Ask Me Help Desk - Puppy won't eat at all

We bought a puppy probably from someone we shouldn't of but too late now! She is a staffordshire bull terrier, approx 10 weeks old, she has a hare lip but this doesn't affect anything she does. We got her on Sunday, today is Wednesday and we're really concerned about her, she ate biscuits in gravy at her home but with us won't eat anything at all, she has lost weight and can see her ribs now, she has been to the vet twice and has no temperature, appears well in herself, will play and interact, will drink water but not the dioralyte treatment we have for her and has now got diarrhoea. Today she seems really down and will play for ten minutes then sleep, does anyone have any suggestions because if her blood tests come back normal then we don't know what to do and concerned about losing her

What are you giving her to eat? Maybe you should just try some different brands of puppy food- I know our kittens and puppies won't eat certain brands of pet food, even though they're practically the same... they're picky and they know the difference!

Hi jaynav

My dog's were the same when I first got them, it could be the food you are feeding her, try diffferent feeds, bakers complete is a good 1 but then that depends if she likes it. She is still very young so try with soft feeds before the biscuits.

We have tried everything from tinned puppy food to dry biscuits, then soaked in gravy, raw meat, chicken, she won't even eat titbits like ham which she did the day we got her

Will she eat treats?
If she eats treats then it goes to show that there is nothing hurting her when she eats and that she is just a fussy eater

Try warming the dinner, dogs like warm dinners

It also might be that she is just a home sick and as soon as she gets used to her new surrounds she will be more happier, remember she has just been taken from her mother and will be pining

When my dogs get separated, my male dog pines and doesn't eat or drink, so it must be the same being away from the mother and siblings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaynav

we bought a puppy probably from someone we shouldnt of but too late now!! she is a staffordshire bull terrier, approx 10 weeks old, she has a hare lip but this doesnt affect anything she does. we got her on sunday, today is wednesday and we're really concerned about her, she ate biscuits in gravy at her home but with us wont eat anything at all, she has lost weight and can see her ribs now, she has been to the vet twice and has no temperature, appears well in herself, will play and interact, will drink water but not the dioralyte treatment we have for her and has now got diarrhoea. today she seems really down and will play for ten mins then sleep, does anyone have any suggestions cos if her blood tests come back normal then we dont know what to do and concerned about losing her

My dog has often stopped eating. One cause is blockage in her intestines from eating something she should not have. This have happened to my dog. He could not pass it because it was so large. It was a ball. Sometimes surgery is necessary but an x ray may show where it is. I would take her back to the vet and have her checked again. I am surprised that the vet did not consider this. Pretty common in pups.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaynav

we bought a puppy probably from someone we shouldnt of but too late now!! she is a staffordshire bull terrier, approx 10 weeks old, she has a hare lip but this doesnt affect anything she does. we got her on sunday, today is wednesday and we're really concerned about her, she ate biscuits in gravy at her home but with us wont eat anything at all, she has lost weight and can see her ribs now, she has been to the vet twice and has no temperature, appears well in herself, will play and interact, will drink water but not the dioralyte treatment we have for her and has now got diarrhoea. today she seems really down and will play for ten mins then sleep, does anyone have any suggestions cos if her blood tests come back normal then we dont know what to do and concerned about losing her

If you have tried all the tempting food you stated here and she won't touch any of it by now, it is time to call the vet again and tell him/her what is going on. Usually, I would say it is perfectly normal for a new pup to refuse food when being rehoused. But, by the third day, if there has been enough attention and exercise, she should have relaxed enough to take at least a few bites. It sounds like today she is experiencing lethargy. It could be from lack of food but with pups I don't like to take chances, due to all the viral infections that can occur at this age. Even though you are still waiting on the test results (I am assuming he is checking for Parvo virus?), I personally wouldn't keep playing around with guessing on different foods to tempt her with, but I would put in a call to the vet this morning and explain this new wrinkle in the situation. Please let us know how she is doing.

We have rang vet again, will take her back in morning again, poor thing 3 visits in 3 days, diarrhoea is really smelly so I'm concerned about parvo although vet hasn't mentioned that and she has no temperature, its worse than having a baby all this worry! Going to try her with plain chicken, just all keep fingers crossed for us and if she recovers I'm sure il be back asking for housetraining tips!!

Good luck with house training!. lol

Yippee sasha has eaten just over half a chicken breast!! Here's hoping she can keep it either in or down!!

Read the sticky at https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/dogs/i...tml#post254171 You will see that in most cases, tempting a dog with rich food or different brands of chow is the wrong thing to do. If her ribs are showing, and the vet isn't finding anything, you may have to resort to some of what I mention in the sticky. Also ask the vet about high calorie paste. Get softening soft on your finger and put it in her mouth. Pay close attention to what RubyPitbull has to say. In addition to concern like the other answers, she has a wealth of experience in this area.

I have to run, but you might try some of this to help bonding which may help the eating problem. ''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.

Once the crisis is over, there is more good material in the sticky.

Thank you labman. Jaynav, I am glad that she has eaten something. You need to definitely check her poop and watch her for lethargy & vomiting. It may simply be that she is a lot more sensitive to the change in home than most, and I truly do hope that is the case with her. The chicken & rice diet labman suggests in his sticky will create a firmer poop for her and will be easy on her stomach. I know that it is upsetting to take her to the vet so often, but you are showing common sense in doing so, and it is better to err on the side of caution.

You posted your report of her eating the chicken while I was working on my post above. That is great progress. If you looked through the sticky, I give a recipe for a bland diet of chicken and rice. Such a diet is fine for the time being and may help stabilize her bowels. One of the few helpful suggestions above was the obstruction. The vet should know to check for such, but socks don't show up on the X-ray very well. The scope made for such may be safer for a puppy.

Stay in touch with the vet. Unless the vet says different, follow the bland diet in the sticky until a few days with a solid stool. Then start working in a dry puppy chow. I would stick to one of the common brands, Pro Plan, Iams, etc. I have abundant evidence that they work well for nearly all dogs. In fact, I see more questions on dogs eating the more expensive chows. You eventually want her getting almost all her calories from a complete and balanced dry dog chow. In my sticky, I recommend sticking with what the breeder was feeding. That does not appy if the breeder was feeding biscuits in gravy or other unsuitable diet. You want her to just gain enough to nicely hide her ribs. Keep a close eye on her following the system of checking her ribs as in the link in the sticky.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taz4Whaley

what are you giving her to eat? maybe you should just try some different brands of puppy food- i know our kittens and puppies wont eat certain brands of pet food, even though they're practically the same... they're picky and they know the difference!!

This sounds to me like a classic case of the overweight, spoiled dog. You need to go to LongLiveYourDog.com - Life Span Study - Rate Your Dog evaluate your dog, and adjust the feed and exercise as needed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northstar1

My dog has often stopped eating. One cause is blockage in her intestines from eating something she should not have. This have happened to my dog. He could not pass it because it was so large. It was a ball. Sometimes surgery is necessary but an x ray may show where it is. I would take her back to the vet and have her checked again. I am surprised that the vet did not consider this. Pretty common in pups.

I think any dog that has blockages very often needs better supervision. I have had at least one young Lab in the house most of the last 17 years, and haven't had to have the vet remove anything.

Hi just to report that sasha was at vets all day on a drip, they have managed to get some sensitive type food down her and she came back from the vet absolutely yampy! She nips bloody hard and is hard to calm down, think that goes to prove how poorly she was getting before we even got her! Thanks for all your advice, I'm bound to need some more if she doesn't calm down! She also ate food out of her bowl but will only eat tablespoon at a time but better than nothing, thanks again