We are Dog Sitting and the dog REFUSES to eat .. what can we do? We have her for 14 days! This is Day 3 ..?

We are dog sitting my Mother in Law's 10 yr. old Westie (West Highland Terrier) dog and she is REFUSING to eat.





We have been dog sitting her while my husbands parents are out of town for over 3 years .. but now all of a sudden this particular time she is refusing to eat!





On a side note, my Sister in Law watched her (the dog) a couple weeks ago for 1 day and the dog came home scratching uncontrollably. My Mother in Law took the dog to the Vet and they said that she was itching from 'stress' ..


The dog was SO stressed out being at my Sister in Laws house for ONE day (because she has a 3 yr. old who kicks her and pulls her hair and is very mean to her ..) the dog came home completely stressed out and itching non-stop all over.





She has NEVER been stressed here .. she has never done the scratching thing with us and she has never lost her appetite while staying here. She has always enjoyed being here and nothing has ever happened that would cause this sudden change in appetite.





Is it possible that the stress from being with my Sister in Law (2 weeks ago) could be causing this appetite loss with us?





The dog is NOT itching, she isn't stressed, she just looks like she's sad.





My Mother in Law is on a cruise (out of the country) for 2 weeks and the dog is staying with us. This is the 3rd day she's been here and she has not taken a bite of food.


It's the same food she has always eaten and everything is exactly the same as all the other times she's stayed here (which is MANY many times).





She loves crackers so I even tried giving her those, she simply refuses to eat them. She won't eat anything, not even 'treats'.





Could there be a connection between her staying at my Sister in Laws (and probably being traumatized by their kid!) cause this loss of appetite with us?





Do dogs have the sense to eat before they become ill??


I am afraid that she's going to get sick from not eating ..





What can I do to get her to eat??We are Dog Sitting and the dog REFUSES to eat .. what can we do? We have her for 14 days! This is Day 3 ..?
Yes, short story there could be a connection with her staying at the other place and all the abuse she got there. You're just going to have to spoil the dog a little (or a lot) extra to get her to come out of her shell. Dogs need EXTRA attention and activity when they are away from home to take their mind off the fact that their routine has been upset. Get her some toys, treats, whatever. Take her for a walk; take her to the park. Add something extra yummy to her kibble. Talk to her sweetly. If she's not doing better in another couple of days, take her to the vet.





Sounds like she's just a little depressed. Give her some extra love and show her that being away from home does NOT mean she's going to be treated badly.





And PLEASE do not let this dog stay at your SIL's again. Shame on her for letting that child torture the poor dog!We are Dog Sitting and the dog REFUSES to eat .. what can we do? We have her for 14 days! This is Day 3 ..?
I really don't think you can reasonably blame your sister in law for the dog's current behavior. Either she's already sick, which is very possible, or she's depressed. I would buy a can of good qualitydog food and mix it with her regular food and warm water. If she still turns her nose up to the food, call the vet and get her checked out. Inappetance (not eating) is a symptom of illkness-- not just a cause of illness.
You might try boiling or sautéing some chicken and hand feeding her a little chicken, and a little of her food... i think if you sit on the floor with her and offer her something from your hand, it might help?





I hope it works out.
Sounds like she may have dog separation anxiety. Check the link I posted below for more information on it. Either way, you need to make a vet visit with her fairly quickly to be sure. Hope this helps.





Iams.com/Dog-separation-anxiety
She's depressed, my fathers dog was the same way he wouldn't eat because he missed them so much, I would feed him pasta or white rice and he'd eat that he just wouldn't eat his normal food.





My suggestion is take her for a long walk and exercise her, exercise can have some affects such as stimulate the appetite and can lift them up and make them happier and she might be encouraged to eat.





Try some smelly food such as a bit of real cheese (not slices) a bit of lunch meat if you have it or try some white rice with boiled chicken or some ground beef (cooked with oil drained off).





Dogs can go a long time without food and not starve, they will eat when they get hungry enough so three days is not too long, but yes, they can make themselves sick, so I suggest some smelly foods that are more enticing, exercise and play time and if nothing works and she goes another few days then I suggest going to the vet to make sure there's nothing medically wrong.
The dog sounds like it is suffering some separation anxiety. As long as she is drinking water she should be fine. Wait another 3-4 days. If she hasn't eaten anything by then you should take her to a vet who can either tube feed her or administer nutrition intravenously.