4 mo Puppy stopped eating
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So I have had a 3-4 month old puppy for about a month now… When I first got him home, he was apprehensive about eating, then he became a machine... He was actually eating so fast that I needed to slow him down cause he had the hiccups after. So i put a kong in the bowl, and he worked like a machine around it...
The last 2 days, he seems basically uninterested in kibble. When he got home, i fed him exactly what he was fed at his kennel (iams puppy or something), but quickly started working him over to TOTW High Prarie Puppy. I have tested both, and he doesn't have an interest, so neither of the foods that he liked about a week ago seem to interest him...
I usually wet the food, but that doesn't seem to matter. Also I have tried other sources of delivery, like kong, the floor, my hand, and none seem to interest him... It's been going on for 1.5-2 days, and he doesn't seem out of any other sorts... Still has the same energy, seems to mope a bit, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Is this a phase, or something I should be seriously worried about?
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Puppies do go through phases in the verocity and intensity with which they approach food..it isn't uncommon for puppies to go through a couple periods in the firt 8 months of being uninterested in food. HOWEVER, without knowing the puppy,it's health and other factors it is also a concern when an animal stops showing interest in food, I would check with your breeder and local vet just to be sure there are no obstructions or illness. Better to be safe than sorry!! Sorry it took so long to respond, I never saw this thread show up on the boards
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The OP is back from Feb, so I sure hope the little guy is doing well. Rockfordwhite, if you're still around, we could use some updated photos of your cutie! Hope all is well.
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Since this is an old post, I would hope the problem is resolved, but my first question would have been "did you just open a new bag of food?" That is always my first concern with not eating/sudden onset of vomiting, diarrhea, etc. I have seen this sort of problem with livestock as well as dogs, and contaminated food is top of mind for me. (a friend lost her entire dairy goat herd from improperly formulated feed).
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Ok… So, to clear all this up now...
- No I didn't just open a new bag of food... I transitioned him off what he was eating at the kennel over to the food i give to him now over a 2-3 week period... After that he was scarfing the food down...
- We went to the vet, not about that, but for getting shots, and all was well
- I started feeding him in his crate, and closing the door, he eventually started reluctantly eating the food as a way to get out I think
- I started transitioning him to eating outside of the crate. Now he does pretty good, but he is not the type of dog that goes crazy to eat at his scheduled time. I put food out in the AM before work, and the PM when I get home from work. Sometimes he walks over and slowly eats it, and sometimes he just ignores it to comeback later.
Anyways, all is fine. He is going through his puppy rebellion phase, but overall nothing too bad, and honestly I can't complain.
Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts, even though they didn't help me, I hope they can help somebody else...
Attached are some more recent pictures of El Bandito
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OMG! how adorable are those ears?!?!?! I can see why it is hopeless that he is spoiled.
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From you latest response… in order to build good eating habits for an only dog, you need to be very, very consistent about giving them time to eat and if they do not, it is GONE... until the next feeding time... You put the food down, give them 15 minutes to eat, if they do not it is gone... not much different to human children... they need to learn to eat at the time it is given or it is gone... they will learn... When you have an only dog, there is no need to worry about some other dog eating their food... so you have to be the gate keeper. They will learn to eat.... just takes some work with an only dog. If you have another dog, what I do with puppies is they all eat in their crates... if the pup doesn't want to eat or finish what is given... I let one of the adults have at the food... BIG light bulb goes on for the pup... If I don't eat, they will.....
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I agree with Pat on the 15 mins or it's gone.
I disagree that it always does the trick. I am 56 years old. I have used that type of training for my entire life, my mother and grandmother before me. And it worked every time on every dog… til Sayblee, who never cared that much about ANY food, even treats. Ever. She ate enough to stay alive on her own. Then at around 5 life became hell when she lost so much she looked skeletal-- every testing possible, nothing. So store this thought-- if down the road that does happen, cyproheptadine might save your sanity (or they may have a new drug then but cypro is cheap, mostly safe for most dogs <some issues="" if="" kidney="" disease="" or="" heart="">and is a simple antihistimine). I spent nearly 6 mos putting food in her mouth, she'd then swallow. While it only took me a few mins to force feed her twice a day, it was stress. Cypro and suddenly she had an appetite and ate all her food on her own, even 2 yrs later when she got cancer and was going through chemo. Of course I hope your dog never gets that bad and that the "eat it or it's gone" works.. but if it doesn't, at least you'll remember you are not alone.
But please do what Pat advised.
And OMGoodness utterly adorable pictures! :)</some>
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Yes… I guess I should clarify... When I say later, it's usually no longer than 5-10 min... At first he was a bit apprehensive about it, but now he responds pretty good to the eat command... I still get the impression that he is eating just to appease me, and doesn't seem as thrilled about eating as some other dogs, but that may just be his general disposition... In any case he is eating his daily meals and getting water and is a seemingly healthy boy that makes for some good photo ops...
