Lost appetite in a dog: reasons and what to do

Your pet's healthy appetite is one of the signs that it feels good. But sometimes it happens that a pet refuses any food. Let's look at what is normal if your dog’s appetite is gone. When should I see a doctor?

Reasons for refusing food

Veterinarians identify several reasons why a dog may lose appetite:

1. Psychological - not having a direct threat to health, but, at times, no less dangerous. May be associated with changes at the hormonal level.
2. Physiological - a reason that can have quite dangerous consequences. Almost always requires the help of a specialist.
3. A third reason may arise from either of these two, but be considered normal.
   

Psychological reasons

A fairly common reason why dogs lost their appetite. More precisely, they can even be divided into several, namely:

1. The dog stopped eating after some specific events. For example, after the celebration of the New Year with many fireworks, many owners note a decrease in appetite in their animals. Also, this can be observed after severe thunderstorms with loud peals of thunder. In such cases, you should wait for the dog to calm down and try to give it as much attention as possible to relieve its anxiety. Usually, the appetite normalizes within a few days.
2. No matter how strange it sounds, dogs, like humans, suffer from depression. Most often this happens when separated from the owner or family members. Another reason for depression, and accordingly, why the dog’s appetite was lost, may be moving to another place of residence or even separation from some four-legged friend. If you see that your pet is depressed for a long time, then you should see a doctor, since such a condition can lead to various negative consequences.
3. Another psychological reason why the dog’s appetite may be lost is the lack of realization by the animal, and specifically the dog, of its instincts for reproduction. If for some reason you do not want to knit your dog, it will be more humane to think about sterilizing him than constantly keeping his natural desires in check.
   
4. Sometimes the owner himself becomes the reason why the dog lost his appetite. Namely, seeing that the pet refuses food, he begins to “stuff” him with all kinds of goodies, trying to feed him at any cost. Animals, like humans, very quickly develop certain eating habits and they, of course, will prefer delicacies, especially if they are “spiced” with all kinds of flavor enhancers. After such “snacks” it will be difficult to make them eat regular cereal. In addition, the dog is a very intelligent animal and quickly realizes that the owner can be manipulated, while receiving tasty, but not always healthy food. There is only one way out in this situation. Remove food from the table from the diet and give only food intended directly to the dog. Moreover, the bowl should not be with the pet constantly. They brought it, delivered it - after 15 minutes, if the dog did not touch the food, they removed it, brought it in the evening. The main thing is not to follow the dog’s lead, and not to poke her another “cookie”.
5. Another, fortunately much less common, reason why the dog’s appetite is gone is fear. There are owners who scold the animal for every uneaten piece. Over time, the dog develops a fear of the owner and the food, and she simply refuses to eat at all. In this situation, probably the best way out for the dog is to change the owner. But seriously, patience, affection and calm tone of the owner will help to restore the appetite of such an animal.
   

Physiological reasons

If you notice that your dog has lost appetite, lethargy or, on the contrary, irritability, or some other behavioral changes, then the problems may be much deeper. Health problems that may cause the problem being studied:

1. The dog has an oral injury, an upset digestion, or some kind of dental problem. Inspect the oral cavity of the dog yourself, observe the stool of the animal. Try giving the dog softened, grated food. And it is better, of course, to consult a specialist.
2. Poisoning. Another common reason why a dog has lost his appetite. If you suspect poisoning, then you must definitely go to the clinic, since procrastination can be deadly, especially if you don’t know what your animal ate.
3. Also, your pet may have intestinal parasites. Regularly solder the animal with anthelmintic drugs. An exact diagnosis can be made by a doctor, if, of course, the animal is no longer in a neglected form.
4. The most dangerous causes are problems with any internal organs: thyroid, heart, lungs, liver, and more.
   

You may not notice the very beginning of the disease, and the animal cannot tell you about it - it can only show that it is bad for it to refuse food. That is why, as soon as you see that the dog’s appetite is gone, the doctor should look for the reasons. Especially in cases where there are no prerequisites for this, it seems, there should not be.

