Why is my 2-year-old pit eating slowly and has a decreased appetite?

Poor Kardie! You could try to offer some plain boiled boneless, skinless chicken and white rice to see if this entices her to eat. There are so many things that cause decreased eating and drinking including but not limited to parasites, liver or kidney disease, bacterial or viral infection, toxins, foreign bodies, and much more. I strongly recommend to have her seen by your vet. Your vet will be able to do a fecal, blood work and every x-rays if needed. If left untreated, she could become very dehydrated and keep getting worse. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food. A check up is needed if inappetence lasts for more than 24hours. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It sounds like she is strained to defecate, likely due to loose stools. Has she been vaccinated? Has she been dewormed or had a negative fecal exam for parasites? If she was eating I wouldn’t be as concerned, but with the poor appetite I am very concerned. Parvovirus or intestinal parasites are high on my list of concerns. Please have her seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon.

If she is not eating normally than she should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. She could have an infection and your vet can run lab-work and take an x-ray, if needed, to help diagnose and then prescribe medications to treat. She may need an antibiotic.

Sometimes puppies don’t have a great appetite when they first come home to a new environment. If you don’t know what he was eating before you got him you may want to find out so you can continue with that food. You could also try adding some canned food to tempt him. If he’s had any vomiting or diarrhea, or if his appetite does not improve in a day or two I’d recommend seeing your vet for an exam. Intestinal parasites and several hereditary diseases could cause a decrease in appetite and it’s a good idea to see a vet for a general health check up when you get a new puppy.

Poor Katie! To test for deafness in dogs, you can try clapping your hands loudly behind her head when she is facing away from you, or making a loud noise behind her like banging two pots together - if she doesn't react at all, then it's likely that she has some hearing loss. Hiding in the closet and not eating as much are common signs of illness in older dogs, so I would recommend having her examined by a vet as soon as you are able to - she may have hypothyroidism, chronic kidney disease, or some other problem causing her to not feel well. Your vet can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help determine the problem and see what can be done to treat her.

Poor Lily. She must be happy to be in a well taken care of home. Honestly, I would not be concerned about her eating only once a day. Some dogs will only want to eat once a day and that is fine. It is important that she eats enough o maintain her body weight. I would take her to the vet for a good exam and ask the doctor if she is at a good weight. If so I would not change anything with her eating, If she is a little skinny I would recommend checking a fecal and making sure she does not have parasites. I hope this helps