My puppy won't eat!
Hi, I'm new to the board but was very happy to find it. I recently purchased my second OES from the same breeder that I got my first years ago, who is no longer with me. The puppy is a healthy 7.5 week old female from a litter of 9. She had her needles and dewroming on Wednesday evening, I picked her up from the breeder Thursday morning. She had breakfast with her littermates Thursday am around 7:30 and hasn't eaten since. I know it is common for pups to be off their food for maybe a day or a day and a half, but it's Saturday afternoon now and I'm really worried about it. I have found very little information, most websites and books say the pup will eat in a day or so, and that canned food shouldn't be added to entice her because it can create a picky eater. I'm considering adding canned food anyway just to get her to eat, though I am worried that she won't eat her proper food if I do, or that it will cause diarreah. I am feeding her the same thing the breeder was, eukanuba large breed puppy. I have been trying to get a hold of the breeder with no luck so if anyone ahs any advice I would appreciate it. If anyone wants to email me or contact me through instant messaging my msn is inspiredbykate@hotmail.com and my icq number is 155631975. Thank you. |
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| Hi,
Congrats on your new pup! When I picked up my puppy my breeder recommended putting a couple table spoons of cottage cheese on top of his food. Worked like a charm! I wouldn't worry about thinking they will become used to this as 7.5 weeks is still fairly young. I picked up Merlin at 8 wks and didn't have a problem weaning him off the cottage cheese so that he only eats kibbles soley now. Perhaps try that? I also suspect the little one is pining for her mom and litter mates..new surroundings..must be tough on these little guys. Good luck and please keep us posted as to how it's going. Oh lastly - welcome to this board! |
| Thanks for your reply... I did try it, and she wasn't interested at all. I tried canned meat, and she seemed interested and ate a little, but only a few mouthfuls, I'd say maybe 1/4 cups at most. That was yesterday, and today I put canned meat in her food again this morning and she still only ate a few mouthfuls. Any other pup I've raised has eaten voraciously at this age. Most pups eat at least a cup at a time, 3 or 4 times a day, so I'm still very concerned that she is not getting nearly enough. I did get a hold of the breeder and she suggested canned meat or cottage cheese as well. She is still pooping, normal stools, and drinking water etc, so the breeder said not to worry too much, but I wish I knew a way to get her to eat more... |
| Hey there,
In talking with my hubby about your pup, he reminded me that we once had a teacup yorkie who refused to eat. He said that our Vet told us to buy baby food... thinks it was turkey and chcken flavor. Said to mix it with dog food. Or, worst case, put some in his water. Keep us posted aobut your sweet baby.  |
| hello again.... my girl Dancer is starting to eat a little more, but still not nearly enough. The canned food made her stools too loose, so I stopped putting that in, and I didn't try the babyfood because I was afraid of the same result. She's still on eukanuba large breed puppy, but I am gradually going to mix in Iams normal puppy food in till it's half and half because it has higher caloric content per cup. She is only eating about 1 cup in total per day. Plus the Iams is smaller peices than eukanuba, which I think is odd since it's made by iams as well, but anyway... if the peices are smaller I'm hoping she will eat more of it. |
| Willowsprite, i dont know if you can get it where you are, but we use a food called Salters pet food. Do a search on the net for it.
Our girl eats it like it is going out of fashion and she is thriving on it. Our breeder recommends nothing but Salters, and i have to agree with her, it is very good stuff, tasty (yes i have tried it   ) when i was a little drunk one night. The best thing is it is only made from top quality human grade food and it can be served hot, which my OES loves.
