home Calculators The dog does not eat and is lethargic. What to do if the dog doesn't eat. trembles, tries to move less, breathes heavily

The dog does not eat and is lethargic. What to do if the dog doesn't eat. trembles, tries to move less, breathes heavily

What to do if the dog does not eat, how can you find out the true cause and not miss the symptoms of the disease? Below we will analyze all these questions, but we will immediately indicate that we are talking about a sharp refusal of food. A gradual decrease in appetite, leading to a complete refusal to eat, most often indicates a developing disease.

A very common scenario that causes true panic among owners is when the dog has stopped eating or has suffered from an illness. The owner sees that the dog is recovering, looks active and suddenly refuses to eat...a really alarming sign. However, before you panic, make sure that the reasons for ignoring food are not related to your behavior.

While the pet is sick or returns to normal after surgery, the owner surrounds it with care, pampers it, and takes pity on it. Dogs are very smart, they can build logical chains and draw conclusions. So, when you feel sorry for the dog and persuade him to eat a tasty treat, he concludes that if you give up the usual porridge, you can get a treat. Of course, the pet needs to be pitied and supported, but moderation is important in everything.

Many owners find themselves in such a vicious circle when the ward develops a conditioned reflex (habit) to extort goodies through manipulation. Let’s say right away that if something like this has already happened to you and your ward, the situation needs to be resolved gradually. You yourself taught the dog this trick, so punishment and rudeness are inappropriate here. If you decide to overcome the situation with force, then in the future, the dog is unlikely to agree to train under your leadership.

Have you noticed that the dog is not eating well, are you sure that the pet was not sick and you did not pamper it, what is the reason? Any guide to keeping dogs contains recommendations for creating a daily routine. Are you following these guidelines? If you don't understand what we're talking about, answer the following questions:

Do you walk your dog at the same time?
Do you feed your dog at the same time?
How many treats do you feed your dog during a walk? More or less than half the weight of a regular portion of food?

If the answers to the first two questions are negative, and the third is positive, you are completely ignoring the recommendations about maintaining a daily routine. Let's figure it out right away question about treats. The daily food intake is calculated taking into account everything eaten. If a dog does not eat from a bowl, but receives half a kilo of cookies during a walk, it compensates for more than half of its daily food intake and this must be taken into account. You had a nice walk with your dog in the evening, fed him some treats and he refused porridge - quite naturally.

Now about walking and feeding schedule. The dog’s digestive system, without exaggeration, works by the clock. It takes about 6–8 hours to digest meat porridge; if the dog eats dry food, the time increases by about 2 hours. If you feed your dog in the evening, after a walk, and in the morning, after waking up, its digestive system starts up. Digested food remains move from the small intestine to the large intestine and the dog wants to go to the toilet. After the need has been relieved, the small intestine is completely freed and ready to digest the morning food.

If the schedule is violated, that is, if the dog has to endure or you feed it at odd hours, the gastrointestinal tract may not be ready to digest a new portion of food. The body is designed in such a way that the dog will not feel hungry as long as there is food in its stomach. If the pet cannot go to the toilet, he will be worried about more tangible problems - intoxication and pain. Naturally, in such conditions there can be no talk of a good appetite.

How to increase your dog's appetite

A dog's refusal to eat may be due to poor appetite or the development of an illness. If your pet is lethargic, whines, does not drink water, is vomiting, or is losing weight quickly or is constantly lying down, you can skip this section. The point here is not reluctance, but discomfort that prevents the pet from eating. A clear sign of poor health is refusal to go for walks, Even if the pet was not too happy about walking before, completely ignoring the street speaks of apathy. The first thing you need to do is take your pet outside in your arms. If your dog stands motionless or immediately lies down, you should immediately consult a doctor.

The refusal of food does not affect the pet’s mood; is it cheerful and happy to go for a walk? In this case, you need to try several methods to improve your appetite. Start by skipping one feeding, such as the morning one. In the evening, offer your pet a regular portion of his usual food. If the treat is eaten with pleasure, the reason is a violation of the feeding schedule. We talked about this above, the dog has a poor appetite, because he really does not feel hungry.

