Senior dog not eating, and poor spirits

I am not a vet but did have the same experience with my “Little Girl” when she wouldn’t eat and had no interest or so it seemed. She had diabetes and some other health problems and our vet who is absolutely the greatest tried everything she could as well. Finally we did our research on the internet and apparently as our babies grow older, they lose a lot of their sense of smell and when they cannot smell their food, usually they will not eat. We tried several different foods but found Royal Canin, and this is not an endorsement but was the option we discovered, has food especially for older babies that has an enhanced smell so he or she can smell the food and it will stimulate their appetite. JoJo started eating again and she resumed eating her normal food, Health Science.

Another thing to consider and this is not easy to tell anyone but when our babies reach the time to cross the Rainbow Bridge, one of the signals is losing interest in eating and no amount of trying different foods will make a difference. She was ready to go but held on because we didn’t want to let her go. It was so heartbreaking the last night she was with us. She tried to sleep on the bed with me but she was crying out in pain all night and no amount of pain medication helped. So, that morning we took her to the vet and spent the last minutes of her precious life with her. The vet advised against us going with her for her final sleep because JoJo was holding on for us and she needed to let us go before she would let go.

I hope and pray you will be able to find a way to get your baby to eat but if you cannot, talk to your vet about the next step. Please, please do not let your baby suffer if it is his or her time. When he or she goes, remember your baby has crossed the Rainbow Bridge and is playing with angels, waiting for the day when you are together again. I know JoJo is waiting for my wife and me along with our other babies we have had over the years.

God bless.

I am facing a similar issue. My 14 year old dachshund doesn’t want to eat, and is quick to decide that something he loved yesterday is no longer any good. He has very few remaining teeth, so kibble isn’t working for him.
The most important thing to do is have a vet take a look. There could be many reasons that a dog doesn’t eat. He could have something that won’t digest stuck in his intestinal tract, like a piece of corncob, a sock, or a piece of fabric from his bed. You don’t say what breed or size your dog is, but some beers can have a condition called torsion, where their stomach literally twists over, and the esophagus and entry to the small intesting become crimped closed. A vet has to check for itregularities before you try to find something her will eat. When mine had begun to lose weight, I started giving him a scrambled egg with a little cheese on it, to get him interested in food again. I went to a o et store, and pic k ed up small samples of several foods I thought he might be willing to eat. I found he does well on one of the foods that comes in a roll, like a bg roll of sausage. Make sure it is intended to be an entire diet product, instead of just something yummy to put on top of kibble. Mine has gotten more excited about eating again, & has more energy. Watch your ingredients, though. If you think about dogs in the wild, they don’t raid a farmers’s garden. They go for his chicken coop They are not meant to be vegetarians, so a food full of corn, wheat, nesl, etc is not healthy. They need high w uality protein to be healthy, so go for higher protein foods, and avoid sweet things, breads, and NO FOOD OFF OF YOUR PLATE. Our food isn’t healthy for dogs, and if you start it, that is the ONLY thing he will want to eat, and you’ll have trouble saying no to that sweet face!
Best of luck to you, and I hope all improves soon.

My sweet girl has had table scraps mixed with her kibble since she was a pup, and would always go back to eat the kibble once she was sure there would be no more treats. This fall she pretty much turned up her nose to all but a couple treats and I resorted to adding spaghetti sauce (we were in an rv) which worked for awhile, but she was eating less and less and I began to think it was time – except every couple days she would be a bit better. Now she gets some canned food WITH gravy so it soaks her kibble. And what a difference! At 16 yrs 4 mo she is acting better, and looks forward to dinner again. I know she won’t be around much longer but at least she’s happy and eating again.

Hi! I am Christine from Singapore.

I not a vet nor a pro but this is how i feed my buddy !
I have a 10 year old maltese and she is on a combination diet of half a bowl of rice mixed with wellness chicken and sweet potato or avoderm chicken vegetables and stew. (only 2-3 spoons) well mixed The other half will be her usual kibbles with a little bit of
meat on top of it.
She loves it!
Well, guess you dog is already 16, perhaps you can consider to give her softer food so its easier for her to chew and digest.
Depending on the breed and the size of your dog ,you can give up to one full bowl of plain white rice.

You can mixed a variety of meat or vegetables boiled eg Chicken breast meat, carrots , peas even fresh potatos is great with a bit of salt. . avoid too much oil or salt .Mixed with fresh plain rice. Its delicious for a dog who could be bored of kibbles all their life.
That’s why I give mine a combo meal. Abit of everything she can savour on.

I hope this suggestion would help .

Cheer Up!

Have a Merry Christmas!

Cheers
Christine