My dog won't eat after a pet died. How do I get her to eat normally?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bean. I am sorry to hear about your recent loss. It sounds like Bean is grieving the loss as well. She should start acting more normal soon, but if her behavior persists she will need to see her veterinarian. If she is not anything, vomiting or displaying other abnormal signs, she should be seen soon. If her appetite is just decreased then you can give her another week or so. Be sure to encourage her to eat and drink as much as possible. You can try hand feeding her or adding warm water to her kibble. Sometimes warmed up canned food is enticing as well. Hope this information helps!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Princess may be a bit depressed due to the departure of the other dog. This is fairly common in these scenarios. However, it is very likely that she will normalize soon perhaps in a few days. One thing you can do is entice her appetite by adding things like pieces of chicken or beef to her food for a few days just to encourage her to eat. If there is no improvement in the next few days then have her examined by your veterinarian to ensure there is not a medical reason to explain this. Good luck!

First off, I am sorry that you lost your other dog. It's always so hard to lose a beloved pet. Dogs do feel the loss of a companion, and will often seem down or depressed afterwards, and may go off their food. That being said, a month is a very long time for a dog to mourn, and him not eating for 4 days suggests there is something medically wrong with him. I would recommend taking him into your vet for a health check to see if there is something medically that is causing the anorexia. There are many potential causes which can be attributed to a dog not eating. For example, most diseases (including infectious, autoimmune, respiratory, gastrointestinal, bone, endocrine and neurological diseases) will cause a dog to avoid eating because of pain, obstruction, or other factors. Anorexia can also be due to a psychological problem, such as stress or changes in routine, environment or diet. I'd take Sammy into your vet as soon as possible for an exam. Again, I'm sorry for your loss.

Cats can be very sensitive to changes in their environment and will often display this behavior during times of stress. Considering that Kylie is nine years old and your pit was 14, it would be a major change (assuming they lived together this whole time) for the dog to suddenly be missing from the environment; not to mention how stressful this must have been to you and your family. This could be causing her a fair amount of anxiety/stress. As a vet, I always worry about a medical condition causing this, so the best thing that you can do is take her for a vet exam to ensure there is nothing else wrong with her. If it happens to be stress that's causing her to act like this, then it will take some time before she gets back to normal - sometimes a couple of weeks, sometimes a couple of months. One thing that may help reduce stress is a Feliway pheramone diffuser (can get this at the pet store). These create calming pheramones in the environment, that may help her relax and start acting more normal again. I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your dog and hope you and Kylie feel better soon.

I am so sorry you and Dolly had to say goodbye to beloved Pepper. You can try enticing Dolly with bland food (as long as she doesn’t have any food allergies to the following items) such as rice mixed with boiled chicken, scrambled egg whites, or boiled hamburger with the fat drained off. You can also try chicken flavored baby food (as long as there is no garlic or onion in the ingredients). You can increase her water intake by adding water to her food so she takes in water while eating too. If she is still not eating well I would recommend having her evaluated by your vet as it is important to remember that there are other causes for dogs to lose their appetite. Here is an article with other suggestions on how to help Dolly through her grief: https://www.petcoach.co/article/do-dogs-get-sad/ I am so sorry for your loss- my thoughts are with your family during this difficult time.

It would be a good idea to have her checked by the vet, just in case. Most likely, though, she is being stubborn. Your dog has decided what her diet will be, but that's not her job . . . it's yours. Stop feeding her the wet food Put her dry food in a bowl on the floor without fuss and leave it for 15 minutes. After that time, pick it up whether she has eaten or not. Do not give her anything--no treats, snacks or human food--until her next scheduled mealtime. Then repeat the process. It may take several times for her to realize that there will be no more wet food, and that she must eat her dry food. Remember that you are not starving her–she is choosing not to eat. When she is hungry enough, she will. Do not give in or "feel sorry" for her. It will only make it harder to correct.

A decrease appetite and lethargy are common after the passing of a housemate as they go through a depression. The best thing is to have her checked by a vet to make sure there are no medical problems that can cause this and then they can add medication to help her handle the depression if needed. You can always try special food and treats such as boiled chicken and rice or chicken broth to the diet if she is just eating less to see if that encourages her more.