Subtle clues can help identify 'the why' behind a pet's appetite change

One of the biggest struggles that families face with pets who are aging or are on hospice is an appetite that's unreliable or absent. And it's understandable, given how much of a gauge that behavior is for us. In fact many pet guardians are convinced that their pet is choosing not to eat or eating less because they're dying. And in all my years of supporting people, and in educating them on how the dying process actually unfolds, I can say that they're relieved to learn that is often quite a stretch. Pets don't decide to stop eating. Something is standing in their way—like a symptom, a trigger or a disease process. Or less commonly, their body is moving through the process of actively dying and the body no longer has the need for food. But it's not an active choice. 

Appetite does tell us a lot, and while it can be a barometer, it's not something we should ever be using on its own to determine what's going on with a pet. Because quite honestly, it's just one clue. There are others that we may not be paying close enough attention to that can tell us more and either get things back on track, or give the vet the critical data they need to move through their assessment.

Let me explain. 

To start, it's important to understand that there are baskets, if you will, of appetite changes that are established to differentiate the behavior change, and they're not created equal. By assessing which basket or baskets the behavior has fallen into, the process of next steps can not only expedite the process of getting things sorted, but it can save you money. 

There are three baskets:

•dysrexia means there’s disrupted food intake

•hyporexia is defined as a decreased appetite with an unbalanced diet (e.g. maybe the pet will eat higher value treats or things like rotisserie chicken, etc… but not their food)

•anorexia means there is no appetite: no desire in eating regular food, or treats, even no interest in foods that the pet typically won’t turn down

Identifying which of those has been present matters. Because that is the start of a bread crumb trail that quickly leads to more important clues. In sorting those clues—which as it turns out are symptoms, and with some practice, pet guardians can get really good at recognizing and then communicate clearly to the vet—can range from nausea, or pain (acute, chronic or chronic but suddenly becomes acute), constipation, a tooth or painful gums that are giving them trouble, maybe being anxious or stressed or having a routine change, being dehydrated, experiencing loss of smell, or a side effect to medication or how the medication is administered that triggers loss of appetite. I discuss much more in depth in this presentation.

One or more of these symptoms or triggers can be true at once, of course. And those are best tracked by keeping a daily log of activities, changes with the pet, what their stools look like and how often they're going, what's going on in the house and with the weather, any changes in routine, what they will eat and when, you get the idea. It all matters.

The point of all this is to say, why a pet is experiencing an appetite that's changed or halted is most often not what you think it is. But as a pet guardian, you know your pet better than anyone, and they are counting on you to be the front line interpreter for your vet team so that they can get to the bottom of things.

With over 20 years of experience in pet care and the past 12 of  those focused on animal hospice, Lorrie Shaw is a Certified Animal Hospice Practitioner, Certified Hospice Palliative Care Advocate, and pet loss & grief companioning certified professional. She is founder of Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC & can be found at lorrieshaw.com.