My dog is approximately 11, but might be older (is a rescue dog). He's started refusing his dinner - won't come for it, when led/carried to the plate, he eats a mouthful or two and then goes and lies down. This has been getting steadily worse for the last fortnight, to the point where last night he wouldn't eat even after DH put gravy on his meal and tried hand-feeding him. He still eats treats eg those chew sticks for teeth, DD's toast crusts etc, so the issue doesn't seem to be his teeth. We swapped to a dog food for older dogs last week and he ate it the first night but has barely touched it since.
He's recently developed mobility issues which the vet thinks is related to nerve damage to his spine sustained through an accident 3 years ago - although he made a good recovery then, he's now limping much more. He's still happy to go for walks etc and will trot along quite contentedly - limp improves as his muscles warm up. He goes for walks 3 days a week with a big pack of dogs and is still keeping up with them, although has definitely slowed down over the past 4 months. He was at the vet's 4 or 5 weeks ago and then again 10 days later about the mobility issue - I thought he might be getting arthritis but she thought not, although has given him Metacam to see if it makes a difference. No discernible difference to his mobility. At the time he was eating, though, so he seemed happy enough. It really has just been these last 2 weeks that his food consumption has dropped dramatically.
He now spends most of the day lying on our bed - he has steps to help him climb up. He has to be lifted down and encouraged or downright pulled to the front door (I can't lift him as am 25 weeks pg - DH carries him to the door) to go out for a pee. He gets up to go for walks, but only if he knows it's a walk and not just being let out into the garden. He's not drinking much either - will drink when taken to his dish, but isn't really getting up as normal to help himself.
I'm going to make an appt with the vet on Friday when I'm off, but I guess what I'm really asking is is this it for him? Could it be something minor and fixable, or is this the end of the road?
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
Older dog has stopped eating
TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 09/04/2014 12:38
It's definitely worth a vet visit - it could be any number of things, which need to be checked out.
However, I would say it's very normal for very senior dogs to have changes to their appetite/food preferences. Typically, they prefer to have very much smaller meals but more frequently and will often enjoy different things (a very elderly family terrier developed a passion for cat food in his last years). I'd try him with something really tasty and soft like poached chicken or some very gently cooked liver allowed to cool and see how he goes. If he is eating small quantities, then you may need to experiment but I'd still take to the vet.
Also, at that age, don't rule out a dental problem - if it's painful for him to eat, that may be causing issues.
I'd be going sooner if possible too, and would also ask for blood work to be done.
Good luck. 
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