My dog suddenly has a poor appetite. Is it from eating human food?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, this is known as dietary indiscretion and it could be the reason. He may be showing signs of dietary indiscretion which can happen from eating something that does not sit well in the stomach. Clinical symptoms that can occur include not eating, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Sometimes this resolves on its own. However, sometimes this does require some form of therapy which is mostly supportive in nature. If she develops any vomiting, diarrhea or inappetence, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and best wishes!

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!

I suppose it's possible but I am concerned there is something else going on. Unhealthy human food can cause pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can lead to liver damage, peritonitis and multi-organ failure. Queen could also have a partial intestinal blockage or have kidney damage. Because she has abnormal for 1-2 weeks now, I recommend to have her examined as soon as she can be. She will need some bloodwork and she may need a radiograph. I recommend to go ahead and start a bland diet now. a bland diet is not likely to fix her problem but it won't hurt. A bland diet can consist of 25% boiled white meat chicken and 75% boiled white rice. This should all be plain. Encourage her to drink water and keep her activity minimal so she is resting. Make sure to bring in a stool sample as well because parasites can also cause prolonged GI issues. I hope the doctor is able to identify the problem quickly and that Queenie starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Fruits may cause GI upset. Add some warm water, low sodium chicken broth or a teaspoon of baby food to his regular food to stimulate his appetite. If he doesn't begin eating again, have him examined by your veterinarian to diagnose illness or injury.

A few things could be going on: One, if he got into people food and it was high fat or very rich, he could be experiencing some digestive upset. Picking up his regular food and feeding a bland meal of boiled rice and chicken may help settle his stomach and get him back on schedule. Signs of GI upset also include vomiting, diarrhea, sore belly, etc. If this is the case and a bland diet doesn't help, or he has quite a few GI symptoms, seeking veterinary care is best to rule out more serious issues such as pancreatitis from eating people food. Two, if he prefers people food to his food, it could be he's trying to "hold out" in the hopes you are going to give in and give him more. If he's otherwise healthy and normal, it is best to stop offering ALL people food and treats, and only offer his dog food. You may need to put his food down for 10-15 minutes several times throughout the day to encourage him to eat. Most dogs will not starve, and will eventually check out their food and eat it. (Sometimes pretending its people food can kick-start this as well!)

It is possible she's developed an aversion to her regular food due to the recent sickness you've described. I am unsure if her food made her sick or not but I would make sure there are no recent reports of illness or recalls associated with this food. I recommend feeding a bland, easy to digest food such as homemade, boiled chicken breast mixed with white rice. If she eats this well with no vomiting or diarrhea for a couple days, you can gradually mix in her old food to reintroduce it or try a different type of dog food.

Hi there! Nova should be fine! Bananas are a human food that is fine for her to eat if you want to offer it to her as treat sometime. A little bit of mango is ok, but it's not a food I would recommend offer to her. She may have a little bit of an upset tummy, due to ingesting a new food so don't be surprised if she has a bit of soft stool or diarrhea in the next couple of days. I hope this helps a bit!