Worried why is my dog not eating and shaking? (Learn potential causes from anxiety to serious illness quickly)
Okay, so I wanted to share something that happened with my dog, Max, a while back. It really freaked me out. One morning, I put his food down, same stuff he always eats, and he just... sniffed it and walked away. That was weird right off the bat, 'cause Max loves his breakfast.
Then maybe an hour later, I noticed he was shaking. Not like, cold shaking, but like... nervous, trembling kinda shake. He just wasn't himself. He usually follows me around, tail wagging, but he was just lying in his bed, looking miserable.
First things I checked
My first thought was, okay, did he eat something weird outside yesterday? I took a quick look around the yard, didn't see anything obvious. Checked his water bowl – full. Felt his nose – normal temp, not hot. The shaking was the part that really got me worried though.
He just kept trembling.
I kept a close eye on him all morning. Tried offering him a little bit of boiled chicken, thinking maybe he just didn't like his kibble suddenly. Nope. Wouldn't touch it. The shaking didn't stop either. Sometimes it was less, sometimes more, but it was constant. By lunchtime, when he still hadn't eaten anything and was still trembling, I knew I couldn't just wait and see. Something was definitely wrong.
Off to the Vet We Went
So, I bundled Max up and took him straight to the vet. He hates car rides, which usually makes him shake a little, but this was different. He was quiet, just trembling in my lap.
The vet was great, very calm. She asked a bunch of questions:
- When did it start?
- Any vomiting or diarrhea? (Nope, not yet)
- Anything stressful happen recently? (Not that I could think of)
- Did he get into anything unusual?
She gave him a good check-over, felt his belly, looked at his gums, listened to his heart. He was still shaking on the exam table.
After the exam, the vet said it could be a few things. Maybe he had a bit of tummy ache causing pain, or maybe it was stress or anxiety about something I hadn't noticed. She didn't find anything immediately alarming, which was a relief, but she wanted to be safe.
She suggested we try some simple things first.
What We Did Next
The vet gave him a little injection for nausea, just in case his stomach was upset, even though he hadn't thrown up. She also gave me some super bland, easy-to-digest canned food to try when we got home. The main thing was to keep him calm and comfortable and encourage him to drink water.
Back home, I made his bed extra cozy and sat with him. Tried the special food after an hour or so. He hesitated, but then took a few small bites! That was a huge win in my book.
Over the next day, the shaking slowly stopped. He started eating the bland food a bit more each time. By the second day, he was pretty much back to his old self, maybe just a little quieter than usual. We finished the bland food and slowly transitioned back to his regular stuff.
We never figured out exactly what caused it. Maybe he did eat something small that upset his stomach, maybe he got spooked by a loud noise I didn't hear. Who knows?
The big takeaway for me was just how fast things can change with your pet.
You gotta pay attention to those little signs. Not eating and shaking – definitely worth getting checked out right away. Better safe than sorry, you know?