The second method is not to skip feeding, but to cut the portion in half. If the dog ate the food offered, behaved normally all day and licked the bowl again in the evening, the reason is overfeeding. Carefully check yourself to see if you are exceeding the daily feeding allowance for your pet. Take into account all snacks, treats, keep an eye on the dog, perhaps he is begging for treats from other family members.

Read also: Hill's veterinary food for dogs

One important caveat: before catching your dog overeating, make sure you feed him well. The reluctance to eat the entire portion offered may be due to the fact that dog doesn't like the taste of food, for example, a dog does not eat porridge because it is stale. The second option is an allergy; the pet may refuse food that is harmful to it. You may not realize that porridge causes stomach pain or bloating in your pet, but the fact remains that the dog feels discomfort. If a dog does not eat dry food, there are several possible reasons:

A sudden change in diet– you have always fed your pet natural food, but decided to switch it to drying in one day. The dog will most likely refuse to eat because the food looks inedible, unusual, and unappetizing to it. Dry food does not have the aroma of natural food, and this is a very powerful argument. If the dog has always eaten natural food, the refusal of dry food may be due to the fact that the gastrointestinal tract is not able to digest the granules. In any case, the transition to a new type of feeding should be carried out gradually.

Low feed quality– cheap drying is made from beans, soy or corn. All these products are useless for dogs, so they do not cause any obvious appetite. Manufacturers of cheap food use a trick, flavoring their products with flavor additives and flavor enhancers. This does not make the food healthier... quite the contrary, but this condition allows you to force a hungry dog to eat pellets.

Chewing problems– we are not talking about diseases of the oral cavity, rather about the conventions that you missed. Puppies have a hard time chewing kibble because their teeth are a bit loose. Older dogs may refuse drying due to thinning of the enamel and discomfort when chewing hard food.

Active walks help increase your appetite. Naturally, you don’t need to exhaust your dog to the point of exhaustion, but if you haven’t paid attention to active exercise, it’s worth a try. All dogs love to play, the type of activity and motivation may differ, meaning you will need to find an approach.

Even older dogs, who seem to have no interest in anything, are happy to accompany their owners on leisurely but long walks. Your pet may not play with a ball, but he will enjoy the challenge of searching. With the right load, the dog returns home tired and hungry. Usually the pet drinks, eats and goes to rest. After this, it is advisable to take the dog out for a short walk to empty the intestines and bladder. Just like people, it is harmful for dogs to endure.

Dogs are distinguished by their constancy in tastes, but it happens that they get bored with the taste of their usual food. You can check this assumption and make sure that refusal to eat is associated with it in several ways:

Offer your dog frozen or boiled meat (without porridge). If the treat is eaten eagerly, the dog is tired of porridge, or has a protein deficiency.

Replace the cereal with buckwheat, and if you feed buckwheat, then with rice. In the first case, the food will have a more attractive smell. In the second, if the dog is tired of buckwheat, rice will be more readily accepted because it is neutral.

Add stewed vegetables to the porridge - grate the vegetables on a track and simmer with plenty of water. You should end up with a fine stew or sauce. Season everything with a little oil and add to the porridge. Vegetables give the porridge a seductive aroma and enhance the taste of meat (if its ratio is sufficient).

Lethargy with a simultaneous lack of appetite can serve as signs of illness in many living beings, including. But you can observe these in a healthy animal if, for example, the dog ran a lot for a long time in hot weather, and bitches are characterized by a decrease in appetite and some lethargy during the period of estrus.

But there are also more dangerous ones, due to which the dog may become less active, so it is imperative to control the animal’s behavior and pay attention to changes in its eating habits. Thus, in the spring, multiple tick bites can cause such a dangerous disease as piroplasmosis. It is characterized by rapid destruction of the liver, so in these cases, delay is really like death. When the dog becomes lethargic, refuses to eat, and the color of the urine begins to darken, you should immediately take it to the veterinarian. One of the characteristic signs of piroplasmosis is a high temperature - above 40 ° C, it is measured rectally. Ticks are especially dangerous in late spring and late summer-early autumn.

