The dog is weak and very lethargic. The dog does not eat anything: what to do? signs of serious illness

What to do if the dog does not eat, how can you find out true reason and not miss the symptoms of the disease? Below we will analyze all these issues, but we will immediately indicate that one hundred we will talk about abrupt refusal from food. A gradual decrease in appetite, leading to complete failure from food most often indicates a developing disease.

A very common scenario that causes true panic among owners is when a dog stops eating or past illness. The owner sees the dog is walking on the mend, looks active and sharply refuses to eat ... really warning sign. However, before you panic, make sure that the reasons for ignoring food are not related to your behavior.

While the pet is sick or recovers after the operation, the owner surrounds him with care, pampers, regrets. Dogs are very smart, they can build logical chains and draw conclusions. So, when you feel sorry for the dog and persuade him to eat a treat, he concludes that if you give up the usual porridge, you can get a treat. Of course, the pet needs to be pitied and supported, but moderation is important in everything.

Many owners fall into this vicious circle when the ward develops conditioned reflex(habit) to extort goodies by manipulation. We’ll make a reservation right away, if this has already happened to you and your ward, you need to solve the situation gradually. You yourself taught the dog this trick, so punishment and rudeness are inappropriate here. If you decide to overcome the situation with pressure, then in the future, the dog is unlikely to agree to be trained under your supervision.

Have you noticed that the dog does not eat well, are you sure that the pet was not sick and you did not spoil him, what is the reason? In any manual for the content of dogs there are recommendations for compiling a daily routine. Are you following these guidelines? You don't understand what in question, answer the following questions:

Do you walk your dog at the same time?
Do you feed your dog at the same time?
How many treats do you feed your dog during a walk? More or less than half the weight of a normal serving of food?

If the answers to the first two questions are negative, and the third is positive, you are completely ignoring the recommendations for observing the daily routine. Let's look into it right away the question of treats. The daily food intake is calculated taking into account everything eaten. If the dog does not eat from the bowl, but gets a pound of cookies on a walk, he compensates for more than half of his daily food intake and this must be taken into account. You had a good walk with the dog in the evening, fed her sweets and she refused porridge - quite naturally.

Now oh walking and feeding schedule. The digestive system of a dog, without exaggeration, works by the clock. It takes about 6-8 hours to digest meat porridge, if the dog eats dry food, the time increases by about 2 hours. If you fed the dog in the evening, after a walk, and in the morning, after waking up, her digestive system starts. Digested food residues move from the small intestine to the large intestine and the dog wants to go to the toilet. After the need has been relieved small intestine fully released and ready to digest morning food.

If the schedule is violated, that is, if the dog has to endure or you feed him outside the clock, gastrointestinal tract may not be ready to digest a new portion of food. The body is designed so that the dog will not feel hungry as long as there is food in his stomach.. If the pet cannot go to the toilet, he will be worried about more tangible problems - intoxication and pain. Naturally, under such conditions good appetite there can be no speech.

Read also: To keep skin and coat healthy

You may notice that a dog eats little if food is always available to him, no, this is not a paradox. All homemade animals tend to eat out of boredom, especially if they are at home without an owner. You, as a caring owner, leaving for work, leave treats or dry food for your pet in case the pet gets hungry. In fact, you are pushing the ward to constant snacking out of boredom, which fundamentally violates the recommendations for regimen feeding. Snacking, as well as constant access to food, negatively affects appetite, since the dog does not feel true hunger, he just eats when he wants to.

There is another reason that many owners miss. If the dog does not eat anything (we are talking about a male), perhaps he met or simply smelled a bitch during estrus. A hormonal surge can deprive a male of his appetite for several days and these are not the most tangible consequences. If your pet is not of breeding value, for the sake of maintaining his health and sanity, it is better to resort to castration at an early age. Note that a male is guaranteed not to respond to females if neutered during adolescence and prior to (spontaneous) mating.

There are also more banal reasons for refusing food, more precisely, not banal, but obvious. For example, the dog needs to feel confident and stable, so the bowl should be placed on a stand, and the feeding area should be covered with a non-slip mat. A bowl that is too deep or too high can feel intimidating or uncomfortable. Some, especially dogs rescued from the street, may afraid to eat in the presence of humans or other animals. It passes, but at first you need to show understanding. There are a lot of similar examples and they are all obvious if you watch a pet.

Adult dogs can fast for several days without good reasons, arrange the so-called fasting days. If the pet remains alert, drinks water and willingly walks, you should not worry. For a puppy, a hunger strike is harmless if it lasts up to 12 hours, for adult dog this period ranges from 24 to 48 hours, and sometimes longer. Hunger is really dangerous in some diseases, for example, diabetes, in which case the dog should be under the supervision of a veterinarian.

