Corgi acting strange at feeding time

[Fiona Fox]

Hello,

Monday night (well, really Tuesday morning) I woke up at 3 AM to the sound of my corgi throwing up. A great thing to wake up to, yes? It was just a little bit of food, and I cleaned it up. I had just laid back down when she started moving around and around in her kennel, and then suddenly there was a strange noise. I turned the light back on, and she had had an explosive bowel movement. :EEK: So I got up again and cleaned that up and took her outside, where she had another one (and scared herself in the process). I did not feed her when I got up for work that morning, and her feces were very liquidy. All through this she was still acting like her normal self in the sense that she was super excited to get out of her crate and running around and jumping on my Lab. When I got home from work, there was no mess. I let her out and she only peed, no poop. I intended to keep her quiet, but she was running after all of her toys and trying to get the Lab to play with her and acting like she was fine. So I offered her just a couple bites of kibble, to see how she would react.

I put the bowl into her kennel, and she sniffed it and acted interested. I then stepped where she couldn't see me so I could watch her. She started biting the edge of the bowl and moving it around, almost in a frantic type way. A couple of times she even bit the bars of the kennel. She also kept taking her nose and using the side of it to rub the bowl and push it around even more, sometimes really getting into it. Between last night and this morning, she has maybe eaten enough kibble to amount to just a few bites. Otherwise, she seems happy (she's a happy dog) and energetic... I've just never seen her do this before, and it's wierding me out. She sometimes plays with her bowl after she has eaten everything in it, but this doesn't seem like playing; it seems more psychological. And she has not pooped since yesterday morning, but since she hasn't really eaten anything, I'm not really surprised. Any thoughts?

[Jespah]

Hello, and welcome,

The upset tummy could have been caused by something she ate anywhere. It's a good sign that she is active and energetic - if she were down and lethargic, I'd be rushing her to the vet.

So, essentially, she hasn't had a full tummy since Monday night? You are right, that if she had a big "explosion" and has hardly eaten since, you won't see much poop.

As she is acting fairly normal - other than messing around with her bowl - I wouldn't worry about that at all, then I would get some plain canned pumpkin and add a heaping tablespoon to her kibble with a little warm water to mix it up. That can help the poop situation. If she hasn't been sick since she threw-up on Tuesday AM, give her about half her normal ration with the pumpkin to see how she does. You can also buy a probiotic plain low fat yoghurt to mix in as that will help balance the bad bacteria in her tummy.

If she is sick after eating again, I'd make an appointment with her vet. Keep an eye on her gumbs - if they are pale and tacky to the touch, she is dehydrated and should see a vet right away.

[Fiona Fox]

Thank you for the reply!

I will definitely try the pumpkin or yogurt. As she is a very picky eater (she usually turns up her nose at anything new), which do you think would be better and less "threatening" to her?

I've been trying to make sure she stays hydrated, especially after the diahrrea episode, but great advice to check her gums. Thank you!

[Fluffypants]

Hi and Welcome!

I definitely agree with Deb on the above.

Did you change her food, by any chance? If so, maybe there is something in her new food that she can't handle. If not, it must have been something she ate on her own somewhere. No matter how much you watch them, they always manage to eat something! What exactly was the food that she threw up? Her kibble, or something else? Maybe a new kind of treat that doesn't agree with her?

White rice and boiled chicken is also a good remedy for upset tummies.

Good luck!!

[Fluffypants]

I've been trying to make sure she stays hydrated, especially after the diahrrea episode, but great advice to check her gums. Thank you!

If she isn't drinking, try ice cubes. It's a good way to get her hydrated slowly, so as not to upset her tummy with a sudden flood of water.

[Jespah]

The pumpkin and yoghurt are very gentle on tummys - you can do them together - a lot of us here add them both to every meal we feed. My dogs love it! :BIGGRIN"

Deb

[Kassie]

Sorry you have a pup with an upset tummy, hope it clears up quickly but meanwhile welcome! I'm another pumpkin and yogurt fan. It's good for the tummy and I haven't met a corgi yet who didn't like it! Keep us posted on how he is doing!

[Fiona Fox]

Wow, so many responses! Thank you everyone!

