It’s agonizing when your dog suddenly stops eating or doesn’t want to eat normally, and you don’t know why. As a new dog owner, this usually brings up a lot of questions and worries. If only they could talk and tell us! Let’s look at some common reasons and things you can try.
If your dog is not eating and is vomiting or having diarrhea, or both, contact your veterinarian within 8-12 hours.
When your dog doesn’t eat or cannot eat, the condition is termed anorexia. Anorexia in dogs is different from anorexia in humans. Anorexia in dogs occurs in two forms. When your dog completely stops eating, it is termed complete anorexia. But when your dog does not eat specific food and eats the rest of the food, it is termed partial anorexia.
There is also another condition in dogs: they want to eat but can’t because of other reasons. This condition is called pseudo anorexia.
Now that we have learned different forms of anorexia, let’s discuss its various causes and possible treatments and solutions.
How do you treat a dog that doesn’t want to eat?
Most of the time, dogs don’t develop complete anorexia; instead, they establish partial anorexia and stop eating a specific type of food. In this situation, it is observed that your dog is suffering from a serious issue. However, you should not force or pressure your dog to eat the food he is unwilling to eat. Instead, you should check for the symptoms of anorexia, and if they exist, you should immediately consult with your vet.
Five steps will tell you the reason why your dog is not eating.
- You should observe your dog’s behaviour and stool
- Check the mouth, teeth and body of your furry friend
- Check if the food is good and try hand-feeding if you dog needs some extra attention
- Check if you can make the environment more comfortable or is it more about the time of the day that is causing the change
- If you don’t find anything, repeat your actions and call your vet
These five steps will take you to a tentative diagnosis of your dog’s anorexia. However, you are not a professional, so it can be difficult to reach a solid reason. In that situation, these five steps at least take you to a point if there is something wrong with your pet or the food. This diagnosis is enough for you to decide if you should consult your veterinarian or not. You should observe your dog closely. If your dog continuously doesn’t eat you should call your vet.
What causes a dog not wanting to eat?
There are many causes of anorexia in dogs. Generally, they are classified as pathological, mechanical, and physiological causes. However, each of the causes is important; that is why your dog is not eating.
1. Illness
A decrease in the appetite of your dog is often because of an illness. Most of the time, fever causes the enzymatic action to stop, and thus, digestion stops leading to anorexia. Other than fever, systemic infections, liver impairments, kidney failure, and any other pathological condition that can lead to anorexia.
2. Oral problem
Dental disease and oral cavity infections can easily lead your dog towards anorexia. Sometimes your dog tries to ingest an undigestible thing, and it sticks in its throat. In that case, your dog’s appetite is normal, but he cannot eat anything. Moreover, mouth lesions, gingivitis, and severe pharyngitis can also cause anorexia in dogs.
3. Travel and new environment
You might have also experienced a loss of appetite during traveling and after moving to an entirely new place. The same happens with dogs. Dogs can also get anorexic due to travel and experiencing a completely new place.
4. Emotional setback
Dogs are very attached to their loved ones. If they are alone or you are gone for a long time, they can experience a severe emotional setback. An emotional setback can lead to severe anorexia.
When you have a long trip coming and you are leaving your dog to someone else, keep in mind that this can happen. Give your vet’s information in any case to the person that’s taking care of your doggo.
How can you get your dog’s appetite back?
First, you need to treat or solve the primary problem that is causing anorexia in your dog. For example, if it happened because of any infection or disease, you should treat the disease first. Or, if it is because of emotional travel or emotional setback, you need to give your furry friend more than usual time to make your dog feel relaxed, comfortable, and accustomed. Sometimes your dog’s new medication can be a factor as well and upset the stomach.
Then you should go over the following steps to get your dog back to normal self
- You should cut back the treats because your dog needs more quantity of primary nutrients.
- You should maintain a scheduled diet plan full of nutrition for your dog at least twice a day.
- Your dog may not be enthusiastic about the meal; you should make the mealtime more fun so that your dog may eat in excitement.
- Change the feeding environment. This means if you usually feed your dog with other pets, you should now feed him alone. You can try to change the bowels and the feeding area or mix and match some different foods.
Why is your dog being stubborn and not eating?
Dogs eat normally when they are not suffering from any abnormality, and their outside environment is entirely comfortable.
If your dog isn’t a picky eater or doesn’t feel comfortable among other dogs having aggressive behavior, your dog will most likely eat when you make the environment comfortable. Just remember not to put further stress on your dog.
Final thoughts
We are greatly attached to our furry friends, and it hurts to see when our dog is suffering. Anorexia is not a disease itself; instead, it’s the symptom of other diseases and conditions. Therefore you can’t treat anorexia before treating the main cause of the problem. If you observe any change in your dog’s eating behavior you should contact your veterinarian for a proper diagnosis and treatment of your doggo friend.