Why won't my older dog eat?

Question

My dog (lhaso apso) hasn't eaten in a few days. He drank a little milk yesterday but today nothing. we took him to the vet this morning and the vet said he was fine. He said 'he's 73' I guess implying that he is old, but it just doesn't seem right. He has been so healthy his whole life. Mid-October he tore his acl so we got him the surgery to fix it. He was fine after that. This started on Tuesday and as just gotten worse. We tried all of his favorite foods too. He's still excited when people come in the door and when people want to play. Just today he seems a little more lethargic than usual. I just don think he vet is right. Especially because when he wen to the hospital for his acl the doctor said e is. Very healthy dog and has another 5 years. Anything?

Hazel86 · Accepted Answer

First of all, please do not let him drink milk again - dogs are lactose intolerant, and the milk does nothing to help - if anything it's going to make him sick....so NO MORE milk for him!

I would go to another vet dear (especially if this one didn't even say not to give him milk again if you told the vet you did, because for a vet, there is no excuse to not tell a client to not give their dog milk because ANY vet should know that dogs are lactose intolerant).  Aside from that issue, did your vet even ASK you if you wanted blood work done on him?  Of course he MAY be fine, but if you are not satisfied and still sense something is wrong (which judging by his symptoms, there could be something wrong that the vet overlooked), there is no reason to not go and get a second opinion.

If I were in your position, I would take my dog to another vet, get a 2nd opinion, and get some diagnostic tests done (blood work, etc).  Now, if they do a thorough exam, ran blood work, and did the proper tests and nothing comes back wrong, then it just may be his older age (how old is he by the way?) If that is th case, it is not uncommon for older dogs to become finicky eaters.  So you can maybe then go ahead and get a good quality canned food and mix it in with his dry food thus making it more palatable. Be careful not to feed him too much though because you don't want to put him overweight.

good luck

? · Answer

I believe we had this same question a few days ago. I suggested that your vet had apparently not done a complete and thorough work-up, including blood work and possible x-rays and even an ultrasound. It sounds very likely your dog has something either in it's stomach or it's intestines which may have become impacted, or is undigested for some reason. It is not normal for any healthy dog to go off it's food for several days.  There must be a reason, and it's up to you to pursue the issue.  If you are not satisfied with your vets diagnosis, you need to find a better vet, and have all test results transferred there.

I certainly hope this problem is soon rectified, for your dog can't go on and on without eating.

You also did not mention whether or not your dog is defecating, and if so, how often.

Marianne · Answer

Another vet that isn't helping you...what the heck is the matter with them?
A blood panel should have been run as there are so many diseases that can affect an older dog, but if caught soon enough can be treated and make the dog comfortable for many more years.  
If I had a dog that hadn't eaten for several days, and the vet pronounced him healthy, I'd get another vet immediately.    I'm sure you are right, and your vet is wrong.     Get another opinion, search the net for reasons why a previously healthy dog all of a sudden stops eating, and insist the new vet finds out why.  Are these vets getting their diplomas out of a cracker jack box?

Anonymous · Answer

Yeah, sometimes my dog doesn't eat just because. But he may be coming down with something, or maybe today he is just tired. You could try putting some warm water in his food to make it wet and more appetizing. See if he will eat some treats, too. And wait until tomorrow and see if he is more energetic. If he is more lethargic and still won't eat in the next few days then there is probably a problem.

? · Answer

I had  a really old dog and she wouldn't eat sometimes. And I figured out that her teeth were old and rotted and probably hurt to eat hard food. So I started putting down really tasting wet food from a can. It is really soft and doesn't need to be chewed. And also a tooth ache can be really painful for a dog and make their stomach sick and them not hungry. Another thing, gum disease can do the same thing

Curious Goergette · Answer

He may have a stomach flu or something similar to it. Older dogs tend to lose their appetite so maybe try a new food that is soft and heated so it's more appetizing.

Lefavour · Answer

You should take him to another veterinarian.  Obviously something is wrong internally, even if outwardly there appears to be nothing wrong.

Beautiful Nightmare · Answer

It could just be because he is getting old, and it could also be because he isn't using as much energy as he used to, so he doesn't need to replenish it. Try giving him boiled rice and chicken, I've never known a dog to refuse that. ;)

cowgirl953 · Answer

could try getting him wet food ....
Ive seen dogs no eat for days just bc i guess thy dont want to

Why won't my older dog eat?

9 Answers