[Keith L]

Can someone please help!
I have a mix breed 11/2 year old female dog. She has always been a picky eater, but she no longer eats. There is nothing wrong physically with her as far as I can tell, she still plays and seems happy, but maybe she will eat an ounce or so a day!
I have tried different brands of dry and wet food, expensive and grocery store brands. I have even made my own food, but she will not eat!

I can not sit back and watch a dog starve its self, and please don’t say a dog will not do that… I am watching it happen!

I have tried sitting with her while the food is out, tried putting her in a separate quiet room with her food, tried feeding her in her crate… nothing works!

PLEASE HELP!!!

[Susan]

Hi Keith are your 100% that there’s nothing wrong with her stomach or pancreas?? & had her check out by a good vet & had all the test done, what about when you are cooking & you give her some of the foods you eat but bland low fat foods like Turkey Breast, Tuna or Salmon, boiled egg all mushed up banana mashed up mixed with some boiled potatoes.. normally when a dog has stomach pain after eating they will stop eating, a lot of dogs with IBD or Pancreatitis will stop eating cause of the pain associated with food…I forgot there is medications they can take to increase their appetite but I cant remember their names …..join this group on Face Book called “Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disease” there’s a few dogs on that site that don’t eat, post a post & ask for the names of the medications that increase a dogs appetite that they use, I know a you can buy some of them online..

[Keith L]

Susan,
Thanks for your reply! I guess a vet visit needs to be done. I have cooked my own food for her, very basic recipe. Chicken, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and mixed veggies. She used to eat that about 8 months ago, in fact she would inhale it, now she just looks at it!

Nothing is working!!

[Christine M]

Maybe she doesn’t eat, because she’s sick?
Did your vet already examine her to find the reason for not eating?

[Anonymous]

Is she drinking water? Have you tried a little chicken broth on the food?
A bite of broiled chicken liver?

Make sure she has fresh water, but if she still has no appetite for 72 hours in a row, I would see the vet.
If you decide to go back to homemade, you may find some tips here http://www.homeovet.net/dynamic/php/downloads/dog-c8470f2c75dbe4b683205c3919ee2310/dog_diet_complete.pdf

Good luck.

PS: Could she be sick from a bad batch of dog food?

[C4D]

I’m chiming in on this. Has she seen a vet recently? If not, I think a vet visit with a complete blood panel is in order. I do them every year on my dogs. It could be any number of things and I’ve dealt with many, especially when a dog is older. Please do a vet check ASAP.
EDIT: I may have read this as 11 years as opposed to 1. I still like to have a vet check my dogs just in case.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by C4D.

[Keith L]

she is one and a half. I will be calling the vet tomorrow. In answer to other questions, she is drinking normal amounts of water, and voiding just fine. If I drop human food while I am cooking, she gobbles it right down!
But as I said, I made her homemade dog food and she wont eat it. I have no idea what her issue is. She had a normal formed stool this morning as well, and is playful with other dog that I have. Im at a loss.

[crazy4cats]

Keith-
Have you checked out her teeth and tongue? When one of my dogs quit eating a while back, I knew something was up. I took him to the vet and he had a swollen tongue. He had to have a salivary gland drained. He’s been fine ever since. I swear if it’s not one thing it’s another with my two! Lol! I hope you get to the bottom of this. I know how worrisome these things can be!

[Susan]

Keith maybe have a plate or a place mat (the plastic ones that go on the table) I feed Patch on one, put on the floor & drop food & pretend its what your cooking & see what happens, if she eats……is she a rescued dog??

[Keith L]

Susan and Everyone else!

Thank you all for being so helpful!! She went out for her walk as normal and did her business 1 and 2, then would not even touch her treat that she normally jumps over. She went right back upstairs and laid down. That’s the final straw, if she does not eat her treat there is something wrong! I will be getting here to a Vet today!
Will keep you all updated

Keith

[Susan]

Yes, something is wrong, maybe feeling sick nausea, I hope you have a good vet cause some times its a guessing game especially when like my boy all the blood test results came back all good, then I asked for the camera (Endoscope) down his throat + biopsies last December & he had the Helicobacter infection that’s why he felt like crap all the time..
I hope everything is all good, take a morning poo with you so they can test for parasites as well

[InkedMarie]

Keith,
Update us when you’re back from the vet.

[Keith L]

She ate all her food this morning! Darn brat. I mixed a half cup into the home made stuff yesterday and she wouldn’t touch it. today it was pure home made, and she inhaled it! Tomorrow… who knows

[Anonymous]

My neighbor has a picky eater, but she will eat Fromm with a little cooked chicken.
I’d stick to homemade….or a combo with a quality kibble.

[Susan]

Hi Keith, that appetite stimulant is called Periactin a vet has to prescribe it, so if you do see a vet, you can ask about Periactin if the vet can’t find anything wrong but normally at that young age dogs love food, some may be fussy but they normally do eat home cook foods.. open a can of tuna or salmon in spring water, drain the water & does she eat boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes, mash some thru the fish but make out its for you & ask her do you want some….even scrambled eggs, dogs love scrambled eggs. How is she if you share your food?? some dogs want what you’re eating & look that their food bowls & think, what’s this crap, I want what you’re eating lol

[Patty T]

I recently had same issue with my dog. After 2 sets of xraysa month apart and two sets of blood work and ultrasound and 1000.00 dollars – My dog just would not eat. Finally after a month, my Vet was stumped and sent us to an Internal Medicine Vet and she did ultrasound and diagnosed her with Lymphoma. We did an aspiration of the spleen and it was confirmed and in lymph nodes. We were considering chemo as dogs do pretty well on chemo and live a quality life, however 4 days after diagnosis before our appointment with an oncologist, she passed away. Our local vet – first thought Pancreatitis as well and she was fed low residue Iams dog food. She seemed better for a week and then it was all down hill from there. Please investigate further if you have the funds.

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