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Mastiff is dying...........help

floodjlc

Member
So I have a 2.5 year old intact male Cane Corso on a RAW diet. About 5 weeks ago he started acting almost as if he was scared of his food and whining a lot. Constantly pacing and wanting to go out then come right back in. Does not know what to do with himself no matter what amount of attention, drills, obedience, play he gets. The vet could not find anything wrong with him. They thought it could be a infection so they put him on antibiotics and appetite stimulant and things sort of cleared up but not in its entirety.

This past week he has barely eaten as it seems like whatever was going on is back. He has been whining a lot even lying there. Howling a lot at the window. His typical weight is 145-150lbs lean. He was 147lbs 3 weeks ago at the vet and 132lbs today. Vet had no answers other than saying possible colitis and then saying.....well he looks great. Yeah Dr no he does not, you can tell he is clearly too skinny and looks like he is having muscle wasting.

I have a few questions. Since he is intact could this be a result of a female being in heat? I have no other dogs but the past 2 weeks at doggy day care (we bring him once a week) there was a female in heat there, separated but all the males were trying to get to her. So this refusal to eat, howling even when I am home with him, pacing, panting, etc......could it be a result of him being around a female in heat? I am not sure if my neighbors have a female in heat and also I live in the country so coyotes in heat could also be nearby.

Has anyone experienced anything like this and how did it resolve? I have tried changing his foods, I tried going off raw and going canned food, I have tried kibble, even treats he does not want.
 

glen

Super Moderator
Staff member
So sorry your boys off his food, being as youve had all the checks yes it could well be a bitch in heat, i would keep him away from the day care for a few weeks, im in the uk and if my sons bitches are in season and he comes round i spray with johnsons bitch spray, they can smell his girls on him, my other son has a dog and bitch and uses this it stops him going barmy, his boy goes off his food, chatters his teeth, drools howls ect. If you can get the spray, spray it all round the windows ect.
Budcuss my eldest cc chatters his teeth at my son before they know there girls are coming in season,
Hope your boy gets better soon .
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Yikes. I do hope it's just a female in heat somewhere throwing him off... Glen had some good advice to see if that's the culprit.

Would it also help to get him out, far away from his normal places, to exercise his other senses? Or throw his scent interest to prey/game instead of girls?? I'm not sure how far away from home and the memory of the scent you'd have to get... but a nice walk in the woods or a swim in a lake might be refreshing for both of you. Hopefully he'd eat after some good outdoor activities, too - where the scent & memory might fade some. It's worth a shot, anyway, if you haven't already tried it.
 

marke

Well-Known Member
did they do bloodwork ? check his thyroid ? no doubt being around bitches in season will do what your seeing , but even kenneled right next to them I've always been able to hand feed them something , usually something i'd be eating for dinner , at least then I knew they were eating , just distracted ……. I doubt there are coyotes in season right now …….. with the extremity of your post title and a 15lb weight loss , if the vet didn't do bloodwork , personally i'd look for another vet………...
 

scorning

Well-Known Member
This seems like a pretty extreme reaction, my male Dane who was neutered at 18 months has always lived with an intact female. He's almost 5 now, and really only has a hard time when she's in standing heat, but still eats and definitely doesn't have an extreme reaction for 5 weeks and he is in the same house as her. I wouldn't expect 2 days at doggy daycare with a dog in season would have this impact.

What kind of testing did your vet do before saying your dog was ok? Is your dog drinking and going to the bathroom normally? Did the vet check for a broken tooth or anything else that would make eating uncomfortable?
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
I'm with Marke's suggestion that you share some of your dinner with your boy...hand feed him. Not many dogs will turn down roast chicken or sirloin steak. Let him breath in the aroma...get his mind into his stomach and not his "man-bits."

BUT, here is a question: Is he engorged? Is he swollen up, which would definitely indicate a female in heat? If he is, then, your Romeo just needs a Juliet or someone (we are all adults here), either the vet or you, to lend him a hand. o_O:rolleyes:

I'm going to get mail on this one, but it is common with farm animals.
 
Last edited:

Michele

Super Moderator
Staff member
How did the vet come to the conclusion that it might be colitis? IF it is, the dog needs a special food for that condition.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Sorry I was so flippant. I understand that you are very upset, but no one asked the obvious question, so I did.

Both Marke and Glen have a lot of personal experience with males going ape-shyte over the girls. But, failing any obvious female causing the problem, and it having been going on long enough to lose significant weight, I'd be more inclined to believe there was an obstruction and that it hurts to eat. Teeth, okay, poo okay, drinking okay...then on to probiotics, maybe have a Catscan done, look for an ulceration. Whining while looking at his food sounds more gastric than pheromone driven. Something is eating at him, and personally, all jokes aside, I don't think it is the ladies.

Perhaps go to bone broth for a few days, as much as he can wants, when he wants it. Take him off raw and really all food until he really wants it. Let his gut heal. But from tooth and gums to anus, you need to know the entire system is clear of blocks or ulcerations. And, having been on antibiotics, he needs to have supplementary
prebiotics and probiotics. You can add Benefiber/Inulin to the bone broth, it is a prebiotic and mixes well with room temperature and warmer.

Finally, are all his shots up to date?

Boxergirl may have some suggestions about tests that might provide a clue as to what is going on, but, in my experience, over the five or six years I've been here, bone broth works wonders on many levels. Nutrition and calories are going in and aggravating foods are left out until the picture is clarified and a food plan can be arranged.

