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Why isn't my dog eating her food but still playing and active?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labradoodle | Female | 5 years and 5 months old | 25 lbs

She is not eating anything. She is just playing. I give her certain types of food but she eats nothing. She just want to play

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on September 11th, 2017

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If this is a new thing that Lucy doesn't want to eat then I would have her looked at by your Vet. I am glad she still is active and wants to play. You can try sitting with her and not engaging in play until after she eats. You can try adding warm water to her dry food to make it more appealing or even add a tablespoon of wet food with water and mix it together.

Medical conditions like: viral gastroenteritis but I would expect vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy; foreign body but again would expect vomiting and lethargy, irritable bowel, Addison's disease, intestinal parasites.

My guess is that it is behavioral or underlying intestinal allergies (inflammatory bowel disease).

I hope this helps and if there are any other symptoms or details please repost or sign up for a consult!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on October 30th, 2017
I am so sorry to hear that you are having a hard time getting Lucy to eat the right types of food. Puppies absolutely do like to get into things they shouldn't, as frustrating as this can be. I would try making sure it's a high quality food formulated for growing puppies, and trying her on three meals a day while she is young.

Though less likely, there is also a possibility that Lucy could have something else medically wrong causing her to seek out strange foods and to have a large appetite. For instance, metabolic disorders, parasites, and vitamin deficiencies can all be underlying causes. In order to rule out these causes a trip to the veterinarian would be needed. The vet would check on the parameters of Lucy's blood, and check a fecal sample for parasites.

I hope this was a helpful answer and more importantly that Lucy feels better soon. Warmest regards and best of luck to you both
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Christie Long, DVM
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
Published on April 30th, 2019
Congratulations on making Lucy a part of your family! Vomiting is not something that you can necessarily "prevent" by just changing the way you feed or what you feed - in most cases, it's a sign of a medical problem. In a young dog (You don't mention Lucy's age but I'm assuming she's relatively young) and especially one that just came from a rescue, a parasitic infestation is potentially at play, as it can cause vomiting and also (but not necessarily) diarrhea, and also reduction in appetite. I would encourage you to get Lucy checked out by a vet as soon as possible, in order to rule out a medical problem. The first step is to have the vet send off a fecal sample for testing, and deworm appropriately. He/she might also recommend blood work or even x-rays to make sure there isn't a more serious illness or an intestinal blockage. A bland diet of boiled/unseasoned chicken and boiled white rice might be easier for her to tolerate until you can get her in to be seen.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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