Palm City, FL - A dog or cat not eating well is often one of the first signs an owner has that something isn’t right. There can be a variety of reasons a pet might stop eating or become picky about food. These reasons can range from dental pain to cancer, so it is important to have a pet checked by your veterinarian as soon as you notice a change in appetite.
When You Should See a Vet About an Appetite Change
If your pet’s appetite suddenly changes, you are having to coax them to eat with treats or people food to get them to eat, if they go up to food and then turn away, if they are drooling or licking their lips around food, or if they are vomiting or regurgitating, these are all signs that your pet doesn’t feel well and should see a vet right away.
What Could be Going on When My Pet Stops Eating
The list of reasons that can cause a pet to stop eating is extensive, which is why you should take your dog or cat to the vet right away if an appetite change goes on for more than 24 hours. Some of the common causes of an appetite change can include:
Kidney disease
Cancer
An autoimmune disease (IMHA, IMTP, others)
Ingestion of a toxin
An endocrine disease
Anemia (low red blood cell count)
Internal bleeding
Heart disease
A foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract
Oral or dental pain
An infection
Pancreatitis
Diabetes
Addison’s Disease
What Will the Veterinarian Check At an Appointment for a Change in Appetite?
When you take your pet to the veterinarian to have your dog or cat checked due to a change in appetite, your veterinarian will likely perform the following:
A thorough physical examination. They will be looking for areas that seem painful to your pet, listening for heart murmurs or abnormal lung sounds, and feeling for masses in the abdomen or rectum. Make sure they do a rectal examination as some masses can be associated with the anal glands.
Bloodwork. Bloodwork will help show if the kidneys are functioning appropriately, if there is inflammation in the liver, if the red blood cell counts are normal (assessing for anemia, dehydration, some infections and autoimmune diseases), if the white blood cell counts are normal (assessing for inflammation or infection), if there are signs of pancreatitis, if there are signs of protein losing diseases, if there are signs of endocrine disease (Cushing’s, Addison’s, Parathyroid disease) and for signs of some cancers (lymphoma, paraneoplastic syndromes, multiple myeloma, etc).
Urinalysis. A urine sample helps assess if the kidneys are functioning appropriately by looking at the urine specific gravity (USG) of the urine. The urinalysis also looks for signs of diabetes, protein loss through the kidneys, urinary tract infections, and sometimes certain types of autoimmune diseases and cancers can be identified by changes in the urine.
X-rays. X-rays of the chest help look for abnormalities in heart size, tumors in the lungs and infection or inflammation in the lungs. X-rays of the abdomen help assess the size and shape of the liver, kidneys and spleen to make sure they look normal. X-rays of the abdomen can also help look for signs of a gastrointestinal obstructions, enlarged lymph nodes or enlarged prostate (in male dogs) or signs of fluid in the abdomen.
Ultrasound. An ultrasound may be performed when a more serious condition is suspected, or when x-rays or the physical examination indicate that an ultrasound examination might be most useful to identify the cause of why a pet is not feeling well. An ultrasound of the chest can look for signs of bleeding around the heart (pericardial effusion) or identify the cause of a heart murmur. An ultrasound of the abdomen can evaluate for bleeding in the abdomen, masses in the liver, spleen, GI tract or urinary bladder, stones in the urinary bladder, enlarged abdominal lymph nodes, or disease in the prostate (in male dogs). An abdominal ultrasound can also evaluate if the adrenals are normal. More specialized ultrasound exams can look at the neck for signs of thyroid or parathyroid disease.
What Can Be Done to Get My Pet Eating again?
After a physical examination and diagnostic tests, your veterinarian will likely have an explanation for why your pet is not eating. The treatment will depend on the cause. Your veterinarian may suggest surgery if there is a mass or GI obstruction, medication if it is an infection or endocrine disease or hospitalization may be recommended in the case of pancreatitis or diabetes (depending on the severity).
Sometimes the cause of not eating doesn’t have an easy treatment. Your pet’s condition may be very serious and the treatment options are either not expected to work, are outside your budget, or aren’t what you want to put your pet through. In these cases, it is important to have an open, honest discussion with your veterinarian about your pet’s quality of life and if hospice-type care can be provided to help keep your pet comfortable for as long as possible, or if euthanasia should be considered.
If you and your veterinarian feel that your pet still has a good quality of life, he or she may prescribe nausea medication such as Cerenia or ondansetron (Zofran) and appetite stimulants such as Entyce or mirtazapine (Mirataz). They may recommend sub-cutaneous fluids to help keep your pet hydrated, which can be done in the clinic or can be performed by you at home if you are comfortable doing this.
Nausea Medications and Appetite Stimulants Are No Longer Helping
When appetite stimulants and nausea medications are no longer helping to keep your dog or cat eating, it is important to consider your pet’s quality of life. As hard as it is to let go, our ultimate responsibility as pet owners is that our pets don’t suffer. If changes in treatment you have made with your veterinarian to try and improve your dog or cat’s appetite aren’t helping, euthanasia should be considered so that your pet doesn’t suffer.
When It’s Time to Euthanize my Pet
If you are contemplating the difficult decision to euthanize a beloved pet, we are available to talk to you at any time about your pet’s condition and any questions or concerns you might have. When the time comes, and if you prefer to put your pet to sleep at home rather than at the veterinary clinic, we would be honored to help your pet and your family in any way that we can. Please call or text us at 772-272-1800 to talk to us about your pet.
Bridges Veterinary Care | In Home Pet Euthanasia
Bridges Veterinary Care and Dr. JP Shepherd are dedicated to providing compassionate, peaceful in home euthanasia for dogs, cats and other beloved pets of families in Martin County, St. Lucie County, southern Indian River County, northern Palm Beach County, and parts of Okeechobee County. If your family is in need of in home euthanasia services for a beloved pet, we would be honored to assist you. Please call or text us at 772-272-1800 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Available appointment days for the upcoming week can be found here. Same day appointments are often available.
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