My dog won’t eat, what should I do? This is a question my mom has had to figure out the answer to many times in the past fifteen or so years. My mom is also super picky, so she understands us somewhat. Since dogs not eating seems to be a common issue for pet parents I thought I would share some of my Dr. Emma’s tips based on what we have done and learned in our experiences.
Dr. Emma plays a veterinarian on the blog My GBGV Life from time to time, but is not a real veterinarian. Any advice received on this blog is from personal experience. If your dog has any health issues, please consult your own veterinarian.
Know Your Own Dog
My mom has had five dogs, and three of us are not big on eating. If a dog who isn’t a big eater misses a meal or two, it might be nothing, but if a food obsessed dog misses a meal, it could be a problem.
- What are your dog’s habits? Does your dog eat foreign objects? Perhaps you have a chewer who actually ingests bone or stick fragments?
- Have you checked the output? Is your dog vomiting? Does your dog have normal stools? Have you seen blood?
- Is the activity level of your dog the same, or is your dog lethargic, or lacking in overall interest in everything?
The Story Of Trine
Trine was mom’s first dog who she adopted from the Humane Society as a 100 lb, black, roughly year old dog. She was a good eater, and once she adjusted to home life, rarely had any health issues. One October evening, Mom put Trine’s food down and she just walked away from it. The same thing happened at breakfast. Mom tried all kinds of things to get Trine to eat, but she would not have more than a bite or two.
Not knowing what was wrong, they headed off to the vet, where Trine was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. As with people, it sneaks up quickly and there is no cure. Trine, who was around ten, was gone within a week. It would not have made any difference had Mom brought her to the vet a couple days sooner but it was important to bring her to the vet in a timely manner. A dog who always eats and then stops for more than a day or two most likely has something going on.
Older Dogs Often Eat Differently
My dear sister Katie ate puppy food until she was three years old because she didn’t like to eat and needed the calories to keep her weight constant. Once she hit three, she became a food maniac and ate all the time, with no more issues until she was around twelve. Old age slowed down her appetite and Mom often had to add things like wet food or toppers to entice Katie to eat. She did maintain her weight until the last six months or so of her life. We found out about Katie’s heart tumor because of a check up, not her eating habits, but it was pretty obvious in the end, the tumor was stealing her appetite. Mom didn’t take her to the vet because she knew not much could be done.
Some Dogs Are Just Picky
I’m a dog who was and still is a picky eater. Like Madison I used to take a good twenty minutes to eat my meals. Over the years I’ve trimmed that down to about five minutes. As a young pup, Mom did check with our veterinarian about my slow, picky eating and was told as long as I was eating and gaining/maintaining weight as I should, Mom shouldn’t worry. I am still really picky about treats, and will only eat certain kinds. As long as your vet checks out your dog, there is nothing to worry about. I’ve lived being a picky, slow eater for over eleven years now!
When A Big Eater Stops Eating
Bailie is the biggest eater my mom has ever had. It probably comes from being from a litter of fourteen pups, but it is a whole different world! Not only does Bailie eat almost everything, she is fast too. Since the day she moved her furry behind into our house, she has only missed one meal.
One day in September 2016, Bailie was acting a bit “off”. Dinnertime came, and Bailie had no interest in even coming to the kitchen to look at food, let alone eat anything. This was the first and only time Bailie has ever turned down a meal. Mom’s intuition kicked in, and she took Bailie to the emergency vet about an hour later. It turns out Bailie was very ill and could have died had she not been treated. We never could find the cause, but after consulting with several vets, it was most likely an obscure tick disease. Her platelets were so low that night, they were afraid she would start to bleed internally at any time. Mom was a wreck! Bailie made it through the night, and went to a specialist in the morning. Following your intuition is usually a good idea, and it probably saved Bailie’s life in this case.
Picky Eaters Are Tough
Everyone knows my food snob sister, Madison. She has never been interested in food. Thankfully, when she went into heat this fall, it seems to have kicked her taste buds into gear. The past three months she has eaten her meals on her own, although slowly, and also eats treats a bit more than she used to. About two weeks ago, the old Madison started coming back. By last weekend, Madison didn’t have any interest in her meals, but she would eat treats. She was not vomiting, what little stool she had was normal, and she had her usual energy and happiness levels. Mom wondered how she could tell if Madison was ill, or just being picky. Madison went three meals in a row eating about one bite of food total which triggered Mom’s instinct to take Madison to the vet.
