When a dog turns away from the bowl, the question that matters is "how long has this been going on, and is anything else off?" PetHealthLog lets you log each meal as eaten, partly eaten or refused, count the missed meals, and note energy and water - so you can see at a glance whether to watch at home or call the vet. Free, no account, works offline.
Start tracking - it's freeA dog that skips a single meal but is bright, drinking and behaving normally is usually something to watch rather than rush in for. What changes the picture is time and company - vets generally suggest that if an otherwise-fine adult dog has not eaten for around two days you should call, and sooner if the appetite loss arrives alongside vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or other changes.
The trouble is that dogs hide discomfort well, so a change in eating is often the first and only visible sign. And during a worried stretch the meals blur together - was breakfast the second skipped bowl, or the third? A vague "he's been a bit off his food lately" is hard to act on, and it is exactly the detail a vet asks for first.
PetHealthLog is free, asks for no account and works offline, so each meal gets a time stamp the moment it is offered. The missed-meal count and the hours since the last full meal are right there, the pattern is visible, and you have a real record instead of a guess when you call.
An appetite log only helps if it is quick to tap at every meal and turns scattered skipped bowls into something you can read. Here is how PetHealthLog handles both.
Tap once at every meal to mark what happened, and it lands on the timeline with the time. No more counting on your fingers - the meals line up so you can see how many have been missed and whether the appetite is recovering or fading.
The tracker shows how many meals have been skipped and how long it has been since your dog last ate properly - the numbers that often decide whether home monitoring is reasonable or it is time to call. You read them instead of reconstructing them under pressure.
Appetite rarely tells the whole story. Add a quick note on energy, whether your dog is still drinking, any vomiting, drooling or lip-licking, and anything that changed - a new food, a hot day, a stressful event. These details fade fast and matter a lot to a vet.
When a vet has said it is reasonable to coax appetite at home, log what you tried and what worked - a warmed meal, a topper, hand-feeding. It saves you repeating the things that already failed and gives the vet a useful picture if the loss continues.
Export a clean PDF of the meals, their times, the notes and the symptoms. If you do end up at the clinic, the conversation starts from a real timeline instead of "he's been off his food for a few days, I think."
General guidance from veterinary sources - when in doubt, call. The tracker helps you spot these, it does not decide them.
When a vet has confirmed it is reasonable to encourage eating at home, owners often have a few things on hand to make a meal more tempting: a meal topper or broth to pour over kibble, a softer or more aromatic food, and a low feeding mat or slow bowl that is easy for an uncomfortable dog to reach. None of these treat the cause - they just help while you and your vet work out what is going on.
These search links show popular options on Amazon. They are everyday extras for tempting a reluctant eater - whether it is safe to watch at home, and what to feed, is a question for your vet.
Dog meal toppers → Dog appetite support → Easy-reach dog bowls →#ad - affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate, PetHealthLog may earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Informational only, not veterinary advice.
Appetite does not change on a schedule. You notice the untouched bowl late at night, on a trip with no signal, in the middle of a busy morning. The last thing that should stand between you and logging the skipped meal is a login screen or a spinning loader.
PetHealthLog stores everything locally on your device. There is no account to create, nothing is uploaded to a server, and there is no tracking. It opens instantly, lets you mark a meal or check the missed-meal count whether or not you are online, and keeps the data yours. You can export a backup any time and restore it on another phone.
Free, offline, and ready the moment you open it.
Start with PetHealthLogIf loose stools come with the off-food spell, log each one and how often to see whether it is settling.
When a dog grazes grass and brings it up, track how often and what comes with it.
If the appetite loss comes with an upset stomach, count the episodes and watch for blood and dehydration alongside the missed meals.
Schedule any dog medication, mark doses given, and catch the ones that slip - handy if the vet starts treatment after a spell of not eating.
Appetite loss often shows up on the scales. Track weight over time so a gradual drop does not slip by unnoticed.
For dogs prone to flare-ups, track the low-fat diet and the symptoms that often start with going off food.