How to increase your dog's appetite

A dog's refusal to eat may be due to poor appetite or the development of an illness. If your pet is lethargic, whining, won't drink water, vomits, or she's losing weight fast or lying down, you can skip this section. This is not a matter of reluctance, but of discomfort that prevents the pet from eating. clear sign feeling unwell is a refusal to walk, even if earlier the pet was not too happy to walk, the complete disregard for the street speaks of apathy. The first thing to do is to take the pet outside in your arms. If the dog is standing still or lying down immediately, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Refusal of food does not affect the mood of the pet, is he cheerful and happy to go for a walk? In this case, you need to try several methods to improve your appetite. Start by skipping one feeding, such as the morning one. In the evening, offer your pet the usual portion of the usual food. If the treat is eaten with pleasure, the reason is a violation of the feeding schedule. We talked about this above, in a dog poor appetite because she doesn't really feel hungry.

The second method is not to skip feeding, but cut the portion in half. If the dog ate the offered food, behaved normally all day and licked the bowl again in the evening, the reason is overfeeding. Check yourself carefully to see if you are exceeding daily allowance pet feeding. Take into account all the snacks, treats, follow the dog, it may be begging for treats from other family members.

Read also: How to wean a dog to pick up from the floor or the ground: helpful tips pet behavior modification

One important nuance: Before accusing a dog of overeating, make sure you feed it well. The reluctance to eat the entire portion offered may be due to the fact that dog doesn't like the taste of food, for example, a dog does not eat porridge because it is stale. The second option is an allergy, a pet may refuse food that harms him. You may not realize that porridge causes a pet to experience abdominal pain or bloating, but the fact remains that the dog feels discomfort. If the dog does not eat dry food, there are several possible reasons:

Abrupt change in diet- you have always fed your pet natural food, but decided to transfer it to drying in one day. The dog is likely to refuse food, because for her the food looks inedible, unusual, not appetizing. Dry food does not have the flavor of natural food, which is very weighty argument. If the dog has always been fed a natural diet, the refusal of dry food may be due to the fact that the gastrointestinal tract is not able to digest the granules. In any case, the transition to new type feeding should be carried out gradually.

Poor feed quality- cheap drying is made on the basis of beans, soy or corn. All these products are useless for the dog, so they do not cause a clear appetite. Cheap pet food manufacturers go for a trick by flavoring their products flavorings and flavor enhancers. More useful food it does not become ... just the opposite, but this condition allows you to force hungry dog have granules.

chewing problems- it's not about diseases oral cavity, rather about the conventions that you missed. It is difficult for puppies to chew on the pellets because their teeth are a little loose. Older dogs may refuse drying due to thinning of the enamel and discomfort when chewing hard food.

Active walks help increase appetite. Naturally, the dog does not need to be exhausted to the point of exhaustion, but if you have not paid attention to active loads, it is worth a try. All dogs love to play, the type of activity and motivation may vary, meaning you will need to find an approach.

Even older dogs, which, it would seem, are not interested in anything, are happy to accompany their owners on leisurely, but long walks. Your pet may not play with a ball, but he will enjoy the search tasks. With a properly selected load, the dog returns home tired and hungry. Usually the pet drinks, eats and goes to rest. After that, it is advisable to take the dog for a short walk to empty the intestines and Bladder. Just like people, it is bad for dogs to tolerate.

Dogs are distinguished by their constancy in tastes, but it happens that they get bored with the taste of familiar food. There are several ways to check this assumption and make sure that the refusal to eat is connected with it in several ways:

Offer the dog frozen or boiled meat (without porridge). If the treat is eaten willingly, the dog is tired of porridge, or it has a protein deficiency.

Replace cereals with buckwheat, and if you feed buckwheat, then in rice. In the first case, the food will have a more attractive smell. In the second, if the dog is tired of buckwheat, rice will be more readily accepted, since it is neutral.

Add to porridge vegetable stew– grate the vegetables on the track and simmer with big amount water. You should end up with a small stew or sauce. Season everything with a little oil and add to the porridge. Vegetables give the porridge a seductive aroma and enhance the taste of meat (if its ratio is sufficient).

Refusal of a dog from drying and water does not mean at all that it is ill or poisoned. Animals live differently, feel and feel, they can starve not only because of gastric disorder, but also for reasons not understood by people.

If the pet is active, does not whine, and her nose is wet, there is no reason to worry about her health. Starting to resolve the issue of what to do if the dog does not eat dry food, it is necessary to understand the root causes.

Reasons for not eating dry food:

Abrupt transition from homemade food to drying. natural food and food are digested in different ways, when changing nutrition, the stomach is rebuilt to a different mode of operation, and for this the body needs time. The dog may feel internal discomfort and refuse to drink and eat;

plastic bowls. A person does not feel the smell of cheap plastic, but he knocks down the appetite of animals;

pampered. If the dog is used to the fact that after refusing food, the owner will offer a treat, then he will beg for yummy;
. If the dog walks and moves a little, the energy received through food is not wasted and the animal does not feel hunger and thirst;
Stress. moving, prolonged absence the owner or the appearance of a second animal will make the dog nervous;

High-quality dry food does not contain flavors, because he does not attract an unaccustomed animal.