Give it a go if you can.. I just found this for more info http://www.salterspetfood.com/Salters.htm |
| I don't think that kind of food can be found in canada, but thanks for the suggestion. She is doing a little better, eating about 2 cups a day now, still not enough for a 9 week old pup, but she seem healthy. I have been making her food 1 cup eukanuba large breed and 1/2 cup iams puppy. She loves the iams puppy so i will be phasing out the eukanuba slowly. At 50 dollars a bag it is certainly going to be used up! LOL Every dog i have had has done very well on iams foods, so i think this is the best way to go. Apparently the eukanuba is a slightly higher quality from iams, with a much higher price, but it has virtually no odor, so I'm guessing not much flavor. Iams is still a great quality food, and she likes it, so i think that is more important. I'm just free feeding her now, the separated meal times simply did not work for her, she just can't seem to hold too much at once. |
| I kind of think your puppy is quite small (in age) to eat dog food alone...have you tried to wet it a bit? so it`s not so hard and more digestable...I did that to Pisco at first and he ate very well and gradually mixed his wet food with some not wet ones until finally he just got his unwetted one. |
| She's ten weeks on tuesday... and the breeder has never used canned food if that's what you mean... most breeders don't that I know of. I do put hot water on her food to soften it up if that's what you mean. She also has dry kibble which she prefers, but I still water down her meals. |
| yes that is exactly what I mean...some water on her meals to soften it up.
can food ...I don`t know...Pisco got a runny stomach every time I gave him canned food...so I don`t give any to him. |
| Boil some chicken livers and add it to your food. Just plain boiled chicken or broth helps too.
Abbi will eat anything I put fish oil on. If the pup is 10 weeks old and gaining weight, maybe it doesn't need to eat too much? Anytime you introduce a new food the stools can become loose. Just let them eat a little of the new stuff every meal until their stomach adapts. From what I have been told, baby food doesn't affect their stomachs as bad as canned dog food. Canned dog food has a lot of grain in it, baby food doesn't. You might want to weigh the pup every week and make sure it is thriving before you worry too much about its appetite. |
| Hi,
I had the same problem with our Bam-Bam when we first got him. Still to this day he is not a big eater. He hears me preparing his meal and runs for the door to go outside. He is the first dog I have ever had that just does not care about eating at all. Now at 4 years old he averages maybe 2 to 3 cups a day. Our vet says he is healthy and lean, due to their large bone structure it was good he was not a big eater during his growing period. He now weighs between 84 and 86 pounds. So maybe your baby is going to be one of those, who is just not a big eater. There are no worse off for it and maybe healthier. When Bam-Bam has stomach upsets, I add a tab. of plain yogurt to his dry food. Corrects anything that maybe going on with him and seems to make him feel better quickly. Good Luck to You............... |
| well, I finally got a hold of the breeder again and have talked to a vet, because Dancer is still not eating much, and although she is close to 14 lbs now (a 3.5 lb weight gain in approx 3 weeks) she is too thin. Her spine is starting to stick out too much, and I can feel her ribs. The vet didn't have anything to suggest that I haven't already tried, and in fact seemed to know less than myself. None of the other puppies in the litter are having this problem, they are all eating about twice as much as my girl. I am at a loss, I'm so worried about her. I tried baby food, no interest, canned food, 3 different kinds, everything.... the only thing she shows interest in is cat food, which I found out because she quite eagerly tries to take food from my cat. There is a baby gate separating her from the room where the cat's food and litter box is in though. Do any of you know if it would harm her to put some stinky canned cat food in with her kibble watered down? I know that there are certain nutrients in cat food that cannot be found in dog food, such as higher levels of taurine, but would it harm her? I don't exactly trust my vet at this point.... and will be looking for a new one, since my vet basically just shrugged his shoulders and didn't seem to care about Dancer at all. |
| Pisco has always been a picky eater ...and eats less than what everybody tells me he should including the instructions on the back of his food bag....I realized two things : he hates to eat alone (he just won`t eat unless he has company!) and I always have to add some yummy thing to his food...chicken, broth, ham, even just rice!)
Cat food I don`t have a clue since I never tried it with Pisco...but here they sell what is called soup bones ...I usually cook one or two in boiling water with some salt and give the meat in little pieces and then give him the bone....with the broth I mix it with his food..... |
| Our dogs have cheerfully helped themselves to our cat's food - whenever they could get to it. It doesn't seem to bother the dogs at all. When I asked the dog's doctor about it, she said that cat food typically has a higher meat content than dog food and could cause the dog to gain weight (hmmmm....maybe not a bad idea in this case). Other than that, she didn't believe that it would cause any problems.
