26/04/2026
Once in a while, I get messages that begin with a tone somewhere between confusion and panic, from pawrents who are really worried because their fluffy kid stopped eating, showed little or no interest in their usual activities/routine.
“My fur kid hasn’t been eating… she’s not herself… Can you find out what’s wrong?”
And every time, I imagine the fur baby sitting there like a tiny, dramatic monarch on strike, while the pawrents spiral into existential dread. I can totally relate because I have been there before and it’s very stressful to say the least.
I can try to find out if they’re feeling unwell. Sometimes they share physical sensations or their emotional state and I will pass on the information to the family. I always ask if they have already seen the vet first because an animal communication cannot replace medical treatment. It is better to see the vet first if the symptoms are serious and arrange for a session after the check up. If something is anything physically wrong, we want science, tests and professionals in lab coats involved. Sometimes the vet can’t find anything wrong with them and this is how Pudding’s story came about.
Pudding had gone on what I can only describe as a full emotional meltdown.
She got her pawrents very worried when she stopped eating for a week, didn’t show any interest in her usual activities yet the vet couldn’t find anything wrong with her.
I introduced myself because it was the first time I was talking to her. When I connected with Pudding, she didn’t come bounding in with excitement. She wasn’t afraid or skittish but she felt a little down. She was withdrawn and a bit unwilling to communicate but she eventually accepted the invitation. Pudding walked slowly into the circle and told me that she’s more of a timid, gentle dog.
She spoke about a change to her diet, she hasn’t been getting her usual food. Her pawrent said it was because she hasn’t eaten anything they prepared so they tried switching her diet to see if she might respond. She mentioned that she has food allergies so she is careful with what she eats but the food wasn’t the real issue.
She said she is emotionally sensitive as well. She has been feeling a little down because she felt left out. That was more like a confession, what she has been keeping to herself. She wasn’t in the mood to talk at first but me just quietly listening to her allowed her to warm up to the conversation.
Her family had recently welcomed a newborn which meant attention, her lifeblood, was suddenly divided. Pudding understood the situation on an intellectual level. She wasn’t resentful in a malicious way but emotionally? She was going through it.
She said she needs attention from her family too and she would like her family to spend more time with her. She doesn’t like doing things by herself, she prefers having companions and she feels lonely if her family doesn’t pay attention to her. Her pawrents are aware that Pudding gets quite attached to humans and they have been paying more attention to their newborn so now they know, Pudding wants them to spend some time with her too.
She doesn’t have any physical pain or discomfort. She was feeling emotionally tired. Then she said something that honestly stayed with me: “I don’t have sickness… I have sadness.” Awww… poor baby. 😓😢
At this point, I was thinking to myself.. Pudding, you are a 1.5-year-old dog. Why are you delivering emotional monologues like a poet in a rainy window scene?
When I asked her about food since she hasn’t been responding to the food they offered her, she showed me kibbles but said she prefers meat in her diet
When she told me that her pawrents were scared she was going to cross over because she stopped eating, she wanted me to tell them she wasn’t crossing over but she was more afraid of her pawrents leaving her alone (than she was of dying).
Animals, by the way, absolutely hear these conversations (and some of them really feel like they’ve just been cast in a very tragic opera).
I asked her pawrents if they have been talking about this and they said they have because she hasn’t been eating but the vet couldn’t figure out the cause.
She only wants her family to spend more time with her, they don’t have to be with her 24/7 but she wants them around. She used to sleep with them until the newborn came along. Now she sleeps with her pawrent’s mom. She wants cuddles, company and attention.
She said companionship is as important as food and sleep to Pudding.
For some animals, affection isn’t just a nice bonus. It’s essential and when that emotional need isn’t met, they don’t just get a little moody, sometimes they get emotionally affected to the point they stop eating.
So what we had here was not a medical emergency. It was an emotional misunderstanding wrapped in a tiny, fluffy, slightly dramatic package.
When Pudding left the circle, she gave a full performance. Head down, energy low, a visual representation of heartbreak. If there were background music, it would’ve been a slow violin solo.
She was such as sad, dismal sight, I suggested coaxing her back by showering her with love and affection because Pudding was showing signs of being love sick.
I have met another dog like this before. Her name is Luna and she was whining so much that her pawrent asked for an emergency session because he thought she was in a lot of pain. Turns out, she wasn’t in any physical pain at all but she was so sad that she was acting exactly like Pudding. Luna’s pawrent was relieved to hear she was alright other than the fact that she was throwing herself what can only be described as, a pity party for one. He started paying a lot more attention to her saying that he feels she is behaving like a very young girlfriend. She came around after that and stopped whining.😅😅🤣🤣
There is something deeply sincere underneath their behaviour though. Some animals love big. They attach deeply. They feel intensely. They need reassurance. We might see it as clingy but to them, it’s not clinginess. It’s connection.
For some animals, affection and attention is something they need. Like what Pudding said in her own words, it’s as important to her as food and sleep. Pudding wanted to tell her pawrents that she is young too (she is and still has a very babyish kind of temperament about her) so she will need attention like a human baby. 😅
I asked for an update if they saw any signs of improvement after the session but it is not something that will happen by itself. Thankfully her pawrents dote on her so as long as they are aware of what has been bothering her, they can do something about it.
The recent update I got from them is that Pudding is back to her usual self now that they give her the attention she needs at home. All because her family adjusted.. not drastically, not perfectly but intentionally.
I can imagine the relief her pawrents must be feeling. The fact that Pudding told me she knows they were so scared she was going to cross over because she stopped eating kind of made me think she must be listening in on them talking about her at home. 😅🤣 I brought it up to her pawrents and mentioned they probably need to be careful of the tone they use with Pudding as well because she is quite an emotionally sensitive dog. Lots of compliments and affirmations would work wonders on her.
So if your fur family ever stops eating, stops playing or seems “off” and the vet can’t figure out what’s wrong with them, maybe it’s what Pudding said to her family. She doesn’t have sickness, she has sadness.
Because once in a while, it might not be an illness. It’s just a little soul quietly asking for some attention because to them, you make up their entire world.
Let me treat you to some photos of Pudding, she is 100% pure love wrapped up in fuzzy fur.
