Change In A Dog’s Regular Schedule
Dogs are creatures of habit. While they cannot tell the time, dogs set their body clock by their daily routine. When anything interrupts this routine, it’s possible a dog wont eat or drink due to the stress and confusion this change of schedule causes.
This is not very common, however. In fact, the reverse is usually observed by pet owners. For example, when we turn the clocks back, our dogs are ready to eat before dinnertime.
When your dog is not eating or drinking due to a change in schedule, they should have no trouble eating a little later in the day when their body clock tells them that its dinnertime.
Treating Environmental And Behavioral Loss Of Appetite In Dogs
When it comes to behavioral and environmental reasons your dog wont eat, the process can be a little more stressful and time-consuming. Sometimes, you may need to consult a pet behavior expert or a trainer.
Here are some general tips for getting your dog to eat regularly:
- Get your pet enough exercise and attention
- Invest some time and/or money in training
- Dont punish your dog for not eating, be patient and supportive
- Only give treats as a reward
- Avoid giving table scraps
Take Your Dog To The Vet
Visiting the vet is always a good idea if your dog is sick and wont eat. Your vet can help you figure out what ails your dog and what to do to get them feeling better. Your vet can also make sure your dog is prescribed any medications it may need, whether to address the illness or to encourage appetite.
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How Long Can A Dog Go Without Eating
Most dogs can go three to five days without food, while in some cases they can survive seven days or more. However, if your dog wont eat for more than two days, we recommend that you talk to a vet.
A bigger issue is water intake. Dogs can go far less without water than without food. While a dog MIGHT survive for up to 2-3 days without water, dont try it! If you notice that your pet hasnt been drinking water all day, check for dehydration and consult a vet ASAP!
Common Health Issues That Can Cause Dogs To Not Eat
Checking to see if theyre uncomfortable, pawing at their mouth, or perhaps have gone through recent trauma is the best way to start evaluating your dog.
Here are a few considerations for you to begin understanding why a dog isnt eating.
Food Intolerances and Digestive Issues
Sometimes dogs develop food sensitivities or allergies to foods that they used to love. If you just switched their usual food to a new brand, you might also have unintentionally provided them with a recipe theyre unable to digest well. Your Veterinarian might recommend trying a food elimination diet for your dog to get a better understanding of exactly what theyre allergic to.
Additionally, other gastrointestinal and digestive disorders like colitis can cause dogs to suddenly stop eating. Colitis conditions can be anything from IBD, IBS, pancreatitis, parasites, and more.
Poor Dental Hygiene or Mouth-Related Pain
If your dog is experiencing tooth, gum, or any other mouth related soreness, he or she may also stop eating to avoid the pain.
This type of problem can result from an accident such as a dog chewing on a sharp object . It might also be something more serious related to poor dental hygiene and disease that will need further treatment.
Regular cleanings, dogs chews or toys, and low sugar foods are a good place to start improving your dogs overall mouth health.
Changes of Environment or Increased Stress
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Did You Just Adopt Your Dog Recently
A newly adopted dog can take days or weeks to settle into their new home. Anxiety is a common cause of temporary inappetence, so its not unusual for a new addition to the household to refuse food for the first day or two.
It is important to ensure that they are given a quiet place to eat, away from other pets or children that may interrupt them. As long as they are otherwise energetic and not having vomiting or diarrhea, its okay to give them a day or two to get used to their new home before worrying about them not eating.
However, if they are lethargic, vomiting, or having diarrhea, or go more than 48 hours without eating anything, they should be examined by a veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical conditions.
Best Practices To Get A Dog To Eat
We want to make sure that you will never have a dog not eating on your hands this can be deeply concerning. To ensure your dog eats regularly, we recommend to do the following:
- Exercise regularly with your dog and monitor your dogs activity levels
- Give your dog plenty of attention and affection
- Invest in training for your dog
- Be patient and supportive, rather than angry, towards your dog when they wont eat
- Feed your dog at regular meal times
- Feed a consistent, balanced and healthy diet
- Only give your dog treats as a reward
- Keep the food and water bowls clean
- Put your dog on the optimal diet for them, as recommended by your vet
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There Are Different Types Of Anorexia
True anorexia is when your dog simply refuses to eat this is often associated with serious illnesses. Pseudo-anorexia is another type which is when your dog is hungry and really wants to eat, goes to the food bowl, but cant eat due to a difficulty chewing or swallowing.
