Why Isn’t My Dog Eating Normally?

When a dog goes off their food it is tempting to change everything at once — new food, toppers, hand-feeding. This check does the opposite: it narrows things down to one starting point, so you can tell whether it actually helped.

What the check covers

• The pattern: refusing meals but taking treats, starting then walking away, skipping some meals, or off food generally.
• Timing and recent changes — a food switch, a new home, a different schedule, a new bowl or feeding spot.
• How meals are offered: set mealtimes, food left down all day, or it varies.
• How much is coming from treats, toppers and preferred foods.

Warning signs are screened first: if you report things like repeated vomiting, low energy, or a dog that has not eaten at all for over 24 hours, the check stops and points you to a veterinarian instead of giving feeding advice. This is not a diagnosis, and it does not identify a medical cause — it suggests one reasonable, non-medical place to begin.