My senior Shih Tzu won't eat. What to do when an old dog stops eating?

You need to take Tiber to the vet in order to have him checked and probably have a blood test done as well. 11 years of age is not yet very old for a Shi Tzu and there is a fair chance that the vet will be able to treat him.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lady. I'm sorry to hear that she is having these problems. I need a bit more information regarding any other symptoms she is having in addition to the decreased appetite and what testing has been done so far to make a more detailed recommendation. But I can outline my thought process for you. The first thing I would want to rule out is any source of pain on her physical exam. Pain from dental disease, arthritis or back pain can all affect the appetite. Then I would do blood work and a urinalysis. The blood work should include a complete blood count, chemistry panel and a test for pancreatitis known as a cPL. Next, I would do chest x-rays and an abdominal ultrasound. I may consider a trial course of pain medication or an anti-nausea medication. I hope this information is a starting point for you and I am available for a consultation of you want to discuss Lady in further detail.

I would definitely recommend some blood work, if this hasn't been done recently. Older dogs are prone to a number of health issues that can cause decreased appetite along with being less active - chronic kidney disease and hypothyroidism are two possibilities that are both very common. In many cases, these issues are treatable (at least to some extent) once a diagnosis is made, so it's well worth checking for them if you can - hopefully, there are some things you can do to make him feel better for as long as possible, even though he's getting older.

Schazi may not be eating this food because she doesn't like the taste, or she could be ill. Not eating is one of the first signs of illness in dogs. I'm not sure when she had her last vet check, but it would be good to have her seen by a vet just to make sure everything is ok with her. If she doesn't have a medical illness, you may have to try a a different brand of food for her to get her to eat. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. First though, call the vet to make an appointment for a health check. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

I can see Aubrey is quite overweight, with all the other symptoms I would suspect hypothyroidism which is an endocrine disease that is sometimes missed on normal blood test. I would recommend asking your vet to test her for it, if it comes back positive at least you will have a condition that is treatable.

If the weight loss is more than 10% of the her body weight, this could be abnormal and should ideally checked. Gastrointestinal abnormal absorption of nutrients may be present and should be investigated. Usually chronic gastrointestinal inflammations/infections are responsible for it. I would start with a blood test and some imaging procedures of the abdomen (an ultrasound).

Poor Lyl. There are so many things that can cause not eating and lethargy so it is hard to say for sure what is going on. I would make sure her gums are pink - if they are white, yellow or grayish blue then she is in critical condition and needs to go to the emergency clinic. Otherwise, you can try feeding her some plain boiled chicken (no bones) and white rice tonight and see if she will eat it. If not, then I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to determine if she is in pain anywhere or if something else is going on. They will be able to do bloodwork and even X-rays if needed. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better really soon!