My Border Collie started taking fluoxetine (Prozac) a few months ago to help with anxiety and frustration around other dogs. It’s been amazing for her behavior, but it seems to have really cut her appetite. She barely touches her kibble, though she will take treats like mozzarella string cheese without any trouble.
Here’s what I’ve tried to get her to eat:
Dropping treats on top of her food
Adding a spoonful of pumpkin to her meals
Tossing kibble on the floor like treats
She’s eating Purina One Chicken & Rice right now but used to be on Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Turkey & Grains. She stopped eating the old food, which is why I switched. She hasn’t skipped an entire day of eating yet, but I’m used to other dogs wolfing down their food twice a day with no issues.
I talked to my vet about this recently. Apparently, it’s pretty normal for fluoxetine to lower a dog’s appetite, but the vet said it often gets better as their body adjusts to the medication. If you’re really worried, you could try canned food for now, but just know it might be tricky to switch back to kibble later.
@Uma
She’s been on fluoxetine for about three months now. How long did your vet say it usually takes for their appetite to return? I might bring it up at her next appointment.
My collie is also on fluoxetine, and yeah, same problem. She was already a light eater before, and now I have to work extra hard to get her to eat because she gets nauseous if she doesn’t eat every six hours. Here’s what’s helped us:
Adding a spoonful of wet food as a topper and mixing it with a bit of water to coat the kibble. She loves it, especially if I rotate flavors (she likes the stinkier Purina wet foods).
Sprinkling a little nutritional yeast on her kibble. On her worst days, I’ll add some shaker parmesan cheese.