What is wrong when your dog doesn't eat her food?

Answer 1

Your dog could be suffering from any of a dozen ailments so it is best to get the opinion of a good vet.

BUT, I have a 14 year old Chihuahua who has had a similar problem since he was a puppy. He will miss two meals (I feed morning and evening), his stomach will make loud gurgling, squeaking noises that can literally be heard across the room, and he will refuse anything to eat - even when tempted with steak, chicken, treats, etc. He actually acts as if the sight or smell of the food is unpleasant. He's a little lethargic too, but always musters enough energy to bark at the mailman and strangers.

After approx. 24 hrs., he will usually vomit just a bit (but not always), and he has a bit of diarrhea, although it's a bit tar-like. After the 24 hrs., he springs back and is ready to eat again and feeling fine. These episodes seem to happen every few weeks or so and I have never been able to relate them to anything he has done or eaten differently.

Over the years (14 of them), I have had him to 4 different vets who have run just about every test in the book. He was on an ulcer medication for a while, but these events still continued to plague him. One vet said they could do endoscopy and take a look around, but he would have to be anesthetized for the procedure. If it were his dog, he would rather have him suffer through these episodes than put him under anesthesia (which has risks), for a procedure which may not show anything anyway. And, because these episodes are so fleeting (24 hrs.) there isn't enough time for the procedure.

I've read several other posts over the years of dogs with the exact same problem as my dog - to the letter! But no one has ever offered a firm diagnosis and treatment.

You should still get your dog to a vet to ensure that what he has is nothing more serious.

Good luck!

Answer 2

If your dog isn't eating or drinking then it is very serious and it should be taken to a veterinarian immediately. There are many life threatening illnesses that cause a dog to stop eating and drinking, the most common is Parvovirus. Parvo attacks a dogs digestive tract, intestines, bone marrow and other parts of the body. Parvo causes massive dehydration, lethargy, loss of appetite, kidney and liver failure, congestive heart failure and death. Your dog may still drink but every time it drinks vomiting may occur. The vomit may be white and frothy and smell like the water from a fish aquarium because of the virus in the bile. Also diarrhea with blood is common. Blood can be very prominent or none at all and stool may appear to be in a gel state and have a much more strong and offensive odor. If your dog has parvovirus it can die in as little as six hours from the time of contracting the virus due to massive dehydration. If your dog has parvo it has a very narrow window of opportunity to receive treatment and possibly survive. A veterinarian normally only gives a 50/50 chance of a dog surviving parvovirus even when caught at the earliest stages, so it is very important you act quickly whether the problem turns out to be parvovirus or not. MINUTES count! Get to a veterinarian ASAP!

Answer 3

No it is not normal for you dog to throw up and not eat. Did she or he eat anything it wasn't supposed to? Like a napkin, paper towel, etc? I suggest taking her to the vet and getting her checked out just to be safe.

Answer 4

There are many things that can be wrong, but in general if a dog isn't eating it's food then it's because it's not hungry.

However, if the dog has gone a prolonged period of time without eating then taking him/her to the vet is recommended.

Answer 5

Maybe the dog has an intestinal problem. Take it to the vet. Or maybe the dog is just not hungry or the food doesn't taste good

Answer 6

Because it's depressed and maybe sad and not hungry

Answer 7

your dog is probably sick and you should take him/her to the doctor