Another dangerous disease is plague. From the first days the animal becomes lethargic as the temperature rises to 40°C and higher. The nervous system may be affected or the disease may affect the gastrointestinal tract. From time to time, the dog's body experiences convulsions, and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract may begin, in which fluid is constantly released from the nose, causing the dog anxiety - it begins to scratch its nose with its paws.

Lethargy may be caused by stomatitis or other gum infections. Its characteristic signs are sores, small abscesses and red spots in the dog's mouth and gums. Ear infections, which are accompanied by a discharge that has an unpleasant odor, also cause discomfort to the dog and it becomes lethargic and loses the desire to play and run. Such infections are also dangerous because, unknowingly, you can grab the dog by the sore ear and cause an involuntary aggressive reaction in it. Therefore, pay attention if the dog begins to shake its head, tilts it in one direction or the other, and whines if its ears are touched.

Ear infections can be signs of allergies caused by food sensitivities or atopic dermatitis. In this case, the dog should be switched to a special hypoallergenic food and consult with a veterinarian who will select its diet. However, in all of the above cases, you should not self-medicate, but show the animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

What worries owners most is the incomprehensible health-related behavior of their beloved pet. Sometimes you have to go through a hunger strike from your four-legged friend. The reasons for a dog’s refusal to eat can be different - unloved food, poor health, melancholy, and sometimes even cunning. But when there are no visible reasons other than refusal to eat, there are grounds for worry. What's happened? Should I sound the alarm and run to the doctor? It is necessary to analyze the situation. Find out what your opt-out options are?

Natural reasons for refusing food

Think about it, how do you assess your pet's appetite? If the opinion is based on the indicators indicated on the food packaging, or comparison with other dogs, then this approach is wrong. Each animal is individual. One is ready to eat all the time, the other dog is cunning and asks for food from the owner’s plate. Of course, if you have had your dog for a long time, you may see drastic changes. So think about what has changed recently.

Maybe they changed the food or added new vitamins? Then you should return to the old diet or wait a little so that the animal gets used to it. There is no need to worry about variety in food - dogs do well with monotonous, balanced food.
A four-legged friend experiencing a stressful situation may also go on a hunger strike. For example, if one of the family members went on a business trip or to study, the animal may feel sad. Yes, a dog can refuse to eat because it misses its owner.
Many dogs, especially small breeds, are afraid of aggression from their owners and animals on the street, which can also affect their appetite. In this case, reconsider your behavior and try to minimize contact with strangers.
In addition, the dog may exhibit nervous behavior during a move or change of residence. A new unfamiliar place, as a rule, does not bring peace to anyone. Refusal to eat is a consequence of finding yourself in an unfamiliar environment. Support your pet: devote more time to him.
Due to changes in the body of a female dog during heat, she sometimes loses her appetite. The problem will go away on its own if diseases of the genitourinary system are excluded. Take a closer look at how things are going with the toilet.
Hot weather and a regime failure (the animal is used to eating at a certain time) are also the reasons.
Sometimes a dog may lose its appetite after vaccinations, this is temporary, do not panic.
If you have a growing puppy, his food preferences may change from time to time.
For a puppy, the reason for refusing to eat may be hard food, as the baby’s teeth are changing.

Dangerous situations when a dog is on hunger strike

When to sound the alarm if your dog doesn't eat? A healthy pet with a good appetite suddenly refuses food, but there are no apparent reasons - you need to urgently contact a veterinarian. Especially if these are puppies or old dogs. Keep in mind that dogs often hide poor health conditions. In case of depressed health and illness, poor appetite is the first sign. The best option is to entrust a specialist to find out the reason for the dog’s refusal to eat. The veterinarian needs to be told about all changes in the pet’s behavior; any observations may be useful. An experienced doctor will be able to give a preliminary opinion over the phone, which will help to cope with the situation. But sometimes things are serious.

