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Originally Posted by lulababy  I gave him nutra cal today and he just had a little bit of chicken. What is the minimum amount/times a day a tiny dog can eat and stay healthy?
(at first my vet said he should be eating every 2 hours!!) If he eats twice a day and I syringe him water when i dont see him drink on his own, will he be fine until he gains some weight? Other than the non eating and shaking sometimes, he is really just like any other puppy. He is a little sedate at times--way more calm than pebbles--but that could be his personality. He sleeps often but he IS a puppy. I havent paid exact attention as to when it happens in relation to food, but he does run around and play fight with pebbles and follows me around the house... he is not throwing up or getting diarrhea. I think this is why the vet doesnt want to give him the livershunt test yet, because he is A. very tiny, and B. still rather healthy even though he is losing weight |
Shaking, not eating, rubbing against walls, tiredness (lethargy), weight loss are all symptoms...
It
may not be liver shunt at all, but I think it's worth ruling out...
When my yorkie was a pup, I was feeding him a very small amount every 2 hours until he started eating on his own and even then, he got several meals per day. This was very important for him not only because he had coccidia and hypoglycemia, but later we found out that he also has liver problems. With liver problems, it's best to feed small and frequent meals as well.
The reason liver compromised dogs don't want to eat is because food makes them feel sick...The protein that's in most commercial dog foods (animal proteins) produce quite a bit of ammonia that a compromised liver cannot filter. This ammonia (toxin/poison) enters their bloodstream and makes them feel sick...It causes lethargy, lack of appetite, shaking, wobbling, and the possibility of several other symptoms...Then, because they won't eat, they begin losing weight.
Like, I said, it
could be a coincidence, but I would want it ruled out. Miko had blood drawn when he was under 2 lbs. I believe he was 1 lbs 6 oz at the time that he had his blood drawn the first time. This was not a bile acid test, it was a blood panel.
When Miko was a pup, vets also told us that we should put him down or that he would pass on his own during the night...I chose to fight for his life and syringe fed him every 2 hours, cut out red meat (not knowing he had a liver problem at the time, but thank goodness I did this, keep him on the antibiotics for 3 weeks, and a bunch of other things. He pulled through.
When he was so sick as a pup, I asked for them to do a bile acid test, but the vet insisted that there was no way he had a liver shunt
Boy, she really did not know what she was talking about...A couple of months later, he got a UTI, got antibiotics and he was better. Then awhile later, another supposed UTI...So, my hubby and I set up an appointment for a bile acid test because we wanted answers of why he had occasional bad days sometimes rubbed against furniture, and repeated UTIs...Well, the weekend before his appointment, he had a full-blown seizure out of the blue...
Nevertheless, we found out he did in fact have a liver problem. If I had tested him earlier, I could have prevented all the damage that occured during those months...I could have had him on full liver support, but since I did not know, he was not on full liver support.
Again, I am not implying that your baby has this. I have no clue what symptoms you are seeing/not seeing. I just wanted to share our story with you...