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jn91871sf

dog won't eat

8 years ago

how do i get my dog to eat? she can't afford to lose anymore weight.

Comments (11)

  • 8 years ago

    she has IBS/colitis. Vet diagnosed/has had ultra sound,use to be a good eater. just started the last couple of days, has lost weight from colitis , loose stool.

  • 8 years ago

    Have you tried different things to get her to eat? Is she on any meds?

    bland foods only, as other mentioned in your previous post chicken/plain rice. Add extra water to the rice to help it bind stools. This will also make the rice more mushy. My boy has a very sensitive stomach and has issues with loose stools since forever this usually clears him up

    If your dog won’t eat rice try to entice her by mixing a little of what she likes to eat with it and maybe that will help her

  • 8 years ago

    Since this is new go back to the vet. He should have some ideas for you. She must be miserable with that diarrhea, that alone can kill appetite. IBS can be caused by allergies, has that expensive prescribed hydrolyzed protein diet been something that's come up? There are other sensitive stomach formulas as well.

    jn91871sf thanked Kathy Yata
  • 8 years ago

    I'll try to make this story as short as possible: A friend of mine had been feeding her dog a certain dog food and he was doing great on it after having diarrhea issues on a different food...well after being on this food for at least a year and was doing great that whole time, he suddenly began to have the diarrhea and lack of appetite once again. After a bunch of trips to the vet with no clear answered, I suggested she check her dog's food for ingredient changes. Well low and behold, Blue Buffalo DID change the ingredients of the food they were feeding. So after reading and comparing what had changed, they chose to try a different variety of Blue Buffalo, the limited ingredient type. After that all his stomach issues vanished. Sometimes you have to be a detective to figure these things out. Ask yourself if anything at all has changed in their diet, a new treat. Dog food companies LOVE to CHANGE their ingredients without any warning whatsoever. This poor dog suffered from diarrhea for many months because the owners had no idea that BB had made this ingredient change. Though the change was very subtle, it was enough to upset his digestive system.


    My dog is so sensitive that something as little and ONE tiny treat can upset her system. Never assume because everyone says some certain food is the best thing ever to feed a dog, that it will be ok for your dog. As an example, after I got my dog I became obsessed with the site called Dog Food Advisor and was reading comments every day. I believed everything they said and began trying foods that people suggested, one treat that was suggested as being really a healthy thing for dogs to eat was to give them a bit of sardine. WEEEELLLLLL...I gave my dog a piece of sardine in water the size of a nickle and fifteen minutes later, she was running outside with explosive diarrhea!

  • 8 years ago

    I suggest you definitely take your pup back to the vet. If necessary, perhaps additional meds will be prescribed - AND/OR - your pup might be put on a specific Hill's prescription food to at least temporarily help the issue.

    It is a good thing you know the issue. I can tell you that when my dog refused to eat (dog flu) we called the vet immediately. Our dog (and many of his predecessors) were major food hogs - with our current dog being the absolute worst. He had to stay in the clinic for 3 days and came home with 6 cans of a special Hill's food to combat the diarrhea. The food worked so we have since kept 2 cans on hand "just in case".

    I understand how awful the feeling is when your pup looks at you wanting something to eat but not being able to stomach her normal food.

    We were lucky that our guy did not suffer from colitis or pancreatitis. Our pup came down with the dog flu later than some so the vets checked for it first. But pancreatitis was mentioned if the dog flu had not been the cause. This happened 12 years ago so it was not the same canine influenza that is now in North American (and has made its way to Canada).

    I hope your pup feels better soon.



  • 8 years ago

    Another thing that happened to us is that we've gotten a bad bag of food a couple of times, two different brands of food. What happened is; I noticed that she didn't want to eat her food and was having a loose stool. After a few days on this bag, she started to get sick acting and refused to eat. I just realized it all happened with this new bag of food so I went and bought a new bag and immediately she was eating and back to normal. Then it happened again and I knew what it was. As I said before, the two times happened on two different brands. Hey, it can happen. You just never know...look at what happened with Romaine Lettuce! The vet said it was probably a bacteria got into the food and made her sick. I also had a similar thing happen with a treat...it was her staple treat and was doing great on it until I purchased a new bag and this really made her very sick, she had to be taken to the vet for this. Of course, I had to figure it out myself...the vet can only do so much. It is up to us to pay attention to what we are feeding them.

    jn91871sf thanked arkansas girl
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    If your vet isn't helpful when it comes to homemade diets, consult with a holistic vet. My dog often had stomach issues, with minor bouts of pancreatitis, and I tried every commercial low-fat diet I could find, including a prescription diet. I finally did research on my own and now feed a high protein & vegetable diet (no carbs) to my dog and he hasn't had any problems since.

