Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How to manage loss of appetite in dogs and cats
By Delaney, Sean J·Published in The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice·2006·Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Management of anorexia in dogs and cats.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
If your dog or cat is not eating, it's important to act quickly. The first step is to ensure they receive urgent medical care to address any underlying issues. Once stabilized, offering highly appealing food in a calm setting can help encourage them to eat. You might try adding moisture, fat, or protein to their meals, or even introducing fresh, aromatic foods. If your pet continues to eat less than their energy needs for more than a few days, they may require special feeding methods, like tube feeding, to ensure they get the nutrition they need.
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Abstract
The management of anorexia should center first on the urgent and emergent medical management of the patient and be followed by feeding of a highly palatable food in a low-stress environment and manner. Diet palatability can potentially be improved by increasing dietary moisture, fat, or protein, and, in the dog, by adding sugar or salt as well as by using a variety of fresh, pleasantly aromatic, and uncommon foods. Caution should be used when increasing or adding nutrients that may be harmful to patients with specific diseases. Concurrent drug therapy that may reduce appetite should be minimized, and physical barriers to eating should be removed. Patients that consume less than resting energy requirement of longer than 3 to 5 days with no trend toward improving should receive parenteral or enteral nutrition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17085232/