My dog won't eat for a week, vet tests normal. What should I do?

I am so sorry Chi hasn't been feeling well. If all the tests were clear then I would recommend having an abdominal ultrasound performed. This would look at the architecture of the intestines and stomach and see if there is anything else that could be going on with Chi. She could have pancreatitis, a foreign object, a bad gastrointestinal upset, and much more going on that may or may not show up on the blood work and might not even show up on X-rays. I would also recommend a bland prescription diet to help settle her stomach also. I would have a ultrasonographer or an internal medicine specialist to perform the ultrasound. I hope Chi feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

That duration of inappetance is very concerning. Did you family vet prescribe some therapy, anti nausea medication? It sounds like your kid needs to see a specialist. For a case like this an internal medicine specialist would be the best person to see. A full abdominal ultrasound with an experienced ultrasonographer (either a radiologist or internist) is likely the first step if blood work and xrays are normal. Unfortunately some pets cases are complex and some disease processes require more advanced testing then what family vets can provide. Likely your family vet has ruled out some common things but an internist will look for the uncommon things. Unfortunately decreased appetite is a very non specific symptom because in animals when they do not feel good for any reason they can stop eating. Your family vet should be able to provide a referral for you if you are interested in this option. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Acute pancreatitis and gastrointestinal inflammation/infections are still possible as well as foreign body ingestion with material not visible on X rays (ultrasound in these cases might be more sensitive). Given the lack of improvement, I would suggest to have her checked again and have a test for pancreatitis (it is a blood test called cPLI) performed. If not eating and probably in a sort of abdominal discomfort, nutritional support and pain relief meds are needed.

Poor Stryker! It definitely sounds like something is wrong. In a young dog like this (especially a Lab!), one thing that I worry about if she hasn't eaten in several days is that she may have an intestinal blockage due to something she swallowed. It's also possible that she has an illness or infection of some kind, dental pain or something wrong with her mouth, or may have ingested something toxic. Since it's been multiple days now that she isn't eating, I would definitely recommend taking her to the vet for an exam as soon as you can. He/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sasa. That is a long time to go without eating. I recommend that she has further testing with her veterinarian or that you seek a second opinion with another one. Blood work, urine testing and abdominal x-rays would be the likely next steps. I hope this information helps!

More testing needs to be done to find out what is going on. You cannot allow her to continue to barely eat food. I suggest x-rays and/or abdominal ultrasound as the next steps in finding out what is going on.

Unfortunately, bloodwork will only tell us part of what is going on internally. Sometimes figuring out what is wrong can require additional testing such as urine samples, x-rays or ultrasounds. You didn't mention Luna's age, but have her listed as unspayed. Depending on when her last heat cycle was, you may want to discus with your veterinarian if she could have been bred or is having a uterine infection. Not eating or drinking is a serious medical problem, so I would strongly recommend contacting your veterinarian for their recommendation on the next diagnostic or treatment steps you can take with Luna to figure out what is going on and how to make her feel better. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.