Dog doesn't want to eat and is itchy

Hello! I have a c. 9 m/0 GSD. The case is somewhat complex: About a month ago his skin got itchy and started scratching himself all the time. He also developed a rash on his tummy, but that lasted about a week and is no longer there. Perhaps a couple weeks before the itching started, my dog lost appetite to the point where he refused to eat (I tried different foods), and I had to hand-feed him pretty much forcefully. He also vomited, so I took him to the vets. They dismissed the rash as a common concern that may be an allergy (but also that there is nothing to help with in this regard) and did x ray, contrast test and blood test to establish the issue with the vomiting. Long story short, it turned out there was something in his gut and after the vets gave him some meds to help with bowel movement and put him on gastro food, they established that it's all cleared out, that it was likely a bunch of hair that he vomited, and no other treatment is needed. The blood work came out normal, with only the MPV marker showing slight increase, but they did additional tests (as they said to see if it could be a tick infection) and said there is no reason for concern. However it has been a couple weeks since and even though my dog has started to eat a little bit, his appetite is far from what it was before. The itching continues, no rash, no vomiting, but I am still concerned. To give you context, my dog has been through a lot and is very stressed out due to med treatments, etc. I live in a country/area where if I take him for 2nd/3rd opinion, they do more tests and different treatments, and all opinions will be different. So I really don't want to put him through all of this. The vets I take him to are pretty much the best in the area, as well as the only place with equipment for more than blood tests. Could it be worms, even though I deworm him regularly? Could it be yeast infection or just the heat? Summing up: - Itchy skin for over a month - Not eating regularly and enough - Too skinny/not growing for his age (vets reassure me it's the stress he's been through and I shouldn't expect him to grow a lot - currently c. 27kg - male GSD, at least 9 m/o) - Did x ray, contrast & blood tests - I tried changing foods to see if it is an allergen there but nothing changed in terms of skin or appetite Thank you so much, any advice is appreciated!

Hello!   What county are you in?  The main signs you report are reduction in appetite, some vomiting (now stopped) and that you think your young German Shepherd is underweight and undereating.  You also say that he is scratching a lot, which may or may not be related. Is he scratching enough that you think itching is likely to be putting him off his food?  Either way, allergies are tricky to diagnose and leaving certain allergens out of his diet, in case the one you leave out happens to be the culprit, can take a very long time (You'd have to leave each possible allergen out of the diet for 3 months to be sure, and you are unlikely to randomly hit on the right allergen first, second or even third time).   Vets don't approach cases like this much.   Allergies rarely present as vomiting, but do present as itching sometimes. If it may be the skin issue causing the loss of appetite, vets might start by ruling out the local parasites with a known treatment that actually works.  (I'm not sure where you live, so that's definitely one for your vet or nurse).  They may also treat in some way.  If it's not the skin causing the loss of appetite, ruling out local parasites (fleas, mites, flies etc etc) is still a really good idea to help his welfare and comfort. However, it's also very important to get to the bottom of the weight issue. Another key question is, how confident are you that your dog is actually medically  underweight?  In the UK at least, owner perceptions are often a long way away from what a dogs' weight should actually be, so it's worth asking your vet what they think about this - they should be able to explain the objective way of working this out, called a 'condition score' (you may be able to read more about this in our blog). If they are genuinely underweight and uninterested in food, systemic illness may be a concern.  It is virtually impossible for me to assess and treat this dog over the computer and furthermore, unethical (as he is not my patient). So.... I'm afraid that you really do need to seek more advice.   From my experience as a locum (a vet who worked at practically all the practices in the area), local reputation and vets' objective skill are rarely linked in any way, because it's hard for the public to know what to look for.  In fact, the vet who expresses uncertainty ("well it might be X, Y or Z so we need to do A B and C to find out....") is often very unpopular amongst e.g. uneducated clientelle.  In your position, I would be looking for a plan.   What are the possible causes?  What have they ruled out so far?  What is yet to rule out?  How will they do this?  They might not get the answer in a single session and that is ok, as long as you understand what you should expect going forward. I trust that your dog is vomiting, not regurgitating by the way?   Is pancreatitis still a possibility? Best of luck - I hope some of this general rambling was vaguely useful - and we hope you manage to get your fur-baby sorted out.

Hello!   What county are you in?  The main signs you report are reduction in appetite, some vomiting (now stopped) and that you think your young German Shepherd is underweight and undereating.  You also say that he is scratching a lot, which may or may not be related. Is he scratching enough that you think itching is likely to be putting him off his food?  Either way, allergies are tricky to diagnose and leaving certain allergens out of his diet, in case the one you leave out happens to be the culprit, can take a very long time (You'd have to leave each possible allergen out of the diet for 3 months to be sure, and you are unlikely to randomly hit on the right allergen first, second or even third time).   Vets don't approach cases like this much.   Allergies rarely present as vomiting, but do present as itching sometimes. If it may be the skin issue causing the loss of appetite, vets might start by ruling out the local parasites with a known treatment that actually works.  (I'm not sure where you live, so that's definitely one for your vet or nurse).  They may also treat in some way.  If it's not the skin causing the loss of appetite, ruling out local parasites (fleas, mites, flies etc etc) is still a really good idea to help his welfare and comfort. However, it's also very important to get to the bottom of the weight issue. Another key question is, how confident are you that your dog is actually medically  underweight?  In the UK at least, owner perceptions are often a long way away from what a dogs' weight should actually be, so it's worth asking your vet what they think about this - they should be able to explain the objective way of working this out, called a 'condition score' (you may be able to read more about this in our blog). If they are genuinely underweight and uninterested in food, systemic illness may be a concern.  It is virtually impossible for me to assess and treat this dog over the computer and furthermore, unethical (as he is not my patient). So.... I'm afraid that you really do need to seek more advice.   From my experience as a locum (a vet who worked at practically all the practices in the area), local reputation and vets' objective skill are rarely linked in any way, because it's hard for the public to know what to look for.  In fact, the vet who expresses uncertainty ("well it might be X, Y or Z so we need to do A B and C to find out....") is often very unpopular amongst e.g. uneducated clientelle.  In your position, I would be looking for a plan.   What are the possible causes?  What have they ruled out so far?  What is yet to rule out?  How will they do this?  They might not get the answer in a single session and that is ok, as long as you understand what you should expect going forward. I trust that your dog is vomiting, not regurgitating by the way?   Is pancreatitis still a possibility? Best of luck - I hope some of this general rambling was vaguely useful - and we hope you manage to get your fur-baby sorted out.