My dog won't eat or drink today, but seems normal. What to do?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Ghost is otherwise normal and has normal energy, I would offer him a bland diet as outlined below and see if he will eat the bland diet. You can also add chicken broth to his water to entice his water intake more, just be sure to change the water every 2-3 hours if you add chicken broth or it will go rancid. If he continues to not want to eat or worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm. TRANSITION BACK TO A NORMAL DIET Never transition back to a regular diet rapidly. Transition back to the regular diet over a 1 week period. Start by adding 25% of the regular diet to 75% of the bland diet and feed that combination for 2 days. If stools continue to be firm then continue substituting the regular diet in 25% increments and feeding the combination in 2 day time intervals until the diet is 100% regular diet. Minimize treats for 1 week after moving the diet back to 100% regular diet.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would ensure that she has plenty of access to water and you can feed her canned dog food or home cooked food such as chicken breast, ground beef, chicken broth, pumpkin, etc. and see if she will eat more. If she continues to be inappetant, then I would recommend having her looked at by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am very concerned about any dog that will not eat or drink and recommend Hurley see the vet as soon as possible. This could be anything from a simple arthritis flare up to organ failure to cancer. For the first, some pain medication is often all that is needed while the others may require other treatments. Best wishes to you and Hurley.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not uncommon for a dog to not eat great at first when in a new environment. However, this should subside and should not last very long. I would entice her appetite by adding things like boiled chicken, dog grade gravy, lean meats, among others. If she is still not eating after a few days, check in with a veterinarian to make sure there is not a medical reason for her to not be eating. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Odie! Causes for vomiting and not eating are: viral or bacterial infections, liver or kidney problems, cancer, pancreatitis, dietary indiscretion (ate something gross), ate something that is stuck, toxin ingestion, new food/treat/table food or the broth. Any new food could cause an upset stomach. i would with hold water for 6 hours and food for 12 hours. If Odie continues to vomit during the fast he should see a Vet. If there is no vomiting for the first 6 hours, offer small amounts of water. If he holds down the water then start a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice as small frequent meals at the 12 hour mark. Feed 1 cup per 20 lbs per day for 3-5 days. If he won't eat or continues to vomit he needs to see a Vet for an exam, blood work and belly X-rays. I hope this helps and i wish Odie the very best!

If he is behaving normally otherwise, continue feeding a bland diet for a few days. He may just have some minor stomach upset. Afterwards, transition slowly to the regular diet. Monitor for extreme lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite or abdominal pain. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on a lot of factors including if she is otherwise exhibiting any symptoms of sickness, if she is eating canned food which already has water in it, how much water she is actually having, among other things. If she is not drinking anything especially if having other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and/or lethargy, she should be evaluated as soon as possible to prevent dehydration and to investigate the cause. If she is otherwise doing well and is eating canned food, it would be ok to monitor her for another 12-24 hours and if not improved to have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Hopefully she returns to normal and there is no need for a veterinary visit. Have a great day!