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Originally Posted by KodysMom After a couple of hours of trying to coax him into eating/drinking - my husband suggested we try to play with him a little to get him to eat/drink. He was trying to play but he he was also trying to throw up (kind of dry heaving) but there was nothing there. He was also kind of stumbling around at this point and acting very clingy with us (not normal). I was concerned and didn't have any Nutri-cal or Pumpkin (as previously suggested)... so I gave him some of the vitamins the vet gave us (a half a dose) and then grabbed a sample bag of Science Diet Puppy food that someone gave us. He gobbled them down. Another question - in terms of slow incorporation of new food... Is this really possible? When I brought him home, he picked out my new food out of the breeders kibbles (and refused to eat the old). Now, he is gobbling down the new and won't touch the old? He didn't have any issues with the first switch but because of the pre-existing tummy issues we have been having the last couple of days...I am worried this switch could be bad. And for the future when I get my Innova and Wellness - should I alternate if he gets bored, use whichever he likes if he won't go for a gradual change? |
I know you have looked at alot of threads about these little guys so you know many of them have sensitive stomachs. It is not unusal in my house to have everyone eating fine and then all of a sudden someone won't eat. I always have rice in the house and frozen chicken breast and when someone won't eat then I boil the chicken and cook up the rice(very, very, wet). Sometimes they won't eat breakfast but because mine are all over 1 year I let this meal go and do the chicken and rice at night. I usually do this for a couple of meals and slowly start putting their kibble back into the rice. Many of these little guys will get an upset tummy when they switch food. Switching food should take a long time but it sounds as if your little one just jumped into it. In my experience you need to pick a food and stick to it - I didn't and mine are very fussy eaters - drives me insane. The only dog food that encourages change is Prairie's Natures Variety which is raw (no it has been processed)but it looks like raw hamburger. Even though this company encourages the change of the different proteins they will tell you that if you feed them the medallion do not mix it with the kibble as that will upset their stomach.
http://www.naturesvariety.com/
I give my gang the raw in the morning and EVO kibble in the evening. The one thing you will need to do, to be comfortable with the food you give your dog, is to read the labels just like you would for a human. Many of the foods will have a high fat content, sugar and tons of filler (grains). I think it is important to find something that works for you and your baby but the highest quality you can afford. The most important thing is that they eat but remember many dogs really like the poorer quality food and it is very difficult to get them to change once you introduce it to them. Innova and Wellness are good food but I would pick one and stick with that.
The one thing almost everyone on this group has is the Nutri-cal. If your little one stops eating, gets woozey or starts going down you need to give them a finger full of this. Sometimes you even have to force feed them. IMO this should be mandatory for any new puppy owner. I just keep my tube in the refrig so it is always handy. This is not just for puppies and I have used it on all aged dogs. "Nutri-Cal is the Veterinary Standard for dogs and cats
who won't eat. NutriCal is an energy-packed nutritional supplement which contains the vitamins and minerals your pets needs. Nutrical is also a high calorie supplement designed to provide extra energy as well as nutrition".
I hope your little one is feeling better and I know how scary it is when they won't eat or have stomach problems.
Good Luck
