Stephanie, despite several visits to the vet over from when she was a puppy at 4 months of age, which is when I got her, has not been eating well. She deliberately starves herself. Of recent, after persuading her to eat, I hear her gut make sounds that clearly show that her gut is empty and that she is hungry, but she still starves herself. I am exhausted (physically and financially) trying to make her eat. She only survived this long because of my relentless effort to get her to eat. Any ideas?

Updated On February 1st, 2020

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 7 months old | 76 lbs

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Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

Veterinarian

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While some dogs can be very picky eaters, it sounds like Stephanie might have a gastrointestinal disease that is making her have a decrease in appetite. She could have a food sensitivity/allergy, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, a hormonal disease like Addison's or even parasites. I would recommend talking to your vet about screening lab work, potentially checking a resting cortisol along with B12 and pancreatic lipase, and maybe a food trial with a hypoallergenic diet.

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