Tuesday, the food snob arrived at the vet. Mom was getting pretty worried as the little one had lost three pounds which is about ten percent of her normal weight. She is so skinny! The two of them spent some time with the vet discussing everything. They ran a full blood panel, and took x-rays. Perhaps Madison, the perfect puppy, had eaten something that was stuck in her belly? Her blood work came back great, and there was nothing to see in the x-rays. Now what? Since she is so young, most of the terrible things are statistically unlikely, but she could have ingested something that makes her tummy sore and caused an ulcer, like a tiny stick piece or something. When she puts food in her tummy it might not feel good. They headed home with some medicine to coat Madison’s stomach before meals, and she gets a new, super tasty food to spur her on to eat. So far, she has eaten her last three meals in full. Her medicine is for a week, so we will see what happens then.
My Conclusion
What is the point to all of this? When you say,”My dog won’t eat”, there is not just one answer. You need to know your dog’s behaviors, how they usually are with food, if they are behaving differently, or not. If you have any doubts, it is always best to go to your own veterinarian to make sure nothing serious is going on!
I’m a really picky eater Emma. But like your Mom, my Mom can tell when I’m a bit off. My sister eats everything! But still mom can tell when she is off. This is a good post Emma. Poor Bailie when she was sick. Thats what I looked like a few weeks ago. It stinks to be sick. I’m glad we both have such good moms!!
It was super scary with Bailie, but thankfully she turned around and seems to be fine ever since. Glad you are alright too! Now if Madison would just stay on the eating path we are good.
thanks for a lot of good tips and informations… we are with you… if we are unsure we ask the vet… a problem early detected is a problem easily solved (mostly).
It’s good to rule things out too.
The like button on my phone is being persnickety again, so know that I tried.
Hope the medicine has helped sweet Madison’s little tummy so that she goes back to eating! It can be soooo frustrating when there’s no diagnosable reason for them to stop eating.
She has four meals down now. Hopefully it will continue after the pills. Next step would be ultrasound and/or biopsy neither of which we want to do.
Dr Emma, very good expose on eating and knowing your dog. We too, have both been to the ER vet for non-eating issues. Chablis & Elbe
It seems that many Grands don’t really like eating.
I would definitely know something was up if these two didn’t eat. I hope Madison feels better soon.
She is eating since she got her medication, we just hope it keeps up.
I would take your dog to the vet and see if their is a blockage of any kind or something serious that’s causing your dog not to eat or it may be something as simple as your dog not liking his/her food. Don’t chance it, get your dog to the vet to find out.
Yes, humans, listen up to the good advice, if something ain’t right, act quickly!
Yep, you never know what it could be and it could be serious.
I’m finding that this breed (PBGV and GBGV) have digestion issues more frequent than other breeds. I have Remy on a daily regimen of sucralfate which seems to help with his digestion problems.
Bailie and I are fine, but Madison is just so darn picky!
Oh no, we sure hope Madison continues to eat and gets feeling better. We’ve never really had picky eaters (with dogs), and every time there’s been an issue it’s been something bad. Moses, like Trine, stopped eating and we found out he had cancer and lost him in just a few days. The same happened with one of our cats. So I have a tendency to panic if someone doesn’t eat! When Cricket’s appetite started to wane a while ago, we were surprised to find out it was because of her heart condition, and once we got her meds right her appetite came back. So you just never know what it could be!
It’s looking like an ulcer area in her stomach right now since the medications are working that coat her stomach. Hopefully she will keep eating when her medications are done next week.
This is an important topic and one I have been asked about many times. Pierre is the only picky eater that I have ever had but he loves his current food and gobbles it right up,
It is a tough problem and when you have a picky eater it is even more difficult.
We totally agree..you have to know your dog and his habits. Angel Bilbo was a bunch like Madison his whole life. He wasn’t a big eater, rarely ate treats and was always very thin. Jakey is like Emma…a picky eater, but he does eat…Arty and Rosy are regular eaters…and Miss Angel Dory was a big eater, like Bailie!