Our various dogs have been trying (and occasionally being successful) at getting the cats food over the past 16 years, and we haven't seen any problems with it to date. |
| When I was feeding Abbi home cooked meals because of an autoimmune response last year, I found that canned salmon and herring were a cheap source of protein. I started with a can of herring, can of peas, and a cup of white rice and a cup of brown rice. Abbi did not digest the brown rice very well. And with some of the fish her stools got rather loose. Seemed peas, pumkin, cooked carrots, white rice or mashed potatoes with the canned fish worked out very well. I also used boiled chicken, which she enjoyed even more.
But then we went on vacation and I switched her to Nutro and she did so well I just left her eating that. I mention this because as far as I know, the fish did not harm Abbi any and she loved it. So I guess cat food would also be ok. It does have higher levels of taurine in it and does cause some dogs to have very loose stools. But you would have to try it to find out. I would suggest just small amounts at first. It is what I had to do when I was switching Abbi around; otherwise she would get VERY loose stools. |
| I asked my Vet about fish (Pisco loves fish in all cooked ways) and he said it`s ok to give it to dogs since it has omega 3and 6 witch is great to regulate their colesterol and it makes the hair look great.
I give Pisco a can of tuna once a week and once every 15 days he gets a steamed fish fillet all to himself (except the bones and thorns) |
| Steamed fish with just a bit of dill and lemon juice.
I am so coming down to Peru for supper Friday  !
And I could enjoy a nice cup of chamomile tea and maybe some dulce de leche helados with one of those meringe torts! I loved steamed or broiled fish! I broiled up catfish the other night and even Abbi had some ---and did she love it. |
You are very welcome to supper....but I don`t know if Pisco will share his  ...but don`t worry plenty for all....
by the way when I was living in Florida I found Dulce de leche in the supermarket  ... you can make your own dulce de leche at home....by the way it`s not hard but tricky...
grab a can or 2 of evaporated milk boil it for 1 1/2 hrs....but be carefull NOT to have your kids or Abbi in the kitchen because sometimes if you keep them for longer they can explode...it`s not harmfull- except for your kitchen- having dulce de leche all over...but just be on the safe side.....it doesn`t taste quiet exactly as the real one but very aprox..... or if you find in the supermarket something called Manjar Blanco ..it`s the same stuff...... |
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Well, putting a little tiny bit of stinky cat food in with her watered down kibble seems to be helping. She is eating a little more than 2 cups a day now, and although I think her tummy has shrunk too much to eat more than half a cup at a time, she is eating more and more at a time each meal, and I leave the rest down for her to finish through out the day. The cat food is much higher in protein and fat as well, so the higher protein means she is not getting loose stools, and the higher fat is just what she needs right now. Once she is eating normally and putting on weight I will gradually remove the cat food, although even now it is only about a teaspoon per meal. YAY!
I have a roll of ilm to take in so as soon as I have some new pics I'll post one or two. |
| so glad she`s eating more....
Pisco now is on a non-eating diet...he just WONT (but he`s putting on some weight!) I asked my vet about it and he told me that due to the heat (summer here) he probably isn`t feeling hungry but not to worry too much dogs are sometimes like that...he will start eating again when he feels more hungry and less hot. |
| I posted a rather long post under the subject 'my puppy ate a pencil' which was a topic I started this morning. Anyway, it has info regarding this thread too if anyone is interested. It's too long to retype right now....lol |
| I read it. Not sure how much help I was, but I hop eyou pup is doing wel and decides to eat more dog food and less pencils.