If your dog stops eating for a day or two, but is otherwise active and alert, then its ok to keep a close eye on them initially. You could offer them some bland home cooked food like boiled chicken and rice, which is a tasty but easily digestible diet. Try warming it up a little in the microwave, as this sometimes will entice them to eat. You could offer smaller meals more frequently. Take away any leftovers that they havent eaten within 15 minutes and offering again a few hours later. Avoid chopping and changing the diet and offering too many different types of food. Sometimes a quick change in food can cause an upset tummy, which may complicate matters. Be careful to avoid any toxic foods such as onions and garlic.
If your dog is quiet, not themselves, or displaying any other symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness or lethargy or has not eaten at all for 2 days then you should seek veterinary attention.
Is Your Dog A Senior
While senior dogs may have lower caloric requirements than young dogs, and therefore may eat less than they used to, marked weight loss or a refusal to eat is not normal and can indicate serious underlying health conditions.
These can include, but are not limited to:
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Dental disease
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Stomach upset
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Cancer
Cognitive decline, mobility issues, or vision loss can also cause a dog to not eat if they are unable to find or get to their food bowl. It is important for senior dogs to have a feeding routine, that the food bowl remain in the same area of the house so that they know where to find it, and that they have a rug or yoga mat to stand on while eating to avoid slipping or having trouble standing on hard floors.
If your senior dog has gone longer than 24 hours without eating, they should see their veterinarian for a thorough physical examination and possible diagnostics to investigate the cause of their loss of appetite.
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What Is The Treatment For A Dog Whos Not Eating Or Drinking
Treatment for a dog whos refusing their food consists of two components: treating the underlying cause and providing supportive care.
Directly addressing the underlying cause is important to ensure the loss of appetite is truly resolved . Without treating the underlying cause, anorexia could return after supportive care is discontinued.
To determine why a dog stopped eating, a veterinarian will take a detailed history and perform a physical exam to check your pups overall health and look for any abnormalities that could explain the loss of appetite .
Diagnostic tests are commonly needed to reach a diagnosis, since these tests give your vet more information about whats going on inside your pets body. Common tests include:
- A fecal check .
- Bloodwork and a urinalysis.
- X-rays or ultrasound.
- Tests for infectious diseases.
- Depending on your dogs history and symptoms, additional testing may be recommended, such as biopsies.
Once a diagnosis is reached, targeted treatment is prescribed. For example, a dog with intestinal worms will receive a dewormer, and a dog whos eating less due to arthritis pain may be prescribed joint supplements or pet-safe pain medications.
Regardless of cause, supportive care is important to help a dog feel better, prevent complications of not eating , and promote healing.
Supportive care varies depending on a sick dogs needs and symptoms, but common treatments include:
SEE ALSO: How Can I Tell If My Dog Is Sick?
What To Do If Your Dog Is Regurgitating Food
First, you should determine if your dog is vomiting or regurgitating. Vomiting is usually accompanied by a retching sound, somewhat digested food, and yellow or green liquid. Regurgitation often takes the dog, as well as his owners, by surprise. Undigested food will often be present as well. It is important to be able to tell your vet the difference as vomiting and regurgitating are two different issues requiring different treatments. Once you have determined that your dog is regurgitating, examine her for possible swollen lymph nodes to rule out upper respiratory infections. Motility disorders and other esophageal issues are best diagnosed by your vet, so if you are unable to rule out other causes for the regurgitation, see your vet as soon as possible.
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Why Won’t My Dog Eat
The loss of appetite in dogs is called inappetence or anorexia. Anorexia in dogs is not the same condition as anorexia in humans. Doggy anorexia can be partial or complete. If your dog is only eating some types of food, but not enough to stay healthy, its partial anorexia. If your dog wont eat anything at all, youre dealing with complete dog anorexia. Pseudo-anorexia in dogs is a condition when a dog wants to eat but cant because of another problem.
First, you need to determine the causes of why your dog wont eat, and here is how to do it.
My Dog Isnt Eating But Acting Normal
If your Lab is full of energy and charging around like a puppy there is probably no immediate need to rush your dog off to the hospital. Or even if he seems just a little bit reserved. You dog might just not be hungry. Or bored with his food. Maybe he moved around less and doesnt need his usual amount of food. Someone could have slipped him too many treats.
- Have you changed food brands? Some dogs are very suspicious of unknown tastes and smells. A new bag of kibble you just opened might be off check and smell the food.
- Has something in your dogs environment changed? When dogs have emotional upsets it often puts them off their food just like our children.
