Puppy won't eat
 

I recently adopted a puppy from another state, he was driven 7 hours to get here. The first night I had him he was very energetic and ate his food, which is the same food that was given to him at the shelter. I got him saturday at 1 AM. Then Sunday, he wouldn't eat. He also has diarrhea and little energy. He still get excited, but all he wants to do it sleep. I have tried chicken and rice, beef and rice, all kinds of wet and dry foods, and he wants nothing to do with eating. He refuses treats too. I took him to the vet yesterday, he doesn't have parvo or worms. I'm extremely worried.

How worrisome...

How old is the puppy? What food did they send with him?

Your pup has been through A LOT. If he is not eating, that will definitely affect his energy level.

Where and how are you feeding? There might be a lot of stres around feeding now, making it hard for him to eat. Then the tummy gets upset, and it's a vicious cycle.

I had a similar problem when I adopted my girl. I just left food out for her, which she eventually ate on her terms. I found that when her tummy was upset, some chicken soup usually worked, so I always had the organic stuff on hand for or, or made some from scratch and froze some, so I always had some for her. For the diarrhea, I really like probiotics.

It can take a good couple of weeks for them to settle in, and it's hard to tell exactly what is wrong here, if it's nerves or fear or something else.

He's 9 weeks old, almost 10. They didn't send any food, but told me he was on Purina Puppy Chow. I have tried feeding with other dogs, away from other dogs, in a quiet room, and outside. I put a little pumpkin on his tongue, so his diarrhea is now gone. But, he still refuses to eat. He's drinking just fine and is still a little playful.

:yuck: on the puppy chow. I wouldn't eat it either, I think you have a smart puppy! In all seriousness, I agree this is a stressful time for your pup, but it's important to get something into him at this young age. Try a bit of pedialite maybe just to get fluids into him. The pumpkin is good for his runs. I do think if you leave a bit of boiled chicken in broth out he may take it when it's quiet around him.

Now back to the puppy chow.... So full of corn, which dogs can't digest. You really should search out a grain free type of food that is appropriate to the size of your dog (will he be a giant dog, or a smaller breed?). If you decide to switch to a much healthier brand (it would be hard to pick a worse one in my opinion) mix it with the puppy chow for a good week. 75/25 puppy chow the first day or two, then 50/50 for a couple days,..... until it's entirely new food.

Good luck with your new puppy. If he doesn't start eating soon I'd be calling the vet and asking what to try next.

[QUOTE=Dog Dancer;1062948]:yuck: on the puppy chow. I wouldn't eat it either, I think you have a smart puppy! In all seriousness, I agree this is a stressful time for your pup, but it's important to get something into him at this young age. Try a bit of pedialite maybe just to get fluids into him. The pumpkin is good for his runs. I do think if you leave a bit of boiled chicken in broth out he may take it when it's quiet around him.

Now back to the puppy chow.... So full of corn, which dogs can't digest. You really should search out a grain free type of food that is appropriate to the size of your dog (will he be a giant dog, or a smaller breed?). If you decide to switch to a much healthier brand (it would be hard to pick a worse one in my opinion) mix it with the puppy chow for a good week. 75/25 puppy chow the first day or two, then 50/50 for a couple days,..... until it's entirely new food.

Good luck with your new puppy. If he doesn't start eating soon I'd be calling the vet and asking what to try next.[/QUOTE]

pedialite has salt and Sucralose which is Splenda . So the puppy should not be given for very long.

Hopefully he's eaten by now? It's 3 days since your post. Generally you should keep a puppy on the food he is used to when you first get him, a whole big bag at least or a couple of months. Many of the changes inflicted on puppy you can't control but you can at least keep his food the same and hopefully avoid the unpleasant reactions that sometimes accompany a food change. But you can't be sure if the food you were told to get is really what he was on. Plus, even if it is, he might have been on it only a very short time.

Are you letting him settle in? It's not a good idea to allow all your friends and neighbours in right away or to take him out to many places. You want to do those things, yes, for socialization, but he needs to settle and feel safe too. For a couple of days at least, to maybe a week, keep visits in and out to a minimum.

Did they actually test for parvo? Has he had any vaccines yet?