My dog won't eat her food. Why does she only eat from my hand?

I would be concerned that Riley has a medical problem causing herself not to eat, as a healthy dog would not starve themselves more than three days. In addition, she may be getting sick from the illness, not from not eating. She could have a dental problem making it painful for her to eat, she could have a GI illness, foreign body, or may have eaten something rotten. You can try feeding her some canned dog food, but if she won't eat that, I would take Riley into a vet today for an exam. The vet can do a physical exam, routine blood tests, a urinalysis, and possibly x-rays to diagnose why she won't eat, and can treat accordingly.

A decrease in appetite can be an indication of illness. There could be something directly irritating his stomach, or generally making him feel bad. The possibilities arenumerous and a vet would have to examine him in order to narrow it down. It would be best to have a vet evaluate Rex first to make sure he is healthy before assuming other reasons for the lack of appetite. It's also possible that Rex is getting other food that he likes better than milk and chapati. Dogs will often shift their eating habits if they know that there will be better food available. You may check to see if there is any other food he may be getting. I hope that helps and all is well with Rex.

Not eating is typically one of the first signs of illness. It could be caused by a dental problem, systemic illness, infection, or injury. Without seeing Oggy in person, I can't say for certain why she is not eating much. Because this has been going on for 3-4 days, it's time to see the vet. I'd take her into a vet today. Best of luck.

Unfortunately not eating is a shared symptom of just about every disease process so it’s impossible to know for sure without some kind of testing. You can try offering her some boiled plain chicken and rice or cottage cheese to see if this entices her to eat. However if she continues to refuse food, or develops any other signs of illness then it’s best to get her seen by your local vet ASAP for some testing (bloodwork, urinalysis +/- radiographs). Once we know what is going on internally, then we will know what she needs to hopefully improve her condition. I hope that Lena feels better soon. Best wishes and take care.

I am sorry to hear that Camila is not eating and I can see why you are concerned as am I. It is great that she is acting normal and playful but as most dogs are very food motivated a decreased appetite is their way of telling us they don't feel like themselves. Decreased appetite is unfortunately a very common symptom for many different problems, some more serious then others. It can be from something going on with the GI tract itself or any other body system (other organs). Is there anything she could have eaten that she was not supposed to (got in to the trash, chewed up toys)? What I would recommend is that Camila have a visit to a veterinarian for an examination. More than likely they will also want to check some lab work to look at her organ function and potentially take some x-rays. Based on these results they may prescribe some medication or may recommend additional testing to investigate her decreased appetite further. I hope she is feeling better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Add warm water or a couple teaspoons of baby food to his food to stimulate his appetite. Check his mouth and gums for injury or signs of periodontal disease (redness, swollen gums, bad breath, visible plaque/tartar build up). Discontinue hand feeding. This may worsen his being finicky. Changing the food bowl may reignite interest. Prepare his food at mealtimes and leave it down for 20-30 minutes. Pick it up afterwards whether he has eaten or not. Repeat this at the next mealtime. Do not offer any other food or treats between meals. Zeus will not starve. He will eat when he is hungry as long as you are firm with him. Regular mealtimes are recommended since dogs thrive on routine. If he develops any other symptoms (lethargy, vomiting,diarrhea, loss of appetite), then have him examined by your veterinarian.

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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.