My dog won't eat food but still drinks water. What should I do?

A dog may stop eating for a wide variety of reasons, some of which are due to medical conditions and others that may be more behavioral. Medical problems such as gastrointestinal viruses, intestinal obstructions, parasites, or kidney disease, among other conditions, can lead to this problem. Other dogs may become disinterested in their food and may prefer a different flavor of food, or the taste of the food may have changed due to the container in which it is stored. If your dog is still active and playful, you can try to tempt them to eat with a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken and white rice for a few days before gradually transitioning back to either their original diet or to a new food. (Any time you change diets, be sure to do so gradually by mixing the old and new foods together over 5-7 days.) If this is unsuccessful or if your dog is lethargic, vomiting, or having diarrhea, a visit to the veterinarian is in order. The veterinarian will be able to perform a physical exam as well as any necessary diagnostic tests to try to get to the bottom of this issue so that proper treatment can be started.

Tricia is experiencing very general symptom of disease, this symptom could fit almost any internal condition, maybe she is suffering from nausea due to a gastrointestinal disease and maybe he is in pain, from the symptoms described it's very hard to know. i would recommend taking her to the vet as soon as possible in order to get her checked, if he doesn't show any other obvious symptoms during the examination, a blood test and possibly an ultrasound will be needed in order to try and find out what is wrong with Tricia.

I'm sorry to hear that! Unfortunately, without more information, it's hard to give any specific suggestions or advice. Not eating could be due to almost anything, from a mild upset stomach (or could even be normal for a picky eater), to a more serious GI problem like pancreatitis, or a severe systemic illness like liver or kidney failure. Without knowing more about what's going on with John, the best thing I can recommend would be to have him seen by a vet for an exam - he/she can also do diagnostic testing such as blood work and x-rays if needed to help determine why he isn't eating.

If his only symptom is inappetence, I would keep an eye on him and not offer food for 24 hours. He can have water. That way, if something has upset his stomach, it will have time to rest and recover. If he has any other symptoms, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, fever, get him in to be seen by a vet right away as this may be signs or a more serious problem.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food. A check up is needed if inappetence lasts for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Max evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Poor Charlie! It's good that she is drinking water, so she slowly may be feeling better. I would try offering her a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) and white rice in small amounts several times a day. If she is still refusing to eat by tomorrow morning, then I would take her into a vet right away.