Dog no longer eats [8 causes and tips for help]
Your dog no longer eats properly? Then you should know these 8 possible causes. Also what you can do now against it. The most important facts at a glance. In addition, we have for this article advice from the veterinarian Mag.med.vet. Emin Jasarevic caught up.
If your dog no longer eats, this can have many causes, but one thing is clear. He wants to tell you something.
8 Causes of food strike
1. Diseases
Acute diseases are often the reason for loss of appetite. Among other things it can be bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract or the lungs act. But it can also Organ damage, Cancer or other diseases can be the cause of loss of appetite.
However, it is important to note that there is not always a serious illness just because your four-legged friend does not want to eat anymore. In case of uncertainty, a visit to the doctor is recommended.
When your furbearer eats nothing but drinks a lot
In such a case, extreme caution is required! If there is a high intake of water, but not of food, in many cases poisoning is present. Especially around Christmas time this phenomenon is often seen. Poisonings occur due to incorrect feeding.
As a countermeasure, the quadrupeds "drink" downright like camels. Also Diarrhea, Vomit and strong muscle cramps can follow.
2. Pain in the mouth
Although this usually occurs only in older quadrupeds, but Toothache may well be another reason why your little one does not want to eat. The pain is caused by Tartar or Inflammation of the gums.
Both are very painful, so your pet mainly refuses the hard dry food. Therefore, if you suspect pain in the mouth, a visit to the vet should provide clarity. Consequences as only. Alone the feed refusal. In the long term, further damage to the body can occur. Studies have shown that dogs with tartar suffer from heart disease more often than dogs with healthy teeth.
Permanent tartar can also lead to damage to the kidneys and liver of your pelt-nose. This is why this problem should definitely be treated!
Also a Foreign bodies in the mouth of your pet. For this, gently open his mouth and see if anything is stuck between his teeth. Also check the palate, gums and throat for any injuries, redness or color changes.
If your pet is suffering from Tooth change then this can be a reason for his loss of appetite. In some quadrupeds the change from milk tooth to permanent teeth hurts.
3. After medical treatments
After an operation or a vaccination it happens that your faithful companion does not necessarily feel hungry. After an operation, for example a castration, this is mainly due to the anesthesia.
Immediately after anesthesia your protege should also not eat anything. You should wait to feed until your furry friend is back to his senses. It should be restored without a hin-. being able to walk in a straight line after staggering. Here you should change his daily food-. Divide water ration into several portions. Because after anesthesia there is a risk that food gets into the windpipe. This can lead to choking or suffocation. lead to pneumonia. Also your darling could vomit and choke on it as well.
Only when he can stand on his feet again safely and full of zest for life, the food supply should be slowly restarted. But this must also be discussed with the vet.
Also, your pet may refuse to eat after such an event. This is only a problem if this condition lasts for several days, then a veterinarian should be consulted.
4. The age
No matter what kind of creature it is, when it gets older, its appetite also dwindles. It is the same with your four-legged friend. When he is older, his eating habits change.
Since he is not as active as he used to be and therefore needs a lower energy intake, decreases and therefore also the amount of food. Generally this does not happen from one day to the next but over a period of time, nevertheless you will notice this change.
For kittens between eight and twelve months it happens more often that they refuse food. At this age, your four-legged friend will try to determine his hierarchy in the "pack" – eating is one of the best ways to do this.
By refusing, he will test how much you respond to his hierarchical desires and fulfill his every wish. As long as there are no other accompanying symptoms, it is better in such a situation not to react at all. Otherwise you would signal him that he is the growing alpha animal and not just a "pack member".
5. antibiotics and other medicines
Not only an illness itself can inhibit the appetite of your faithful companion, but also a medical treatment such as with antibiotics. So the flora in the gastrointestinal tract is completely confused and imbalanced. Very often this condition occurs in conjunction with diarrhea. For this purpose there are some preparations for the intestinal flora, which help him to eat again as soon as possible. These also calm the intestines. Contain important nutrients.
6. Psychological circumstances or hormone chaos
Dogs are in most cases very sensitive creatures. They feel joy and sadness just as we do, if not more intensely.
So if the master or mistress is not at home for a longer period of time, or maybe even leaves his life forever, he suffers a lot. How much depends on his sensitivity.
Under these circumstances, a loss of appetite or a refusal of food can result.
Also a hormonal change can lead to a "hunger strike. These circumstances appear very often with bitches in heat to.
In addition also a Male be distracted from eating by bitches in heat. This is similar to "lovesickness" in humans, which usually makes us lose our appetite.
7. Stress
Humans and animals can sense changes in their immediate environment and react accordingly. This is also true for dogs.
A stressful move, a new family member, or an illness can make your dog very nervous and anxious. Above all, loud events such as New Year's Eve can upset your pet and make him lose his appetite.
Sometimes it takes time for your dog to get used to the new situation and for the stress to subside. In such times it often happens that either the appetite disappears or, on the contrary, everything is devoured immediately.
This continues until your pet feels completely comfortable and safe again.
8. Wrong food
Like us humans, dogs have different tastes. Therefore it can happen that your dog does not like or even tolerate any food. Also, the refusal can be caused by unusual feeding times be caused.
Basically keep in mind that the hunger pangs of Breed to breed different is. While some dogs eat only as much as their body needs in energy, others eat everything that is put in front of them. This also applies to Puppies. They are often also already very picky about the contents of their bowl.
TIP: If your pet does not eat his bowl, divide the food into several small portions. Then you offer him these over the day distributed.
Too many treats are also possible
Here again we humans can compare ourselves with our four-legged friends. For example, if we have eaten too many sweets before lunch, we are usually no longer able to eat a whole meal.
In addition, treats often have a lot of calories, which do not necessarily contribute to the health of your pelt-nose. Therefore, the motto here is: in moderation and not in masses.
How to encourage him to eat
Depending on the cause, different methods can be used to get your pet to eat again. So you can try to feed him with a few treats, so that the normal food intake is stimulated again.
If he possibly gets a wrong food or does not like it, you should change the Change food. With a change of feed you should take things slowly.
In this case you can add the new food to the old food with smaller portions at the beginning and increase the proportion slowly. You can also give the food Add some natural yogurt, until he has become accustomed to it.
Furthermore you could also Gentle food offer to stimulate his appetite again.
Your dog the gourmet
However, you should take care that you do not spoil him too much and he matures into a gourmet. He should not refuse the food again after a short time, in the hope of getting an even better offer.
In particularly stressful situations, you can give him some rest and time until he starts eating again. In any case you should not force him to do it. You can divide his daily ration into smaller portions.
After a treatment or surgery under anesthesia, the food supply in the first two days is anyway with caution to enjoy. The risk of vomiting and choking is very high
Give him time to get back on his feet and walk again. Again, divide the daily ration into smaller portions at the beginning.