Variants of diseases that cause food refusal in dogs

Poisoning. Diseases of the digestive system often occur if an animal has eaten low-quality food. Vomiting and loose stools often occur. You need to carefully monitor during walks so that your pet does not pick up anything from the ground. Difficult, but necessary.
Worms- time bomb. They poison the body and can cause loss of interest in food. As a rule, lethargy, thinness (leanness), and dull coat are added. It is necessary to begin treatment immediately as prescribed by the doctor.
Oral diseases cause pain and make eating difficult. It is easier for a dog to refuse food after small attempts than to endure the pain of chewing and getting food into the mouth. It is important to take care of your pet's teeth to prevent this from happening. (see article on how to brush your dog's teeth)
Injuries internal organs are especially dangerous. If, along with refusing food, feeling unwell, you see blood in the stool - an SOS signal. You need to act immediately!
Ear infections They can also provoke a hunger strike, especially refusal of solid food. Ear diseases are often associated with allergic reactions.
The situation is dangerous if the dog - nursing mother. Starvation can cause mastitis, or inflammation associated with the birth of puppies. As a rule, the condition is accompanied by elevated temperature.

This is a minimum of diseases that cause food refusal. If the reason for your dog's hunger strike is unknown to you, you need to carefully monitor the animal's condition. Pay attention to stool, urination, amount of fluid consumed, breathing, activity, rectal temperature. Any manifestations require urgent contact with a veterinarian! The best option is to consult a doctor without delay, undergo the necessary tests and determine the cause. Often the disease manifests itself slowly.

However, if you have complete confidence in the health of an adult dog, then here are some tips on how to feed a fussy dog. Try to establish a diet and feed the animal at a certain time. Don't offer pieces from the table. The dog must move - provide long walks with physical activity.

An animal may not like some food, for example, vegetables. A good option for separate power supply. Try reducing the amount of food you eat by 10-20%. Not all breeders understand that they feed their pets, and four-legged animals are forced to do fasting days.

Pay close attention to the health of your pets. Symptoms such as food refusal can result in big troubles that are dangerous to health. It is better to go to the doctor by mistake than to bite your elbows later. Let your pets be healthy!

Video

Article read by 6,661 pet owners

In this article we will try to answer the questions:

Causes.
What to do? How to treat?
What can you do at home?
Accompanying illnesses?

In medical practice, anorexia is a condition in which an animal does not eat or has lost its appetite. Essentially, appetite has psychological roots related to memories and associations. What is the difference between appetite and hunger? Hunger has a physiological origin, since the body independently says that it needs to replenish reserves.

If your dog does not eat and you do not know what to do and are looking for advice on the Internet on forums, we recommend that you do not self-medicate or experiment on your beloved dog. After all, there are many reasons for an animal’s lack of appetite (more on this later in the article), and the consequences of the experiment may disappoint you and your family.

Call us at any number from the contacts section and get a free consultation or arrange a veterinarian call to your home at the nearest time convenient for you.

There are many reasons why a dog may lose appetite. It is often considered the first sign of illness. A dog may not eat if it has a disease of the digestive system, kidneys, blood, eyes, mouth, nose, throat or even skin. Diseases of other organs and systems can also cause refusal to eat. Even simple pain can cause a dog to refuse to eat.
There is no need to worry too much about your dog being very sick, as there are many other reasons why your dog may not want to eat. For example, the dog does not like the taste of the new food, or you have changed your place of residence and it is going through an adaptation period, or you have a new family member.
As you can see, there are many reasons and they are all different, but a dog’s lack of appetite for 24 hours can adversely affect its body.

What to do when the dog doesn't want to eat?

Since there are many reasons for poor appetite, we recommend an examination and diagnosis.

What may be required besides examining the dog:

Why doesn't the dog eat? How to treat?

Once the diagnosis is made, the veterinarian prescribes treatment. Treatment is divided into two types: specific or supportive.

Specific treatment It is necessary to consider treatment, the main goal of which is to eliminate the causes of the disease. In this case, it will be aimed at eliminating the causes of the dog’s lack of appetite. This may involve a course of antibiotics to block the infection in the dog's body or, if a foreign body is present, surgery may be required. It can also be a treatment for gum disease (it is difficult for a dog to chew and therefore does not eat).

Maintenance treatment used to help the dog support a weakened body: infusion or subcutaneous therapy, appetite-stimulating injections or tablets, etc.

