why wont the dog eat?

Question

my neighbors have an 11yr old pug. she is friendly and appeared to be healthy. but they said she has stopped eating. she is losing ALOT of weight. they said they have tried everything to get her to eat and nothing works. she will not eat anything and she just lays very still. what should they do?

Answer 1

You did not mention a vet. Did they try that?

Answer 2

11 is pretty old for a pug. An older dog who refuses to eat could have severe dental problems, or could have something more serious such as a tumor. Cancer in animals, is really the same as in people. The tumor secretes toxins into the system making the animal feel nauseaus and loss of appetite and weight loss appear. She may also be very arthritic, in pain, and not interested in moving. Suggestions for getting the dog to eat include warming the food for a few seconds in the microwave. Heat increases the smell of the food. They can also try to add a small amount of broth to the food, or try feeding lean deli meat such as turkey, chicken or beef....no ham...too much fat. We feed jar baby food (Lamb, turkey, chicken, beef) to sick animals in hospital that won't eat. We warm it for a few seconds first.

They may be waiting to make the decision to take her to the vet because they know it could be a bad outcome. We always tell people that the kindest thing they can do for their pet is to make the decision to not let them suffer. End of suffering can mean treatment for illness to euthanasia for serious situations.

Try to talk gently to your neighbors in an effort to get them to see the vet. It is where the pug needs to be. Illnesses often become fatal in animals because owners wait too long.

You're a nice person to care.

Answer 3

Take it to the vet ASAP. IT can be anything from kidney failure, to an inury in it's back, to thyroid problems, to diabetes, to an infection, etc.. NO one can tell you over the internet. This dog needs professional care. If the neighbor won't take it to the vet call the humane society. The dog is suffering whether it acts like it or not.

Answer 4

it could be a variety of things . is the food she's being given , soft or hard . if it is hard , maybe they need to soften it w/ some water . try adding a little gravy to it . cut the pieces up smaller , or add some oil from a tuna fish can . it may be that it has been too hot to eat . if this persists , have the dog seen asap by a vet .

best of luck !

Answer 5

I would say shes getting old. I would go to the vet deffanitly. Did the dog lose a close pal or anything, cause the dog could be depressed!

Answer 6

She is probably depressed. You should took her to the vet just to be sure. You could also change her food so she is eating something else. Or you could get her a little friend somewhere around her age, so it doesn't get on her nerves. Remember she's old so she wants little attention.

Answer 7

i saw the same kind of thing on the dog whisperer. what u do is take the dog out for exercise, then settle it down. after that let the dog smell some food, chicken breast, Turkey, etc. then the dog will want to eat. that is when you feed the dog. also you can watch the dog whisperer on the national geographic channel.

Answer 8

she is either depressed or sick. carry her to the vet and tell them to play with her more often and give her more attention. at 11 years old she is probably coming to the end of her life in dog years so tell them to spend a lot of time with her. she may not be around for very long.

Answer 9

Hamburger and rice are great meals and boiled chicken, eggs (one rescue feeds whole raw eggs to large dogs) and my dogs love oatmeal and peanut butter.

May be just age but if he won't eat these get him to a vet for blood work!

Answer 10

They need to see their Vet IMMEDIATELY!!! This could be anything from depression to Heart worms or even worse. Being an elderly dog, it is VERY important for them to seek treatment!! To continue to do nothing could result in loosing their pet.

DEFINATELY AN EMERGENCY!!

Answer 11

Because she is either sick or in terrible pain. That is the only explanation. She could be dying. I hope they take the poor dog to the vet.