I have not changed her food, she has been eating it (Innova) with no problems. My Lab also threw up once that night (without waking me, amazingly), so even though I watch them (especially the corgi) like hawks, they must have gotten into something. I live out in the country, so it could have been anything. I have noticed her trying to roll in some little goody out in my yard- of course I can't find it when I go to check it out, but it apparently smells great to her.

The food that she threw up was her kibble. I had not given her anything else that night.

How do I go about feeding the white rice and chicken? I guess I mean, what quantity of each, and do I mix it with her food? She is a year old, about 22 pounds (small end of the corgi spectrum). And I will try both the pumpkin and the yogurt, then! She is in for a real treat :) My poor lab, he always goes and pouts in the corner when I'm playing with her and not him (I had him for 2 years before I got her). Now he's going to really feel like the ugly step child!

[Fiona Fox]

A couple of other notes about the kibble: I had not switched to a new bag recently, it's the same one she has been eating out of for a couple of weeks. The lab gets a different food entirely (Taste of the Wild).

[Jespah]

I bet they got into some bad bunny poop or something. :BIGGRIN"

I would cook up enough rice to get a cups worth of cooked - I usually don't add chicken, but I add the low salt or unsalted chicken broth, so they get some nutrition, but it's easy on the digestion system. See how she does with that - if it stays in one way or the other, add some kibble to it the next time - do half and half. If fine, move back to the kibble.

Deb

[Fiona Fox]

Lol, it's very possible!

Thank you so much! It will be interesting to see if she pushes her bowl around like she was earlier with that or if she chows down (I'm sure it will be the latter). This is white rice, correct?

[thebeach.corgi]

I do boiled skinless chicken and rice or boiled hamburger and rice. Rinse off the chicken after boiling to remove any fat. I do the same with the hamburger after boiling it. I make the rice separately. A bland, easy to digest diet is what you are making.

I make a 50-50 meat/rice mix. I give the same amount as I would kibble per meal in the beginning. If that sits well in the system, the 2nd day I start adding a bit of kibble and gradually switch to all kibble. I add water to the mix when serving.

Hope things return to normal soon.

[Jespah]

Yes, white rice - the blander the better. You don't want fibre! :NAH:

Deb

[Fluffypants]

You can also boil the rice in chicken broth so that it tastes chicken-y (if you are worried about her eating it).

[Fiona Fox]

Awesome- I think I will try the chicken broth and rice first, and then move onto boiled chicken from there if that doesn't work. No salt. I've been needing to cook some up for myself anyway!

Thanks for the heads up on how to serve it. I'm afraid she won't go back to kibble after this!

[taflar]

I put the bowl into her kennel, and she sniffed it and acted interested. I then stepped where she couldn't see me so I could watch her. She started biting the edge of the bowl and moving it around, almost in a frantic type way. A couple of times she even bit the bars of the kennel. She also kept taking her nose and using the side of it to rub the bowl and push it around even more, sometimes really getting into it. Between last night and this morning, she has maybe eaten enough kibble to amount to just a few bites. Otherwise, she seems happy (she's a happy dog) and energetic... I've just never seen her do this before, and it's wierding me out. She sometimes plays with her bowl after she has eaten everything in it, but this doesn't seem like playing; it seems more psychological. And she has not pooped since yesterday morning, but since she hasn't really eaten anything, I'm not really surprised. Any thoughts?

That's typical "burying" behavior. They really want to eat it but well, maybe later.

I'd give her something easier on her tummy, the bland diet described on this forum in many places or even just plain vanilla Ensure for now. (Or the generic version.)

Peggy

[Dillydoodle]

I agree with those who suggested pumpkin and yogurt. i feed both with each meal for my guys. they love it and it helps keep them regular. If i had to choose one or the other, it would be pumpkin becuase that is what really helps keep things regular. For a dog with the runs, pumpkin helps firm things up.. and for a dog with constipation, yep, pumpkin, helps get things moving! It is the miracle worker !! I do think the yogurt has great benefits though.

I hope that Fiona feels better really quickly! poor girl.. stinks to be feeling so ill.. sounds like she got something in the yard... my two find things now and again on walks no matter how careful I am , so i have had to deal with sick bellies before!!