Help at home.

Self-help by dog owners can be provided when the reasons why the dog does not eat have been previously established. Let's try to understand together in what cases this can be done.

The dog may not eat because you recently moved, changing your usual living conditions and environment, or because a new person or a new animal lives in the house. The listed reasons should be voiced to the veterinarian.

Take a closer look at the dog. You may notice other symptoms as well. In such a situation, sooner is better than later.

To prevent your dog's body from losing a lot of fluid, it is worth giving him Pedialyte®, but you should first consult your veterinarian about this.

Recommendations for increasing appetite at home: if the dog does not eat or drink, then the feeling of hunger can be slightly increased by simply heating the food. This is done so that the food begins to smell intensely. Then you need to feed your beloved dog directly from your hands, thereby showing attention and care. Attention! You need to reheat cooked food carefully, because if it is very hot, the animal will burn itself and thereby harm itself (burn of the stomach or digestive tract).

New food. For example, the veterinarian prescribed you a strict diet, but the dog completely refuses new food. The transition to such food should be done smoothly so as not to discourage the dog’s appetite. You should gradually mix the food from the new diet with regular food, then the dog will not refuse it and will eat it with pleasure.

If you have a puppy between 1 and 6 months of age and he is not eating, he is potentially at risk, as loss of appetite for 12 hours can cause death (especially between 1 and 6 weeks of age). Cow's milk is good for puppies, but homemade soups are not so good, as they are very salty and do not contain the necessary amount of nutrients for the body to function properly.

Causes.

The reasons why a dog does not eat can be divided into two parts: medical and psychological.

Medical reasons are a cause for concern because they indicate the presence of a disease process in the animal's body that causes a lack of appetite.
Psychological reasons indicate that something has changed in the dog’s environment. This causes a lack of appetite and the dog does not eat. Examples of such situations were voiced earlier: moving to a new house or apartment, a new family member, or new food.

The difference between both causes (medical and psychological) is the presence of other symptoms (in the case of medical causes). So, in addition to lack of appetite, you may observe your dog salivating, vomiting, diarrhea (regular or bloody), lethargy, weight loss, difficulty breathing, infections (discharge of pus, blood, or changes in behavior).

Diseases in which the dog has no appetite and does not eat:

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
Liver diseases;
Pancreatic diseases;
Urinary tract diseases;
Blood diseases;
Diseases of the eyes, mouth, throat, nose;

How to call a veterinarian at home?

What questions will need to be answered?
In order to call a veterinarian, you need to:

Call the operator at the numbers specified in the section;
Tell what happened to the animal;
Provide the address (street, house, front door, floor) where the veterinarian will arrive;
Specify the date and time of the doctor’s arrival

Call a veterinarian at home and he will definitely help you.
At home, as they say, even the walls heal.

Lack of appetite or complete refusal to eat always makes dog owners nervous. “What if she got sick!” - this is the first thought that comes to mind. After it, the owners panic, and they may completely lose the ability to analyze and objectively assess the situation. Therefore, our first advice is to calm down. Now and immediately.

Even if the baby is really sick, the frightened owner will not be able to help her, but he can easily harm her. But her indifference to the food bowl is not always a symptom of something terrible. And our task is to teach you to soberly assess the situation and, with a clear understanding of it, find the right way to solve the problem of poor appetite.

Why is hunger strike dangerous for minis?

No, your dog will not die of hunger in a day, two or even a week. Another question is if he doesn’t eat or drink. But we'll talk about this later. For now, only about the hunger strike. So he will live. But he will lose weight. And very quickly. And the smaller the dog, the faster and more noticeable this process will be. In addition, refusing food is fraught with:

Lack of vitamins and microelements to ensure normal life. The dog simply will not replenish their reserves, and the existing ones are gradually eliminated from the body with secretions
Violation of metabolic processes. The dog’s body will switch to working in a “gentle mode”
Changes in hormonal levels. For example, a heat that has barely begun may stop.
Hypoclycemia, i.e. a sharp drop in sugar levels, which can manifest itself as slight twitching of the limbs or convulsions.
Exacerbation of chronic diseases. Especially related to the digestive organs
General weakness and increased drowsiness of the patient. We need to somehow save energy.

