Mixed Practice

Owner (O): "my dog isn't eating!"
Dr Chance (DC): "For how long? It looks normal- Has it had any diarrhoea or vomitting? Could it have eaten a toy?"
O: "No, none of that... it's been a few weeks now... it's not eating it's dinner!"
DC: "Really?! It doesn't look like it's losing weight..."
O: "No, it's gaining weight... that's what I'm worried about... I don't know... there must be something wrong with it..."
DC:"Oh, ok... does it behave normally?"
O: "Yes, yes... but it doesn't eat its dinner."
DC:"At all?"
O: "Well, it eats a bit... and usually finishes it, but it doesn't gulp it down like it used to..."
DC:"How often do you feed it?"
O: "only once a day"
DC:"Well, that's quite unusual, what- may I ask- do you feed it?"
O: "just dry food"
DC:"That is the staple of the diet... hmm... do you give it anything else?"
O: "Well, it gets a beef bone- not a marrow bone, because I heard they can be fattening."
DC:"That's true... though once a week shouldn't put the dog off it's dinner..."
O: "No, once a day... and it also gets a beef heart and two chicken necks."
DC:"A week?"
O: "A day. Should I cut that back a little?"

Often, if given enough time, the questions start to answer themselves.