
SUMMARY: If you’re searching for answers to the question, “Why is my old dog not eating?” help is here. With a combined 30+ years of experience caring for senior dogs, veterinarians Dr. Erica Irish and Dr. Julie Buzby share helpful, actionable tips along with underlying causes for an older dog’s loss of appetite.
When a concerned pet parent asks me why her beloved old dog is not eating, I look into the greying dog’s eyes and ask myself, “What are you trying to tell us?” It’s one of those times when I wish my patients could speak! To understand what might be going on when a dog’s eating habits have changed, let’s meet a senior dog named Boss and uncover the clues behind appetite loss in senior dogs.
When a dog refuses to eat: Boss’ symptoms
Boss, a lovable Pit Bull/Shar-Pei senior dog, was a happy member of my sister’s family. He enjoyed his meals and the occasional treat but was never a dog with a ravenous appetite. This made it more challenging to notice when his appetite diminished. But it wasn’t until the day that he had a seizure—his first-ever—that he lost interest in food altogether.
My sister brought this to my attention right away, and I gave her a few suggestions to coerce Boss into eating his breakfast. As I made arrangements for his vet visit, my mind raced through all the underlying conditions related to this symptom.
Your dog’s appetite is a critical clue
Wouldn’t it have been great if Boss could have told me what was happening? This frustration is familiar to many dog owners.
But our dogs do give us clues.
When an older dog refuses to eat, the presence of other clinical signs can help direct dog owners and veterinarians in the search for answers. Consider the following three scenarios and potential underlying conditions when you think about your senior dog.
1. Your old dog is not eating or drinking: Is pain the underlying cause?

Let’s consider a dog that is bright and alert but is reluctant to eat or drink water. Pain and discomfort are possible factors when additional clinical signs are not obvious.
Arthritis in dogs is a very common health issue. If your senior dog is suffering from arthritis pain, then you might see him limping or walking with stiffness. Could it be difficult for him to get up from his bed and navigate to his food and water dishes? You could try bringing his dishes bedside to see if this revives his interest in food.
If this seems to solve the issue, then your veterinarian can help you develop a pain management plan to improve your dog’s mobility and willingness to move around your home. Furthermore, sometimes food and water bowls are located on slippery surfaces that can make it difficult for an older pet to traverse or feel stable while eating. ToeGrips® dog nail grips can improve traction and confidence on slippery surfaces in your home.
In addition to the pain of arthritis, don’t discount dental disease and the subsequent oral pain as the reason a dog won’t eat. Your dog’s appetite might be just fine but if every bite hurts, he might learn to avoid the dishes altogether because he remembers that chewing caused pain.

Dental disease was the underlying condition for a senior dog named Sister
A new canine patient of mine named Sister is the poster child for this PSA. Sister hasn’t been eating well on and off for months. However, since she was 18 years old (yes, you read her age correctly), her conscientious mom was just trying to keep Sister comfortable. She brought Sister to me for acupuncture and appetite stimulants to help improve her quality of life.
When I met them in the parking lot, I was taken aback. I knew Sister was 18, but she pranced down the sidewalk toward me like she was a youngster at Westminster! Her physical exam was unremarkable (very happy news for 18!), and her bloodwork looked great.
Sister’s only issue was trench mouth—the veterinary slang term for tartar build-up, chronic infection, and inflamed gums. Her owner described the classic symptoms: Sister drooled when she ate and would sometimes not eat much for a couple of days. In light of her physical exam and lab results, I was convinced that her oral disease was the most likely reason behind her disinterest in food. Fortunately, it’s a treatable one!
Her mom and I both teared up a little bit as I presented the option of seeing a specialist at a referral hospital for dental care under anesthesia, hopefully completely restoring Sister’s interest in food. Yes, there’s a risk to anesthesia for older dogs, but there’s also a high likelihood of life-changing success for Sister. Her dental procedure is scheduled later this month, and I will blog her journey, so stay tuned!
2. Your old dog is not eating and is sleeping a lot: Is it normal or a sign of a more serious condition?

excessive sleepiness is a cause for concern.
It’s important to note that older dogs tend to sleep a bit more than younger dogs. Since most senior dogs will develop arthritis, they may be less inclined to exercise. Burning fewer calories means that they will eat a little less than the standard adult dog. However, excessive sleeping and/or your old dog not eating is a cause for concern and warrants a phone call to your veterinarian. A complete tip-to-tail exam and lab work will usually yield answers.
Increased sleep and decreased appetite due to heart or lung disease
Breathing is a higher priority than eating. If your dog has heart or lung disease, then you might notice that he sleeps more than the typical senior dog. This is because his heart and lungs must work harder to get oxygen to other internal organs, so the brain might tell the body to slow down in order to play catch-up. Failure to provide the body with enough oxygen can result in respiratory distress, and your dog will not be able to eat well if he is having trouble breathing. If you’ve ever tried to close your mouth and chew with a stuffed up nose, you get the idea.
