My dog won't eat her dog food. Is she starving herself? What to do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I understand your frustration. Soska will not choose starvation. I would put her meal down and give her a set amount of time to eat it then pick it up. Do that for several days to a week and see if she starts to finish her meals. Keep treats to a minimum. If after a week she still isn't finishing her meals then try adding water to the food to make it more tempting. You can try a different type of food after 2 weeks in case she doesn't like the food. If she continues for several weeks Soska should be evaluated by your Vet for any medical reason for her poor appetite. I hope this helps. For my dog it simply took adding water to his dry food and now he eats it without us having to sit with him.

I am sorry to hear that Camila is not eating and I can see why you are concerned as am I. It is great that she is acting normal and playful but as most dogs are very food motivated a decreased appetite is their way of telling us they don't feel like themselves. Decreased appetite is unfortunately a very common symptom for many different problems, some more serious then others. It can be from something going on with the GI tract itself or any other body system (other organs). Is there anything she could have eaten that she was not supposed to (got in to the trash, chewed up toys)? What I would recommend is that Camila have a visit to a veterinarian for an examination. More than likely they will also want to check some lab work to look at her organ function and potentially take some x-rays. Based on these results they may prescribe some medication or may recommend additional testing to investigate her decreased appetite further. I hope she is feeling better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes dogs will just get bored of the same diet and just need to be switched to a completely new diet. I would recommend you consider a different diet though it could be from the same brand. Remember to introduce her to the new diet slowly as follows: feed 25% of the new and 75% of the old diet on day 1. Then feed 50% of each the second day and 75% of the new and 25% of the old on day 3. On day 4, you should be able to feed her the new diet entirely. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using the Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There could be several reasons for this. One explanation could be that Ida has YOU well-trained! She knows that if she just waits long enough, you will give her something yummy from your plate. Another explanation is that she is a “social” eater. Some dogs do not seem to want to eat anything until their human sits down to eat as well. Your giving a bite of your food may be her signal that it’s time to eat. Finally, if you haven’t had her in for a yearly exam with some routine bloodwork, I strongly encourage you to do so. Dental disease and early liver or kidney disease can all affect appetite and eating patterns so be sure to get those ruled out. Best wishes to you and Ida!

Hello. Is she interested in any treats at all? If this is totally out of character for her, I do worry that there may be something amiss. It would not hurt to have her checked out today if possible, especially since this is a holiday weekend. Hopefully, this is nothing & she will start eating soon. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Bufford is having a problem with his diet. This happens occasionally due to a few reasons including boredom with the same diet, loss of satisfaction from the food, oral discomfort, jaw pain, among others. Your veterinarian can perform a physical exam and then advise some diet recommendations or advise some testing to evaluate his health (fecal exam, blood tests, x-rays, etc). Unless you can find an appropriate diet they he likes I would let your vet take a look at him and go from there. Good luck with Bufford.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She is very cute! I think if she is sleepy a lot and that is abnormal and it has been 2 days that she should see a Veterinarian for a physical exam. Causes of not eating are:intestinal parasites, foreign body ingestion, viral infections, toxin ingestion or other more regional diseases. I wouldn't want her to go much longer without eating. I hope this helps and good luck!