And again we want to focus your attention on the fact that the smaller and thinner your mini was before loss of appetite, the more pronounced all these symptoms will be. Therefore, the first thing to worry about is the owners of mini-Yorks, Chihuahuas, toy terriers and Spitz dogs. But if you have a well-fed pug or a fat miniature, then you can safely let him fast for a day or two. Of course, if you are 100% sure that he is healthy. No, this is also stress for him, but the stress is rather beneficial, and the lack of vitamins can be easily compensated with the help of special medications. And don’t forget to make sure your dog drinks properly.

When to go to the vet

Refusal to eat very often appears in the list of symptoms of a wide variety of canine ailments. Including such dangerous ones as plague, enteritis, hepatitis, etc. And this is precisely the main reason for the fears of all owners when the pet does not eat anything. Therefore, it is so important to learn to understand when a hunger strike is an alarming signal, and when it is just a reason for further monitoring of the ward.

So, refusal of food really indicates a pet’s illness if:

In addition, any other symptoms are observed. This may be vomiting, diarrhea, changed color of discharge, rapid breathing, sudden loss of strength
The animal’s body temperature increases (less often decreases)
The dog's coat loses its shine, looks disheveled, and dandruff suddenly appears.
The dog hides in secluded places, is reluctant to make contact, does not respond to calls, does not meet you from work
The appetite suddenly disappeared, and before that the pet ate everything that was given and quickly. And if there are no other symptoms, then it is highly likely that the baby swallowed something inedible.

All these are very serious symptoms and your only and immediate action should be an urgent visit to the veterinary clinic. Or at least call the doctor.

It is also possible that the dog doesn’t have anything like that, but you clearly understand that he doesn’t want to eat because of a whim. This happens, for example, when a baby has a toothache. Alas, she won’t be able to say about this for sure, and then refusing food (any food or just solid food) will become another reason to look into her mouth.

Loss of appetite can occur against the background of any other pain. But if the reluctance to eat is accompanied by drinking too much, you may suspect something wrong with the kidneys. Or simple overheating.

Or maybe he just grew up?

Now let's talk about the most common reasons for loss of interest in food not related to illness. And here the leading position is occupied by the owners’ banal ignorance of the pet’s physiology.

So, the most standard development of events. We bought a puppy with a good appetite, playful, and curious. A miracle, not a child! Of course, let him eat - “He’s growing! Oh, he's asking for more! What a fine fellow!" And they feed the baby “as if for slaughter,” completely forgetting about the norms and advice of the breeder. Moreover, he poops well and has no diarrhea. So everything is fine!

And then day “X” comes. You put a bowl of food for him. Everything is as usual. And the dog ate it sluggishly and ran away. - “I got sick!” But no, he’s playing, he’s eager to go outside and everything is the same as always, but he’s stopped eating. What's happened? - Nothing supernatural! The puppy has simply grown up and now needs a little less food to function normally. Moreover, it was necessary to reduce the portion a couple of weeks ago. And now he is, roughly speaking, “overeating.” And he can afford to be capricious and gorge himself on grub.

A similar situation occurs during another transition period in a dog’s life. Namely at 8-10 years old, when she gets old. Usually at this time pets begin to be less active and sleep more. Their metabolism slows down and such high-calorie (especially fatty!) food is already excessive. There should be little food, but it should be healthy and varied, taking into account age needs. And if the owner has forgotten about this, then his old man may also begin to refuse food and arrange “fasting days.”

Alas, it is very difficult to say exactly when your baby needs to “cut back on soldering.” For growing bitches, the first heat can be a unique indicator of maturation. It's more difficult with males. However, most breeders of small breeds are unanimous that starting from 6-7 months you need to closely monitor the baby. And if he clearly begins to gain weight or does not lick the bowl well, the amount of food should be reduced. And be sure to compare with the age norm:

3-5% of body weight with natural feeding
according to the instructions for dry food for a specific dog weight

Our recommendation is a gradual reduction in portions plus monitoring of eating behavior. Keeps leaving pieces? “We need to clean up a little more.” Licks everything and asks for more? – You got carried away and you can give him a little more.