Increased sleep and decreased appetite due to canine cognitive dysfunction
Another possible contributing factor may be canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD), which is essentially doggie dementia. Older dogs with CCD can experience changes in their sleep-wake cycles, meaning that they can have shorter or longer periods of wakefulness and be restless at night. CCD may or may not directly affect your dog’s appetite, but dogs with CCD who experience restlessness and anxiety may have very little appetite. If they are confused, then they may not remember where to find their food bowls. For more information and helpful tips, check out our article on “Managing Canine Cognitive Dysfunction in Dogs: Signs, Symptoms, Solutions”.
3. Your old dog is not eating and is throwing up: Don’t wait! Contact your veterinarian!
Vomiting can be a major concern regardless of a dog’s age. Your veterinarian may advise a wait-and-see approach over the phone if vomiting happens just once. However, if your dog is vomiting multiple times a day and stops eating, contact your veterinarian immediately.
Vomiting, loss of appetite due to medications
Certain medications and supplements can cause vomiting due to an adverse reaction or irritation to the lining of the stomach. Antibiotics and pain medications—commonly prescribed to older dogs—can cause tummy upset as the number one side effect. If you suspect that your dog is having a problem with his medication, alert your veterinarian right away for recommendations. He or she may advise you to skip a dose or stop the medication altogether, but it is important to ask first because simply stopping a treatment regimen may be detrimental for your dog.
Vomiting, loss of appetite due to serious illness
Unfortunately, vomiting can also be a sign of serious illness. Pancreatitis, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, and even cancer can all cause vomiting. It is important to quickly identify the cause of your dog’s illness in order to prevent further complications and maintain an excellent quality of life for your senior dog through appropriate treatment.
What are the next steps?
Your veterinarian is the best person to help you figure out why your old dog won’t eat. After a thorough physical examination, he or she may recommend baseline blood and urine testing in order to make sure that your dog’s internal organs are functioning correctly. A professional dental cleaning (with or without extractions) may be necessary if there is evidence of dental disease. If your dog is having breathing problems, your vet may recommend chest X-rays to evaluate the heart and lungs. If lab work is unremarkable, then your veterinarian may recommend further diagnostic testing to get to the bottom of the issue or conservative supportive care to maintain hydration, reduce nausea, and promote comfort.
What else can you do to help a dog who’s not eating?
As a conscientious pet parent, I know you worry when your dog is not eating. I joke with my clients about the daily tracking of pee, poop, and food intake that we all subconsciously track in our pets. If our dogs are failing to eat, we feel like we are failing them as their caretakers. As veterinarians, we recommend “tricks” to tempt a dog who isn’t eating to take a few bites. However, the emphasis must be on discovering the underlying cause of the loss of appetite, as discussed above.

If your grey-muzzled companion is having trouble eating dry dog food or simply isn’t interested, then offering wet food or soaking the dry kibble in some warm water can help encourage him to eat. Adding chicken breast or lean ground beef (drained) might also make food more enticing. In some cases, your vet might tell you to offer your dog some baby food products because they are easy to digest and have lots of different flavors to try. (Just be sure to avoid products that contain onion powder which is toxic to dogs).
In certain circumstances, your veterinarian may advise you to use a syringe to feed your dog. Also, your vet may recommend a feeding tube for at-home use if your dog is recovering from a serious illness that required hospitalization. It can seem daunting, but your veterinarian will walk you through the steps and answer all your questions.
For a senior dog who needs a little help regaining an interest in food after an illness or due to declining health, your vet might prescribe an appetite stimulant like mirtazepine. Also known as Remeron, mirtazepine is an inexpensive, safe, once-a-day pill that has been very helpful for my patients. Although it is prescribed as an antidepressant in humans, it functions as an appetite stimulant in dogs. A new veterinary prescription drug called Entyce is now available as an FDA-approved appetite stimulant for dogs.

Back to Boss’ story
As much as I wish that Boss’ story had a happy ending, life’s twists and turns don’t always go that way. After we brought my sister’s dog to the hospital, we noticed that some of his lymph nodes below his neck were enlarged. Even though most of his blood and urine testing was normal, we performed X-rays and found that his liver and spleen appeared enlarged. Boss’ lymph nodes were aspirated and this confirmed that he had lymphoma, a type of cancer. Sadly, it was already at an advanced stage, affecting his internal organs.
My sister was worried about the effect that chemotherapy might have on Boss’ heart, so we elected to give him prednisone, a steroid, to keep him comfortable. Steroids like prednisone are powerful anti-inflammatories and can have the side effects of an increased appetite. On the day that we started the medication, Boss started eating once again! We focused on his quality of life, making sure he was happy and loved in his final weeks.