[Fiona Fox]

Thank you everyone for your advice. Fiona got better last week and started eating again, and then Monday night I came home to basically Corgi explosion. She even whimpered a little when I walked in, but I think it was because she thought she was in trouble, which she obviously wasn't. I bathed her and bleached her kennel, and she was bouncing off the walls like normal after. If anything, she seems even more wired, in spite of not having much to eat in the last few days. We started on the chicken and rice, which she gobbled up of course, and so far she has kept it down. I'm wondering if she's picking up some sort of bug from where I work... both times she has gotten sick, it has been shortly after coming to work with me. Or maybe the stress of going someplace new like that is making her sick? The first time my lab also got sick, but he seems fine this time.

Anyway, I'm going to kind of mix her dog food and the chicken and rice for a while and build back up to just dog food, and I'm going to buy some pumpkin tonight and try that. My lab has a vet appointment Saturday for his annual check-up, so if she gets sick again between now and then, I'm going to take her also. Either way, I'm going to ask him what he thinks. Thank you everyone for your help!

[thebeach.corgi]

Helicabactor pylori (sp?) is something dogs can pick up from drinking water that is shared, drinking out of puddles, or other stagnant water sources. Might want to ask your vet about the possibility of that. Antibiotics are the treatment since it is a bacteria infection.

Sounds as though whatever the cause is, is still in the system or Fiona is getting reinfected somehow. Her digestive system is still in distress. Peptobismal tablets can be given to help ease stomach distress. but it might be time to have her see the vet and run some tests. Treating symptoms is fine but if there is an underlying problem, then you are prolonging getting to the real culprit.

Good luck. Hard to have them off their game since they can't tell us what is wrong. Detective had on. Keep us posted.

[Merlincorgi]

I can't help much with the diet and such, but it definitely sounds like she was trying to bury her food. Merlin does that on occasion when he would like to save a little of his food for later! See video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua24wk697jA

[Fluffypants]

Merlin is too cute in that video Cheryl!

I agree with Connie that it might be time to take Fiona to the vet. She might have picked up something somewhere that she can't shake.

Do people at your work feed her things? Or is there anything there that she can get into without you knowing?

[Fiona Fox]

Cheryl- that looks SO much like what she was doing, thank you for that link! I take her kennel pad out before I feed her, though, so she doesn't have anything to bury her food under... weirdo.

To my knowledge, my co-workers do not feed her anything without my permission. There is one guy that usually comes through, though, and he always pulls something out of his pocket to feed them when he walks by. I don't know if he just always has this stuff on him because we work at a vet school and so he expects to see dogs or what. Anyway, this stuff is really gross looking. Every time he tries to feed it to Fiona I intercept him and tell him not to, but he managed to get some to my lab before I could stop him, and it was gone before I could fish it back out of his mouth. It makes me SO MAD that people assume they can just walk up to my dogs and feed them whatever without asking me. All of that to say, I know that guy is not feeding her, because if she's not out with me she's in her kennel locked in my office. So it's very doubtful she is getting into anything at work. However, as it's a vet school, who knows what has been through there. I would not bring her with me, but some weekends I have to work conferences, so it's either she comes with me where I can take her out to go potty during the day or she would have to stay at home without any bathroom breaks for 12+ hours... not very fair. I don't have anyone that can let her out, either, unless my roommate is home, as I live out in the middle of nowhere. It's definitely a catch 22. That is a common factor in these last two episodes, though. I would be more suspicious if my lab had gotten sick both times, too, but he hasn't.

I am going to take her with me to the vet tomorrow. She has been fine since getting sick Monday, and her stools are back to normal, but just to be on the safe side.

[dcole]

Hi - coming into the conversation late, here. How is Fiona today and what did the vet say?

[Fiona Fox]

Fiona is doing fine now. I've been giving her the yogurt with her evening meal, and she has not had any problems. I really think it was something related to taking her to work with me, so I am going to make sure to not bring her up there anymore. Thanks for checking!

[thebeach.corgi]

Great Fiona is feeling better. Fingers and paws crossed that she has whatever was wrong out of her system.

My Cooper can inhale something in a nano second. He is a perpetual Hoover dog inside and outside. Anything is fair game to him. :TWITCHY: