This week on ask the vet we discuss why sometimes your dog refuses to eat his food.

There are various number of causes as to why dogs do not eat, the most common one is the dog having worms. Round worms and Hook worms are the most common worms found in dogs and this leads them to lose their appetite

Another cause is an infection caused by ticks or filarial.

Like humans, dogs have feelings as well so there can be physiological reasons as to why dogs refuse their food. When owners go away for a long period of time the dog would feel lonely and thus not eats it’s food

Another psychological reason for the dog to refrain from eating its food would be a change in the dogs diet. If the dog was used to eating a certain type of food it would react differently when served food that is new to it.

Before taking the dog to a vet, you could try

• Worm the dog
• Give food which the dog likes

If these two techniques do not work, your next stop is most certainly the vet’s office.

To avoid having your faithful companion going on a hunger strike

• To avoid infections

Ensure that the dog has been given the PAVO DHL and Rabies vaccination

And wormed regularly  

• If the dog is not eating due to ticks, bathe it and after the coat is dry use anti parasitic medicines