What can we learn from our beloved Boss-man’s story? Boss had a very serious illness. By bringing him to be evaluated and tested as opposed to taking a “wait and see” approach, we were able to quickly figure out the cause and get Boss the care that he needed. He went back to acting like a puppy again the following day. Not only was he back to tossing his favorite stuffed toy in the air, but he was also back to eating all of his meals! Saying goodbye to Boss was very difficult, but we have fond memories and enjoyed spoiling him to the end.
If you’re facing difficult end-of-life or critical care decisions for your beloved senior dog, here are some additional resources for you:
- Dr. Buzby’s podcast: Cancer in Dogs With Dr. Sue, Cancer Vet
- Dr. Buzby’s blog post: Saying Goodbye to Our Dog
Trust your intuition and team with your vet

about changes in your senior dog’s eating habits.
Finally, you know your dog’s routine best. You know what is normal and not normal. You know when there is a change in his appetite. If you sense that something is amiss, please contact your veterinarian right away. Your veterinarian will let you know if the signs you describe warrant an emergency visit or an appointment.
Even if you are not able to bring your dog to the vet on the same day, your vet may offer some words of wisdom to help improve your dog’s appetite and overall happiness. Working closely with your veterinarian will bring you priceless peace of mind, and ensure the best plan to maintain your senior dog’s health and wellbeing.
Has your dear old dog’s appetite diminished?
Please comment below. We can all learn from each other.
hi there… we have an ole schnauzer… she will be 20 in March this year… she seemed to be having some joint pain….when she was moving …so I called the vet.. they didn’t want me to bring her in cause of Covid so we had a telephone consult and the vet prescribed some Antinol…. well with in a week of taking it I called the vet back and ask if this could wreck her apatite and why is she soo sleepy now…. they assured me it was not the meds …..but when I googled this medication, it said it can cause these symptoms……so we took her off of it and she h is back moving around again seemingly with no pain as she is not whining at all but she seems to of lost her apatite….I have been trying all kinds of different foods, wet foods, dry foods, and yesterday I cooked up some beef with a bit of rice and carrots and peas…..and she ate it pretty good…but today…not so much I have looked in her mouth at the 6 teeth she has left and they seem fine…any ideas???
Hi Hilda,
I understand your concern with your senior girl and her lack of appetite. I am sorry you were not able to take her to the vet clinic for an in-person exam. Since I haven’t examined your girl myself, I can’t make specific recommendations or conclusions about the cause of her issues. I was not familiar with Antinol, but did some research on this supplement. It seems to be a combination of several different fatty acids in an oil form (much like fish oil) that ideally would help with inflammation and joint pain. This product should not cause sedation. I am very concerned that there is something more serious going on that is unrelated to the Antinol. I highly recommend you contact your vet and update them on your dog’s current symptoms and see if they can get her in for an exam. They may need to do some testing and lab work to rule out more serious issues. Your girl may need a stronger pain medication or an appetite stimulant. I hope you can find the answers you are looking for to give your dog the best quality of life. I wish you both the best.
I have a 15 yr old schnauzer and she’s on entice! Works great. You should at least try it
I have a 13 year old Beagle mix who lost interest in eating last week. After several days of giving her anything she would eat (peanut butter, canned dog food, canned cat food), she stopped eating all together. Our vet recommended she get an ultrasound at an animal hospital since she has liver disease and her numbers have increased significantly since her last physical 3 months ago. The ultrasound confirmed that nothing else was wrong with her except her liver which shows a red area. Since they were not sure what was causing that red area, they sent us home with a bunch of different meds to treat several different ailments. The thought was that there are a couple of causes that were treatable, to a point. She stayed overnight and was given all the meds and nourishment via injections. She has been home now for 5 days and only ate 2 cookies on her own the day after she got home. Other than that, she has not eaten a thing on her own. She is on 7 medications (a couple for nausea, antacid, prednisone, Amox, Entyce, and Denamarin). I have to force her jaws open and pop in these pills and then massage her throat to get her to swallow. Then for nourishment, I use a small syringe to give her several squirts of chicken broth. I also put a couple of plops of soft food on her tongue and get her to swallow. I keep hoping she will start eating ANYTHING on her own but she will not and she is getting pretty weak. She still drinks fine and asks to go outside and basically follows me around the house like she use to….just everything is much slower. We just don’t know if we are prolonging the inevitable but our problem is that, aside from not eating, she does not seem to be suffering. I mention going for a walk, and her ears perk right up (we even took a very slow and short walk yesterday). Our vet keeps saying we should keep her comfortable. I am wondering if that is your advise, too, or if you have any other suggestions?
Dear Lorna,
I am sorry your Beagle hasn’t been eating despite all the medications. Unfortunately, it does sound like the end is near for your sweet girl. Most dogs will not cry out in pain or show the amount of discomfort they feel even if they are truly suffering. I am going to link some other articles below that may be of some help. I think it would be a good idea to reach out to a hospice vet in your area that could offer palliative care. My heart breaks for you and your family. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.
