wont eat

Question
dog acts happy,alert,wants to play,but will not eat. I've tried changing from canned food to dry,tried moist and meaty in pouches,even tried wiennies,but dog turns away and won't eat. I even tried pinching a little food in my fingers and hand feeding but that does'nt work either.Dog is 1 1/2 yrs. old mixed breed,been with me since 4 weeks old.Any advice will be helpful.

Answer
Hi Donald,

As long as your dog isn't acting lethargic, and is still urinating normally, there isn't any emergencies.

Constantly changing a dog's food, or trying to entice him into eating with tempting things such as hotdogs,  will only make him finicky, because he WILL acquire a preference and hold out for exactly what he wants.  It's a habit best not encouraged.

You should have your dog examined by your vet. If your dog is having a dental problem, that would cause him to avoid food. There is also the chance there's some physical problem which you're not aware of. Dogs are pretty stoic about showing pain or discomfort.

Dogs sometimes self regulate their food intake, especially if it's a little over weight.  
Assuming the vet exam shows nothing is wrong, this might be the case.

So first have your dog examined. It's a very big and important thing to rule out. Please feel free to write back if your vet gives your dog the green flag of health.

Best of luck,
Patti