Jan 09 2009
How Can I Help a Dog Who Won’t Eat?
Ways to Help a Dog Who’s Not Eating
“My dog won’t eat! How can I help her?”
“Is there anything I can give my dog? She won’t eat?”
“Why isn’t my dog eating? Is she sick?”
“How can I get my dog to eat and drink again?”
A dog may stop eating and drinking for one of several reasons: pain or discomfort from an illness or injury, or due to stress, fear and anxiety. For more information on reasons for a dog’s refusal to eat, check out Why Won’t My Dog Eat?
When a dog stops eating, it’s virtually almost always a sign of a problem. Simply stated, there’s a reason the dog stopped eating and if eating does not resume within 12 hours, this is a sign of a serious problem.
With the exception of a dog who has stopped eating due to an upset stomach, this is not a problem that will resolve on its own. If your dog has stopped eating, there is little chance that he will resume eating without treatment for the illness or other problem that’s causing the dog to refuse food.
So if your dog is not eating, it’s time for a visit to the vet. But what can you do to help the dog in the meantime? Fortunately, there are a few home remedies that can be used to help a dog who won’t eat her dog food.
How to Help a Dog Who’s Refusing to Eat
Try the following methods to help a dog who’s not eating.
* Offer Some “People” Food - If a dog has stopped eating, offering some “people food” that the dog views as a treat will often help. This will not solve the problem of why the dog stopped eating in the first place, but it will help prevent the dog from getting sicker until she visits the vet. Some suitable foods for a sick dog include skinless chicken, boiled hamburger (with the fat drained away), cold cuts, cottage cheese and rice.
* Offer Some Maple Syrup or Nutri-Cal - The dog will need some sugar to avoid become hypoglycemic, which will make the dog feel weak, lethargic and even more unwell. So to prevent hypoglycemia, give the dog maple syrup or Nutri-Cal gel (available from your vet or online). For the first dose, give the dog 2 large spoonfuls of maple syrup for each 15 pounds of body weight. Every 6 hours thereafter, give the dog 1 large spoonful of maple syrup for every 15 pounds of body weight.
If the dog does not want to lick the maple syrup out of the spoon, you can rub the maple syrup onto the dog’s gums instead - he’ll lick it off. Check out What is Hypoglycemia? for more information on what hypoglycemia is and how it affects your pet.
* Keep the Dog Drinking - Often, when a dog stops eating, he’ll stop drinking as well. And while a dog can live for a few days without food, a dog who refuses to drink can become critically ill within a matter of hours. To tempt the dog to drink, offer chicken broth, beef broth, turkey broth, etc. This also has some calories, which will help keep the dog’s condition from declining quite so rapidly.
What Happens Next for a Dog Who Won’t Eat or Drink?
Once you arrive at the veterinary clinic, the veterinarian will examine the dog to determine if there is an illness, injury or other problem that’s causing the dog’s inappetance. The veterinarian will examine the dog, and possibly perform some blood tests or other lab work to get to the bottom of why the dog is not eating.
Depending on the veterinarian’s findings and lab results, the veterinarian will treat the illness, injury or pain that’s causing the dog’s refusal to eat. In some cases, the vet may also prescribe appetite stimulant medication for the dog to help his appetite return, as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), lethargy and weakness that results when a dog won’t eat can often worsen underlying illnesses, causing a circular problem: the dog is sick, so he won’t eat, and since the dog won’t eat, this makes him feel sicker.
Related Reading for the Owner of a Sick Dog
If your dog won’t eat, there’s also a chance that your dog is refusing to drink water too. This can also cause serious life-threatening problems that need prompt treatment from the vet.
For more information, check out on Is My Dog is Dehydrated? and How Do I Help a Dehydrated Dog?
If your pet has stopped eating, you’ll also want to monitor the dog’s vital signs . For more information on what physical signs to look for if you think your dog is sick, check out Is My Dog Sick?
