When your dog stops eating
There may be a number of reasons why your pet is off his or her food but if it lasts for more than a day, you should always consult your vet
A reader asks what to do about his dog, who refuses to eat. “He’s always accepted this food before, but now, he just sniffs at it. Why is he so fussy?” the reader complains.
I’m not a vet, but even I know that there are lots of possible causes of a poor appetite.
My poodle Wan-Wan once absolutely refused to go near her food. It was the good quality wet food she always eats, but she wouldn’t touch it.
When I stuck my nose near it, I understood immediately. What a bad smell! Although I had just opened the packet, the food had obviously gone bad. My dog’s keen sense of smell had told her instantly not to eat it.
If the food’s all right, look at the dog. Does he seem ill? Is he playing as usual or just curled up? Does he have a bad tooth or infected gums?
Some causes might not be obvious to the untrained eye. Some time ago, I wrote about a golden retriever who had stopped eating.
His owner, thinking he was just fussy, put him in a cage with his bowl. The dog still didn’t eat. He was near death when a dog rescuer took him to a vet who recognised immediately that the dog was suffering from a genetic disorder that caused the bones in his jaw to lock.
Just recently, Wan showed me yet another reason. She simply stopped eating, and I didn’t know why.
After three days of Wan’s not eating, I anxiously phoned the vet. “Has Wan eaten anything at all?” the vet asked.
“Yes,” I said. “She’s still eating her doggie treats.”
“In that case,” the vet laughed, “the dog isn’t sick.”
Then my memory tapped me on the shoulder: “Remember a few weeks ago, when you thought the dog had swallowed a toothpick? You never found it. Perhaps it’s still inside her.”
Now, totally panicked, I rushed Wan to the vet. “Help!” I cried. Wan herself didn’t look sick at all. She was simply happy to go on an outing.
The X-ray didn’t show any wandering toothpick, but it did show something else - lots and lots of gas.
That poor dog was suffering from a bloated tummy. No medicine was necessary, though.
“Just give her more exercise,” the vet said. “Movement will solve the problem.”
Here, I had been thinking that Wan’s constant races up and down the stairs were enough exercise for such a little dog. No.
The next day, I took Wan for a walk, the first she had had in a long, long time. By the time we returned home, we were both exhausted - and Wan’s gassy tummy was a thing of the past.
A happy dog is a hungry dog. If you can’t solve the problem of your dog’s lack of appetite, do, please, consult your vet.
