Last Updated on December 28, 2021 by Marco
Why does my Husky not want to eat?
When a dog loses its appetite, it can be a worrying time because you know there is something wrong. Because let’s face it, most dogs love to wolf down their dinner.
Let’s explore some of the physical, emotional, and psychological reasons your Husky is not eating.
Medical Reasons Why A Husky Will Not Eat
There are many reasons why your Husky is not eating. And the only real way that you can ascertain what is this reason, is to make an appointment with your vet and take them in for an examination.
Your vet will feel your dog over, especially around the abdomen, to see if there is anything unusual. If something feels ‘off’, they will give your dog some diagnostic tests, such as imaging, to see their insides.
If the manual check over feels normal, then the vet will want to check your Husky’s vitals (i.e. heart rate), check their gum color (pale gums are bad because it may indicate poisoning), and they will also want to take blood from your dog to test it for various problems, i.e. high liver enzymes.
Here is a list of the main medical reasons why your Husky is not eating:
- Twisted stomach/gastric torsion/bloat – THIS IS FATAL AND NEEDS VET CARE ASAP
- Poisoning (i.e. the dog ate rat bait that was left lying around) – again, THIS IS FATAL AND NEEDS VET CARE ASAP
- Liver problems
- Kidney failure
- Cancer
- Pain (i.e. if it is an older dog they may have arthritis, and the pain makes them lose interest in food.)
You can read about the signs of bloat and poisoning in dogs here and here.
Learn more about: The Best Foods For Huskies With Sensitive Stomachs
Emotional Reasons Your Husky Is Not Eating
Why is my husky not eating?
If you have ruled out a medical cause to your Husky’s lack of appetite then it may be the case that your dog is experiencing some kind of emotional trauma.
Dogs are very sensitive to stress within a household. If you are stressed then your dog will pick up on this.
If your house is full of people yelling, whether it be arguing parents or screaming kids, then your dog will react to it by hiding and possibly not wanting to eat.
Another thing that can cause your Husky emotional distress is the loss of another household pet – dogs do mourn, research has demonstrated this.
Dogs are also geniuses at detecting changes in routine. Have you suddenly started a new job and your hours have changed? Are you moving house and your dog can see you packing boxes?
Dogs are super smart and they know when something is different in your world and therefore theirs. If something has changed in your world, your dog will know that this will result in change for them too.
Once you have figured out what is stressing your dog out and spoiling their appetite then address it, do the best you can to minimize it, and give your Husky plenty of love, reassurance, and attention.
Hopefully, once this has been ironed out then you will not have to worry about your Husky not eating.
Psychological Reasons Why Huskies Stop Eating
Food Avoidance, A.K.A. Taste Aversion
Your Husky not eating may be due to psychological reasons. Perhaps they ate some food that was bad, and they now have made a mental association with that food, and with feeling sick.
This was most notably demonstrated by a psychologist named John Garcia, who in his experiments demonstrated that by mildly poisoning the meat of dead lambs and feeding it to coyotes, thus making them feel sick and vomit, that they would develop a dislike for the taste of lamb because they associated it with feeling sick and vomiting. These coyotes stopped killing lambs after this experiment, called the Garcia Effect.
If you suspect that taste aversion is the reason why your Husky is not eating, then try and tempt your dog with foods that are new and different.
Foods that have a strong smell, such as fried ground beef, usually arouse some interest in even the most fussy dog! Let them come into the kitchen while you cook their meat; hopefully, the smell will get them excited to eat.
Food Boredom
If you are still wondering about why my husky is not eating, then consider that they may be suffering from plain old food boredom.
Do you give your dog the same dry kibble day, after day, or the same wet food each night, because it is cheaper to buy it in bulk?
How would you feel if you had the same dish for dinner each and every night? You would soon lose your appetite too!
So try mixing things up a bit with your Husky’s food. Different flavors and textures can tempt a fussy dog.
And do not forget that dogs are omnivores, meaning that they need to eat vegetable and grain foods for optimal health and happiness.
One More Thing…
If you see your dog eating green grass, then this could be a sign that your dog feels sick and is trying to vomit something bad up. The grass acts as an irritant to their stomachs, thus making them vomit both the grass and the bad food/item up.
Summary On Why Your Husky Doesn’t Want To Eat
Firstly rule out that your dog is not suffering from a medical condition by taking them to the vet for a thorough exam and possible tests. Your vet will want to know when this loss of appetite started.
Never ignore a dog losing its appetite as it can be a sign of something fatal like bloat or poisoning. This happens fast, so do not wait.
Once medical concerns are ruled out then consider that your dog may be stressed, or simply bored with the current diet. These things can be easily fixed with some effort on your part. Try to minimize stress in the household, reassure your dog with love, and give them some different foods to try, to alleviate food boredom and combat taste aversion.