We do the same with aging animals, but do not forget that reducing the volume of feed should in no case lead to a decrease in its nutritional value. If your mini sneeze or shih tzu always eats much less than normal and nothing can be done about it, then a good multivitamin complex will help provide them with everything they need.

Hormonal reasons

Hormones are something that can radically change the behavior, habits and mood of any living creature. Their deficiency, excess and imbalance can lead to increased levels of anxiety and aggression, loss of strength and excitement and, of course, affect the feeling of hunger. And here we can put sex hormones in first place - estrogen and testosterone.

All owners of male dogs know that it is unrealistic to feed a boy who has smelled the smell of heat. At this moment, he is completely at the mercy of sexual desires, and therefore increased levels of hormones. The behavior of bitches in heat can be very similar, as well as in the first weeks of pregnancy, when hormonal changes are in full swing in the baby’s body.

Yes, it is very difficult for the owners to look at a miniature boy who has lost weight from love and, even more so, at a pregnant toy who has been starving for a week. But there's nothing you can do about it. All you have to do is wait for the hormonal storm to subside and enjoy every bite you eat. Thank God, complete refusal of food in such a state is very rare. Rarely, little, but doggies still eat something. And if it’s really scary, then you can support your ward with vitamins.

Most other hormones act on dogs in approximately the same way, namely, when their level in the blood exceeds the norm, the animal’s appetite disappears. Everything is back to normal - the dog is eating great again, sometimes even better than before. And here the main thing is to control yourself and not overfeed your pet to celebrate.

Weather, stress and other external factors

We are all children of nature and, like any “mother,” she has a very strong influence on her “offspring.” Remember yourself. In the heat, frost, in the autumn storm. How was your appetite? When you couldn’t tear yourself away from the refrigerator, and when you felt sick just thinking about food? Why do you think that dogs are somehow different from us?

Dogs are even more likely to react to natural disasters. They are more sensitive to its slightest changes, especially anomalies. And if your Yorkie or Pug refuses to eat in the heat or sluggishly goes to the bowl before an autumn shower, then there is nothing to worry about. It is enough just to make sure that the hunger strike does not drag on for a long time and the baby does not become dehydrated.

By the way, you may lose your appetite even when it’s -20 outside, if at the same time it’s +27 in the apartment. This temperature is unlikely to be comfortable for a Shih Tzu or Spitz. But heat affects the toy’s appetite much less. Even at +40 he feels much more cheerful than his shaggy brothers. Low temperatures, on the contrary, encourage the animal to spend more energy, which means it will need to be regularly replenished. By the way, in winter, many dogs can even lose a little weight, but only if they are regularly outside.

Do not forcefully stuff your dog after any stress or fear. First she needs to be allowed to calm down. But if she stubbornly refuses to eat even after a few hours, it means the stress was too much. You may need to contact your veterinarian. By the way, separation from the owner can be a good example of prolonged stress. From longing for him, the dog can go hungry even for several weeks and this is very dangerous for representatives of small breeds.

Or maybe everything is much simpler? And your sneeze or Pekingese is simply not satisfied with the quality of food? Dogs are smarter than us and often refuse stale or suspicious foods. For this reason, the dog may not eat a certain type of meat or food from a certain brand, refuse yesterday’s porridge or not quite fresh vegetables.

And, of course, there is nothing to worry about if the little “thief” who two hours earlier stole a cutlet or sausage from the table refused dinner. But you still need to follow him. Who knows how his stomach and liver will react to such a “gift of fate.”

How to feed a capricious pet?

If your baby is absolutely healthy, kept in comfortable conditions, receives only the freshest and healthiest foods, but every feeding turns into torture for both, then you only have yourself to blame. Alas, the scenario for turning a puppy into a capricious dog is almost always the same:

It all starts with the first piece from your hands - “Well, that’s what he asks for!”
The dog hasn’t finished eating what’s in the bowl, and you again feed him something tasty (not always healthy!) - “He’s not full!”
The baby has already stopped eating cereals, vegetables and some types of meat. Requires liver and sausages. And you give it to him! - “He doesn’t eat anything anymore! Don't go hungry"
You no longer know what to offer him. He doesn't want anything! We took him to the vet and bought some vitamins. We are ready to feed you anything, as long as he eats.....

