The dog refuses to eat: possible causes and ways to help

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

For every owner, the he alth of his pet is the main priority. Therefore, if the dog refuses to eat - this is always a cause for concern. You should not panic right away, but it is recommended to pay close attention to your pet. There are a lot of reasons for this phenomenon, so you need to analyze all the symptoms well and draw the right conclusions.

If your pet stays active

In this case, we can say that everything is not so bad, but you should not lose vigilance. The fact is that the need for food is leading. Therefore, even if the animal does not experience hunger, it will not refuse food, especially treats. There must be good reasons for this. So let's look at why a dog refuses to eat?

• If a puppy, growing up, begins to refuse one of the meals, then there is nothing to worry about. It's just that now he no longer needs additional feeding.
• If an animal plays and frolics, but often turns away from the cup, this may mean that it is simply picky and expects more deliciouspieces.
• If there was a serious physical activity in the evening, then do not be surprised that the dog refuses to eat in the morning.
• Often the bitch will ignore the bowl when in heat. If a male lives with you, and on a walk he meets a bitch in heat, then the reaction will be similar. It's hormones and nothing else.
• The next reason could be stress. If the owner left the animal in the kennel and went on a business trip, then in almost 100% of cases the dog refuses to eat. The first days she will not even drink water, but with a good attitude she will soon calm down.

Warning signs

Usually the owner knows his pet well. It's one thing if he jumps around you cheerfully, droplets of moisture shine on his black nose, his eyes shine, but, poking into the cup, the animal begins to look for tastier pieces. Including persistently begging you for cookies or a sandwich. In this case, we can safely say that everything is fine with him.

It's a completely different situation if the dog didn't come to wake you up in the morning. Give her a treat. If she reaches for it, remembering that this is her favorite food, but turns away at the last moment, you need to immediately run to the veterinarian. It means that something bad is happening in the body. Most likely, this is a powerful intoxication. The animal wants to eat, but nausea does not allow swallowing a piece. If you stretch it out for a while, the dog will become so weak that it will no longer respond to any food.

Whatdo

It is very important to stay at home and watch your pets. Then you can definitely tell that the dog refuses to eat. The reasons must be sought with the attending physician. To do this, the specialist must examine the dog, as well as take the necessary tests. If there is a suspicion of a foreign body in the intestine, then they give a referral for an ultrasound or x-ray.

You should go to the veterinary clinic a maximum of 36 hours after the refusal of food in an adult dog, and 48 hours for a puppy. If you apply quickly, it will only get better.

Write data

The veterinarian will take a history to determine the cause. The dog refuses food for a reason, so your task is to describe the situation in detail so that it is easier for the doctor to assess it:

• It is very important to fix the time interval from the last meal.
• Try offering different foods so that the doctor knows exactly if the animal is refusing certain things or everything.
• It is important to fix the dog's ability to swallow food. To do this, while the condition is just starting to worsen, offer your favorite treat. Even a seriously ill animal will often swallow it through force. If it doesn't, tell your doctor.
• Constantly offer water and watch the result: greedily drinks, refuses.
• Pay attention to dog feces. Everything will be important, a change in shape, color, smell.
• If vomiting is noted, be sure to record its frequency and content, color of discharge.

All thisinformation will become very important in order to understand why the dog refuses to eat.

What can cause a rejection?

Experienced veterinarian regularly encounters such problems, and therefore has a number of assumptions that remain to be tested and by elimination to find what suits your case. If the picture does not fit into any of them, then these reasons will be excluded immediately. These could be:

• Dental problems. If the teeth are damaged or broken, then the animal will experience severe pain.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Liver disease.
• Poisoning.
• Viral and infectious diseases.

Each of these reasons requires immediate medical attention and treatment.

What else can be attributed to the reasons?

Why does a dog refuse to eat? If the tests are normal, vaccinations are delivered in a timely manner, and the pet categorically refuses food, then pay attention to what you have been feeding him lately. In addition to behavioral and medical problems, there are others:

• poor quality food;
• taking medication.

That is, the refusal of food can speak volumes. Watch your dog and contact the veterinarian in time. Only in this way can you save him from a variety of problems.

Puppy bitch refuses to eat

There is a stereotype that the expectant mother should eat well. In fact, before giving birth, the dogoften refuses to eat. It is on this basis that the owner can guess that childbirth is approaching. At the same time, vivacity and mobility are preserved, single vomiting or diarrhea is possible. It's not always worth panicking if your dog refuses to eat. What to do in this case? Equip the expectant mother with a cozy corner. If she gladly took it, then replenishment is waiting for you soon.

The dog does not eat well and has become lethargic

Climatic cataclysms could be the cause, of course. Animals often lose their appetite in too hot weather. If it is now the middle of summer, then it is quite possible that this is the reason. Try to keep the animal calm during the day and offer a fresh bowl again in the evening.

But much more often, if the dog is lethargic, refuses to eat, this indicates he alth problems. If this has not been noticed before with your pet, then this is a very serious symptom in which you should not hesitate to contact the veterinarian. Lethargy, drowsiness and refusal to feed are the first symptoms of enteritis or hepatitis.

Poisoning

If a dog refuses food and water, then this may indicate poisoning. Notice if there is any difficulty in breathing. Vomiting is especially clear indicative of poisoning. Try to remember if the dog touched foreign objects on the last walk, be sure to check all stocks of household chemicals. Often puppies gnaw through packaging with chemicals. It can be washing powders and bleaches. After that, he will, of course, refusefood.

Poisoning is a very serious condition. A dog can get a severe toxic reaction just by rummaging through a trash can and eating a piece of old chicken. Protein poisoning could cost her her life. And it happens even worse. The pet eats a poisoned bait that it finds by accident. In this case, you have no more than 30 minutes to go to the doctor.

Problems in the digestive tract

At first glance, the situation is very similar. The dog refuses to eat for some reason. The causes may be congenital, chronic, or consist in a systematic violation in nutrition. If you have experienced severe pain in the intestines or stomach, then you understand well that you do not want to eat or drink. These symptoms may be accompanied by diarrhea or severe constipation. Problems with the hind legs are often noted.

Failure to eat and drink may indicate that there is a blockage in the gastrointestinal tract. Very often, a pet swallows something large that stops the swallowing tract. In this case, the only way to save his life is surgery. Do you think that this will not happen to your pet? Young dogs can eat a ball, a scarf, socks, thread, pieces of clothing.

Liver problems

The owners are very frightened if the dog vomits bile. Refuses to eat, drinks water, then vomits again. Most often it is a symptom of chronic gastritis, diseases of the liver, pancreas and gallbladder. This may be a sign of recent piroplasmosis. In this case, bile mixed with gastricjuice, tends to go outside, because getting into the stomach, it causes severe spasms. In addition to chronic diseases, overeating, consumption of spoiled food, and food that is not suitable for the dog lead to such symptoms. These are dishes high in spices, s alt and fat.

Cold disease

Often, owners believe that a dog can sleep on the floor, in a draft, and nothing bad will happen. After all, the same mongrels live on the street. In fact, they are just as susceptible to colds as we are. Walking on a rainy day may well turn into a disease. Therefore, when returning home, it is necessary to close the windows and dry the dog.

But in this case, there is a temperature and obvious signs of weakness. But the rejection of water is almost never observed in this case. But after refusing food, weakness or temperature, the death of a pet very often follows. Therefore, it is impossible to delay the appeal to the doctor. Only a specialist can find the real cause and prescribe treatment.