    I suggest trying eggs, ground turkey, or some other meat beside chicken, and also add pumpkin or sweet potato in place of the rice. One of my previous dogs had IBD and she didn't do well on rice but pasta caused her no problems. If protein and fiber is the required diet for colitis ask the vet (or the holistic vet) if cooked low carb vegetables would work in place of rice. I would also try brown rice as an alternative.

    jn91871sf thanked annztoo
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    A healthy dog does not refuse to eat. Feeding "holistic or tasty" food is not going to do to correct an unhealthy condition.

    Rice is not a good source of fiber - it is a bland non-irritating palliative.

    jn91871sf thanked User
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I don’t know a lot about Colitus, other than there are several causes or reasons. Just like a Family Practitioner, Vets tend to know a little about a lot of things, but not a lot about any one thing in particular, that’s why there are specialists. I have to agree that it’s refusal to eat means whatever you’re doing for it now isn’t the answer. Instead of returning to the Vet, I’d ask him or her for a referral to see a Specialist. You need to figure out the exact cause of the Colitus so it can be treated appropriately and a specialist is your best recourse for that. If you do see a specialist, be sure to have your pets records sent to that office so they don’t repeat any tests your pup has already had.

    This information is from the Vet Hospital in our area may be helpful:

    https://bluepearlvet.com/blog/colitis-in-dogs-diagnose-treat/

  • 7 years ago

    Whether you’ve had pet dogs for years or you’ve just adopted your first puppy, it can be very distressing when your dog won’t eat. There are a variety of reasons for loss of appetite in dogs. It's important to determine the cause in order to design the best treatment plan.


    The first thing to keep in mind is how you’re judging your dog’s appetite. If you’re concerned because your dog isn’t eating as much as the guidelines state on the food you purchase, remember that these are only averages. Many perfectly healthy dogs eat only 60% to 70% of the amount stated on the packaging.


    When a dog won’t eat, it is referred to as anorexia. This is different from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder found in humans. Instead anorexia describes a complete loss of appetite in dogs.


    Because loss of appetite in dogs can indicate illness, it is important to seek veterinary care if you notice changes in your dog’s eating habits. It is especially important to respond promptly to a refusal to eat in dogs that usually eat well.


    Even though most dogs can go a couple of days without food with no significant bad effects, it is best to address the problem as early as possible.


    Reasons your dog won’t eat

    Just like in people, there are a variety of reasons dogs might refuse to eat. These include:


    Illness. A decreased appetite in dogs is often a sign of sickness, especially if your dog is exhibiting other symptoms at the same time. Although a loss of appetite in dogs doesn’t necessarily indicate serious disease, prompt veterinary attention is important because it could be a sign of significant illness, including cancer, various systemic infections, pain, liver problems, and kidney failure.

    Dental disease. Your dog may not want to eat because خرید خدمت something in its mouth is causing pain. Have him checked for a broken or loose tooth, severe gingivitis and even an oral tumor.

    Recent vaccination. Fortunately, vaccinations are available for many serious and contagious dog diseases. Although these injections have saved the lives of millions of pets in the past 100 years, they do sometimes have adverse effects. The majority of these are minor and brief, including a temporary loss of appetite in dogs.

    Travel and unfamiliar surroundings. If your dog’s appetite was fine until you went on a trip with him or moved to a new location, it may be that your dog won’t eat because of traveling or the unfamiliar surroundings. Some animals may get motion sickness, and others become nervous or uncomfortable in new places.

    Pickiness or behavior issues. Some dogs are just picky, or their refusal to eat may be caused by feeding them in situations where they aren’t comfortable, such as around an aggressive dog or from a bowl at an uncomfortable height. Because a decreased appetite in dogs may be caused by illness, never assume that your dog is picky without investigating other possibilities first.