My dog skips meals for a day or two but seems fine. When should I worry?

Some dogs have their own schedule in terms of eating. We have dogs that graze throughout the day small amounts, dogs that will eat any food in front of them immediately to the point of making themselves sick, and other dogs like yours that may just eat at certain times. As long as your vet thinks your dog's weight is appropriate/ their growth is acceptable and Norik is not having diarrhea or vomiting then I wouldn't be concerned. I would recommend if Norik hasn't been to the vet recently for his vet to examine him and be sure he is of an appropriate weight.

What a great question. It’s the age old debate about whether we should feed dogs once a day, twice a day, or three times a day. Honestly, it depends on the dog. if the dog is healthy and happy, and he is keeping his weight at a healthy amount that is not too heavy or too light, I see no reason with feeding him only once a day. One recommendation I would also add to you if you do intend to only feed him once is to keep his food elevated and use a special type of feeding bowl that forces him to eat slowly. There are certain bowls with prongs in them that force your pet to eat slowly. The reasoning is that large breed dogs like yours can sometimes have gastrointestinal problems like bloat, etc. if they inhale their food without chewing. Feeding only once a day can sometimes cause a dog to ravenously eat so you have to be careful. But again it depends on the dog and most that I have come into contact with that are only fed one meal a day still do fairly well. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope I have helped. Have a nice day.

Since Asuna was willing to eat and is not having any vomiting or diarrhea I wouldn’t worry too much. Not eating for a couple of days because she was stressed and missing you should not affect her overall health. However, if she continues to appear to lose weight despite eating well and being home with you, then you should take her to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Bruno is acting fine, I would continue to monitor him for another day. If he isn’t vomiting or having diarrhea and he isn’t lethargic, I am not concerned about the short time he hasn’t eaten. Dogs can go several days without eating and be ok. I would leave him alone and offer him another meal at the next feeding time. If he still won’t eat in 24 hours, or he is vomiting or having diarrhea, I would contact a vet. Good luck and kisses to Bruno!

Aww cute dapple pup! It's possible that Benny is having some minor GI upset, which may make him less likely to want to eat, and more interested in munching grass. Changes in weather (suddenly hot or cold) can also affect appetite, as well as some issues such as parasites, etc. Scheduling a vet visit and fecal exam can rule out any serious issues, and your vet can take a weight and body condition score to monitor Benny's weight (he looks very good in the provided pictures.) As long as he checks out healthy and is a good weight for his size, I would not be too worried. Most vets will also let you come in free of charge for regular weigh-ins if you'd like to use that to monitor him as well.

Yes, there are some dogs that are not food motivated. If Chloe skips meals, but is otherwise acting normally, and there is no vomiting or diarrhea, then I wouldn’t be too concerned. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

As long as Rosie is acting normal and is not losing weight this might be normal behavior for her. However if she has any drooling, odor from her mouth, vomiting or is losing weight I would be concerned about something else going on such as an infection in her mouth, inflammation of her stomach, or even kidney issues. If you notice any of those signs she needs to be checked out by her veterinarian.