1. Signs Your Dog is Dying: A Caring Message to Bring You Peace
2. Dog Hospice Care Can Bring Peace and Dignity to Your Dog’s Final Days
3. Preparing for Your Dog’s Euthanasia: 10 Thoughts for Peace
4. Dog Euthanasia: Knowing When to Say Goodbye
My dog, Abby, is 15 years old. She is a small dog….she weighed 17lbs in September and lost 2 pounds in the course of 5 weeks. The vet did X-rays and ultrasound…a little hazy area in lungs but nothing definitive. Nothing strange in her blood work…liver enzymes up but not super high. Last week they removed a badly infected tooth…she ate some food the first day or two she was home but has eaten nothing in the last 5-6 days. She is on Entyce. She is sleeping a lot but will walk around. We don’t want her to suffer…but want to fix it if there is something we can do. Any suggestions? Thank you
Dear Linda,
You are right to be concerned about Abby. It concerns me that she has not eaten anything in so many days as this could be an emergency situation. Please contact your vet and give them an update on her condition. Since I have not examined Abby myself, I can’t make any specific recommendations. You may find it helpful to consult an internal medicine specialist in your area. I hope you have found a way to make your sweet girl comfortable and get her appetite back. My thoughts are with you as you find a way forward.
My 14 year old chihuahua has always been lean and a very picky eater. Now she’s rejecting everything I offer her now. She’ll come when called to eat, but sniffs and does not eat. She’ll eat a bit of fruit, but only a bit. Tried everything, no luck. Suggestions?
Dear Laurie,
Sorry to hear your dog is no longer eating. It sounds like you have done a great job providing many options to try and get her to eat. I would recommend you contact your local veterinarian or animal ER so that she can be seen by a veterinarian. Not eating well can be a sign of many different issues and it would be good for her to have a comprehensive examination and any necessary testing to get to the bottom of her loss of appetite. We wish you both all the best and hope you can find some answers for your sweet girl soon.
My dog, Buddy, is a 9 year old Aussie Shepherd. Within the past month he had a dental appointment. They said his teeth were better than expected- no extractions. I feed him twice a day. Tonight, he wouldn’t eat. Is it possible dogs are emotional? I wasn’t able to pay attention to him today. He’s very needy. He seems to whine under his breath. If I keep my hand on him while I watch tv, he’s content. Also, he’s been biting at his dish when I feed him and nudges it with his nose. Why is this? His dish is on a raised platform.
Hi Michelle,
I’m sorry to hear Buddy is feeling a bit off today. I am concerned that the signs he is showing – whining, biting at his dish, and not eating this evening- seem to go beyond him just being upset that he didn’t get as much attention today as he would have liked. If this behavior continues, I would recommend making an appointment with his veterinarian so they can evaluate him further. Without being able to examine him, I can’t tell you what exactly is going on, but I do think this bears further investigation as he could be experiencing GI pain or other distressing symptoms. I hope you are able to get to the bottom of this and he feels better soon! ❤
My older dog (12 years old) isn’t acting like himself. He’s usually always begging and in the kitchen when I’m cooking. He’s not interested in food and is more lethargic. He’s also peeing more than normal. I have an appointment at his vet’s but it’s not for a few weeks. I’m worried it’s not soon enough but wanted some advice before going to an emergency vet. I don’t want to pay an arm and a leg if I’m just being a worry wort lol. What do you think?
Hi Laura, I’m sorry to hear your older dog isn’t feeling well. I firmly believe that owners know their dogs well, so if you think something is off with him, I would definitely follow your gut. It doesn’t sound like you are just being a worrywart because all the signs you mentioned – being lethargic, peeing more, and not being interested in food – are concerning. I would recommend going to an emergency veterinarian rather than waiting a few weeks to be seen by your regular veterinarian.
I have an 8 yr old chocolate lab. She shows little, if any interest in eating and has been laying down and resting for almost a week now…?
She drinks little water and still urinating but this came on sudden…
Can you help?
(Can not afford crazy vet bills)
Hello Carrie, unfortunately what you describe/ask is beyond the scope of help I could provide in a blog comment. I believe with all my heart your dog needs a physical examination by a veterinarian asap. Though I cannot guarantee you’ll get a diagnosis on that first step, I think you’ll get some good information and it should be less than $100. From there your vet can provide recommendations and options.❤️
Dog is limping and can’t hardly walk, she is like 14 she won’t eat anything I tried everything?
Hello Roy, I would consider both of these issues—limping and not eating— important symptoms requiring an urgent call to your veterinarian and, likely, and office/visit and examination. I hope you are able to get your dog the care she needs asap. Thank you!