Having an appetite in animals is a sign of good health, unless it is an excessive appetite caused by anxiety. Therefore, if suddenly your dog, cat or rabbit does not want to eat, all the alarms go off, right? We except, of course, certain animals, which, as in the case of people, are not characterized by eating too much or there are even days when they skip a meal, but the next day they eat normally again. Therefore, there is no one better than you to assess whether this reluctance to eat is normal or not in your animal.
In any case, The reasons why your furry dog does not want to eat can be varied.: boredom with their food or that it is not of quality (yes, you may spend a lot on that “branded” feed, but this does not mean that it is of high quality or does not have the nutrients that your body is asking for ); stress, depression, pain, fever, internal parasites, oral problems, kidney or liver failure, cancer, etc. As you will see, There are both physical and emotional reasons and their range of severity is very varied..
A visit to the veterinarian is the most advisable thing to clear up doubts and stop whatever is happening as soon as possible, which is key in any disease.
As British integrative veterinarian Rohini Sathish warns: “Cats suffering from respiratory infections cannot smell their food and will not stop in front of their food bowl even if it is full. For their part, any animal with an infection in the mouth will try to eat, but since it is painful they will stop doing so.".
The definitive proof that something is wrong (it doesn't have to be serious) is to offer your dog a treat or a food that you know he loves. If he also rejects it, don't wait any longer and go to the vet.
If you notice that although your dog, cat or rabbit does not want to eat, it behaves normally, that is, it is not, for example, lethargic or absent, do not worry too much. It is normal for a cat to go without food for a day and a dog for up to two days.
If, even so, you are “tortured” by the fact that your furry friend is fasting, you can tempt him as we have said with Award that you know he loves or perhaps it is enough to simply heat his wet food or BARF a little to make it more appetizing if it is dogs or cats.
You can also try, in the case of cats, with the catnip (catnip in English) to cheer them up, and for dogs, you can add a few drops of catnip to their food. oils rich in Omega 3. There are also natural restoratives such as Anima Strath, suitable for a wide variety of animals.
Also think about whether the place where you have the feeder is quiet, if not, move it to a part of the house that is quieter so that your animal eats comfortably.
If we rule out that the loss of appetite is due to the type of food, but rather that it can hide an emotional problem, there are several natural therapies that can help solve it. Of course, we also recommend following the guidelines of an ethologist.
The Bach Flowers They help the animal adapt to new situations such as important changes in the family, moving, etc. The aromatherapy or the applied zoopharmacognosy, based on essential and vegetable oils, can make it easier to overcome trauma. And ancient techniques such as acupuncture or TuiNa massage They restore the body's energy balance and, as a result, help restore appetite.
Visit our section of consultations if you want more information.
