It is a normal physiological phenomenon for dogs to not eat when they are sick. Especially when dogs have gastrointestinal discomfort, abdominal pain, or a cold and runny nose, they are particularly prone to loss of appetite. So what foods can we feed our dogs to stimulate their appetite at this time?
1. What should I do if my dog has a cold and won’t eat?
When dogs catch a cold or have symptoms of other respiratory infections, sneezing, runny nose, etc., their sense of smell is easily affected and their sensitivity to smells decreases, which affects their appetite. Both dogs and cats have poor sense of taste. They will only be interested in food when they smell the aroma.
Solution: Pet owners can heat the canned food that dogs usually like in the microwave. After the food is heated, it will emit a stronger aroma, which can appropriately improve the dog’s appetite. Try several more palatable foods, such as minced meat porridge, bone soup, etc. Maybe your dog will be willing to eat one of them.
If your dog’s runny nose symptoms are severe, it is recommended that in addition to cold medicine, you use antibacterial nose drops to clear your dog’s nose, which can relieve the dog’s symptoms of poor breathing and improve the dog’s appetite.
2. What should I do if my dog has gastrointestinal discomfort and won’t eat?
It is normal for dogs to have a loss of appetite when they have gastrointestinal discomfort. In many cases, it’s not that the dog doesn’t want to eat, but that after eating it, it will aggravate the dog’s abdominal pain, so it will appear that it wants to eat but cannot.
Solution: If the dog has symptoms of vomiting, it is recommended not to feed the dog for the time being, and to deprive the dog of food and water for a period of time. If the dog continues to vomit, or has diarrhea, lack of energy and other other symptoms, it needs to be sent to the pet hospital for examination in time. When dogs suffer from vomiting and diarrhea , they cannot go without food for a long time, otherwise they are prone to dehydration, acidosis, etc. While taking medication, they should promptly replenish body fluids with subcutaneous injections or intravenous injections.
3. What should you do if a dog that has just recovered from a serious illness has a loss of appetite?
Dogs after some serious illnesses or operations are also prone to loss of appetite. Some dogs may suddenly become picky eaters and no longer like to eat the previous dog food, or they may only eat one or two mouthfuls of canned foods, nutritional pastes, etc. High protein foods.
Solution: It is recommended that pet owners replace canned staple food with better palatability for their dogs to eat for a period of time, and then slowly switch back to dog food after the dog’s body recovers.
When a dog has not eaten for a long time and is relatively weak, and the owner cannot take it to the hospital for treatment in time, you can force-feed some glucose to prevent the dog from becoming dehydrated. It is generally recommended that if a dog loses its appetite for more than 2 days, it should be sent to the hospital in time to check the specific cause. Only symptomatic medication can fundamentally improve the dog’s appetite.
