My dog won't eat or drink. What's wrong and what should I do?

Gemini needs to be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. These are all very non-specific signs, but she could be dealing with an infection, an endocrine or autoimmune disease, trauma or environmental stress leading to behavioural issues. Your vet may want to run bloodwork and check her urine for any signs of illness, and may recommend imaging such as x-rays to help determine the cause. In the meantime, if she is not eating well, you can try boiling boneless skinless chicken in water, shredding the chicken, and feeding her small amounts of the resulting chicken broth and cooked chicken once it has cooled. This is not a balanced diet, but is okay for a couple of days to help encourage her to eat. You can add in some plain boiled white rice or potatoes as well if you like.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am very concerned about any dog that will not eat or drink and recommend Hurley see the vet as soon as possible. This could be anything from a simple arthritis flare up to organ failure to cancer. For the first, some pain medication is often all that is needed while the others may require other treatments. Best wishes to you and Hurley.

That is a very severe condition and prolonged starvation can lead to critical clinical status. Nutritional support, fluid therapy and investigations of the underlying cause of chronic anorexia are required immediately. I would strongly recommend a check up at your local vets whatever is the cause of the signs you described.

Not eating, not drinking and being very quiet or lethargic are typical, if unspecific signs of illness. Since this obviously has started a few days ago and is not getting better, I strongly suggest you have Samantha examined by a veterinarian. She will likely need blood work in addition to a hands-on exam to find out what ails her. If she further deteriorates today, take her to a Pet ER today!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Buddy. I am sorry to hear that he is not eating or drinking. You will need to schedule an appointment with his veterinarian, ideally today. If he is not eating and drinking, there is a reason. Furthermore, it is easy for him to become dehydrated. He could be experiencing pain somewhere such as his neck, back or joints. He could have inflammation in his gastrointestinal tract or be experiencing a systemic disease that is making refuse his food. His veterinarian will gain information based on his physical exam as to what his problem may be. From there either medications will be prescribed or he will require further testing. In the meantime, try to encourage him to take in some water. Some dogs will even take ice cubes. I hope this information helps!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Dogs that are not eating and drinking and look very thin and suddenly very thin are very sick. The biggest concern would be a 'foreign body'- a sock/underwear/toy that is stuck in the gut, preventing any food from being taken in and absorbed. Other concerns would be severe gastritis, a high worm burden (parasite infection), cancer in the gut, lack of enzyme production in the pancrease, and some other causes. I recommend getting your girl to a vet right away however, as it sounds like she is very sick. Best of luck with her!

If his only symptom is inappetence, I would keep an eye on him and not offer food for 24 hours. He can have water. That way, if something has upset his stomach, it will have time to rest and recover. If he has any other symptoms, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, fever, get him in to be seen by a vet right away as this may be signs or a more serious problem.