There was a post on the list about 4 or 5 years ago about a OES that ate a ring ... at the time it was very serious because the furry bundle almost choked to death and had to have emergency care and lots of attention to survive. But our little four legged counter surfers sure can get into a lot of trouble because of what the decide to chew and eat. I hope yours suffers no harm from the incident. I know Abbi has chewed on a few pencils,pens, and this morning it was the newspaper. That is a funny story ... as I instigated the whole thing by trying to teach her to retrieve the newspaper for me ... it is raining down here again. sigh! And she decided the plastic bag was a good chew, along with the paper. Had to fight for it. Guess she was having fun, but the paper is a bit worse for it. Gotta watch em all the time I guess. |
| Well, after my girl had her second set of shots on Saturday, she once again went to eating virtually nothing.... I now wonder if that isn't what set her off her food in the first place, since the day I brought her home was only about 12 hours from the time she had her first set of vaccinations. Anyway, more worrying, and trying different things over the weekend, and I now have about 8 different kinds of canned food in my house from all the different kinds I have bought just to see if it would entice her to eat. And then guess what? I opened a can of Iams dog food, the only kind I hadn't tried yet, and as soon as I opened it she perked up and was sniffing the air. It didn't seem to have a strong odour to me, but I put about a tablespoon of it in her dry kibble, mixed it in really well, and while I was mixing it she started whining at me and wiggling her little fuzzy butt getting all excited. I was a little confused, thinking this must be someone else's puppy...lol.. I put the bowl down and she inhaled it. She ate every single morsel, licked the bowl clean, and wanted more. I was so happy, and shocked! What a difference! I didn't give her more though, because a cup of dry kibble in one sitting is more than I've ever seen her eat and I didn't want her to throw up. This was last night by the way. This morning, she woke me up to let me know she needed to go outside, 7am same as every morning,went outside and did her thing, and then went and sat in front of the cupboard where the canned food is. So I again mixed about a tablespoon in with her dry kibble, this time about a cup and a half, and again, she eagerly devoured it. So, YAY Iams! LOL She has only been showing a vague interest in 2 of her meals, but since she is eating this stuff I'm going to get her back on 3 meals, if she'll eat it. I feel so much better, and I think she does too |
im having the same problem with my 2 month old pitbulls they dont want to eat anything. if u find a awnser to this please send me a messege to whusurdaddy2004@yahoo.com  [/b] |
| Sorry to hear about your pups... if they are only 2 months old they should still be having food watered down... did you get the same type of food they were on where you got the from? How long have you had them? |
| hi, i brought my new jack russell two days ago too. it is 9 weeks old and will get his next vaccination in 3 weeks. however, i also have another female jack russell whihc is nearly five. the shop recommended the pup to eat a type of puppy food whihc is designed for them called 'innova'. It is dried food and in a sort of triangular shape and quite small. Our new pup started eating our old dog's food which is different to pup food, and it just won't eat the pup food, it won't even give it taste. There shouldn't be anything wron with it, but...my old dog wants to eat it and kinda likes it too.....fascinating...i'm REALLY concerned about what i could do to make my dog eat it's pup food cause it isn't digesting very well, like a minute ago it vomited some dog food, and ate its own poop....YUK...PLEASE HELP ME!!!! |
| First of all I would suggest you feed each dog in separate rooms or in crates. Also, you could just switch both dogs over to puppy food. |
ting wrote: hi, i brought my new jack russell two days ago too. it is 9 weeks old and will get his next vaccination in 3 weeks. however, i also have another female jack russell whihc is nearly five. the shop recommended the pup to eat a type of puppy food whihc is designed for them called 'innova'. It is dried food and in a sort of triangular shape and quite small. Our new pup started eating our old dog's food which is different to pup food, and it just won't eat the pup food, it won't even give it taste. There shouldn't be anything wron with it, but...my old dog wants to eat it and kinda likes it too.....fascinating...i'm REALLY concerned about what i could do to make my dog eat it's pup food cause it isn't digesting very well, like a minute ago it vomited some dog food, and ate its own poop....YUK...PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
Innova is a GREAT food. One of the best out there, made by Natura Pet (www.naturapet.com). Did you get your pup from a pet shop?? Those dogs come from puppy mills where dogs are abused, brutally killed and have no food or water. |
