My new 3-year-old dog seems depressed. What food should I give her?

A decrease appetite and lethargy are common after the passing of a housemate as they go through a depression. The best thing is to have her checked by a vet to make sure there are no medical problems that can cause this and then they can add medication to help her handle the depression if needed. You can always try special food and treats such as boiled chicken and rice or chicken broth to the diet if she is just eating less to see if that encourages her more.

Hi there. I would recommend feeding a diet from a company with a good reputation, who employs veterinary nutritionists to help formulate their diets and does AAFCO feeding trials to prove that their diets provide complete and balanced nutrition when fed long-term. Companies that meet these criteria include Iams, Purina, and Royal Canin. Purina Dog Chow Complete Adults would be a very reasonable choice.

Hello, any of these diets could be recommended by your veterinarian. If you feed the recommended doses as detailed on the bags then this should be sufficient for a puppy, however, in an older dog this may be too rich for her. If your veterinarian is recommending that she continues to eat a puppy food, then my choice would be a Royal Canin diet. Otherwise, you can feed a supplemented or bigger portion adult diet. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Iams is a great brand of food, and it's not as expensive as Hill's. I also like Purina ProPlan, and Purina One. All of these are healthy, and cheaper than Hill's. I recommend trying Layla on one of those foods. You will have to transition her slowly to prevent GI upset. Mix together the new and old food, and over the course of two weeks, gradually increase the amount of new food and decrease the amount of old food until she is eating the new food only. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I am very sorry to hear that Kent is not himself. I completely agree that our pets form strong bonds, and pick-up on our moods and issues. There is most likely a component of that occurring here. I would suggest trying a new higher quality food brand to begin with. There are only three pet food brands which are approved by veterinarians. These are science diet, royal canin and purina pro plan. Only these three Have undergone research to ensure they provide an adequate and nutritious diet for pets. This research is approved by veterinarians. Any other food brands may not be regulated or researched as thoroughly. For this reason I would only advise feeding one of those three. Here is my best recommendation for a healthy food; http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=29338 If the change in food does not help increase his appetite by the end of the week I would have to advise a check-up at the veterinarian. There could be an underlying medical condition causing the changes to energy and eating habits.

Hi. I would recommend trying a different high quality food to explore if there is one she may like better. Science diet, royal canin, Iams, and Purina are the top quality brands. I would also make sure she has had a full exam, especially of mouth, and labwork, as well as a fecal sample test just to be sure there isn't another obvious cause of decreased appeitie.

Poor Lyl. There are so many things that can cause not eating and lethargy so it is hard to say for sure what is going on. I would make sure her gums are pink - if they are white, yellow or grayish blue then she is in critical condition and needs to go to the emergency clinic. Otherwise, you can try feeding her some plain boiled chicken (no bones) and white rice tonight and see if she will eat it. If not, then I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to determine if she is in pain anywhere or if something else is going on. They will be able to do bloodwork and even X-rays if needed. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon!