We had two dogs, an 11 year old Australian shepherd and a 7 year old regal sharpie. The eldest, Shiloh, just died almost two weeks ago. The youngest, Lexie, has been very depressed ever since and will only eat a little every two or three days. She looks like skin and bones and we have tried everything we know to get her to eat. We tried acting like nothing was wrong, being compassionate, even being stern with her but she just won't eat. She smells of it and seems interested but just walks away. We DO NOT want to get another dog, or at least not yet. She just would not be able to handle another dog, she barely has the energy to get up and go from room to room. I hope people actually read this and give me any other advice other than getting another dog. We would think she'd just get over it but we don't know how long she'll live without eating! Please help me know what to do!

I have never had a dog with depression, but maybe Lexie has that. I would not coddle her at all. I would start like with a new pup, and put the food down for 15 minutes, and then pick it up, and wait for the noon feeding. Again, 15 minutes, pick it up, and do the same for night feeding. Soon, with no coddling, no treating her extra special, she will realize that if she wants to eat, she must while the bowl is down. Soon, you will see an improvement, and can slowly go back to how she was fed before Shilow (sp) died. Good Luck!!

We got her to eat...we had to force feed her, but it's not as gruesome as it sounds. We put it in her mouth and slightly tilt her head up. We decided that will not let her die. She will move on emotionally but we have to be the ones to get her pass the physical challenge. We are trying to keep a mind set like the dog whisperer, "I don't care if you don't want to eat, I want you to eat and I am the pack leader." Now we are a lot more optimistic and we know we can keep her alive. We fed her a good handful of turkey yesterday and want to get more in her today and she already looks a little better. She looks less emaciated and we can see a little more of that sparkle in her eyes. We can't get another dog, especially a puppy. It's just not the right time.

My MIL said they had a dog once, during the Ice age, that was really depressed, and also would not eat. At first, they tried, bread mixed with raw egg, and nothing. Finally, they put honey in with dried kibble, and the dog started eating, not much at first, but it continued to improve, and she claims that the honey help bring the dog back quicker. Don't know if its true, but that was also a LOOONNNGGG time ago, and maybe dogfood back then was alot worse than nowadays. Good luck with the feeding!

Hello,
My daschund is 12 yrs old and he has not been eating anything at all from the last 6 days. he is surviving on water. what can i do to make him eat
?
Please help...

Regards,

[lulusmom]

SHRUTI, YOU NEED TO GET YOUR DOG TO A VET ASAP!!! You need to find out why he is not eating and a vet is the only that can tell you that. Dogs can survive with no food for weeks if food is withheld; however, dogs that quit eating on their own are sick. He needs nutrition which the vet can give him by IV. More importantly, you need to address the underlying cause of his inappettance and nobody here can help you with that.

Is there any reason why you have not seen fit to get your dog the medical help he needs? If any of my dogs were that sick and I couldn't afford the vet, I would be calling everybody I knew for a loan or I'd be going door to door begging for spare change. There are also rescue groups that might be willing to help. There is also financial help. I've used care credit in the past and it's great and most vets accept it.

Why Use CareCredit® Veterinary Financing? (Payment Plans for Pet Vaccinations, Pet Surgery, Tests & Affordable Veterinary Medicine Procedures)

try to experiment dog foods or foods that your dog will like to eat

I have n him to a vet. He is not able to inderstand the problem. he says that it is mainly due to age.

i posted here in hope that in case there is some one who has faced the same problem and knows how to deal with it.

We are already getting the IV for him. 4 sessions done.

today is the 8th day...

Originally Posted by shruti

I have n him to a vet. He is not able to inderstand the problem. he says that it is mainly due to age.

i posted here in hope that in case there is some one who has faced the same problem and knows how to deal with it.

We are already getting the IV for him. 4 sessions done.

today is the 8th day...

I was have an old dog that have dificulty in eating his food. Well maybe your vet was corect that this condition due to age. Try this one. Blend all that food which your dog like most. Give it to him. Do he react to this??? If not would you try to give blended rawfood to him? Try that one also.

Hi Shinley,

Today is the 10th day and now i'm getting really worried.

Today i tried to break the biscuit into crumbs and give him... he ate half a biscuit then left that also...

for how many days did ur dog not eat??

Maybe your dog is depressed. Try to put things back into normal. A little walk, exercise and activity might do the trick.

Originally Posted by dragonwingcp88

We had two dogs, an 11 year old Australian shepherd and a 7 year old regal sharpie. The eldest, Shiloh, just died almost two weeks ago. The youngest, Lexie, has been very depressed ever since and will only eat a little every two or three days. She looks like skin and bones and we have tried everything we know to get her to eat. We tried acting like nothing was wrong, being compassionate, even being stern with her but she just won't eat. She smells of it and seems interested but just walks away. We DO NOT want to get another dog, or at least not yet. She just would not be able to handle another dog, she barely has the energy to get up and go from room to room. I hope people actually read this and give me any other advice other than getting another dog. We would think she'd just get over it but we don't know how long she'll live without eating! Please help me know what to do!

get ur pet to the vet. omething is wrong more than depresion. you can make it much worse with no feeding.

get ur pet to vet. something is wrong over dpression. by not getting your pet to eat, you cann kill her or him. Force feding is difficult, but it will keep your pet alive while you diagnose and treat what is going on. best of luck. been there, and am there right now.

This thread is over a year old. Either the dog has resumed eating or is dead by now. Either way it probably doesn't need to see a vet.

To answer the original post, many dogs do appear to go through a grieving process when a family member (dog or human) has been lost or moves away. This usually resolves with time, however, a visit to your veterinarian will determine whether this is truly the reason by excluding other medical causes.

For people arriving here looking at other causes for a dog not eating, I have posted a video that I use for my veterinary clients on my website listed below (no products are endorsed on the video).

Thanks,
Sam

[Lunareclipse]

I had a similar problem, but not with my dog. It was with my cats. I had my cat, Church, for 17 years, my cat Fuzz for 14 years. Church was getting too old to do a whole lot. He lost his teeth, and he had kidney failure. So I made an appointment to have him put down. Two days before his appointment, he died. My cat, Fuzz, refused to eat. She lost a lot of wieght and most of her hair. I took her to the vet and he said he didn't know if it was mourning or old age. I finally did get her to eat, bacon. But she died anyway 2 months later. I don't know what to tell you about your dog, but take it to the vet. See what he has to say.