When Dogs Won't Eat

Loss of appetite in dogs is usually a sign that something is wrong with the dog. The appetite in dogs can and will vary greatly due to the quality of the food being offered to the dog, the presentation of the food being offered to the dog, the dog's age, the amount of exercise the dog gets each day, the breed of the dog, the size of the dog and the amount of water the dog has to drink or that it actually drinks. All this means is that each dog's appetite is different with many influences that make it that way. Some dogs are big eaters and others are small eaters, but each dog does have an appetite when all things are normal in its life and the dog owner should be aware of its dog's appetite so that they will know when they do have a loss of appetite.

When the dog owner notices that their dog is off its feed or has had a loss of appetite, then they should start the process of attempting to discover what the cause of this is. The usual culprits of appetite loss in dogs is fever, stomach disorders, digestive apparatus disorders, no food available or the dog may be cold or chilled. Poisons and diseases are also causes of appetite loss in dogs. Diseases that commonly contribute to loss of appetite in dogs are septicemia, infectious hemorrhagic gastroenteritis and distemper. Other causes of appetite loss are difficulty swallowing which can be a symptom of pharynx inflammation, larynx inflammation, rabies, poisons, brain disease, injuries to the dog's mouth and throat, tetanus and swelling of the dog's neck.

With so many different reasons for a dog to loose its appetite, the dog owner will usually have to look for other symptoms to finally decide what is causing the dog to refuse to eat or just to eat less than it normally does. If the dog owner is not sure of the diagnosis they have come up with and the treatment that will accompany the reason for the appetite loss and will allow the dog to begin eating again, then the dog will need to be taken to the veterinarian (vet) so that the dog can get the treatment that it needs. If the vet concludes that there is nothing medically wrong with the dog, then the owner will have to look at the dog's environment and may have to make changes in its living conditions and/or may have to change the food it is being fed, even if it has been fed the same food its entire life.