My four-year-old female Golden Retriever is reluctant to eat. Please advise me what could be the reason.

There are number of reasons for your pet to behave like this. For example, it may be because of her fear for new food, previous bad experience with the food, poor palatability or simply she may be a fussy eater. Some dogs may refuse food/skip meals, when they have consumed more energy than they would require (which is common in our experience). Please make sure that you are not over-feeding her and monitor her body weight at least every two weeks. Dogs tend to eat less in hot and humid climates as well. Try feeding small frequent meals and use wet food (pouch) as topping on the current meal. If she continues to refuse food, contact your vet and discuss whether there may be medical cause(s) for this and in some instances, blood work may be required to find out any underlying cause.

Question by – Debashis Sengupta, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh