noahfor

My girlfriends mom is having her dog put to sleep tomorrow because it hasn't eaten for one week. There is nothing else wrong with the dog behaviorly. The mom refuses to take the dog to the vet. Also, they just moved to a new house and introduced a new dog into the new house. Having the dog killed is obviously ridiculous, but I'd appreciate it if someone who knows a little about dogs could reply with a professional sounding response, so that we can use it to dissuade her from killing the dog. She wont listen to us.

Borla

How is the dogs behavior otherwise? Aside from not eating is it doing anything else strange?

I'm sure moving to a new house, with another dog in the picture now, has combined to cause it some stress. I'd think she'd give it more than one week to adapt.

__________________
Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde!!!!

noahfor

I haven't seen the dog recently, but my girlfriend says when she entered the house the dog jumped on her excitedly as it usually does, and everything else was normal. I think the dog is fine and the mom is just insane, but that doesn't matter, we need some type of professional sounding information that could change her mind.

Carno

Slap her mom repeatedly in the face.

Sorry, that's the best I could do. But seriously, something is wrong with her dog and all she wants to do is put it down? Maybe she doesn't really like it...

__________________
http://how-to-spell-ridiculous.com/

Willravel

She should contact a local vet immediatally. While this could be a simply case of a finicky eater, or slight depression, it could also be a disease such as Coronavirus (and intestinal infection). None of these are fatal if treated. If she refuses to take the dog to the vet (animal cruelty), you may call the local pound at the very least. She cannot be allowed to have the dog killed simply because she has no empathy for animals. The only thing putting her dog in mortal danger is herself.

If the dog was jumping on you and playing in the past 2 days (5 days after the dog has stopped eating), the dog may simply be eating outside of your girlfriend's mom's knowledge (what I suspect).

lurkette

Loss of appetite is one of the main reactions to stress in dogs. Moving to a new house and simultaneously introducing a new pet is VERY stressful. If the dog is still drinking water but just refusing food, chances are it's just a stress reaction that will disappear as the dog adjusts. There are things you can give to dogs - like Rescue Remedy - to help alleviate stress. At the very least, the most responsible thing to do would be to have a vet run some tests to see if there is an underlying health condition.

If she won't listen and just wants to get rid of the dog, offer to take the dog off her hands? Contact a rescue/foster organization in the area to see if someone can take it if you can't, until you can get it checked out by a vet. Besides, I don't think (I HOPE!!!) a vet would put it to sleep in the absence of a terminal diagnosis.

__________________
"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

- Anatole France

*Nikki*

Ok I am not a so called 'professional' but I am a Vet Tech and have been for about 5+ years.

Not eating could mean so many differnet things. If the pet is having no other symptoms the only correct diagnoses is going to come from a vet who runs blood work, takes a temp, and does an exam etc;. Doing these things are diagnostic and while they do cost some money, are not much more then Euthansia.

Simply killing an animal bc it is not eating shows sheer stupidity on the owners part and frankly someone like that should not own an animal.

I am thinking that maybe the pet has a bacterial infection of some sort, has worms, has a blockage, has cancer, has anxiety or any one of many many things that have those symptoms. I really wish I had some more advice to give you, but without tests and an exam it is impossible to know.

denim

If the mom won't take it to the vet, she doesn't really care. They should get the animal to a no-kill shelter and let someone who does care have it. And they should NOT get another one.

Elphaba

Unbelievable. I can understand not having the funds to take care of a serious illness in a pet, but not eating? As others have already said, this woman has no business owning a dog if she takes no responsibility for the dog's health. I would like the chance to growl and bite her.

__________________
"You can't ignore politics, no matter how much you'd like to." Molly Ivins - 1944-2007

flstf

When we moved to the country our cat which had spent it's entire life in the city had a rough time for about a month. She ate rarely and lost a lot of weight. We also got a new dog which did not help matters. She got over it and has turned into quite a huntress in the woods on our property. I suspect the dog is just going through some stress from the change. The lady probably just needs to give the dog a little time.

shakran

And that, in a nutshell, is the gist of the situation here. There is no way her mom should have a dog. Ever. Dogs require responsibility, and that does not entail killing the dog at the first sign of trouble.

Would her mom be willing to turn the dog over to you? If you can't take care of him, there are LOTS of rescue groups out there - one for just about every breed. Get ahold of one and they'll help you find the dog a good home.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that I don't have that the dog is stressed. Same thing happened with one of mine when we went on a trip. He stressed out and wouldn't eat for 4 days - and this is a dog who's such a chowhound that he goes insane at mealtime.

Very, VERY rarely does not eating indicate an incurable ailment that the dog needs to be put down for. And usually in those cases it's with an old dog that's ready to die anyway, and who has been having more and more health issues. If the dog is bounding around when someone comes home, there's probably NOTHING physically wrong with him.

As an aside, you may wish to consider phoning the vet and explaining the situation. There aren't a whole lot of vets who run around killing animals for no good reason. The vet himself might be willing to help you rescue this dog.

Cynthetiq

good thing you didn't stop eating for a period of time... or radically change eating habits as a kid like going from meat to vegitarian, maybe she'd think something was wrong with you too, and we'd not be able to have this discussion.

to not take the animal to the vet is irresponsible as a pet owner.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

highthief

Beat that woman's ass and have HER put to sleep and find that dog a good home Irresponsible cow.

__________________
Si vis pacem parabellum.

meembo

Who would kill the dog, and how? I assume that she will take the dog to a vet to have it put to sleep (unless she is going to OD the dog herself somehow). I can't imagine a vet would put down an animal without a legitimate cause.

__________________
less I say, smarter I am

Furry

I agree with all of the above. I've had a couple of pets myself and the first thing that changed with them at any sign of stress or upset was eating habits. Dogs, cats, humans, you name it, it's one of the most obvious symptoms.

I have no idea how vets work, but I very much doubt that a vet will agree to put down a dog that seems in otherwise perfect shape just because the owner wills it.

New dog, new house. I'll bet that even the humans are stressed. You've just upset the dog's social circles and introduced a stranger into a place that's strange all by itself.
Of course it'll be out of sorts for a few weeks. Think of how long the average human takes to adapt to social surroundings. Bottom line = there's nothing wrong with the dog. The owner, on the other hand, is plainly barking.

__________________
Furry is the leader of his own cult, the "Furballs of Doom". They sit about chanting "Doom, Doom, Doom".
(From a random shot in the dark by SirLance)

noahfor

Thanks for all your replies. It turned out that the dog had cancer, and they had her put to sleep today. She did seem alot more ill than my girlfriend made her out to be.

Cynthetiq

well good to know, I'm assuming then that the dog had been to the vet before and was diagnosed with cancer? One cannot know that in just an afternoon visit.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not.

mew

I am a vet tech like Nikki, and she definetly mentions some very important details, though another good possiblity is that it could just be teeth problems. A cavity or (Cervical Neck Lesions) defintely stops a pet from eating. We've had that happen several times with pets. Check the cats teeth if you can, and if its caked with tartar and bleeding, then well, it needs a dental asap.