- Have you moved house? Even a simple thing like a new food bowl or changing the place where you feed him can have him turning up his nose at food.
Most dogs also stop eating for a day or two when their owners go off on holiday. Or even just when their favourite companion isnt home a person or another pet. Are there visitors who might be upsetting him? Or a new pet? But, if he normally has a healthy appetite, keep an eye on him, watch and wait. One of the things you need to watch for is that your dog drinks water.
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Dog Food Choices And Feeding Methods
Check the dog food you are offering to make sure its not spoiled or out of date. This may be a reason why your dog suddenly doesnt want to eat his food. Make sure the food you are offering is safe, nutritious, and consistent. Dont keep changing the food constantly because this can upset your dogs digestive system. If you do want to try a different flavor or dog food brand, make the switch gradually and mix some of the old food with the new food over time until he is only eating all new food. A new flavor might just be enough to stimulate appetite.
If your dog wont eat dry dog food no matter what, there are a few tricks to try that might entice him to eat. You can try another brand or flavor of food that might taste better. Mixing in a tablespoon or two of canned food to dry kibbles may provide a flavor boost. Canned food can be warmed slightly in the microwave, or warm water or chicken broth can be spooned over dry food to give it some warmth and extra aroma.
Taking your dog for a good walk before mealtime can also help increase his appetite. If you can schedule a daily walk around a regular feeding time, this will help your dog to associate the walk with the upcoming mealtime.
What To Do When Your Dog Wont Eat Their Food But Will Eat Treats
It is common for dogs to not eat their food, but eat treats or table scraps. This is referred to as partial anorexia and it typically occurs because your dog doesnât feel well.
Partial anorexia means a dog will eat, but only if something special, such as treats or table scraps like chicken or beef, are added to the food. Sometimes, dogs will refuse everything but will eat something as peculiar as a fast-food hamburger.
Full anorexia is when a dog wonât eat anything, including normal dog food, special treats, food doctored up with cooked ground beef, chicken, baby food, or anything you offer. Both problems can be serious, but full anorexia is an even bigger issue. Learn more about Home Care of Anorexia in Dogs.
Reasons for anorexia in dogs can vary from minor issues, such as a stomach upset to serious and even life-threatening problems. For more information â please see this article: My Dog is Not Eating, What Do I Do?
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Keep your dog healthy and fit with this easy peasy homemade recipe its cheaper than store-bought and chockfull of fresh veggies!
I never thought I would be one of those dog owners who made homemade human food for their pups. Not in a million years.
But when Butters recently fell sick with an upset stomach, our vet advised us to feed him a bland diet chicken and rice without any kind of seasoning. So thats what we did we poached a chicken, shredded it in a food processor, and mixed in some white rice and fed him this bland diet for 3 days.
Thats when I started to do some research on homemade dog food, and I have been so amazed as to how many different kinds of vegetables dogs can have. And with the help of Balance IT, you can create so many different recipes for your pup!
Now the best part about making homemade dog food just like making anything at home is that you know exactly what is going into the dog bowl, and not any of that questionable gelatinous gunk from the canned food.
But its important to note that dogs have different nutrient requirements than humans for their proportional body size, such as:
Now this recipe here has a balance of 50% protein, 25% veggies and 25% grains, but the ratios can easily be adjusted to suit your pups breed and/or needs.
Why Isnt My Senior Dog Eating
Well, the first answer is that hes a senior dog. If it sounds like Im trying to be funny, Im not. In the same way that humans may lose their appetite as they age, dogs may do the same. It only becomes a problem if your dog is not taking in enough calories to support his bodily functions and enjoy a good quality of life. So how do you know if it is just a normal slowing down of appetite that comes naturally with age, or if it is something that should be investigated further?
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What To Do When Your Dog Wont Eat His Food But Will Eat Treats
In most cases, dogs have no problem scarfing down their food. It’s the highlight of their day and most pooches are promptly waiting by their bowl once that time comes! When your dog loses their appetite, it’s definitely a big cause for concern. This is especially true if they are still accepting treats.
This condition is referred to as partial anorexia in veterinary circles.
It means that dogs aren’t willing to eat their main food but will occasionally still chow down on treats.
While you might think that feeding your pup treats is good enough, think again. Treats aren’t designed to provide a balanced diet. Most are high in fats, too.
When your dog is ignoring their normal meals and eating only treats, they are at risk of developing a wide range of problems. So, what are you supposed to do?