My Goledn Retriever does not eat

Question
Hello.
My Golden retriever does not eat his food. He is about 8 months old. He stopped eating about 1 day and a half ago. He barely touches his food. I tried Iams, Beneful, and Purina in the last few days, but he still will not eat. I haven't taken him to the vet yet because I do not know if this is seriou or not. Please, if you have any advice, would you please tell me?

Answer
Nearly all cases of not eating are due to either being sick, or over fed.  At 8 months, his need for food may have declined.  If he has shown less and less interest in food, and finally quit eating altogether, likely you are feeding him too much.  Here is a link to a good guide to judging how much you should be feeding, http://www.puppychow.com/products/popup_body_condition.aspx  You should also change to the the adult version of what you have been feeding.  Sticking to one protein source when a dog is young makes it easier to work around food allergies if they develop later.

If you dog has good body condition, and has been eating with the normal vigor of Goldens, and quit suddenly, call the vet tomorrow morning.  Likely the vet won't be in the Fourth.  There are a number of conditions, some quite serious, that can cause a loss of appetite.  Usually there is no cause to panic and run to the vet over the weekend, but don't put off until Wednesday.  

My 12 year old Lab suddenly got sick Friday evening.  She is not doing well at all.  I am hoping she will be OK until morning.  I will be getting her to the vet, the first thing.