I hope he is on the mend.
 

floodjlc

Member
did they do bloodwork ? check his thyroid ? no doubt being around bitches in season will do what your seeing , but even kenneled right next to them I've always been able to hand feed them something , usually something i'd be eating for dinner , at least then I knew they were eating , just distracted ……. I doubt there are coyotes in season right now …….. with the extremity of your post title and a 15lb weight loss , if the vet didn't do bloodwork , personally i'd look for another vet………...
Yes all of that has been checked. It seems to be him being around a dog in heat. Removing his collar from the house (that he had on with her) seemed to calkm him down.
 

floodjlc

Member
This seems like a pretty extreme reaction, my male Dane who was neutered at 18 months has always lived with an intact female. He's almost 5 now, and really only has a hard time when she's in standing heat, but still eats and definitely doesn't have an extreme reaction for 5 weeks and he is in the same house as her. I wouldn't expect 2 days at doggy daycare with a dog in season would have this impact.

What kind of testing did your vet do before saying your dog was ok? Is your dog drinking and going to the bathroom normally? Did the vet check for a broken tooth or anything else that would make eating uncomfortable?
No broken tooth, all labwork, xray of his abdomen. And it currently does seem that being around the bitch in heat is what caused this as he finally started eating again.
 

floodjlc

Member
Sorry I was so flippant. I understand that you are very upset, but no one asked the obvious question, so I did.

Both Marke and Glen have a lot of personal experience with males going ape-shyte over the girls. But, failing any obvious female causing the problem, and it having been going on long enough to lose significant weight, I'd be more inclined to believe there was an obstruction and that it hurts to eat. Teeth, okay, poo okay, drinking okay...then on to probiotics, maybe have a Catscan done, look for an ulceration. Whining while looking at his food sounds more gastric than pheromone driven. Something is eating at him, and personally, all jokes aside, I don't think it is the ladies.

Perhaps go to bone broth for a few days, as much as he can wants, when he wants it. Take him off raw and really all food until he really wants it. Let his gut heal. But from tooth and gums to anus, you need to know the entire system is clear of blocks or ulcerations. And, having been on antibiotics, he needs to have supplementary
prebiotics and probiotics. You can add Benefiber/Inulin to the bone broth, it is a prebiotic and mixes well with room temperature and warmer.

Finally, are all his shots up to date?

Boxergirl may have some suggestions about tests that might provide a clue as to what is going on, but, in my experience, over the five or six years I've been here, bone broth works wonders on many levels. Nutrition and calories are going in and aggravating foods are left out until the picture is clarified and a food plan can be arranged.

I hope he is on the mend.

After removing his collar from the house (the one that was on at daycare) seemed to calm him down. He is eating again and putting weight back on. But vet gave an appetite stim so is he eating cause of that or because he finally calmed down. His teeth are good, pooping fine now that he is eating again, never stopped drinking, and even had xrays. I started bone broth as suggested as well even though he is eating. And yes I agree def need to start on prebiotics. Thank you.
 

floodjlc

Member
How did the vet come to the conclusion that it might be colitis? IF it is, the dog needs a special food for that condition.
That is the thing..........they are not even sure. They xrayed him and he looked ok but collen they said looks possibly a little thick. But that is not a good enough answer to say hey it is collitis.
 

floodjlc

Member
I'm with Marke's suggestion that you share some of your dinner with your boy...hand feed him. Not many dogs will turn down roast chicken or sirloin steak. Let him breath in the aroma...get his mind into his stomach and not his "man-bits."

BUT, here is a question: Is he engorged? Is he swollen up, which would definitely indicate a female in heat? If he is, then, your Romeo just needs a Juliet or someone (we are all adults here), either the vet or you, to lend him a hand. o_O:rolleyes:

I'm going to get mail on this one, but it is common with farm animals.
He is and has been on RAW so our food is not tempting to him at all. He has always been extremely picky. Loves something one day hates the next.
 

Michele

Super Moderator
Staff member
That is the thing..........they are not even sure. They xrayed him and he looked ok but collen they said looks possibly a little thick. But that is not a good enough answer to say hey it is collitis.

tell your vet to take an x-ray and order a biopsy on your dog's colon. Also, bring a stool sample. IF the dog has colitis, look into Flagyl as a treatment . Also, look into Royal Canin GI dog food
 

BlackShadowCaneCorso

Super Moderator
Staff member
Our male has never stopped eating but he vibrates for weeks when the girls are in. It takes him 45 minutes in the pen to make sure he has covered all the girls pee spots, he get agitated if there are other male smells around our yard and super pushy with the females. The noise from the basement when they are in standing heat is not bad because he hasn't been used so doesn't know what to do or make of it, almost dread collecting him cause I know once he puts two and two together my house will get a lot noisier for about 2 months (all females cycle close together). I am glad he is doing better, and hope that it was just the case of a female at daycare. Most daycares/kennels around here will not take intact females during season for just this reason, it sets the males off and they don't want to deal with the ramifications if two males get too territorial.
 

floodjlc

Member
Well he has been eating good and all his symptoms from this are gone. New question I am gonna post in a new thread though. Thanks for all your replies everyone.
 

Sheila Braund

Well-Known Member
My dads dog Hogan would go on a hunger strike every time the neighbours female lab went into a heat.... it was so bad that dad didn't dare leave Hogan home alone. He was afraid Hoggy would crash down the door to get to the female.