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kmd7889 · Mar 10, 2010, 02:15 AM

Hi Everyone. I have had dogs all my life. Usually only one at a time. They are our family members. My 10 1/2 yo Great Dane boy crossed over Rainbow Bridge on 2/18/2010. His sister from the same litter has been in mourning ever since. Even during his final weeks, she was still happy, acting puppy-ish, rolling on her back, prancing etc. Since his passing and her being without him, she seemed to have aged in her face - I know it sounds silly but there is a definite difference. Anyway, she refuses to eat the food she has been on all her adult life. The only thing she will eat is boiled chicken and rice. Even at that, she will snub it until I shove a piece of shredded chicken in her mouth and then she will take a few little bites and walk away. She won't go near it if it has any kibble in it and I tried to tempt her with thawed out raw dog food chicken log and she didn't like it at all. Never saw a dog that hated raw meat! It's like pulling teeth to get her to do her biz outside. All she does is just stand there almost like she is day dreaming about her brother and how happy they were. I'm very upset about this. The vet was no help. Science Diet will work. Yeah, well, she won't eat it and I'm not buying a bag just because you get a kickback besides it being one of the worst foods out there and most vets do not have enough schooling when it comes to real nutrition. We have a 15 week old dane as well and he is very attached to her and she even ignores him. All she wants to do is sleep all day and when she is awake, you can tell she is extremely depressed. I'm open to suggestions. She is my sweet little girl (all 110 lbs of her) and I want to see her get better. Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your time in reading this and your response. Best regards, Kay

shazamataz · Mar 10, 2010, 02:38 AM

This is a hard one.
Just like people, dogs and cat can mourn the passing of a family member, be it human or dog.

Some dogs can take months to get over a loss like this, others get over it relatively quickly.

My suggestion would be to try and get her out and to do things to take her mind off it.
Playing with other dogs is usually a good one.
Do you have a dog park near you, or do you have any friends that have a dog they could bring over to your house for 'play dates'?

There is also the unfortunate truth that Danes don't have the longest lifespan of all the breeds.
The oldest Dane my mom has had lived to 10 years.
Just give your girl extra love and attention and try to distract her.

As for the food, there are products available to increase a dogs appetite, I am unsure of what you have available in the USA but here we have a product called Nutrigel. It is a paste that you mix in with their food (or give by force if necessary) that not only gives them the vitamins and minerals they need but also stimulates their appetite.

Aurora_Bell · Mar 10, 2010, 07:04 AM

Yes, I would suggest just trying anything to get his mind off it. Walks, extra play time, drives. Choose some of his favorite activities and try doing that. It really is a tough situation, and I am sorry for your loss!

kmd7889 · Mar 10, 2010, 09:19 AM

Hello! Thanks for responding. We met another family that has a very friendly 4 y/o female dane and we are having our second "walking" date on Monday. They seemed to have gotten along on their first meeting but we are taking it slowly with her. As for her food, I don't like changing, but we got Precise Plus. She barely ate anything last night and this morning I mixed a little peanut butter with her food and she had about 5 or 6 bites and walked away. I did order Pet Remedy with honeysuckle from BachFlower.com to help. We've done Nutrigel in the past and she did like it, I'll see if I can pick some up today. Never thought to mix with food. She thought it was like candy.

It just breaks my heart to see her so depressed. I got her and the pup all new beds, food/water bowls, tried to get my big boys scent gone along with any other reminders. Since we are training the pup on a harness walking, we go for short little walks besides letting them out in the back yard. As much as I would love to see her at a dog park, she is very shy and would hate to see the mad rush coming over to her and her freaking out. Also, you don't know what other dogs have regarding sickness etc and even though my babies are up to date with everything, I just don't want to take a chance with either of them with her being older and him only 15 weeks. We got a ramp to get her into the truck so maybe a few more rides around the neighborhood will brighten her day.

Thanks again!

shazamataz · Mar 10, 2010, 09:26 AM

I'm sorry, I completely missed the part about you having a puppy too! (I promise, I did read it all, just missed that part at the end!)

Yes, dog park is probably not the best idea then, but walking with the other Dane is great.
See how the Pet Remedy and Nutrigel go and let us know if she improves at all.

We would love to see pictures of them :)

kmd7889 · Mar 10, 2010, 03:41 PM

We had a nice ride to the airport to pick up "daddy" and she was her huffin' and puffin' old self in the truck. Due to weather problems and a flight diversion, we hung out at the airport for 3 hours! They slept a bit once they calmed down and I found a nice breezy shade spot where they could still people watch but be comfy. Now that my husband is here, I'm hoping she will eat for him. I've never seen her deny anything he ever requested of her. I called my vet and she has the Nutrigel so I'm picking it up in a little while. She was actually the one that suggested the BachFlower.com for her and I contacted them and explained the situation and advised me what to get besides the remedy. As soon as I get it, I'll give it a week or so and fill you in. I'll have to administer to her orally since the pup doesn't need it in the water. He's got a lot of spunk now that he knows he's in a better place than he last so-called home. That's another chapter! Here's a picture. Can't get them to sit together for a long period but maybe that will change. Thanks again and your notes really did help. *Kay*

With all the beds, she prefers this, a light soft throw on a area carpet with some other throws if she wants to make a nest. LOL

IMAGE_792.jpg picture by starrtekn - Photobucket

Cat1864 · Mar 10, 2010, 03:58 PM

Originally Posted by kmd7889

With all the beds, she prefers this, a light soft throw on a area carpet with some other throws if she wants to make a nest. LOL

IMAGE_792.jpg picture by starrtekn - Photobucket

She is beautiful. :)

shazamataz · Mar 10, 2010, 07:53 PM

Aww gorgeous :)

I'm glad I could help, even if it is only for a bit of support.
Hopefully Daddy can get some food into her and perk her up a bit!

kmd7889 · Mar 10, 2010, 08:03 PM

Happily to say, Daddy got her to eat! She had 2 cups of her regular food that she used to have when her brother was alive! He had to hold it in his lap and chase the little monster away. The thing is, she won't defend her food. She's not a confrontational dog. Same thing with the water. But he is learning, he's still new here. At least she ate, that is the important thing. Hopefully it won't be a one time thing.

Cat1864... Thanks! She's my wee girl! LOL!

Aurora_Bell · Mar 10, 2010, 09:17 PM

They are beautiful!

kmd7889 · Mar 10, 2010, 10:57 PM

Thank you!!

Lucky098 · Mar 10, 2010, 11:34 PM

My dog lost her mother 4 years ago and she hasn't been the same since. She may or may not snap out of the passing of her brother.

What I did for my girl, was continue life as usual. I take my dogs anywhere I can.. So I continued to take her places. She did OK for awhile, but she slipped into depression.

Take her places, just you and her. Treat her extra special... Maybe not so much with treats, but with extra lovings.

If your dog doesn't seem to snap out of this depression, there is medication out there for depression in dogs. You'll have to seek a behaviorist, vets don't typically deal with much behavior related issues.

Also, if you act sad, your dog is going to act sad. I know its hard to be happy after the loss of your boy.. But maybe for her sake you should act extra animated when handling her. It may help.

kmd7889 · Mar 13, 2010, 03:06 AM

Hi Lucky098,
Our vet suggested we try the Pet Remedy by Bach Flower so I contacted them, explained the situation and they suggested also trying honeysuckle with it. I told her no chemicals and she has used them in the past. It arrived yesterday and I did 5 drops of each on a piece of bread since she is a picky and smart girl. She took it. About 3 hours later, my husband went to pet her tummy and she rolled over like she used to when she was happy. She even ate a little bit, not a lot, but a cup full of her normal food. Today, she ate a cup full again, leaving some but we didn't have to beg her. She even enjoyed her walk a little bit too. She can get up to 10 drops at a time per bottle but I'm keeping it half just to ease her in to it. We are keeping everything normal, always happy voices. I don't expect her to get over the loss of her brother. Both of them were/are very emotional dogs. I don't expect her to fully accept the pup either but he is relentless in when it comes to cuddling with her and looking for "motherly" love/attention. So all we can do is take it one day at a time.

I'm sorry your girl is depressed. I can honestly say I know what you are going through. It's hard. But I'm so glad I found this board. Nice folks that really try to help you and your pet. :-)

6cutekids · Mar 15, 2010, 11:42 AM

Hi,
I'm glad that your beautiful Dane is doing a little better. Our 10 year old female boxer died from bone cancer last spring and our big English mastiff that was her best buddy was depressed for several months. He didn't eat well and didn't want to play or even go outside. It seemed like he just laid around waiting for her to come home. After about 3 months he was pretty much back to normal. It is hard to see them so sad. I hope she continues to improve. It sounds like you are doing a great job of helping her. Good Luck.