Dogs love to eat. I would argue that it is their favorite thing. I once had a dog that would eat so quickly and with such ferocity that he would frequently cause himself to vomit. This otherwise lovely animal would then shake a bit after horking the food up, then lie down for a bit and then eat the food again. This is disgusting but dogs have very different standards for cuisine than we do, that is for sure.
It can be a bit alarming when all of a sudden your fur-baby loses interest not just in the boring kibbles but also in other foods that would normally drive them to be staring at you the entire time you are eating yours.
It can be a cause for alarm, but in many situations it is nothing to get worked up about.
I think that every dog owner goes through this situation at some point or another, and since our babies can't talk to us to tell us what is wrong, we tend to worry about it a lot. I know that I do at least. The good news is that most of the time it isn't anything serious and once it becomes that way it will be a lot more evident than simply a loss of appetite.
One thing that can change a dog's desire to consume is a change in environment. Unlike humans, dogs are generally made very uneasy by changes in environment, and much prefer the "same old same old." While you might be really enthusiastic about taking your dog to a new dog park, this might actually stress the dog out. We have to keep in mind that our 4-legged friends are privy to a much wider array of senses than we are and there could be something as unnoticeable as another dominant dog nearby that is making your dog very nervous simply by its presence. Sometimes this trauma might seem insignificant to us, but to a dog it can have a lasting effect, even hours or days later. This can be a big part of the reason why dogs won't eat. The good news is they tend to get over it quite quickly.
Your dog also might not be eating because it did eat something a bit too aggressively and now has some sort of dental problem. Most pet owners don't check their dog's teeth very frequently and in many situations where you think it could be something internal, it turns out that it is just a sore in the mouth or a hurt tooth. Dogs teeth are far more robust than humans, so if this is the case you will probably be able to tell simply by noticing if your dog is licking its chops more frequently than they normally would. They avoid eating for the same reason that you would avoid eating if you just had some dental work done... because it hurts.
Recent vaccination is also a cause of loss of appetite. Vaccinations are very important for dogs, and the benefits far outweigh the downsides but one of the side-effects that is unavoidable is that with this long-lasting medicine now running through the dog's body, it has other impacts as well... one of the most common of which is loss of appetite. This normally passes after a few days.
The most common cause of loss of interest in food is an illness and don't freak out when I say this. Just like you might have a bad tummy every now and then and not know how it could happen, the same thing happens to your dog from time to time. Almost always this is not a cause for alarm because just like your bad tummy, a few days of sparse eating and probably drinking a lot of water, your body's natural defenses eliminate the problem. The dog's system does exactly the same thing.
Diagnosis
Most websites will tell you to take your dog to the vet if the above happens but for many people, even an organization like our own which specializes in looking after dogs that are probably in much worse shape than your house floofter, we don't have the finances to do this every time there is a tiny problem.
The best way to determine if your dog might have more serious problems is to check their poo. That's right, make a turd inspection. Look for signs of abnormality such as worms (serious problem) and also discoloration, red being the worst in most cases. If the poo is badly discolored (specifically if it has red in it) or has parasites, going to the doctor is probably important at this point. These situations normally indicate something the dog's body is not capable of taking care of on its own.
In almost any other situation however, it isn't anything to get worked up about. The technique we use most frequently is to keep some "premium" wet dog food on hand for any dog that is refusing kibbles. Most of the time they all of a sudden totally forget that they were finicky eaters as soon as this is introduced.
If you would like to see how you can help out, or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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