Shih Tzu not eating.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I am sorry to hear that Doodles is having these problems.

I wish I could examine your little guy. With the symptoms you described and the fact that he is a shih tzu, I'm wondering if it is possible that he has some back pain. It is really common for shih tzus to stop eating because of back pain. Sometimes it can be difficult to detect. It may be worthwhile to call your vet and ask if back pain is a possibility. If so, they can prescribe some pain medication for you.

Your vet is right in saying that it can be difficult to diagnose cancer. There are many types of cancers that we don't have a simple test for. However, dogs with cancer don't usually tend to get sick as fast as this.

Do you know if they did a blood test called a PLI? Another possible reason for him to not want to eat is pancreatitis. Sometimes the rest of the bloodwork other than the PLI can be normal. While most dogs with pancreatitis will vomit, not all of them do.

If your vet thinks this is the case then they can prescribe some medication to help with stomach upset.

Let's see how your vet feels about back pain. Hopefully this is it!



Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Oh no. What you are describing sounds like a very serious back problem. If there is inflammation around one of the discs in his back this can push up on the spinal cord and cause him to have difficulty moving his back legs.

Hopefully this is just inflammation. If so, if we get him on the appropriate medication right away then he may be ok.

However, sometimes when this happens, there is a portion of a disc that is bulging up and pushing on the spinal cord.

This type of problem needs an expensive surgery in order to be fixed.

He needs to be seen by a vet as soon as possible...even tonight if you are able to get him to an emergency clinic. The vet will likely start him on some strong steroid medication to reduce the swelling.

In the meantime make sure he moves as little as possible. Do not let him do any stairs or jumping at all.

I really hope he is ok!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

If this is what I think it is, then yes, he is in pain. And pain definitely can cause a decrease in appetite.

I'm fearful that he may have had some inflammation 6 days ago, but now that has progressed to a protruding disc.

The vet who sees him in the morning will do some neurological tests (these will be part of the exam, so they won't cost more), and should be able to give you an idea as to whether he will be able to walk again.

No worries about asking questions...that's what I am here for.

Feel free to post back again tomorrow after your visit.

Dr. Marie replied:

I really wish there was something that you could give him tonight, but unfortunately there is nothing that is safe. The reason for this is that the vet is likely going to want to give him a strong steroid in the morning. If he has something else in his system he will not be able to get a steroid shot.

Ideally it really would be best to have him seen tonight. Is there any way a neighbor or a family member could help you out?

Dr. Marie replied:

No...any of these drugs will interfere with any steroid he could get.

I'm very sorry but there is no medication that you can administer at home that will be safe for him.

Dr. Marie replied:

I have seen many cases where steroids did the trick. We should know within the next couple of days.

I hope he is feeling better now!