Well? Was it wrong for you? No, some deviations, which we wrote about above, are also possible. Alternatively, your appetite disappeared after illness. But even here it would hardly have happened without your help. You were so afraid that he would die of hunger, and you were happy if the pet ate at least something. And he simply decided that now they would always please him.

But stop digging into the reasons. The situation needs to be corrected urgently. So, in order to restore a healthy appetite to your ward, you need to:

Start going for walks with him regularly. And not just 15 minutes a day walking, but an hour or more. Active, fun with games and jogging. Even if you have a seven-year-old Pekingese or Papillon. He can also run and play. You just haven't tried it for a long time. Of course, this should not be done in the heat of the day and definitely not in the rain. But a walk in the cold, on the contrary, will be very useful even for a capricious toy terrier. Just dress him warmly and you can safely work up an appetite.
Pull yourself together and stop giving him kibble between feedings. No matter how you look. Does not work? – Then we kick the dog out of the kitchen during your lunches, dinners and cooking. Whining and scratching under the door? - Strict “Ugh!” or we just don't pay attention.
Once again we read books and articles about feeding dogs. We select the necessary products or high-quality food. We learn to measure norms.
We establish clear rules regarding feeding. Strictly by the hour, immediately after the walk. A bowl of food costs no more than 15 minutes. If he didn’t eat, he was put away until the next feeding.
For particularly stubborn minis, instead of a bowl, you can use special rugs and other devices in which you can hide pieces of food. You can also use meat sauces, mix vegetables and porridge with minced meat or baby meat puree. By the way, many dogs happily eat human baby food.

Or maybe it's all in the bowl? - Yes, it happens like that. For example, she rattles too much while eating and scares the baby. Or too small for him. Or it may be made from low-quality materials and therefore all the food in it has an unpleasant aftertaste.

Have you tried everything, but the problem still persists? – Perhaps the standard norms are simply too high for your ward. For example, due to a slow metabolism or a phlegmatic character. What does he look like? Very thin or normal? The dog's condition is the best guide for the owner. And if your little one has a normal weight, then the problem is no longer in him, but in your desire to feed him at all costs.

The dog doesn’t eat anything at all, but is it definitely healthy? - Then it makes sense to medicinally stimulate appetite with special drugs and vitamins. But such cases are very rare among animals and relate more to genetic and metabolic pathologies than to behavioral characteristics.

Secrets of a good appetite

As you know, it is easier to prevent any problem than to deal with its consequences later. The same goes for feeding your dog. From the first moment the puppy appears, it is enough to follow a few simple rules so that you never face the problem of “How to feed a dog.” And here is their list:

Do not teach your baby to eat from your hands. In a normal nursery, puppies don’t even think about begging. They are well-fed, clearly know the routine and don’t even raise their heads when their owners are having lunch. But it’s worth treating them a couple of times... That’s it! Those “hungry and unhappy” eyes will quickly do their job!
Don't give him more than normal unless he looks thin. And no, he shouldn't have a belly. He's not a month old!
Do not give him fatty foods, as well as any foods from your table. Not only is it harmful, such a menu will very quickly discourage the patient from eating what is necessary and healthy.
The regime is your best friend. When a dog is fed by the clock, it even produces gastric juice strictly at the right time. Therefore, problems with appetite are excluded.
Don't let your dog pick up treats while walking. This will not only kill your appetite, but also risk serious problems with your digestive system. And then you will have to forget about normal nutrition.
Let your dog have his own tastes. He may not like carrots or refuse chicken. And if these are his only whims, then so be it. Not loving something and not eating it are completely different things.
If you want him to always eat dry food, then try to pamper him with natural products infrequently. Dogs are not stupid and will always prefer meat to dry food.

We really hope that our advice will help you avoid problems with feeding, and if you already have them, solve them safely. And let him gobble up everything with excellent appetite, to the delight of his owners!