Sounds like your Mama has things under control! Such an informative post!!
Mom loves that Bailie eats and eats. She says it makes her a real dog. It’s much more fun with her and food. Everyone is different and since Mom is picky herself, she does have understanding for us.
Great post! I’m a dachshund so….food is life. BOL! My angel sister Katie was always picky so in her old age she’d need lots of good things mixed into her food. When it was close to her time to go she lost a weight and wouldn’t eat anything really…:( Anyway I think this is why it’s impawtent to meal feed dogs opposed to free feeding in most cases, you know when something’s up!
Sometimes Mom wishes she had a lab or beagle since they usually eat anything, but she loves us for who we are picky or not.
A seriously wagnificient post!
Hoping Madison is feeling better & all is good.
I love food & will eat almost anything but I am a lady & l like to take my time. Food must be pawfectly molded in a mountain like shape in my bowl or I am not happy. Little bites for me when it comes to treats.
Q, how ever is a hoover vacuum when it comes to treats or food. Her meals are almost gone before the bowl is on the floor. HuMom has many tricks to slow her down.
The bottom of the bowl is, know your pup & listen to your instincts. HuMom says she rather be a silly huMom calling the Vet than a regretful huMom.
Nose nudges,
Gentle nose nudges for Madison,
CEO Olivia
My mom likes to figure things out on her own, which she tried with Madison, but it wasn’t working. With Bailie our “hoover” she knew right away something was terribly wrong and that was a good thing. Human instincts should not be ignored by the human.
Wise words here Emma. Being on the raw food, both my dogs now love their meals. I wouldn’t worry too much if Sampson were to not be interested in one meal, but with Delilah’s enthusiasm for eating, I know the day she refuses will be a sad day for me.
I hope Madison stays eating her food. Maybe it is just a matter of rotating her proteins…
Actually, we do always rotate, but she doesn’t like that because if she has a food she loves and we switch, she will only pick at the new protein for days. We think it is some kind of stomach irritation, maybe she swallowed something that scratched her inner tummy and it was sore. The coating is working and we hope she keeps eating when the pills are gone.
I’ve had to take my pup Missy to the vet once because she wasn’t eating, and since she’s a total slave to her stomach, that was a very reliable indicator that something was wrong. She ended up having some kind of gastrointestinal upset that was helped with meds – the vet wasn’t sure what might have caused it, probably picking up and eating something outside she shouldn’t have.
Her brother Buzz was super picky back in our kibble feeding days and I always had to rotate flavors and dog food brands to get him somewhat interested in eating his food. That behavior completely changed once I made the switch to raw food always 3 years ago. He hasn’t missed a meal since then 😉
We have always switched foods but she doesn’t really like switching and she doesn’t like anything mixed together. Hopefully the tummy meds will help keep her on track with food.
Great information, sorry Madison wasn’t feeling well. Hope she is back to normal in no time.
Today will be the first day without meds, so paws crossed she keeps on eating.
I’ll admit it, I drive my mom crazy. Not on purpose, it just kind of… happens.
I’ll eat dog food just fine for a few days and then turn my nose at it. She tries to trick me through mixing the dog food with ground-up treats, pieces of human food, whatever, but I just lick off the parts I want and walk away. If she changes the flavor or brand I’ll eat for a few days again, but then it gets boring. Who wants boring food? I sure don’t. And, some pieces are just too small or too big to feel right.
Truth is, I want fried sparrows to fly into my mouth. Mom says that’s not happening. That’s just because she doesn’t WANT it to happen. Ugh!
But, if I skip breakfast she refuses to give me even crumbs of a treat all day long and I’ll be starving once dinner time comes. Then I have to eat, even if I want to refuse. She’s sneaky like that.
Have a Happy New Year, Emma.
Wags and paw-waves to you and your family!
/Topper
Madison is often like that, but the problem is, withholding treats doesn’t help. She will go for a few days without a bite. Right now she is eating, but to get started we have to actually get her to go to her bowl and take a bite. It is not easy! Happy New Year to you!