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perfstorm113 · May 25, 2011, 02:42 PM

I have an 11 year old American Eskimo and the problem started about a month ago. One day my dog simply stopped eating and this continued for 2 days until he ate a little for a few days afterwards, and then 4 days later he stopped eating for 1 day and I decided to add chicken broth to his kibble and he took to eating semi-normally for about a week and a half. This past week he continued to eat, albeit a smaller amount than usual, but in the past two days he again has not eaten anything. I have seen him occasionally eating grass, he has poor leg joints and has not been stepping on his one rear leg for a while now but the vet pointed out that he is old and as long as his other leg is fine then he should be too. I'm not sure what to make of him not eating, I have read several cases on this topic in which it was reported that a tumor or cancer was the root of the problem. Any advise would be greatly appreciated, I only wish to help my companion in any way that I can. Thank you.

Aurora_Bell · May 25, 2011, 03:05 PM

My normal response would be to put the food down and walk away, no healthy dog will starve himself. How ever your dog being 11, could indicate many other medical issues. Like humans when dogs age, their teeth become weak and brittle, I would take a look in his mouth for any broken teeth or swollen gums. In the mean time I would continue to soften his kibble if that's the only way you can get him to eat. You don't necessarily need to add chicken stalk, just some warm water the kibble will make it's own gravy.

I would also have the vet once over him, there could be some underlying medical issue that unfortunately none of us would be able to diagnose.

As dogs age their appetite will decrease along with their energy, make sure to have plenty of fresh water available, and since he is not gorging on his food, it probably wouldn't hurt to have a dish of kibble down for him to nibble on at his will.

Good luck, and please keep us posted.

perfstorm113 · May 25, 2011, 04:50 PM

Thank you for your prompt response, I appreciate it greatly.

perfstorm113 · May 31, 2011, 05:52 AM

To my great relief all is well, my dog is eating well again, no broken teeth or swollen gums, thank you very for you advise.

Aurora_Bell · May 31, 2011, 03:33 PM

Glad to hear this! It's always great when these stories work out well!