a noticeable decline
The shelter staff began noticing that the dog’s appetite was diminishing with each passing day. Bowls of food sat untouched, and their concern started to grow.
Approaching his kennel, they called gently, “Come on, boy, you need to eat,” but he simply lay there, indifferent.
With their best efforts, they tried to coax him into eating, but his spirit seemed to falter whenever he stared at the empty spot his brother once occupied.