My dog willfully refuses to eat until he gets sick unless he is catered to

[smokey99]

I'm at my wits end today. It's almost 3am and my dog has not eaten in more than 24 hours. He has had access to food all day long. I have placed it in safe places, given him his regular food, provided water, etc. But he refused to eat or drink. He will walk up to the food smell it, nose around in it, and then sit and look at me with a "what is this crap" look on his face.

He is not sick, we don't feed him scraps, just a fruit slice once every few days as a treat. He has refused to eat multiple times to the point hew throws up bile.

Tonight, his stomach is making so much noise I'm sure our neighbors can hear it but after placing the food in front of him he refuses to eat it and ran into his kennel.

He has finally eaten the food after I put water in it and held the food for him. I can't keep doing this, this holding the food and begging him to eat and take care of himself. But, i also can't let.him starve and throw up because he has a sensitive stomach and throws up when it's been empty too long.

What can I do?

He is a 4y/o miniature schnauzer with no health problems beyond needing a special c/d food due to having a tendency for struvite crystals. Before this food though he still did the same thing with 4 other brands and flavors.

 

[jcla4life]

@smokey99 Looks like you’re gonna have to put water in his food. That’s really not the end of the world mate.

 

[smokey99]

@jcla4life If that was a consistent solution I would do it. But I've ruined a days worth of food many times because he refused to eat it.

 

[longwait]

@smokey99 I had this exact problem with my rottie. I started adding bone broth to his food, which has helped tremendously. I've read that that free feeding encourages not eating, but haven't had to take his food after a 15-min window yet. Additionally, I hand feed my dog innards 2/4 meals. He goes crazy over them and sometimes it's enough to get him eating again, which makes him realize his upset stomach is due to being hungry and he eats the rest of his food.

Hope this helps, I know how frustrating this situation is.

 

[beemer345]

@smokey99 My dog had similar issues, when I was trying to figure out what was going on I called him superstitious about eating.
Turns out he’s allergic to chicken.
He’d eat, get a tummy ache, avoid his food and be starving. When we changed his food he’d eat strongly until tummy ache rinse and repeat.

 

[romasliv]

@smokey99 I had a similar issue recently. Sprinkling a supplement powder (I use the skin and coat formula) on his kibble has helped immensely.

 

[jake520520]

@smokey99 Sounds like he might need a new food. Either he doesn’t like it, or eating it makes him feel unwell.

 

[tokitee]

@smokey99 Can you hydrate the kibbles with some meat stock or broth? Maybe the extra flavor and the kibbles being softened will encourage him to eat.

 

[mike7377]

@smokey99 Our dog has done the same thing when not feeling well. Our vet recommended a couple different medications to use as needed to help with his upset stomach.

Sometimes he eats happily, and other times he will not eat until one of us hand feeds him, and if it is really bad he will not eat at all.

One thing that sometimes helps is putting the food in a kong Stuff-A-Ball, or wrapping it in a towel. These things wont help if he is really feeling bad, but sometimes will get him to eat when he would otherwise ignore his food. They can also help slow him down on occasions where he is likely to wolf the food down too fast.

 

[7upname]

@smokey99 Consider the possibility of pain in the mouth! It's possible that crunching kibble is painful. Bad teeth, bad gums, a growth.

My miniature schnauzer has TRASH teeth and needed half of them removed by age 6. They are known for periodontal disease.

 

[smokey99]

@7upname That could be something. I'm remembering that the vet had said something about a tooth that would need pulled (not rotten or anything, just wrong placed). I'll have to take him back or find the old records about that. He does devour the bully sticks and dental treats no problem though.

 

[ryspi76]

@smokey99 My pup became prone to an allergy that caused him become sick everytime he ate dry food. No matter what mix or brand my poor baby would loose hair, swell up, become nauseous and itch from gluten and other ingredients. He wouldnt eat cause he knew he wouldnt feel good if he did. My pup starved himself for a long time, but i did an immense amount of research and started giving him plain white rice and the purina chow wet food mixed together with a teaspoon of salmon oil and he licks the bowl clean. His hair has come back and I have noticed him being himself again. Idk if it would help to try but i wish you luck with your pup!!