Love Your Pet. Take Them to The Vet.

Your dog needs food and water to maintain his energy and to keep up with his health. If your dog, who usually runs in for his bowl of food, stops eating suddenly or hardly eats anything at all, it's an issue that needs to be looked into. There are a number of reasons why your dog isn't eating or drinking. Some may have to do with his own health, while others could simply be because he doesn't like his dog food. If your dog isn't eating or drinking and you have a concern, take your dog to the animal hospital to be checked out by a veterinarian. Read on for a few things you can do to help your dog at home.

1. Try Adding Water

If your dog eats harder kibble, give him a little bit of water mixed into the food to help soften it. If your dog isn't eating or drinking, it could be because of a tooth issue. Softening the food may help your dog be better able to eat without it hurting his teeth. If this helps, take a look inside your dog's mouth and inspect his teeth. If your dog has severely bad breath, has any mouth swelling, or just generally doesn't want you near his mouth, it could be an infected tooth that should be looked into right away before it causes any further damage, such as liver or heart damage.

2. Keep Your Dog Cool

Your dog may not be eating or drinking after a long day outside in the sun. If your dog is dehydrated, it may have been because he overdid it in the sun and didn't get enough water to drink. Keep your dog cool and offer him small amounts of food and water to drink at a time. If your dog is in fact dehydrated and finally begins to drink, and consumes a lot, it can cause him to throw it all back up. Remember to keep your dog cool on hot, sunny days and provide him with plenty of water to drink.

3. Change His Food

If you recently changed your dog's food and he has stopped eating it, he may just generally not like it. Try mixing it with a different dog food that was a little more similar to whatever he was eating prior. Continue mixing the food until your dog gets used to the new type of food. You should always ease your dog into any new food. Always mix the old bag of food with the new bag of food, as this is gentler on your dog's stomach.

If your dog isn't eating or drinking, contact your veterinarian right away, or take him to your local animal hospital for help. You can also try the above-mentioned to help your dog as well. If your dog does have something medically wrong with him, it is going to need to be treated right away.

For more information on why your dog isn't eating or drinking, talk to a local veterinarian like those at Kenmore Veterinary Hospital.