What to do if your dog refuses to eat?

It can happen to anyone of us that our Frenchie is refusing to eat. This behavior can either indicate that your dog is being picky or a more serious, health-related issue. Therefore, it’s important to determine the cause of lost appetite. 

Why does my Frenchie refuse to eat?

To do that, answer the following questions:

• Is your babe in a constant bad mood?
• Is s/he languid, low-spirited?
• Did s/he throw up?
• Does s/he have diarrhea?

If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you should take your doggy to the vet.
But there also might be some other reasons your dog refuses to eat.

Your Frenchie may not want to eat because something in his/her mouth is causing pain. If s/he received a vaccination recently that can also cause a temporary appetite loss. If any of this is possible, go see your vet.

But if your dog is happy and playful like normally, it might be a behavior issue.

If you just moved to a new location or you were on a trip, the unfamiliar surroundings of the new place might make your dog nervous or uncomfortable.

Pickiness or behavior issues

Some dogs are just picky, or their refusal to eat may be caused by feeding them in situations where they aren’t comfortable, such as around an aggressive dog or from a bowl at an uncomfortable height. Because a decreased appetite in dogs may be caused by illness, never assume that your dog is picky without investigating other possibilities first.

But if it’s none of the above, it might just be some kind of a mood-swing, like being bored of the same type of dog food. Let’s see what you can do now!

What to do when your dog won’t eat

What you can do to help when your dog won’t eat will depend on what you and your veterinarian determine to be the cause of the problem.

If your dog’s decreased appetite is a behavior problem caused by pickiness or discomfort with mealtime, rather than the result of a medical condition, there are a number of things you can do to encourage your pet to eat.

These include:

• Cutting back on treats.

• Feeding your pet on a regular schedule, usually at least twice a day.

• Making mealtime a fun time for your pet, such as by playing with a toy that dispenses food or rewarding your dog with food for doing a trick.

• Taking your dog for a walk before mealtime.

• Changing your dog’s feeding situation. If you normally feed your pet with other animals, try feeding them alone. Or try using different bowls or plates at different heights to see what your dog prefers. (You might even put a few pieces of food on the floor next to the feeding dish.)

• Trying a different kind of food, such as canned food if you normally feed your dog dry food.

• Add a bit of warm water to your dog’s kibble to make it more appealing.

If you need more information on this topic, join our closed Facebook Frenchie Family group, where you can read a lot of tips and experiences of other owners. If you are already a member, click HERE to jump to food-related posts.

Read the advices from our Family Members