Bella, my 18 month old black lab, was poorly the week before last with a gastro-enteritis bug, she was vomiting foamy mucus and drooling, vet kept her in and sorted her out quite quickly thank goodness.  Now she will not eat any of her food - we feed her dry food with water, and she will not touch it, she also wont eat the prescription diet that the vet gave, nor puppy food!  she will eat any of the treats offered of course! and she is drinking, but she is so skinny that I really dont know what to try next, can anyone advise please? - the only thing I was thinking was that she associates dinner with being sick??  

If the prescription diet is a dry food, you could try using a treat ball or playing hide and seek with her.  that way she's eating something and finding it fun at the same time.  If its wet food, you could try stuffing some in a Kong.

Have you checked with the vet again?  If she hasn't been eating properly since "the week before last" it might be an idea to ask their advice.

However some dogs can get outfaced by a big bowl of food if they've been unwell, try splitting the food into 4 smaller portions.  Also if your dog thinks treats as anything given by hand, you might find she will eat some of her dry food if it's given as a reward for effort.  Finally just aim for little and often if you can and feed her after exercise or training so she has had a chance to work up an appetite. 

By the way; my dog hated the prescription diet from the vet!  We stuck with it for a few days but in the end we soaked his normal dry food and mixed it with a spoonful of canned dog food.  The vet said is was ok and it certainly did the trick, he soon went back to eating normally. 

Best of luck

I checked with the vet, he told me to persevere and she would eat when she was hungry :/ thats all very well, but I do feel that she needs some sort of encouragement so I have been out and bought some trial packs of other types of food, she will eat them from my hand, but will not touch her original type, so I think you're right, I will just have to persevere and do the "little and often" thing.  Thanks for your advice. :)

I would move completely away from dry food for the time being.Put him onto something like naturediet,a wet food which is also very palatable.
Once hew gets back into the habit of eating regularly/normally you can gradually start adding back dry food,if you want to.

My sisters Boxer is a fussy eater at the best of times, a few months ago she was very ill and refused to eat anything :( The vet advised cooked chicken, offered in several small meals a day. Gradually as she started to eat again, they mixed the chicken in with her normal food and sort of 'weaned' her back onto her normal diet.

Cooked chicken (or something that your dog would normally find irresistable) may temp her to eat if it's mixed in with her normal food ?

Things are a bit tricky now - Bella still wouldnt eat so I took her back to vet on Monday morning - she has lost 10% of her body weight and is still vom mucus on and off especially when has a big drink, sometimes she's up and sometimes down, anyhow the vet agreed not right, so took her back in and x-rayed her in case of an ill gotten gain (you know what labs are like!) had been eaten, I still felt that was unlikely as she isnt in the habit of eating random household items.  X-ray has come back clear, but bloods are showing signs of liver problems also apparently there are signs that her blood is not clotting properly, they were talking about an exploratory op - but they are reluctant to do that because of high risk of haemorrage, we've been told that her blood results are "Bizarre" and she is getting weaker daily.  They have recommended a specialist - so we are off to Potters Bar tomorrow to see what they can do - all this and my dear husband cancelled the pet insurance 3 months ago! - please do not have a go about that - as I did not know about it until the first vet bill 3 weeks ago when I asked him to confirm that we were with a particular ins co - and he dropped the bombshell that he had cancelled it!  A few choice words.  Now however, my lovely girl (who is obviously worth every penny) is going to cost an arm and a leg! I just want her well - so he's just going to have to stomach the bills.  That and all the family are going to have to cut down.  Please please if you're reading this and dont have pet insurance, go and get some!!!! and pray for my girlie xx

Will certainly pray for your girl, pennyf :) Hope you find whats wrong with her soon.

We bought our puppyboy in Jan and for the first time ever, got insurance too. So so glad we did....he broke his leg in 3 places 4 weeks ago. Vet kept him for nearly 4 days and bill was £2000. Petplan paid out within 2 weeks :)

I hope all goes well and they can sort her out quickly  (for her sake and your finances!)

Yes a big vote from me about insurance.  Because our pup had 6 weeks free insurance I didn't arrange my cover immediately. Now the insurer is quibbling about something being a pre-existing condition.  Luckily the vet is firmly on our side - told us not to pay the bill (yet), and she is writing to the insurance co for us.  Fingers crossed she can persuade them.

Love to Bella

Just thought Id update those interested, Bella is now at the Queen Mother Hospital, at the Royal Vetinary College in Potters Bar - they are confused by her symptoms, and are watching her.  They have given anti emetics to stop the vomiting or regurgitation, apparently she is doing both - watching her closely for pneumonia as she has laboured breathing and although the xrays show nothing again apparently the symptoms can come before they show on xray.  She is eating a little which is a good thing as her platelets are so low that if they put a tube in there is serious risk of bleeding.  Hopefully she will continue to eat and get stronger so that on monday they will do a liver aspiration (?) to see if there is anything wrong with the liver.  So far, we have been told it could be leukemia, liver damage, disease or cancer.  It could be poisoning or liver disease which could be from an infection.  The whole family are distraught, the house is horrid without Bella around and we are all missing her dreadfully, we are a long way from the hospital so cant visit regularly.  Just hope they can diagnose and help us get our girlie healthy again so that she can come home soon.  x Pray and send Reiki to her please X

Healing thoughts and prays being sent for your girl and {{{{{Hugs for you and your family}}}}}

Poor Bella,
Lots of love & luck for a speedy recovery her. I hope you have some good news soon.

I hope and pray that Bella makes a speedy and full recovery x

Fingers and paws crossed,what a worrying time for you,hope vets sort poor Bella out soon.

Sheila.xxxxxx

kisses and cuddles for bella,

Thank you all for your good wishes.  Bella is out of doggie hospital now - she came home yesterday - Very very skinny and boney, half shaven where she's been on drips and had an ultra sound.  She is bright and eating - no sign of vomiting thank god! but we've been told that we have totake it slowly, she's is very weak and wobbly and we have been told its poss that she could have a relapse, Its definitely her liver that has caused the problem, but they dont know exactly what as she was so weak and her blood wasnt clotting properly that they didnt go in for a biopsy, then she started to recover with just intensive support, so they thought the better of messing her about any more!  so lots more blood tests to be done periodically in case she needs further medication or intervention.  In the meantime, lots of tlc, cuddles kisses etc and more prayers that she doesnt need any more medical intervention - poor baby looks like she's been in the wars.  A big thank you to the staff at the Royal Vetinary Hospital in Potters Bar!  Hurray my noggie is home!!!

OK another question, bella is home and more like her old self, but tonight she was standing and her head started shaking, a little like a "parkinsons type shake" intermittently, could this be that she has done too much? or what - she still bright and like her old self, but very confused, has anyone seen this before?