Decreased appetite as normal

There are cases when a decrease in appetite in an animal may be the norm and there should be no prerequisites for anxiety. It:

1. The dog is in heat, his appetite is gone and the dog may even look exhausted. This is often found, since the hormonal background changes in the animal during this period, so there is no need to panic. Usually, appetite later normalizes. This is not found in all dogs, so you should not expect such a reaction from each animal. Some "ladies" may, on the contrary, suffer from increased appetite. Also, loss of appetite can be observed in the second half of pregnancy and immediately after childbirth.
2. The weather is too hot. This is normal if on the street for a long time +30, and the dog lost his appetite. What to do? Give more water and wait until it gets a little cooler. Most likely, in hot weather, the desire to eat is reduced and you.
3. Too much food. Oddly enough it sounds, but some owners literally overfeed their pets. Now very often you can find animals suffering from overweight and even obesity. But there are some dogs that are much smarter than their owners - when they feel that there is already an excess of nutrients in their bodies, they independently arrange “fasting days” for themselves. In such cases, do not try to feed them by force.
4. The norm in refusal of food can also be attributed to the case when the animal is being treated with any potent drugs. But this is only when the animal is recovering. If the condition of the dog worsens, then it is necessary to resort to forced feeding of the animal, possibly even with droppers.
5. Another cause of decreased appetite in dogs is age. In old age, the dog consumes much less food, which is associated with a decrease in its activity. And anticipating his imminent demise, the animal may refuse food altogether.
   
6. Teething may be the cause of decreased appetite in puppies. A canine child is also quite difficult to endure this process, as well as a human one. The puppy will gnaw everything that comes in his way, but he will refuse food these days. The best option would be to give him some kind of nutritious bone - now in pet stores you can find a lot of options just for such cases.
7. Oddly enough, one more norm can be considered ... a bad mood. Yes, a dog, just like a person, may simply not be in the mood - it will refuse food and will "lie and sigh in the corner." But in a healthy dog, this should quickly pass, so if you see that your pet’s period has dragged on, then the reason is not in the usual spleen, but much deeper and you need to look for it. Perhaps already with the help of a specialist.

What to do?

If the dog has lost his appetite for no reason, then first observe it. If the behavior has not changed and there are no obvious health problems, then you can try the following actions:

1. Change food, especially if you offer the dog something new - give her the food she’s used to.
2. Warm up food, some animals have great pleasure in eating warm food.
3. Put the dog clean drinking water, and make sure that the water is constant.
4. Make sure that the animal does not pick up anything on the street. Perhaps the dog simply "ate" on a walk.
5. Continue to give the dog food at its usual time, leaving the bowl no longer than 15 minutes. If the dog did not eat, then remove the bowl and give only the next feeding.
   

What not to do?

Experts give these tips:

1. In no case do not try to feed the dog something “tasty” during this period. The animal will try it very quickly and you will independently form his pickiness in food.
2. Do not try to feed the animal by force, especially with screams and curses.
3. Do not leave a bowl of food on an ongoing basis and do not bring it in between meals. An exception can be made only for animals in the recovery period after illness, radiation, chemotherapy, if the doctor advises enhanced nutrition.

When to see a doctor

If the dog has missed one feeding, then there is no reason to worry. If the dog skips one or two meals with two meals a day, then this can be considered the norm. You need to start worrying when the dog does not eat for more than a day and a half.

It is clear that if an animal has a clear violation of its health - diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions, fever, pain, bloating and more, then you need to see a doctor immediately.

Conclusion

Each owner knows his pet well and can, sometimes, be better than any veterinarian to name the reasons why the dog’s appetite has disappeared. Each animal, like a person, has their own taste preferences; they can also pick and choose food, “show character” and try to manipulate their master. Never go after your pet if you are firmly convinced that poor appetite is just a way to get a tasty bite from you. But at the same time take a closer look, maybe the dog is trying to attract your attention, can you give it too little time and it misses you? Any, even seemingly unreasonable behavior of an animal always has a reason.