right away.

[Yorkiemom1]

Oh good...her sugar is coming up and she is getting a little more active...Personally, yes, I would give her about 2 inches of NutraCal at bedtime....that should carry her thru the night, as long as she is eating at least every 4 hours....keep up syringing the pedialyte into her mouth....what size syringe are you using...3cc or 5cc, or 12cc syringe....she needs at least 2 syringefulls (12cc) every 3-4 hours.... I wouldnt put her thru surgery at this time...she is too "down"...she needs to be "reconditioned" before you insult her little body with something as harsh as surgery...the vet can give you antibiotics for her teeth until you can have her teeth done....I have a tiny little senior that can NOT tolerate surgery....she gets an antibiotic, maintainance dose, to keep her from throwing bacteria from those teeth to major organs....not the preferred treatment, but all we have left as an option for this baby.

[kjc]

You can add some low salt organic chicken broth to the water... it may entice her to drink. You can also add a bit of water to her food and mix it in, to get more water into her.

Dogs that are dehydrated usually will not eat. Replacing those fluids either by mouth, SubQ, or IV can get them eating right away. If her gums feel sticky to the touch, that's an indication of dehydration.

I would also have at least pre-op bloodwork done before her dental. Many times a dog is put on antibiotics a few days before the actual dental... ask your vet about this.

[keveneven03]

How much food should I expect her to be eating? As of today she ate roughly 4 tablespoons of baby food mixed with the vet canned food. And I only got 9 cc of pedialyte down her today. I will definitely up the amount of fluid tomorrow. She is currently all worn out and sleeping comfortably.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by keveneven03

How much food should I expect her to be eating? As of today she ate roughly 4 tablespoons of baby food mixed with the vet canned food. And I only got 9 cc of pedialyte down her today. I will definitely up the amount of fluid tomorrow. She is currently all worn out and sleeping comfortably.

I'd call and ask the vet. She may have to be brought up to optimun levels gradually, depending on her history.