A healthy dog is alert, strong and energetic. If the pet is not sick, he drinks a lot of water and is willingly eats. Decreased appetite should be a concern for owners – it is possible that your dog has serious health problems. This article will cover 6 main reasons why your Australian Shepherd isn‘t eating and what you can do about it.
5 Reasons Why Your Australian Shepherd Won‘t Eat:
- Emotional stress
- Pickiness
- Insufficient exercise
- Pampering
- Health issues
We will go through all these 5 reasons more in detail below.
What To Do In Case Of Lack Of Appetite In a Dog?
Your first task is to make sure your Australian Shepherd doesn‘t really have an appetite. Very often, owners worry that their pet is not eating as much food as recommended. Keep in mind that each dog is individual, plus most dogs eat only about 80 percent recommended dose rates. In this case, there is no need to worry – most likely your dog is completely healthy.
However, if a sudden change has occurred and your always hungry dog has started to not eat that much anymore – you should not underestimate any signal that he may be suffering from something.
Vomiting and lack of appetite in the dog are the prophets of the disease. If your Australian Shepherd is depressed and inactive, but was energetic a few days ago, it‘s time to visit the vet. And your vet will ask you some important questions, such as:
- How long does your Australian Shepherd have no appetite?
- What food does the animal eat every day?
- How much he eats every day?
- Has your Aussie been vaccinated with all the necessary vaccines?
Your veterinarian may test your dog and change the diet plan to a more suitable one. You will also need to keep an eye on your pet for the next few days. If it turns out that the animal is still sick, then you need to look for a reason.
5 Reasons Why Your Australian Shepherd Won‘t Eat
1. Emotional Stress
The causes of loss of appetite can vary widely. Very often the problem is related to emotional stress, for example if you have recently changed residence. If you decide to travel with your dog, watch his eating habits – a decreased appetite reports an internal confusion for the pet. Some dogs refuse to eat in disturbing environments (for example, when loud guests enter the house). Also, your Australian Shepherd can react poorly to situations that cause stress, such as excessive noise or exploding fireworks.
2. Pickiness
It may be that your Australian Shepherd is not eating because of the disease, but because he or she is too picky. In that case, it will not be up to the vet, it is up to you. First, start feeding your dog regularly, such as twice a day. And don‘t to give him treats if he does everything right. When feeding a dog, play with him.
3. Insufficient exercise
Australian Shepherds are high-energy, athletic dogs that needs at least one-two hours of daily exercise. So, if your dog doesn‘t get enough exercises during the day, it could be also the problem for loss of appetite.
Animals need mental and physical activity, so try to give your Aussie a little of these activities every day. One day it could be a variety of games with educational toys for mental activity, then the next day should be for physical activity. Physical activity means active exercises or games that make you Australian Shepherd exhausted.
4. Pampering
Another possible reason is that you have pampered your Australian Shepherd too much, so now they gladly agree to endure and not eat their food if they know they can get something tastier. Sometimes a dog eats a normal daily portion just constantly asking you for food from the table or stealing it from the trash.
The food intended for him then looks tasteless, and the owners feel stressed, so they constantly give something from the side. It is essential to evaluate your behavior rigorously and openly, as well as talk to family members who may secretly give your Aussie some bites and feed him food from human table.
5. Health Issues
Lost appetite can also predict a much more serious illness such as infection, dental disease, kidney failure. Reluctance to eat can also predict the development of malignancies, cancer, or other difficult to treat diseases. The presence of parasites manifests itself in vomiting, diarrhea, reluctance to eat, and increasing apathy.
Reluctance to eat can also occur as a side effect of vaccinations. Vaccinations are a necessary tool for a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, even the safest vaccines can have side effects, one of the most common of which is poor appetite.
If the dog does not eat due to the disease, the veterinarian will prescribe treatment and make a diet plan that meets the needs of the dog‘s body. True, sometimes a pet is not happy with the food given to him, but you have to force him to eat. If you see that there is nothing you can do, ask your veterinarian to prescribe medications to stimulate your dog‘s appetite. It is worth remembering that the well-being of a dog is determined not only by the diet, but also by contact with microorganisms and other sick animals. A dog may also have a mite that is not visible in dense fur, but it does damage to his body.
How To Get Your Australian Shepherd To Eat His Meals
If your Australian Shepherd vomits or has diarrhea, loses weight, is apathetic, has any possible signs of the disease – be sure to visit a veterinarian. It is especially important to react quickly if your Aussie lost appetite or if such behavior occurs for an old dog.
If the matter is serious, the veterinarian will draw up a special diet plan for the animal. In this case, special foods may need to be tasted, and sometimes the dog may be fed by force.
Evaluate whether the food you feed your Australian Shepherd is high quality, enriched with healthy, easily digestible animal proteins, not cheap fillers. If your Aussie tends to eat little, choose feeds for active, sporty dogs – they are calorie-rich (need less), fatty (and therefore tastier).
Many veterinarians advise feeding your dog only one type of food. Frequent changes of feed can make the dog more picky – if he knows he can get tastier food, he will wait. If you face such a problem that your Australian Shepherd has lost his appetite, give treats less often and do not feed food from the table. If the dog knows that there is a chance to get something tastier, he will agree to wait to get that dreamy cookie.
Final Thoughts
The causes of loss of appetite can be very varied and the most important thing is to diagnose them in time and prescribe the most appropriate treatment for the pet.