| Yes i got my dog from the same shop i got my first one from-Pet Paradise in chatswood...thanks to both of you for your suggestions, if anyone else has suggestions please tell me,,thank you very much. |
| Hi,
I have read these comments and have a .9 lb. pomeranian with the same issues. It floors me that you called the vet and they did not tell you more. First of all he/she should have recommended Nutri-Cal. This is a supplement that comes in a tube and they seem to love it. Second, due to the size of my little guy I have to force feed him (or he will get hypoglycemic) with a syringe or put the food on your finger or something and put in mouth. Don't give too much too fast. This little guy has to be force feed every 6 hours. The first week he was home he gobbled up chicken. Now I am having to mix molasses with chicken and rice baby food and AD with baby applesauce and honey. AD may be purchased from a vet and has all the nutrients they need as well. The Nutri-Cal can be obtained at petstores and your vet. This also is HIGHLY recommended for the nutrients in between feedings. Hope this helps. Mitzi |
.9 lb!!!  wow, that's tiny. and this post is ancient. guess we all get to see how willowsprite got started |
| Hi there, 1 of our 2 puppies (Shih-Tzu) is having the same problem, nearly not eating at all. We've tried already all kinds of dry food but without much result. So when looking around for people having the same experiences, I've stubmled on this forum. There's some great contributions we're surely gonna try out (thanks a lot!). When reading the "succes story" abut Iams, I've went looking whether there selling this kind of food here in Belgium. First thing I stumbled upon was the fact that Iams seems not to take care a lot about dogs in general. According to quite some articles, they're funding lab experiments on hundreds of animals that caused kidney failure, obesity, malnutrition, liver damage, severe allergic reactions... (the list goes on). Though maybe it could be a success story in some cases, I'd rather try something else instead...
Read the article on: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q= ... ting&meta= or Google for: iams animal testing. Hope this does bring some people to other ideas. |
| I had the same problem and my puppy was diagnosed with Giardia. Pay for the more expensive test at the Vet. It was worth it. She was not eating for a week (10 weeks old) and getting very skinny. Not interested in or motivated by food. Vet says eating may have made her nauseaus. Good luck and get it checked! |
My 2 month old chihuahua terrier puppy barely eats, she was eating fine until her shots last saturday, then she went almost 24 hours without eating and began turning her nose up to the purina puppy chow. So, i switched her upon an emergency vets advice to eukanuba small breed puppy . She ate it the first serving, then slowly but surely has regressed. I started adding a small amount of chicken broth, and unless she has gone SEVERAL hours without eating she wont touch it, and i have to start off by putting it in her mouth. I am extremely frustrated and stressed. I dont understand what happened to my little girl(cherry is her name) she was such a good eater before the shots, and i dont even know if the two have anything to do with eachother. Or its coincidental. The vet gave her a clean bill of health, so is she just being stubborn?  |
| for anybody else wondering about this. My 8 week old GSD would refuse to eat for a day and a half, maybe two. I called my vet because he started to lose weight due to his high activity level. My vet told me that as long as he was using the bathroom, you shouldnt be too worried. She also told me that his stomach might be bothering him and she recommended a plain boiled chicken( no seasoning whatsoever). He ate it up in no time. To get him back on his diet is slowly added his puppy food in. Also if you have another dog or a friend/neighbor does, try feeding them at the same time. Sometimes they just need a little competition like when they were younger. Hope this helps |
| you might want to consider switching her onto a higher quality kibble as this is the most important development stage in her life. If you prefer the natura products try switching to innova puppy, or innova large breed puppy. It has no fillers and has the proper supplements as needed but still has high quality protiens instead of by-product: chicken and turkey listed as the first few items in the ingredient list. You want to stay away from corn and soy or artificial colors for a large breed puppy you want about 24% protien, 12% fat and 1.2% calcium as too much of these can cause stress to the joints as they grow "too quickly". I actually like the innova lrg breed puppy as it is the only puppy food with *lower calories per cup* so if they do over eat, they dont get too much. Hope she starts eating soon, just make sure she stays hydrated |
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