My parents 12mth old cocker spaniel, Ebony, was spayed 10days ago now and since then she hasn't eaten or slept properly. She came home from the vets the same day as the operation and didn't sleep at all that night. She was kept caged downstairs and she barked and cried the whole night, despite the light being on, the radio being on and my dad going downstairs to see her.

Dad was aware that she wouldn't eat for a couple of days but she's hardly eaten anything and has lost weight. She's perfectly happy and full of energy but won't eat or sleep.

Dad was advised to put some scrambled egg into her food (Eukanuba) and that worked once but not the second time. The vet then advised him to add tuna to her food, again this worked for one meal but not the next. Everytime they add something different to her food she eats less and less till she's now at the point where nothing will tempt her to eat.

She was weighed at the vets today when she had her stitches out and she's lost nearly 1kg in weight but the vet refused my dads request for an injection to encourage her appetite.

The vet doesn't think that there's a problem but everyone else does, before the surgery she was a very greedy little thing who'd eat everything that wasn't nailed down. Now she doesn't want to know.

Can anyone offer any advice on what my dad could do? He's absolutely shattered at the moment and is certain that if he could get Ebony to eat then she'd sleep at night.

Thanks,

Fiona
x x x

Somewhere I've read that milky coffee is good to enhance the appetite
apparently the caffeine is the enhancer. (I always thought caffeine was what kept people awake)
You could try it? (or maybe it will make her worse for being awake all the time)
Damn so that's why I'm always hungary those fizzy drinks with caffeine in them
I don't drink tea or coffee
Also could be down to the hot weather as one of my puppy owners
rang me worried because her girl wasn't eating and she was going through all manner of different things to try and get her to eat.
She is in fine health and full of energy.

Kind Regards
Kirstine

I think I would also be worried if this was my dog, Fiona! All the bitches we have had spayed have got their appetites back almost immediately. Sometimes the anaesthetic does make a dog a bit worked up but for this not-sleeping behaviour to go on for 10 days seems a bit on the abnormal side. I'm not sure that leaving the lights on & also a radio on is going to help Ebony to sleep - it wouldn't work for me anyway Perhaps your Dad could move her crate to their bedroom temporarily & see if this helps? Re the feeding, the whole approach of constantly trying to come up with something different to tempt Ebony's appetite could actually be making her worse, encouraging her to be fussy knowing that if she refuses what's offered, your Dad will come up with something different. She may also be picking up on your Dad's anxiety about her not eating & this tension could be increasing her reluctance to eat. I would ease up on the pressure to get her to eat & try to be a bit more relaxed when feeding her - if she doesn't want to eat, then calmly take the bowl away & don't offer anything else until next meal time. As long as she is drinking normally, the fact that she isn't eating much won't hurt her as long as it doesn't carry on for weeks & weeks. On the other hand there could be a physical reason why Ebony has lost her appetite & perhaps a visit to a different vet might be in order, if only to put your Dad's mind at rest.

Jane

Try pilchards in tomato and warming the food and if she has lost that much weight I would hand feed and spread the meals out to 4 or 5 a day. In other words go back to the sort of feeding you used when she was 8 weeks old and go through the whole thing again and consider changing your vet. Jackie H

Fiona, what about some cooked chicken, on it's own just to tempt her, when our Daisy was spayed it did not seem to bother her at all, but I remember when I had an op I lost my appetite for a few days due to aneasthetic,
Wish your Dad luck
Lorraine

Hi,

Ebony got worse yesterday so my dad took her to another vet for a second opinion. Up until then she'd been full of energy just not eating properly and not sleeping.

It turned out she'd got a massive infection and was very ill. The vet gave her an injection to stimulate her appetite and put her on a drip with some anti-biotics. She was kept in overnight and fed a tsp of food every 30mins.

The vet is hopeful that they've caught it in time and she'll be okay but he wasn't impressed with the attitude of the other vet.

My poor dad feels awful because he feels he should have known she was ill. As he put it "I've got 50yrs experience with dogs and I still didn't realise".

Thanks for all your help and advice,

Fiona
x x x

Hope she is ok Fiona.

Dad should not feel quilty, after all the pup had had an op and one would not expect her to be as good as normal. But the vet should, in the first place it would appear that the infection was caused by bad theatre practice and then compounded by ignoring the concerns of the owner. Not the sort of behavior I would accept from any vet I would use and I'm glad to hear that your Dad has changed vets. I suggest that at the very least your Dad should write a strong letter to the first vet, but I expect that he will be so pleased to get his puppy back strong and well, he will probably let the careless vet get away with her behaviour. And who can blame him. Hope everything is going fine now I'm, sure she will soon be home and with lots of TLC will soon be back to normal. Jackie H

There's no way my dad'll let him get away with this, he's not that type of owner

Dad is very disappointed because the original vet is normally so good and accepts that my dad really does know what he's talking about, because of his career he's not an average dog owner who thinks the vets knows best.

The vet that's now treating her is new to the area and refers to my dad as Sir all the time and appreciates his knowledge and experience.

We're popping over to see them at the weekend so I'll be able to see her for myself, unless the vet keeps her in which he's now talking about doing.

Thanks again,

Fiona
x x x

Poor Ebony - hope she's on the mend soon I do hope your Dad gets somewhere with the original vet - not to spot a massive infection brewing sure sounds like carelessness. I assumed he would have taken Ebony's temperature etc at the very least when your Dad first took her back but it sounds like he can't have Fingers crossed she will be ok now anyway

Jane

hope she is OK Fiona.
Your poor dad must be worried sick but he is not to blame in any way.
Sara x

Fiona,
I hope that Ebony is soon better.
Your Dad shouldn't feel guilty.
I hope that the vet that operated on her feels very guilty and remorseful.
They should pay for her subsequent treatment at the new vets.
I think that you can complain to the RMVC (?) the body that controls
the vets. The new vet should be able to help you with this.
At least your Dad took her to another vet for a second opinion,
and has found a good vet now.
Kindest Regards
Kirstine

Fiona,

I'm so sorry to hear Ebony has been unwell after her spay; we have this to "look forward" to, and your dad's experiences have reminded me to be extra vigilant. I am amazed your vet didn't pick up something was not quite right, as someone else said, he should have at the very least taken a temperature.

It follows too that possible bad theatre practice mayhave caused the illness, whiever said that (sorry forgotten who !!) made a very good point.

Hope both your dad and Ebony are over the worst and on the way up

Let us know how she goes.

Lindsay