Canine anorexia

There are two main types of anorexia in dogs. One is physiological anorexia, which is seen during the teething period, estrus, pregnancy reaction, and before delivery. , generally there are no other symptoms, and the spirit, body temperature, breathing, and defecation are all normal. The other type is disease anorexia, which is an early symptom of the disease and is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, abdominal pain, etc. Seen in the early stages of infectious diseases such as overfeeding, stomatitis, dental disease, gastrointestinal diseases, canine fever, parvovirus enteritis, coronavirus, rotavirus, salmonellosis and other infectious diseases.

However, there are other reasons for dog anorexia:

Lack of adequate exercise: If the dog is truly anorexic, the real anorexia mentioned here refers to eating basically every day. After a few mouthfuls of dog food, the owner can barely absorb the nutritional bottom line to ensure that he can survive in a lean state. Then the owner should start to pay attention. After ruling out the fact that the dog cannot eat due to illness, the first thing the owner should think about is whether the dog has not exercised enough recently? For dogs, before they reach adulthood, they may pay more attention to eating, but after they become adults, they may pay more attention to playing. This is especially true for large dogs. After the dog becomes an adult, if the owner continues to provide the same amount of exercise as a puppy, the dog will naturally be very dissatisfied. Without enough exercise, dogs naturally do not need the amount of food. They can get the energy to stay alive by eating a few mouthfuls every day.

Weather changes: Weather changes can cause anorexia in dogs. In a hot and humid climate, owners often see that their dogs only order and taste the flavors they usually like to eat; they don’t even touch the “dry goods” such as dog food. In fact, if the weather is too hot, dogs will not have a strong desire to eat. But this does not mean that the dog does not need to eat. Strictly speaking, it just means that the dog does not plan to eat in a hot environment.

Bad Mood: Dogs don’t like to eat when they are low-tempered and depressed. In a certain type of dog with a strong personality, "sadness" may not affect food intake, but "anger" can easily become the source of anorexia or even hunger strike. It can be said that the mood of dogs typically determines their appetite! Especially dogs raised in cities now, they have no worries about eating or drinking, and it is completely understandable for them to play with their emotions when they are in a bad mood. If the owner beats and scolds the dog for no reason for a period of time, or neglects the dog too much, it will directly affect the dog's appetite over time.

What to do if a dog is anorexic

Physiological anorexia and disease anorexia: The owner can completely ignore this. If you have to do something to show the owner's responsibility, you can choose to increase the palatability of the food. If it is due to overeating, excessive food intake, or difficulty in eating foodFor digested food, drugs to help digestion can be given, such as 1 to 2 multi-enzyme tablets, 0.5 to 1 g of gastric enzymes, Qingda 40,000 to 80,000, taken orally, and fasting for 24 to 36 hours. For disease-induced anorexia, the main purpose is to treat the cause, and drugs that help digestion can only play a supporting role.

Lack of adequate exercise: The solution to anorexia is relatively simple, just increase the amount of exercise. Spend more time running with your dog, and the problem will be solved. However, it is best to use different exercise methods for different dogs, otherwise the owner may be the one who is exhausted in the end. Generally, small toy dogs only need to prepare more toys at home, such as dog chews and drawstrings for them to play and exercise. Usually, they can be kept running and jumping to satisfy their exercise requirements. However, large dogs must exercise outdoors more often, especially hunting dogs. Their ancestors made a living by hunting and are accustomed to strenuous exercise. They should be allowed to run at least 5 to 10 kilometers a day.

Weather changes: The best solution is to supplement your dog with more sugary and salty water during hot weather, and adjust the usual feeding time to nights or mornings when the weather is cooler. If you are an office worker who just pours dog food into the dog's food bowl every day, you will often hear the sound of your dog chewing vigorously until midnight.

Tips

Many owners have this experience. When dogs lose their appetite, they will find ways to exchange meat. They eat chicken legs today, pork liver tomorrow, and beef the day after tomorrow. Slowly, they will find that the dog eats less and less, as if no food can increase their appetite. In fact, if you start feeding dog food from an early age or change dog food midway, you should be very conscious when eating and stop feeding other foods. Because this can help dogs develop good eating habits and gradually develop a non-selective, non-anorexic behavior! In addition, to keep their appetite strong, they can stop eating one day a week.