Not suitable food. Meaning individual intolerance any specific ingredient in the composition. Try changing food.

A spoiled product will also not make the dog want to try it out.. It is erroneous to think that animal feed is stored for an arbitrarily long time. After opening the package, the food retains its properties only for a month.

The fact that the dog does not drink water worries many breeders. For unknown reasons, many puppies stop drinking regular water as they grow up.

When feeding a pet homemade food you will provide him enough moisture, but the use of dry food requires plentiful drink, otherwise urolithiasis disease and constipation will not keep you waiting.

replenish water balance in the body of a dog is possible in the following ways:

Dilute water with kefir;

Shake canned dog food in water;

Pour water into a bowl of food, getting something like soup;

Soak some of the food in advance so that the water is absorbed into the crackers and sprinkle a new portion on top.

It is worth considering that after absorbing water, the food will reduce the smell and seem less attractive to the dog. To enhance the inviting smell, the soaked food can be slightly warmed up.

Attention! How do you know how much water a dog should drink per day? Pour water for reasons of norm from 200 to 700 milliliters per 10 kg of animal weight.

What to do if the dog does not eat anything and is constantly lethargic?

If, along with the refusal of food, the pet has disease state: loss of activity, trembling, rumbling in the stomach - the owner should worry. Such manifestations indicate a clear ill health of the pet.

The most common reasons for refusing to eat are the following diseases:

Self-medication in such situations should not be done. At the slightest suspicion similar diseases, the owner should consult an experienced veterinarian and comply with all prescribed treatment prescriptions.

Otherwise, wanting to do the best, the beloved owner will only aggravate the situation of the sick dog.

Situations in which lack of appetite is the norm

When thinking about why a dog is not eating, it is not necessary to grab onto a disease guide.

There are a number natural causes refusal of food:

Puppies cutting their first teeth. This process causes technical difficulties in eating and discomfort;

Ready for mating. During estrus, the dog is nervous, it shakes, the behavior changes. A dog that smells a walking girl can also forget about food for a while;

Teenage years. While growing up in puppies large breeds appetite is unstable;

Pregnancy and childbirth. Naturally, during the period of gestation, the bitch consumes a lot of food, making up for what is missing, she may experience toxicosis when the dog vomits. After giving birth, while the body is recovering, the dog will not necessarily eat heavily;

Recent vaccinations or medications. Medications act on each organism in different ways, including often reduce the desire to eat;

Heat. This factor also pushes the dog away from his favorite bowl of food.

As you can see, the lack of desire to eat is not necessarily a concern for a caring breeder.

Before running to the doctor, it is necessary to analyze all the factors that can affect the behavior of the pet, the reason may lie in age-related changes or changing external conditions.

Similar posts

Dogs are animals that prefer active image life. They always enjoy walking fresh air and new games. That is why, if the dog is lethargic and constantly sleep t, then this should alert the owner and serve as a signal to immediate appeal V veterinary clinic.

Natural lethargy in a dog

There are several natural causes of lethargy in dogs which are not serious and can be easily eliminated:

When a dog lacks vitamins, it becomes passive. natural treatment in this case - to make up for the lack of vitamin.
If dog sluggish lies, then this may be evidence of boredom itself. The danger of this phenomenon lies in the fact that boredom can develop into depression, which is difficult to treat. Try to give your pet more attention.
old age is common cause that the dog is lethargic, doesn't drink refuses to eat. You can try special games for older dogs, but if this does not help, then you just have to put up with natural aging and support your friend.

Lethargy in a dog as a symptom of a disease

Usually, if the dog is sick, then lethargy is accompanied additional symptoms, so, for example, the disease is evidenced by the fact that the dog does not eat or drink, lethargic and almost does not respond to external stimuli.

Hypoglycemia - lack of sugar - is one of the most common causes of the dog is lethargic. The animal simply does not have the strength for an active lifestyle. The disease is fairly easy to treat. early stages, but in the "launched" state it can cause convulsions and loss of coordination of the animal in space.

If dog not eating and lethargic in the spring and summer, you should check your pet for tick infestation. Piroplasmosis can lead to liver failure and death of the animal.Various infectious diseases are a common reason for the dog is sluggish, sleeping constantly refuses to eat.

What to do if the dog is lethargic?

If the dog is lethargic due to illness, only an experienced veterinarian can make a competent diagnosis.

Therefore, it is very important to bring the animal to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible or call the veterinarian at home. Remember that your quick reaction can save the life of your four-legged friend.