Toy Maltese, approx. 12 yrs old recently appears to have stopped eating or drinking.

Normally she is a severe guts, and will push other animals out of the way to eat their food (if they're slow eaters).

She seems to exhibit no other symptoms apart from some lethargy, which I cannot be sure was unusual before this.

We very recently gave her a haircut (a pretty thorough one), and it seems to be that she has been affected since. Unsure if related.

Whenever she approaches, or is made to approach food or water, she stands near it, perhaps sniffing it a few times, with a forepaw curled up underneath her, like a pointer dog.

Attempts to force her to eat have met with little success, putting food in her mouth (wet or dry) results in her spitting it out at first opportunity.

Confused. Help.

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Originally Posted by Kahlzun

Toy Maltese, approx. 12 yrs old recently appears to have stopped eating or drinking.

Normally she is a severe guts, and will push other animals out of the way to eat their food (if they're slow eaters).

She seems to exhibit no other symptoms apart from some lethargy, which I cannot be sure was unusual before this.

We very recently gave her a haircut (a pretty thorough one), and it seems to be that she has been affected since. Unsure if related.

Whenever she approaches, or is made to approach food or water, she stands near it, perhaps sniffing it a few times, with a forepaw curled up underneath her, like a pointer dog.

Attempts to force her to eat have met with little success, putting food in her mouth (wet or dry) results in her spitting it out at first opportunity.

Confused. help.

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UPDATE: We managed to get her to drink a little bit of milk. Considering trying to get her to drink more, possibly laxative effect? Clogged bowel? What symptoms would that present?

Because dogs are lactose intolerant, I highly recommend skipping the milk.
It sounds like a vet visit is needed asap. I'm not sure how long it has been since the eating stopped, however any kind of obstruction often follows with vomiting. I would recommend trying boiled chicken and rice, no salt what so ever. No salt chicken broth might help her re-hydrate. If she likes ice, try that. If there seems to be some interest, you can try making ice cubes with the broth. Skipping a meal or two is not a huge concern as the dog ages, however it should resume to normal after that and water is a must. Please call around and find a vet who can see you today. Please let us know how everything is going.

Yes, the vet. It is all covered in the sticky at the top of the page.

At 12 years of age, as labman suggest, you need to take this dog in and, at the bare minimum, have some basic bloodwork done. Also, has this dog ever had a dentistry performed under sedation? Severe tartar, gingivitis, loose teeth hurt. Not to mention the bacteria that can make it's way down to the heart and other organs causing infection. Elevated liver enzymes make pets very nauseated thus causing inappetance. Quit looking stuff up here and look up a veterianrians phone number and make an appointment!

And yes, milk is a laxative to dogs-not a good idea.